The two leaders also discussed global non-proliferation issues, including the situation regarding Iran.
President Macron and Director General Grossi agreed for the need to highlight nuclear power’s potential to mitigate climate change at the upcoming COP28 international climate conference where the IAEA, France and Belgium will also announce the first-ever nuclear energy summit to be held in Brussels next year.
In a world where the full potential of nuclear power as part of a low carbon energy mix is still not fully recognized, France plays a unique global role in advancing this technology, Mr Grossi said. France’s 56 nuclear power plants account for more than 60 per cent of the total French electricity generation – the largest share worldwide. The figure is expected to rise as the country builds an additional reactor, plans to construct at least six more and considers the future deployment of small modular reactors.
