Paris Summit: Aiming to Triple Nuclear Power Capacity by 2050
France - France hosted the second nuclear energy summit on March 10, 2026. China and the United States attended, but Russia was absent. Representatives from about 40 countries and international organizations will attend, and the summit will be opened by French President Macron.
The four main topics discussed at the meeting were enhancing the role of nuclear energy in combating climate change, increasing capacity while maintaining the highest safety standards, mobilizing innovative financing mechanisms to support civilian nuclear energy projects, and approaches to addressing global challenges. Tripling nuclear power generation capacity by 2050 is another important issue at the meeting.
France has a long history, a strong nuclear energy industry, and numerous international partnerships, and plans to continue playing a leading role in promoting the development of civil nuclear energy. France has always chosen a nuclear power model based on standardized high-power reactors, which allows for large-scale production of dispatchable, competitive, and low-carbon electricity.
France has 57 reactors located in 18 sites, and in terms of the number of nuclear power plants per capita, it ranks first in the world. The nuclear reactors operated by EDF generate more than 65% of the electricity in France's power structure, and nearly a quarter of its overall energy structure.
In comparison, the share of nuclear power in the EU's total electricity generation in 2024 was 23.3%, while global nuclear power generation accounted for about 10%, with around 450 reactors currently in operation.
This choice remains the core of France's national energy strategy: ensuring the security of electricity supply, achieving economic decarbonization, and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The international nuclear energy landscape is characterized by intense technological competition between major suppliers, especially China, the United States, Russia, South Korea, France, Japan, and Canada, in the fields of large nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs).
At the same time, some non-nuclear countries, particularly in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, have also shown strong interest in developing civilian nuclear energy projects.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859318585173004/
Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author himself.