(As prepared for delivery)
Good afternoon, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am very pleased to be with you today at the Academic Centre of Natural Sciences of the University of Latvia, an important new house of learning. As President Vējonis remarked when he visited you last year, it is in centres such as this that "new scientific discoveries are born".
Science and technology are at the core of everything we do at the IAEA.
Nuclear technologies are used in many areas that affect our daily lives. Experts use nuclear science to diagnose and cure cancers, to increase the yield and improve the nutritional values of food crops, and to conduct research on innovative materials.
Nuclear techniques are used to check the welding in pipes and the structural safety of aircraft, to manage water resources, and to control mosquito populations.
The IAEA, with its 168 Member States, brings together leading international experts to work on all aspects of this unique technology. We provide agreed international safety standards and security guidance and help to make nuclear technology available to developing countries. We promote research into innovative nuclear technologies.
The IAEA works closely with Latvia in areas such as the management of radioactive waste, nuclear safety and security, and human health.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The best known peaceful application of nuclear technology is nuclear power.
Nuclear power has been contributing to low-carbon electricity production for the last 60 years.
The 444 operational nuclear power reactors in the world today provide about 11 per cent of the world’s electricity. Last year, we saw a record number of new reactors coming online. Ten power reactors were connected to the grid in 2015, the highest single-year figure since 1990.
Around 30 countries are considering adding nuclear power to their energy mix, or actively working on their first nuclear power plants.
I have seen for myself the rapid progress being made in building the first four power reactors in the United Arab Emirates, and the first two reactors in Belarus. They are likely to be commissioned within the next few years.
Sixty-five new power reactors are under construction across the world. The centre of expansion is Asia, where two thirds of the new-build projects are located. Forty-two of the 48 reactors connected to the grid since 2005 are in Asia.
People are sometimes surprised to learn that global interest in nuclear power is continuing to grow despite the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan five years ago.
I believe there are a number of factors at work. Energy is the engine of development. Many countries believe that nuclear power can help them to achieve the twin goals of increasing electricity supply for their growing populations, while curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same time, they want to improve their energy security and reduce the impact of volatile fossil fuel prices on their economies.
There are sound economic arguments in favour of nuclear power. Nuclear power plants are expensive to build, but they can prove cost-effective over an operating lifetime of 40 to 60 years – or even longer.
Countries may seek to use all the sources of energy at their disposal. For every unit of electricity produced, hydro, nuclear and wind power have the lowest carbon emissions over their life cycles. But, unlike some energy sources, nuclear can provide the baseload electricity supply on which a modern economy depends.
In fact, nuclear power has already made a significant contribution to climate change mitigation, helping to prevent the production of almost two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year that would have been produced through electricity generation using fossil fuels.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is the sovereign decision of each country whether or not to introduce nuclear power. The IAEA does not try to influence that decision in any way. But for countries that choose nuclear power, our job is to help in every way we can.
We advise on how to put the appropriate legal and regulatory framework in place and how to ensure the highest standards of safety, security and safeguards.
We offer know-how on the construction, commissioning, start-up and safe operation of nuclear reactors. We establish global nuclear safety standards and security guidance.
The end-result, we hope, is that countries will be able to introduce nuclear power safely, securely and sustainably.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Needless to say, safety is the key to the future of nuclear technology. The Fukushima Daiichi accident reminded us all that a terrible accident can happen anywhere, even in a developed industrial country with long experience of nuclear technology.
Since the accident, I have seen extensive safety improvements put in place in all the facilities I visit throughout the world. These include back-up safety systems and enhanced emergency response mechanisms.
I am confident that nuclear power plants will be both much safer, and much more efficient, in the coming years. Remarkable research is being done on new generations of reactors, which will not just be safer, but will also generate less waste.
There is renewed interest in fast reactors, which have high potential for recycling uranium resources. New small and medium-sized, or modular, reactors may be attractive to countries with smaller electricity grids.
Countries using nuclear technology need a strong and independent regulator and appropriate nuclear legislation. Latvia has an effective regulatory infrastructure in place.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we are meeting in an academic centre today, I would like to say a few words about a unique feature of the work of the IAEA, which is that we have eight nuclear applications laboratories near Vienna.
They train scientists, support research in human health, food and other areas, and provide analytical services to national laboratories.
In the last 10 years, more than 20 Latvian nationals have received IAEA training as fellows or scientific visitors in nuclear engineering and technology, nuclear and radiation safety, and nuclear security. They work with other top international scientists in their fields and return home to share their expertise with their colleagues.
A comprehensive modernisation of the laboratories is now underway.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This year, the IAEA is turning 60. We will celebrate the great work that has been done in the last six decades to make nuclear technology available for peaceful purposes throughout the world under a mandate which I summarise as Atoms for Peace and Development.
Universities and research centres such as yours are essential for technological innovation, which in turn is vital for economic development.
I encourage the students here today to consider careers in nuclear science and technology, which have much to contribute to human well-being and prosperity. Perhaps some of you will come to work with us. The IAEA is a cool place to work.
I will stop here and be happy to take your questions.
Thank you.