Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar met with Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the sidelines of the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels.
The Foreign Minister praised the IAEA for its efforts to promote peaceful applications of nuclear technology, as well as for organising the first Nuclear Energy Summit. He emphasised that, as a founding member, Pakistan valued the Agency’s efforts. The Foreign Minister also emphasised the importance of nuclear energy in tackling climate change, as well as Pakistan’s ambition to increase nuclear energy’s share of the energy mix. He also emphasised the importance of the Agency’s technical cooperation activities, to which Pakistan also contributes significantly.
Foreign Minister Dar emphasised that international financial organisations and banks should promote nuclear energy projects in underdeveloped nations so that they may meet their energy demands while also achieving zero-emission goals. He asked the IAEA to continue its efforts to raise awareness about the importance of nuclear energy as a clean source.
The IAEA Director General expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s cooperation with the organisation. He went on to say that throughout Asia, Pakistan plays an important role in sharing knowledge and expertise with developing countries. He acknowledged that financing for nuclear projects was a problem and stated that he would soon work with international financial institutions to overcome it.
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In the meantime, Ishaq Dar congratulated the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Belgian government for putting together the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit on Thursday at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels.
He stated that the Summit is happening during a period of increased energy demand and related supply-side difficulties brought on by conflicts, wars, and worries about climate change. Global priorities, for both wealthy and developing nations, place a high priority on energy security. We require economical, clean energy. Nuclear energy presents a feasible option for the future due to its enormous power density, minimal carbon footprints, and lack of greenhouse emissions. He stated that at the most recent COP-28, we supported nuclear energy as one of the low-emission technologies.
According to Ishaq Dar, it is encouraging that technological advancements keep nuclear energy safer and more affordable. We need to keep concentrating on proliferation, waste management, and safety. According to him, states also need to keep putting a priority on waste management, nuclear safety and security, and adhering to their non-proliferation agreements.
Small modular reactors have the potential to bring nuclear electricity to underserved or isolated areas, giving people access to inexpensive, clean energy where it is most needed. According to him, Pakistan has operated nuclear power reactors securely for 100 reactor years. In Karachi, we began building the first nuclear power plant in the early 1960s.
According to him, there are already six nuclear power facilities in operation in Pakistan that can produce 3,530 MW of electricity. Approximately 8% of our installed capacity for electric generation comes from nuclear energy. According to him, nuclear energy is being given priority in both our National Electricity Policy and National climatic Change Policy due to the growing domestic energy demands and climatic vulnerabilities.
According to Ishaq Dar, the nation’s existing nuclear energy capacity has so far prevented the release of more than 100 million tonnes of CO2. According to him, Pakistan possesses human resources that are properly trained and capable of sustaining nuclear power infrastructure. He stated that the complete safety and security of national nuclear installations and materials is guaranteed by our strong regulatory framework in all areas.
He declared that Pakistan is prepared to impart to the world its knowledge and experience in the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Our goal is to strengthen our collaboration on DG IAEA projects like as “Atoms4NetZero,” “Atoms4Food,” “Rays of Hope,” “Zodiac,” “NUTEC Plastics,” and “Marie Curie fellowships.” The IAEA can provide technical assistance for peaceful uses of nuclear energy by increasing money to existing technical cooperation funds or by creating a dedicated funding stream.
In order to further expand the use of nuclear technology for energy and other peaceful reasons, he declared that Pakistan would continue to be a committed partner of the international community and the IAEA. On the sidelines of NES2024 in Brussels, Ishaq Dar met FM Bayramov Jeyhun of Azerbaijan. The two ministers pledged to increase Pakistan-Azerbaijani collaboration in all spheres, including the non-proliferation of nuclear technology, particularly for the benefit of human health and agriculture.
They reiterated their determination to employ nuclear energy to fight climate change. Successful cooperation in nuclear applications, including agriculture, has been established between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. FM Dar expressed Pakistan’s willingness to exchange knowledge and experience with Azerbaijan about the peaceful applications of nuclear technology.