IAEA director-general emphasizes significance of global energy security strategy adopted by the G8 summit

September 18

IAEA Director-General Mohamed El Baradei has pointed to the importance of the global energy strategy adopted at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg. Addressing the opening session of the Agency's General Conference in Vienna, he said: "I was pleased that the expanded G8 summit in St. Petersburg this summer emphasized the importance of global energy security."

The IAEA director-general, who participated in the work of the summit, stressed that global energy security "means fulfilling the energy needs of all countries." In this context, El Baradei stressed the importance of nuclear energy development. "China, India and the Russian Federation currently have the most ambitious plans for near-term nuclear expansion," he said. "Finland is building a new reactor, and France also plans to begin the construction of a new reactor next year. These are the first new plans for the development of nuclear energy in Western Europe since 1991," said El Baradei.