Nuclear energy faces opportunities and headwinds, including a reputation of unfulfilled promises and “getting it right will require a concerted, global effort”, International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi said, as he called for more harmonised regulatory approaches to reduce uncertainty and lower costs.

Grossi told the agency’s nuclear harmonisation and standardisation initiative’s (NHSI) plenary meeting that policymakers and the public are turning to nuclear energy to mitigate climate change, ensure energy security and deliver a just, reliable, affordable and timely transition to net zero.

He said the nuclear sector is not only growing, it’s also changing – it is becoming much more global. “We must step up as international organisations, regulators, policymakers and industry,” Grossi said.