Peaceful uses of nuclear energy

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan caused by an earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 did not affect the growth of the global nuclear power industry over the medium term. Nuclear power remains an important option for many countries wishing to meet their growing energy needs. In this context, more than ever, nuclear safety must be an absolute priority and must guide the development of nuclear energy.

This growing interest in civilian nuclear energy is due to:

• Environmental reasons: unlike fossil energy sources, nuclear power does not produce any greenhouse gases or air pollution. It is a source of sustainable, clean and safe energy. Amid efforts to tackle global warming, nuclear energy is one of the ways for States, including France, to deliver their commitments to reduce CO₂ emissions.
• Economic and energy reasons: today, diminishing resources in the future has prompted a number of countries to look to new sources of energy. Many countries have also been concerned about the security of their energy supply. Nuclear energy can help us meet this demand, by decreasing the use of fossil energy sources – whose reserves are now limited – by providing energy which is highly available and economical, and respects the environment, and which can operate as a complement to renewable energy sources.

To meet this demand, the international community must work to support the States that have chosen to use nuclear power, while limiting the risks of proliferation associated in particular with the fuel cycle and drawing on the safety lessons from the Fukushima accident.

France is fully committed to the implementation of Article IV of the NPT and to safe and responsible development of nuclear energy.

Article VI of the NPT recognizes “the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty”.

This does not mean we have to choose between strengthening the international non-proliferation regime and the development of civil nuclear energy. Far from being contradictory, they go hand in hand. Under the NPT itself, the exercise of the alienable right granted to Parties under Article IV is conditional upon strict compliance of other provisions of the Treaty, especially the fulfilment of non-proliferation commitments.