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On November 28, the 3rd World Nuclear Energy Industry Expo (WNE) opened in the Nord-Villeban Pavilion in Paris, France. As an international platform for the civil nuclear industry, the WNE, held every two years, aims to create a high-level international exchange platform for the global civil nuclear industry.

In view of the current climate and energy crisis challenges, the theme of this year is "Connecting Nuclear energy to the World: Meeting Energy and environmental challenges", a total of 750 exhibitors from 76 countries, including France, the United States, China, and more than 20,000 participants.

More than 17 major countries involved in the global nuclear energy industry, including China, Canada, South Korea, Japan, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, have set up national pavilions. Among them, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), China State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), China Huaneng Group and other Chinese enterprises participated in the exhibition, showcasing internationally competitive nuclear power technologies and products designed and manufactured by China.

"Nuclear power is back!"

At the opening ceremony, WNE President Sylvie Bermann, former French Ambassador to China, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol, European Union Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and French Minister of Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher delivered keynote speeches.

The president of the World Nuclear Industry Expo in France, Berin, said: "In 2022, nuclear energy will become the second largest source of low-carbon electricity in the world. In the last 50 years, it has helped to reduce about 70 billion tons of CO2 emissions."

She said that the European Parliament's recent approval of nuclear energy as a green industry "is a positive sign that the number of new projects around the world continues to grow". "Two years ago, we witnessed the restart of nuclear power," and today, the industry "continues to be in recovery momentum."

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Gregory Grossi noted that the current "increase in nuclear capacity is far less than required to comply with the Paris climate agreement." "There are about 400 reactors in 31 countries, and we need twice as many or more by 2050," he said, adding that "there is still a lot of room for improvement."

In fact, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, both the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Energy Agency expect nuclear power capacity to at least double. "Previously, nuclear power was a taboo at the COP and was not seen as part of the solution," Grossi said. "This time, all the countries that use nuclear power will proudly come together to tell the COP that nuclear power is part of the solution to global warming."

Moreover, Grossi said, "Asia is currently the leading region when it comes to new areas of nuclear energy. I visited China a few months ago and discussed the development of nuclear energy."

Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, recalled that over the past 30 years, the position of the nuclear energy industry has declined, especially after the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan, nuclear power development has experienced a slowdown phase. But he stressed that there was now a "revival" in nuclear construction: "Countries that were going to say goodbye to nuclear power have changed their minds, some countries are strengthening nuclear power, and in China, France, the United States, Canada, Poland... Interest in nuclear power is growing."

Birol called for extending the life of nuclear reactors (" this is the cheapest source of electricity ") and said he was "hopeful" about innovations related to small modular reactors (SMRS) : He sees the next three directions as increasing the nuclear power of conventional nuclear power plants, extending the service life of existing nuclear power plants, and innovating and developing small modular reactors.

The participating companies involved in the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear waste treatment, nuclear radiation protection, nuclear reactor design and dismantling, equipment and components production, nuclear medicine and other more than 50 categories, covering the entire industrial chain.

Industry participants and experts also discussed the following topics: new nuclear energy projects: preparing for serial production, promoting the nuclear industry through regional development and digitalization, providing more benefits to society (medical industry, hydrogen and thermal energy production applications), building a diverse talent pool, SMR (small module reactor) and AMR (fast neutron breeder reactor) technology prospects and challenges.

New WNE highlights in 2023

During the event, 130 roundtable forums and keynote speeches were held, and more than 6,000 business meetings for senior decision makers were organized.

In addition, WNE has launched an Innovation Award and start-up program. There are two awards for large enterprises and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, each recognizing innovation in products and services, nuclear safety, operational excellence, knowledge and skills management, and corporate social responsibility (new). In addition, the Start-up Program aims to provide support to companies in the civil nuclear energy industry, such as increasing the visibility of exhibitions and providing support to find partners.

Moreover, given the potential of SMRS and advanced reactor solutions to achieve decarbonization, SMRS are also the target of innovative research by multinational companies. The French government also announced that it has invested nearly 100 million euros in the development of small innovative nuclear reactors, of which 77.2 million euros has been awarded to six SMR (Small Modular Reactor) and AMR (Advanced Modular Reactor) reactor projects. It is also part of France's 2030 Investment plan, which has already funded three SMR/AMR projects at the beginning of the year: Naarea and Newcleo (a combined €25 million) and Nuward (an EDF subsidiary created in early 2023).