Opening speech [International ministerial conference on nuclear power for the 21st century]

P. Devedjian, Minister Delegate for Industry, France, opened the conference, as Conference President, by recognizing that energy issues are a critical concern for humanity. He noted that the global demographic trend and the strong economic growth in Asia are accompanied by a durable increase in energy needs. He identified global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil energy sources as a major global concern. He indicated that, in his view, the idea of the conference was not to promote nuclear energy for all the needs and in all the areas of the world but rather to review the role of this source of energy, to recognize that certain energies - known as renewable energies - are inexhaustible and need to be exploited to their maximum potential, but also that the total production cost of nuclear power is competitive compared with other sources of energy. He stressed the importance for the conference to examine the structural factors involved in energy choices - including economic, strategic and social factors - and to analyse the importance and framework of international cooperation. Mr. Devedjian described how France's energy policy had reduced national energy costs from 5% to 1.8% of gross domestic product and how in 2004 the use of nuclear power allowed France to avoid 36 million tonnes of carbon emissions, or one third of annual carbon emissions, noting that the greenhouse gas emissions avoided in this way correspond to those of the entire European car population. He also reminded the conference of France's decision to build a third generation demonstration reactor, the EPR, in order to obtain the data required for an informed choice of future energy systems, and that France has opted for processing and recycling spent nuclear fuel as part of its sustainable development strategy. Mr. Devedjian re-emphasized that France offers its nuclear technologies and the possibility to use this energy only to those countries which have agreed to put their nuclear sector entirely under the control of the IAEA and to comply strictly with their international nuclear non-proliferation commitments