No fewer than 50 countries have informed the IAEA that they are considering introducing nuclear power, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei today told a meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD NEA) in Paris. "When I spoke here 10 years ago as the NEA turned 40, nuclear power had stopped growing in Western Europe and North America. The outlook was uncertain in other parts of the world. Public perceptions were mainly negative. When we talked about transferring nuclear technology to developing countries, we generally meant applications in medicine and industry, not nuclear power. "By contrast, at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna two weeks ago, so many of our Member States announced that they were considering the introduction of nuclear power that I stopped counting. Most of them were from the developing world. In the OECD, countries which used to talk about phasing out nuclear power seem to have changed their minds, while others are planning new reactors." "Change is definitely in the air," he said. He also stated that much is to be done if nuclear power´s future is to be "safe, proliferation-resistant, and cost-effective." And he called upon OECD member countries and "nuclear newcomer" states to work responsibly together in the areas of nuclear safety and nuclear power.
