Science & TechEnergy
World's nuclear power capacity could more than triple by 2060, IAEA chief tells UN
Rafael Grossi pointed to electrification and power-hungry AI data centres as he presented the agency's annual report, while warning about Iran, North Korea and the war in Ukraine.
Key points
- Global nuclear capacity could more than triple by 2060, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
- He linked the growth to electrification and AI-powered data centres needing reliable, carbon-free power.
- Grossi said the technical groundwork for a diplomatic agreement with Iran had been completed.
Nuclear power could more than triple its global capacity by 2060, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the United Nations General Assembly, as demand for electricity climbs and technology companies hunt for steady, carbon-free power for artificial intelligence.
Rafael Grossi, the IAEA’s director general, made the projection while presenting the agency’s annual report to the General Assembly in New York. He attributed the expected growth to the electrification of economies, the spread of AI-powered data centres and the need of tech companies for electricity that is both reliable and free of carbon emissions.
Grossi stressed the growing part nuclear energy plays in energy security.
Security worries
The address was not only about power stations. Grossi raised concerns about the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, and about threats to nuclear safety linked to the war in Ukraine.
He also pointed to reports that other countries are considering acquiring nuclear weapons.
On Iran, Grossi said the necessary technical groundwork for a diplomatic agreement had been completed. That leaves the next move with the governments involved.
The projection of a tripling by 2060 rests on the same forces Grossi described: more of the world’s energy use shifting to electricity, and a technology industry whose appetite for round-the-clock clean power is growing with every new AI data centre.