ECA Leaders Meet with IAEA Director General Grossi, US Ambassador Holgate, and Global Partnership of Nuclear Communities
ECA Staff | 10/24/2023
Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) met with its municipal counterparts around the world to discuss hosting and educating communities to engage with governments and industry on new nuclear energy development, clean energy development, radioactive waste disposal options, and other issues. In addition, the Global Partnership of Nuclear Communities (Global Partnership) held two meetings while in Vienna to discuss working together and our joint goals.
From October 16-20, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) , brought together municipal governments, NGOs and national government representatives for a week-long meeting focused on the safe development of carbon-free nuclear power and sustainable radioactive waste management solutions.
ECA met with U.S. Ambassador Laura Holgate (who has worked with ECA for over 20 years) who identified support for our Global Partnership and the need to engage with many more local governments in countries throughout the world that are interested in nuclear energy. She also identified several opportunities for municipalities to work together for carbon free energy development which can make a big difference for countries throughout the world – especially those with developing economies.
ECA along with Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities (GMF) and Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities (the current Global Partnership members) met with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi .
The Director General identified:
“Nuclear’s future relies on community support. As we urgently need to shift to carbon-free energy, open dialogue with locals and knowledge exchange between municipalities is key.”
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In both meetings ECA highlighted the Global Partnership’s agreement reached earlier in the week to focus on ensuring that governments and the industry:
1. Engage municipalities in the nuclear project.
2. Create economic opportunities in the local community.
3. Provide resources to the community to participate in the project.
4. Protect human health and the environment.
5. Educate and train the local workforce for the project.
Mayor Gerry, Mayor Casper, Councilmember Chavez, Seth Kirshenberg and David Abelson all made presentations at the meeting on specific issues related to their communities, the Global Partnership and lessons learned on the moving projects forward (including where there are specific concerns raised by the local government and how the issues are eventually resolved). ECA pointed out that these issues still arise regularly in all of the projects but by working with the government and industry on all issues and being regularly engaged, the ongoing dialogue and relationships typically assist to resolve the issues.