GE releases whitepaper on the role of nuclear energy in achieving a carbon-free future

With the whitepaper, GE highlights the need for addressing highly-emission intensive power systems through low-carbon and emissions-free energy sources, such as nuclear power generation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

As nations across the Middle East and North Africa region pivot to cleaner energy systems to achieve the carbon dioxide reduction commitments and drive decarbonisation, GE unveiled a whitepaper on the role of nuclear energy in achieving a carbon-free future.

The whitepaper titled, Nuclear Energy: A Critical Pillar of a CarbonFree Future, provides an overview of the current energy landscape and the efforts for decarbonisation as well as recommendations on how to achieve these goals by drawing on nuclear power as a dependable option.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nuclear energy accounts for 10% of the world’s total global power generation and 25% of all carbon-free power generation. Leading this are the United States, France, China, Russia, and South Korea. Over the past 50 years nuclear power has avoided CO2 emissions by over 60 gigatons globally – nearly two years’ worth of global energy-related emissions.

In the MENA region, the first phase of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE has generated over 2,100 GWh of cleaner electricity, and cut emissions of over 950,000 kilotons of CO2. Saudi Arabia plans to build two large nuclear power plants (NPPs) with the goal of achieving 17GWe of nuclear capacity by 2040 that will meet 15 percent of the Kingdom’s needs.

With the whitepaper, GE highlights the need for addressing highly-emission intensive power systems through lowcarbon and emissions-free energy sources, such as nuclear power generation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The whitepaper also underlines the commitment of GE to fund research, development, and demonstration projects.

GE whitepaper.