GLOBAL NUCLEAR CAPACITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION HITS 40-YR HIGH: IEA CHIEF

ISTANBUL, March 13 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Global nuclear power capacity under construction has reached about 70 gigawatts, the highest level in four decades, signalling a notable revival of nuclear energy, International Energy Agency (IEA) head Fatih Birol said on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

Birol said at a press briefing that renewable energy and nuclear power will be the two main pillars of clean energy, and that nuclear power remains indispensable as a reliable, around-the-clock source.

Meanwhile, Türkiye's Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said at the same briefing that geopolitical conflicts have exposed vulnerabilities in global energy supply chains, bringing energy security back to the forefront of national strategies.

The IEA has 32 member countries and 13 associate countries representing about 75 per cent of global energy demand.

On Wednesday, Birol said that amid the West Asia conflict, the 32-member countries unanimously agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves to the market, the largest coordinated action in the agency's history.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA