Remarks as Prepared for Secretary Granholm delivering the U.S. National Statement at the IAEA 5th International Ministerial Conference Plenary Session

Thank you, once again, Dohee.

Five years have passed since the last Nuclear Power Ministerial, in Abu Dhabi.

Since then, the threat of climate change, the need for sustainable economic growth, and emerging concerns around energy security have made clear that justice, security, and prosperity in the 21^st century all depend on access to affordable, reliable, clean energy. 

As the global effort to deploy as much low-carbon energy capacity as possible marches on, interest in nuclear power is now on the rise thanks to its promising utility.

This source of clean, dispatchable, base-load energy can stabilize electricity grids. It can speed integration of other clean energy sources. It can support desalination, industrial heat, and hydrogen production. And it offers sustainability and resilience.

The United States believes nuclear ought to be a part of our long-term energy mix.

We are committed to maintaining and modernizing our existing fleet. We are committed to developing a secure, diverse supply chain for nuclear fuel. And we are committed to growing a skilled nuclear power workforce.

At the same time, we are making significant investments in advanced reactor designs that will offer greater benefits and wider opportunities for deployment—both within and beyond our borders. 

Our support for expanding use of this critical energy resource worldwide comes with an ironclad commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and to upholding the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation.

We recognize that developing safe, secure, sustainable civil nuclear power programs requires a decades-long commitment by policymakers, government institutions, the legal establishment, industry, and the general public.

To that end, the United States, working with the IAEA, stands ready to offer our extensive experience and technical expertise to partner countries working to establish effective, comprehensive nuclear infrastructure

Partnerships are essential to the deployment of nuclear power technology. And, if carried out responsibly, these partnerships can advance both an individual nation’s climate, energy, and economic goals, and the international community’s security and nonproliferation objectives. 

However, countries looking to take advantage of peaceful nuclear energy’s benefits must carefully consider the political, economic, and strategic consequences that a given partnership would yield.

Russia’s intolerable hostilities against Ukraine, and its willingness to trample on international norms of safety and security, have brought this crucial point to the fore.  

The United States condemns these behaviors in the strongest possible terms.

We will continue to demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from Ukraine.  

Yet the end of their barbaric assault will not change the fact that Russia has undercut its long-standing efforts to promote itself as a responsible, reliable supplier of nuclear power technologies and fuel.

And, unfortunately, Russia is not alone in maliciously exploiting partnerships on nuclear energy to exert political and economic pressures.

The invasion of Ukraine should prompt nations to reassess our key supply chains—particularly within the energy sector—and the relationships underpinning them.

This is a moment to align ourselves with partners who can be trusted to work in good faith, whose interests accord with our own.

To that end, the United States is committed to serving as a responsible, reliable nuclear supplier to allies in the international community—one that will adhere to the highest standards of nuclear safety and security, and invest in raising public confidence in the full range of peaceful nuclear technology uses. 

Through efforts like the Advanced Reactor International Safeguards Engagement Initiative, the International Nuclear Security for Advanced Reactors initiative, and the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology—or FIRST—program, we are working to ensure nations around the world can build and expand civil nuclear programs with safe, secure, and transparent partnership options, free from intimidation and malign influences.

And we hope to make progress on this work over the next three days.

On behalf of the United States, we are proud to host this important Conference. And we look forward to continuing our support for, and collaboration with, the IAEA as we expand nuclear power’s role in our shared energy future.

Thank you.