State Secretary K. Šaško attends the second edition of the NEA International Nuclear Conference in Paris
Following the successful first edition of the "Roadmaps to New Nuclear" Ministerial Conference, the second edition of this format was held on 19-20 September at the OECD NEA headquarters in Paris. Slovakia was represented by Mr. Kamil Šaško, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic. The conference was attended by political representatives from NEA member countries and high-level representatives from the energy sector and industry.
The construction of new nuclear power plants has become a top priority in many member countries, which are currently facing a number of geopolitical, climate and energy challenges. The program of this year's conference focused in particular on issues such as the financing of new nuclear sources in OECD and developing countries, the readiness of the nuclear supply chain, the development of a skilled workforce and the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs). The deliberations and discussions at the "Roadmaps to New Nuclear" conference not only make an important contribution to setting the direction for nuclear energy, but also send a clear political signal that it is in the strategic interest of pro-nuclear states to approach the development of nuclear energy with great responsibility and consistency.
As Kamil Šaško, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, stated during the expert panel: "The Slovak Republic sees nuclear energy as a pragmatic solution not only in terms of mitigating the effects of climate change and achieving decarbonization targets, but also as an answer to energy security issues, ensuring energy affordability and playing a role in ensuring the competitiveness and targets of our industry." During the discussion, Mr. Šaško also stressed the importance of diversification and the need to invest in new technologies in nuclear energy. In this context, he also underlined the strategic importance of developing human potential, which is currently significantly underdeveloped. "Stakeholder cooperation not only at the national level - between ministries such as the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth, the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, but also between government institutions, the academic sector and industry, as well as cooperation at the international level is an essential aspect in the development and promotion of nuclear energy," he stressed during the discussion.
In addition to attending the conference, State Secretary K. Šaško participated in several bilateral meetings. The main topic of the meeting with representatives of the French nuclear energy company EDF was cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy. He and his Hungarian counterpart, State Secretary Attila Steiner, exchanged information on the current state of implementation of European legislation, expected developments in the gas sector and oil supplies in the coming period. With the Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the OECD, Ales Chmelar, to discuss current challenges in the nuclear energy sector. In a meeting with Massimo Garibbo, Deputy Director General of the EC Energy Directorate, the two discussed the decommissioning project of the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant. The development of nuclear energy in K. Šaško also spoke with the Director General of the NEA, William D. Magwood, and the Minister of Energy of Romania, Sebastian Bourdieu.
Press department of the Ministry of Economy SR