By Kim Se-jeong
Is nuclear energy a viable energy source?
This is a contentious question, polarizing the energy industry.
Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), would not give a clear-cut answer, but the following comment clearly indicates that he disagrees.
“Decisions by Germany and Japan have created a new dynamic (in the landscape of the nuclear energy industry) and I hope this will benefit other alternative energies.” The earthquake that hit Japan in March last year, and the ensuing tsunami led to the destruction of a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, triggering Germany to shut down its nuclear power plants and declare a drive for a nuclear-energy-free-state.
The nuclear energy industry which for a long time received strong financial support from the public sector argues that because it doesn’t generate air pollution, it is a viable option. Environmentalists and alternative energy advocates firmly denounce it.
The U.N. projects that the ratio-mix of renewable energy sources will alter and hints at a gradual phasing-out of nuclear power plants.
In Korea, nuclear energy dominates, accounting for nearly 40 percent of domestic electricity demand. Whether this dominance will change with the rise of the solar, wind power and other energy sector sources, is not easy to predict, as both public and private sectors in the nuclear power industry are pushing to create business opportunities by offering experienced professional expertise.
At the helm of UNIDO, the specialized U.N. body mandated to support developing countries to modernize, Yumkella, 52, has a strong conviction that industrialization is the only way to enable economic growth in developing countries. He also believes it is possible to do this without contributing to the already high green house gas levels.
UNIDO has 65 regional offices mainly in developing nations where it runs field projects to achieve this objective. In India, for example, the agency runs a “climate-friendly refrigerators” project, helping to create an industry to destroy thousands of old refrigerators in a way that the toxic and deadly-to-climate chemicals inside them are prevented from being released into the air.
UNIDO also has projects in North Korea.
The poverty-stricken nation has sought help in managing persistent organic pollutants and producing milk. UNIDO assesses problems, and brainstorms solutions with North Korean counterparts, and finds funds to carry them out.
“As long as they want it, and as long as we can find funds, we’ll support them,” the director general said. And his visit this week will likely make his promise a stronger probability.
Apart from participating in the Global Green Growth Summit, he is to ink a partnership agreement with the Global Green Growth Institute, the organizer of the summit, and the South Korean government, which is expected to channel technologies and funds into the pool.
UNIDO also runs 20 investment promotion offices in developed countries for fundraising.
Yumkella has extensive experience in development.
After serving as the Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of Sierra Leone from 1994 to 1995, he dedicated his time and effort to the United Nations. He was chair of U.N.-Energy, chair of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change, and the co-chair of the High-level Group on Sustainable Energy. It’s his seventh year with UNIDO, serving his second term as Director-General. He spent 10 days in Korea 16 years ago.
“I learnt about the Saemael Movement,” which was part of the Korea International Cooperation Agency’s training program that he was participating in.