Sustaining the search to provide for a balanced mix of energy technologies

摘要

In February of 2003, when the US rejoined the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, I underlined the importance of fusion energy for our future society, acknowledging ITER as a 'key project aimed at the development of a sustainable energy source for the benefit of mankind'. In discussions with the US energy secretary, Spencer Abraham, I also highlighted the need for continued and improved use of fission energy and the progress made in the research on the next generation of reactors. This is because the landscape of our future energy supplies is changing as environmental concerns, global warming and climate change issues gain prominence, set against a backdrop of a rapidly-expanding world population and rising living standards in many developing countries. World-wide energy demand is set to increase substantially in the coming decades and Europe must therefore develop its own energy supply to limit dependence on energy imports.