ISTANBUL, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Global nuclear power capacity under construction has reached about 70 gigawatts, the highest level in four decades, signaling a notable revival of nuclear energy, Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said here Thursday.
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, Urbanization 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 association countries representing about 75 percent of global energy demand.
On Wednesday, Birol said that amid the Middle East 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.
