PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 25, 2024

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP OF NUCLEAR COMMUNITIES WELCOMES NEW MEMBER COUNTRIES AT IAEA CONFERENCE

Municipal Organizations from Argentina and Republic of Korea Submit Letters of Interest to Join the Global Partnership

Vienna, Austria – Leaders from the Global Partnership of Nuclear Communities (GP) are meeting this week at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  During the IAEA Technical Meeting, municipal organizations from Argentina and the Republic of Korea submitted letters of interest to join the Global Partnership.

According to Mayor Gerry, “By working together,  the municipalities can benefit from each other and create clean energy development opportunities in our communities.”

GP represents municipal governments from 18 countries, focusing on best practices for engagement between local communities, nuclear facilities, and governments.  Local governments are crucial for siting nuclear development. Protecting human health and the environment in a community-driven way, while balancing risk-based economic opportunities.  Partner local governments focus on the following:

1. Ensuring a key role for municipal government in nuclear projects throughout the lifecycle of nuclear facilities;
2. Educating and sharing best practices around the world;
3. Creating economic opportunities in the local community;
4. Ensuring that resources are sufficient for community participation in the project;
5. Protecting human health and the environment; and
6. Educating and training the nuclear workforce

The Global Partnership’s founding members are a collaboration between:
* Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities (GMF Europe)
* Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) –  representing communities in the United States
* Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities (CANHC)

CANHC Chair Adrian Foster said, “The partnership will continue to create better decision-making abilities for municipal communities around the world to optimize their nuclear futures.”

The GP has recently selected executive leadership for the partnership, which will include Mayor Brent Gerry, ECA Chair; Mayor Adrian Foster, CANHC Chair; and Mayor Gerben Dijksterhuis, President, GMF Europe.

Mayor Dijksterhuis commented “We welcome our municipal capacity building in Asia and South America, and we are inviting representatives from all continents, including Africa and Australia, to exchange knowledge and good practices from all over the world.”

The GP now includes 18 member countries plus two letter of interest countries. The group is planning to participate in the upcoming 2025 IAEA Conference on Stakeholder Engagement (https://www.iaea.org/events/seconf2025), to highlight growing international recognition of the priority of garnering stakeholder support for nuclear projects.

For additional information, please contact ECA Program Manager, Andres Ridge at: ajr@energyca.org or (202) 828-2321.

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Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is a non-profit membership organization of local governments and nuclear communities adjacent to or affected by U.S. Department of Energy activities. The mission of ECA is to bring together local government officials to share information, establish policy positions, and promote community interests to address an increasingly complex set of environmental, regulatory, and economic development needs. Additional information is available at www.energyca.org.