The Baltic Geopolitics Programme at the Centre for Geopolitics hosts a discussion of the geopolitics of nuclear power in the Baltic region with Jane Nakano, Senior Fellow at the Energy and Climate Change Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
With COP26 coming in November, the geopolitics of nuclear power is an issue of major concern for the UK and many states in the Baltic Sea Region, who are seeking to grow their renewable energy production in an era of increasing geopolitical tension. The nuclear industry remains a key export sector for both China and Russia, within this context of rising geopolitical pressure. In recent months, Lithuania has expressed major concerns about the Belarusian Astravets plant, while Poland has announced a major programme of nuclear power plant construction. The UK, meanwhile, has put nuclear power at the heart of its net zero strategy, all the while looking to exclude Chinese firms from current and future nuclear projects.
Jane Nakano frequently writes and speaks on these issues at domestic and international conferences and to media around the world. She has also testified before Congress on China's competitiveness in energy technology manufacturing and exports as well as U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on U.S.-China nuclear energy cooperation. Prior to joining CSIS in 2010, Nakano worked in the Office of International Affairs in the U.S. Department of Energy, where she covered a host of energy, economic, and political issues in Asia.
A short presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the host and audience.