The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will not support nuclear energy programmes because it's a long complicated process, it produces waste and is relatively risky,' Helene Pelosse, director general of IRENA, told Reuters in a telephone interview from the French Alps.

IRENA with its 136 member states, is aimed at supporting global development of renewable energy. 'Renewable energy is a better alternative and a faster, less expensive alternative [than nuclear power], especially with countries blessed with so much sun for solar plants,' Pelosse said. In July the members of IRENA voted for the headquarters of the agency to be located in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE. 'I think being in the UAE is a strong positive symbol and a message to the world that even oil producing nations are looking at renewable energy,' Pelosse continued in the interview.

The Reuters interview is available at TradeArabia
Read more about IRENA at www.irena.org