Nuclear renaissance

Since about 2001 there has been considerable discussion about an imminent nuclear power industry revival or nuclear renaissance. However, the current global financial crisis and other problems are making this difficult to achieve in practice.

Overview

In 2007, nuclear power plants generated some 2600 TWh of electricity and provided 14 per cent of the electricity used in the world, which represented a fall of 2 per cent compared with 2006.

As of August 1, 2009, there were 435 (370 GW) nuclear reactors operating globally (and 52 units listed by the IAEA as under construction). A peak was reached in 2002 when there were 444 nuclear reactors operating.

For the first time in the history of nuclear power no new unit went online in 2008. Moreover, no start-up has been reported for the past two years, since "Cernavoda-2 was connected to the grid on 7 August 2007, after 24 years of construction".

In September 2009, Luc Oursel, chief executive of Areva Nuclear Plants, the core nuclear reactor manufacturing division of Areva, stated: "We are convinced about the nuclear renaissance".

Europe

French utility EDF, which is "slated to lead Britain's nuclear renaissance, hopes to sell part of a British energy company to reduce its massive debt". New reactors under construction in Finland and France, which were meant to lead a nuclear renaissance, have been delayed and are running over-budget.

United States

In January 2010, the Obama administration moved to promote nuclear power in the United States, proposing to triple federal loan guarantees for new power plant projects and appointing a high-level panel to study nuclear waste disposal options.

In February 2010, Peter A. Bradford, a former member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, commented on the situation in the USA:

Peter Bradford said the much-anticipated nuclear renaissance is still some years away. He said plants under construction are hobbled by delays and cost overruns; the federal government has failed to find a spot for permanent disposal of waste; and the so-called next-generation of plant designs are not yet ready.

The 2005 Energy Policy Act authorized $18.5 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear plants, and in February 2010 the Obama administration has approved a $8 billion loan guarantee for the construction of two nuclear reactors in Georgia. If the project goes forward, these would be the first plants built in the United States since the 1970s. However, the Vermont Senate's vote in February 2010 to block a license renewal for an nuclear power plant shows that any nuclear renaissance in the United States still has obstacles to overcome. These include "the growing costs for new plants, environmental concerns, and the age of the country's existing nuclear fleet".

Asia

China has 16 nuclear units under construction, and at least eight more to start construction later in 2009.

In December 2009, Korea won a contract for four nuclear power plants to be built in the United Arab Emirates, in 2017 to 2020.

See also

• List of prospective nuclear units in the United States
• Nuclear energy policy
• Nuclear Power 2010 Program
• Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant
• Nuclear power in China
• The Nuclear Illusion
• Nuclear optimism

Further reading

• International Atomic Energy Agency (2008). Nuclear´s Great Expectations: Projections Continue to Rise for Nuclear Power, but Relative Generation Share Declines
• James Kanter (May 2009). Is the Nuclear Renaissance Fizzling?
• Sweden Takes Another Look at Nuclear Power