RUS | ENG | All
Log in
Enter the email or login, that you used for registration.
If you do not remember your password, simply leave this field blank and you will receive a new, along with a link to activate.

Not registered yet?
Welcome!

2024, April, 19
News
Trends
Analysis
Companies
Prices
Finance
M&A Investments Statements
Sanctions
Russia Sanctions Iran Sanctions Venezuela Sanctions
Regions
N.America S.America W.Europe E.Europe Russia W.Asia C.Asia S-E.Asia N.Africa C.Africa S.Africa Australia Antarctica S.Asia
Energy
Electricity Oil&Gas Renewable Coal Nuclear Energy Transition
Video
Climate
Events
Digit
Главная News 2023 February GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2023-02-15 13:45:00

GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE

GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE

 

By DAVID GAIER Owner, David Gaier PR

ENERGYCENTRAL - Jan 24, 2023 -  Nuclear power ain’t what it used to be. At the end of 2021, the share of global electricity generation from nuclear was down to <10%, from 18% at the end of the 1990s. Although nuclear units still generate more than all the utility-scale wind and solar PV combined worldwide, as of November 2022 only 57 reactors with a total capacity of 59 GWe were under construction. Still, there are bright spots, particularly in Small Modular Reactors, including microreactors of 10 mw and under, which could be ideal for micro- and minigrids, an increasingly popular solution to the fragility and under-capacity of the existing bulk power grid. Larger-scale designs have emerged from several sources, and include water-cooled, high- and very-high-temperature, and sodium, lead, molten salt, and gas-cooled reactors.
Many countries including China and India have developed aggressive nuclear development plans, as have Poland, the Czech Republic, the UK, the Netherlands, and even Ukraine to a lesser extent. On the SMR front, NuScale Energy has just received a so-called "Final Rule" (design approval) for a six-module VOYGR-6 configuration of its SMR design, for the construction of a 462-MWe plant on the Idaho National Laboratory footprint. And advanced nuclear fuels, better waste disposal options, and various adjunct uses of nuclear including district heating and desalination are making nuclear generation more acceptable and appealing.
Among these bright spots there are challenges. No new reactors have been built in the US in decades except Georgia’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, just now coming online after years of delay and more than $15 billion over budget. And regulatory regimes, particularly in the US, can slow forward progress significantly. In September, the NRC staff released an almost 1,300-page set of “new” licensing and operating rules, which @The Breakthrough Institute said “largely replicates the failed licensing rules that have hobbled the legacy nuclear industry for decades.” Coupled with a large, diverse, and fragmented set of stakeholders, strong public opinions, and relatively high costs per kW, this promising industry still has a lot of work to do.
But existing nuclear units present an opportunity now being taken advantage of in a very robust way. In Europe, Asia, and here at home, plant operators are seeking—and getting—license extensions for existing units, all in the name of energy security, especially considering Russia’s war on Ukraine and the accompanying energy supply disruptions, particularly of natural gas. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in fact, has issued 20-year extensions to the original 40-year operating licenses for 88 reactors, and some operators are seeking even 60- and 80-year extensions. And while units are being closed down prematurely for purely political reasons--such as New York's Indian Point, closed by disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo even as he rammed through subsidies for other nuclear plants in the state--states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and New Jersey are propping up plants with subsidies in the name of zero-carbon generation (and typically, jobs). And because building new plants can take a decade, extending the operating licenses and safe life limits of existing units becomes more important in reaching states', the nation's, and global net-zero goals. Even Japan, which closed down plants after its Fukushima disaster, and Germany, which pledged to shut down all its units in a knee-jerk response to that same disaster, are reconsidering those decisions.
Nuclear power creates a lot of controversy, among both proponents and opponents where it would seem counter-intuitive. But there is a strong undercurrent view, gaining momentum, that we cannot rely on non-dispatchable renewables to decarbonize the grid and reduce GHG emissions in the time climate scientists say is necessary. For this group, nuclear power is the only answer. 

 

-----

This thought leadership article was originally shared with Energy Central's Clean Power Community Group. The communities are a place where professionals in the power industry can share, learn and connect in a collaborative environment. Join the Clean Power Community today and learn from others who work in the industry.

-----


Earlier:

GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2023, February, 10, 12:25:00
GLOBAL ELECTRICITY DEMAND UP
World electricity demand remained resilient in 2022 amid the global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Demand rose by almost 2% compared with the 2.4% average growth rate seen over the period 2015-2019.
English
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2023, January, 30, 11:30:00
GLOBAL ENERGY TRANSITION FOR PEOPLE
As the world seeks to address climate and biodiversity challenges and move to clean energy solutions for example, these will deliver impacts within the workplace.
English
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2023, January, 9, 12:20:00
GLOBAL ENERGY TRENDS 2023
Electric utilities are facing a future of increased competition, disruptive technologies, and changing customer demands.
English
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2022, November, 18, 11:10:00
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER FOR CLIMATE
Nuclear energy must play a central role in economic relaunch strategies.
English
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2022, November, 1, 17:10:00
GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND WILL UP BY 23%
Global primary energy demand is forecast to continue growing in the medium- and long-term, increasing by a significant 23% in the period to 2045. The world needs to annually add on average 2.7 million barrels of oil equivalent a day to 2045.
English
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER NET ZERO
2022, October, 24, 12:08:00
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER & NET ZERO
Nuclear power, climate change and sustainable development. Investor and philanthropist Bill Gates speaks with the IAEA in an exclusive interview ahead of the IAEA International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century, to be held from 26 to 28 October 2022 in Washington, D.C.
English
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER RISE
2022, October, 17, 12:25:00
GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY: SLOWLY AND EXPENSIVE
Progress on the world’s rising climate action ambitions could be undermined by a shortage of some of the critical minerals used in clean-energy technologies including wind turbines, solar farms and electric vehicles (EVs),
English
All Publications »
Tags: NUCLEAR, CLIMATE
ENERGY-CENTRAL-1 CANADIAN HYDROGEN CONVENTION, April 23-25, 2024 Canada Gas Exhibition and Conference May 7-9, 2024 GLOBAL ENERGY SHOW CANADA, June 11-13, 2024 3rd World Conference on Climate Change & Sustainability, 21-23 Oct, 2024 Barcelona, Spain