The U.S. and 21 different international locations have mentioned they wish to triple the worldwide era capability of nuclear energy by mid-century. The pledge, introduced Dec. 2 on the United Nations’ COP28 local weather summit in Dubai within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), comes as extra of the world’s governments say elevated use of nuclear energy is essential to cut back emissions of carbon and fight local weather change.
Nations concerned in Saturday’s announcement, together with the U.S., embody Canada, the UK, France, South Korea, and the UAE. Officers have mentioned rising nuclear energy in Europe would assist European nations scale back dependence on oil and gasoline from Russia, whereas conceding it’s going to require main funding. Information from nuclear energy analysts has proven that in international locations with probably the most nuclear energy capability, many initiatives over the previous a number of years have skilled delays and value overruns.
That features the two-unit growth of the Vogtle nuclear energy plant in Georgia. Unit 3 at Vogtle got here on-line this previous summer time, some seven years after it initially was anticipated to start service. Unit 3 is the primary newly-constructed nuclear unit within the U.S. in additional than 30 years. Unit 4 at Vogtle is predicted to enter business operation within the subsequent few months. Officers have mentioned the fee to construct the 2 models, which characteristic Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, has surpassed $34 billion—greater than double unique estimates.
Craig Piercy, govt director of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), in an announcement emailed to POWER on Saturday, mentioned concerning the “Declaration to Triple Nuclear Power”: “On behalf of America’s nuclear professionals, we applaud the historic dedication made right this moment by the U.S. and 21 different international locations to tripling international nuclear vitality manufacturing by 2050. That is actual, tangible local weather motion in assembly the world’s clear vitality wants. Tripling the world’s nuclear vitality provides by 2050 is the catalyst required to halt rising temperatures and obtain a sustainable future whereas lifting hundreds of thousands out of poverty.”
The Worldwide Atomic Power Company reported that international nuclear energy era capability was about 371 GW on the finish of 2022, with 411 reactors in operation.
Piercy added, “The Declaration to Triple Nuclear Power additionally acknowledges the important thing function of carbon-free nuclear vitality in halting local weather change—and calls on worldwide monetary establishments to craft nuclear-inclusive lending insurance policies. A fast, large-scale deployment of recent reactors around the globe can solely occur with the tip of financing bans in opposition to nuclear vitality initiatives by multilateral banks just like the World Financial institution.”
The U.S. Dept. of Power in an announcement mentioned the company “acknowledges the important thing function of nuclear vitality in attaining international net-zero greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2050 and preserving the 1.5-degree aim [of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate] inside attain.”
Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Power Institute (NEI), the coverage group of the nuclear applied sciences trade, in an October speech mentioned there’s bipartisan assist in Congress for nuclear energy. Korsnick at the moment mentioned, “Nuclear vitality had assist underneath the Biden administration, and it additionally had assist underneath the Trump administration. So, it actually ought to depart no query concerning the authorities’s view—nuclear is important to a clean-energy grid and to our financial future.”
U.S. Nuclear Capability
Nuclear energy within the U.S., about 95 GW of capability generated by greater than 90 working reactors, accounts for about 20% of the nation’s electrical energy manufacturing. John Kerry, the Biden administration’s local weather envoy, on the UAE convention mentioned there are “trillions of {dollars}” out there for funding in nuclear energy. “We don’t make the argument to anyone that that is completely going to be the sweeping various to each different vitality supply … no, that’s not what brings us right here,” mentioned Kerry. He mentioned, although, echoing statements from different vitality analysts, that “you’ll be able to’t get to net-zero 2050 with out some nuclear.”
Although nuclear energy is carbon-free, opponents level to issues about disposal of spent nuclear gasoline—nuclear waste—and potential of accidents that would launch radiation into areas close to nuclear energy vegetation.
France, with greater than 50 reactors and 61 GW of era, is Europe’s greatest producer of nuclear energy. It’s second globally solely to the U.S. in nuclear capability, and receives about 70% of its electrical energy from nuclear.
French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned nuclear is an “indispensable answer” to assist combat local weather change. Macron is a supporter of small modular reactors (SMRs), which many within the nuclear trade say is one of the best ways to quickly improve era capability. SMRs are touted as cheaper to construct, function, and scale than giant utility-scale reactors.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, one other nation concerned within the nuclear pledge, mentioned the World Financial institution and different worldwide monetary establishments should assist finance nuclear energy initiatives. Kristersson mentioned governments should “assume a job in sharing the monetary dangers to strengthen the circumstances and supply further incentives for investments in nuclear vitality.”
Different international locations signing on to Saturday’s settlement embody Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Notably absent from the settlement is Germany, which this yr closed its final three nuclear energy vegetation.
Information from the World Nuclear Affiliation printed in November exhibits about 60 reactors are underneath development worldwide, with one other 110 within the strategy planning stage. Most of these reactors are of Russian or Chinese language design.
The Worldwide Power Company has mentioned China, which had put in nuclear era capability of 57 GW on the finish of June 2023 based on authorities knowledge, will change into the main producer of nuclear energy by 2030. The China Nuclear Power Affiliation final yr mentioned the nation might add as many as 10 reactors yearly over the following a number of years, and will have as a lot as 300 GW of nuclear energy capability on-line by 2035. The Oxford Institute for Power Research, although, earlier this yr mentioned reaching about 100 GW of era capability by 2030 is “extra probably” for China.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
