 2013 report | |
| Author | Mycle Schneider Antony Froggatt Julie Hazemann Tadahiro Katsuta Amory B. Lovins Christian von Hirschhausen |
|---|---|
| Subject | Nuclear power industry |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report is a yearly report on the nuclear power industry. It is produced by Mycle Schneider, an anti-nuclear activist and a founding member of WISE-Paris, which he directed from 1983 to 2003. [1] [2]
The 2019 report reached the conclusion that 'Stabilizing the climate is urgent, nuclear power is slow. [Nuclear power] meets no technical or operational need that these low-carbon competitors [wind, solar and other renewable energy] cannot meet better, cheaper, and faster. Even sustaining economically distressed reactors saves less carbon per dollar and per year than reinvesting its avoidable operating cost (let alone its avoidable new subsidies) into cheaper efficiency and renewables.' [3] The report also reached the conclusion that Small Modular Reactors are unlikely to play any significant role in the future energy landscape.
In January an interactive visualization on nuclear power construction was launched. This contains information on the 754 reactors that are or have been under-construction since 1951. The Global Nuclear Power Database is hosted by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. [4]
As of the middle of 2016, 31 countries were operating nuclear reactors for energy purposes. Nuclear power plants generated 2,441 net terawatt-hours (TWh or billion kilowatt-hours) of electricity in 2015, a 1.3 percent increase. [5]
Globally, the nuclear industry's situation continued to deteriorate in 2015, except in China. Eight out of the ten nuclear power reactor startups in 2015 were in China. [6]
Written by Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt with contributions of four other experts from Japan, the UK and France, says that the nuclear industry was struggling with grave problems prior to the Fukushima accident, but that the impact of the accident has become increasingly visible. Global electricity generation from nuclear plants dropped by a historic 7 percent in 2012, adding to the record drop of 4 percent in 2011.
The 427 operating reactors worldwide, as of 1 July 2013, are 17 lower than the peak in 2002. The nuclear share in the world's power generation declined steadily from a historic peak of 17 percent in 1993 to about 10 percent in 2012. [7] The report details a range of restart scenarios for Japan's nuclear reactor fleet which, as of September 2013, [8] were all shutdown. Nuclear power's share of global commercial primary energy production plunged to 4.5 percent, a level last seen in 1984.
Besides an extensive update on nuclear economics, the report also includes an assessment of the major challenges at the Fukushima nuclear site, [9] in particular the highly contaminated water on site. This water contained in the basement of reactors and in storage tanks contains 2.5 times the total amount of caesium-137 released at the Chernobyl accident.
The report says that China, Germany and Japan, three of the world's four largest economies, as well as India, [10] now generate more power from renewables than from nuclear power. For the first time in 2012 China and India generated more power from wind alone than from nuclear plants, while in China solar electricity generation grew by 400 percent in one year.
According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2012, written by Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt, nuclear power accounted for 11 percent of worldwide electricity generation. World atomic power production dropped by a record 4.3 percent in 2011 as the global financial crisis and the Fukushima disaster in Japan prompted plant shutdowns and slowed construction of new sites. Seven reactors began operating in 2011 and 19 were shuttered. [11]
The report shows that following the Fukushima crisis in March 2011, Germany, Switzerland and Taiwan announced their withdrawal from nuclear power. Output was further restricted as nations suspended construction plans amid safety concerns and economic stagnation, forcing utilities to study extending lifetimes, which raises considerable safety issues. [11]
At least five countries, including Egypt and Kuwait, have suspended plans to build their first nuclear reactors. In the U.K., major companies like RWE, EON, and SSE have all abandoned new-build proposals in 2011/12, while companies in Japan and Bulgaria have suspended construction. The Fukushima disaster also created certification and licensing delays. [11]
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2010-2011 is authored by Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt, and Steve Thomas and published by the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute. The foreword is written by Amory Lovins. [12]
According to the report, the international nuclear industry has been unable to stop the slow decline of nuclear energy. The world's reactor fleet is aging quickly and not enough new units are coming online. As of April 1, 2011, there were 437 nuclear reactors operating in the world, which was seven fewer than in 2002. [12] The Olkiluoto plant has had particular problems:
The flagship EPR project at Olkiluoto in Finland, managed by the largest nuclear builder in the world, AREVA NP, has turned into a financial fiasco. The project is four years behind schedule and at least 90 percent over budget, reaching a total cost estimate of €5.7 billion ($8.3 billion) or close to €3,500 ($5,000) per kilowatt. [12]
The report says that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is exacerbating many of the problems that nuclear energy is facing. There is "no obvious sign that the international nuclear industry could eventually turn empirically evident downward trend into a promising future", and the Fukushima nuclear disaster is likely to accelerate the decline. With long lead times of 10 years and more, it will be difficult to maintain, let alone increase, the number of operating nuclear power plants over the next 20 years. Moreover, says the report, it is clear that nuclear power development cannot keep up with the pace of renewable energy commercialization. [12] For the first time, in 2010 total installed nuclear power capacity in the world (375 gigawatts) fell behind aggregate installed capacity (381 GW) of three specific renewables — wind turbines (193 GW), biomass and waste-to-energy plants (65 GW), and solar power (43 GW). [12]
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2009 presents quantitative and qualitative information on the nuclear power plants in operation, under construction and in planning phases throughout the world. A detailed analyses of the economic performance of past and current nuclear projects is also given. The report was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety. [13] [14] [15]
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2008 focused on the difficulties facing nuclear power throughout the world, with particular reference to Western Europe and Asia. [16]
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2007 was commissioned by the Greens-EFA Group in the European Parliament. [17] [18]
The first World Nuclear Industry Status Report was issued in 1992 in a joint publication with WISE-Paris, Greenpeace International and the World Watch Institute, Washington. The second report in 2004 was commissioned by the Greens-EFA Group in the European Parliament.
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants. Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such as Voyager 2. Generating electricity from fusion power remains the focus of international research.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began operations on January 19, 1975, as one of two successor agencies to the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Its functions include overseeing reactor safety and security, administering reactor licensing and renewal, licensing radioactive materials, radionuclide safety, and managing the storage, security, recycling, and disposal of spent fuel.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated is a Japanese electric utility holding company servicing Japan's Kantō region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes Tokyo. Its headquarters are located in Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and international branch offices exist in Washington, D.C., and London. It is a founding member of strategic consortiums related to energy innovation and research; such as JINED, INCJ and MAI.
A nuclear power phase-out is the discontinuation of usage of nuclear power for energy production. Often initiated because of concerns about nuclear power, phase-outs usually include shutting down nuclear power plants and looking towards fossil fuels and renewable energy. Three nuclear accidents have influenced the discontinuation of nuclear power: the 1979 Three Mile Island partial nuclear meltdown in the United States, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the USSR, and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
Nuclear energy policy is a national and international policy concerning some or all aspects of nuclear energy and the nuclear fuel cycle, such as uranium mining, ore concentration, conversion, enrichment for nuclear fuel, generating electricity by nuclear power, storing and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, and disposal of radioactive waste. Nuclear energy policies often include the regulation of energy use and standards relating to the nuclear fuel cycle. Other measures include efficiency standards, safety regulations, emission standards, fiscal policies, and legislation on energy trading, transport of nuclear waste and contaminated materials, and their storage. Governments might subsidize nuclear energy and arrange international treaties and trade agreements about the import and export of nuclear technology, electricity, nuclear waste, and uranium.
Energy in Japan refers to energy and electricity production, consumption, import and export in Japan. The country's primary energy consumption was 477.6 Mtoe in 2011, a decrease of 5% over the previous year.
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, or international level. Major anti-nuclear groups include Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Peace Action, Seneca Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service. The initial objective of the movement was nuclear disarmament, though since the late 1960s opposition has included the use of nuclear power. Many anti-nuclear groups oppose both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. The formation of green parties in the 1970s and 1980s was often a direct result of anti-nuclear politics.
Prior to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan had generated 30% of its electrical power from nuclear reactors and planned to increase that share to 40%. Nuclear power energy was a national strategic priority in Japan. As of March 2020, of the 54 nuclear reactors in Japan, there were 42 operable reactors but only 9 reactors in 5 power plants were actually operating. A total of 24 reactors are scheduled for decommissioning or are in the process of being decommissioned. Others are in the process of being reactivated, or are undergoing modifications aimed to improve resiliency against natural disasters; Japan's 2030 energy goals posit that at least 33 will be reactivated by a later date.
Nuclear safety is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The achievement of proper operating conditions, prevention of accidents or mitigation of accident consequences, resulting in protection of workers, the public and the environment from undue radiation hazards". The IAEA defines nuclear security as "The prevention and detection of and response to, theft, sabotage, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear materials, other radioactive substances or their associated facilities".
Nuclear history of the United States describes the history of nuclear affairs in the United States whether civilian or military.
Nuclear safety in the United States is governed by federal regulations issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC regulates all nuclear plants and materials in the United States except for nuclear plants and materials controlled by the U.S. government, as well those powering naval vessels.
Stephen Thomas is a professor at the University of Greenwich Business School, working in the area of energy policy. Before moving to the University of Greenwich in 2001, Thomas worked for twenty-two years at the University of Sussex.
Mycle Schneider is a German nuclear energy consultant and anti-nuclear activist based in Paris. He is the lead author of The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports. He has advised members of the European Parliament on energy issues for more than twenty years. In 1997 he received the Right Livelihood Award.
Since about 2001 the term nuclear renaissance has been used to refer to a possible nuclear power industry revival, driven by rising fossil fuel prices and new concerns about meeting greenhouse gas emission limits.
The United States Government Accountability Office reported more than 150 incidents from 2001 to 2006 of nuclear plants not performing within acceptable safety guidelines. According to a 2010 survey of energy accidents, there have been at least 56 accidents at nuclear reactors in the United States. The most serious of these was the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the United States since 1979. Relatively few accidents have involved fatalities.
The electric power industry in Japan covers the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy in Japan. Japan consumed 995.26 TWh of electricity in 2014. Before the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, about a quarter of electricity in the country was generated by nuclear power. In the following years, most nuclear power plants have been on hold, being replaced mostly by coal and natural gas. Solar power is a growing source of electricity, and Japan has the third largest solar installed capacity with about 50 GW as of 2017.
The international reaction to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has been diverse and widespread. Many inter-governmental agencies responded to the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, often on an ad hoc basis. Responders included International Atomic Energy Agency, World Meteorological Organization and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, which has radiation detection equipment deployed around the world.
Antony Froggatt is an energy policy consultant and a senior research fellow at Chatham House. He is co-author of The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports.
The Japanese reaction occurred after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A nuclear emergency was declared by the government of Japan on 11 March. Later Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued instructions that people within a 20 km (12 mi) zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant must leave, and urged that those living between 20 km and 30 km from the site to stay indoors. The latter groups were also urged to evacuate on 25 March.
Long one of the world's most committed promoters of civilian nuclear power, Japan's nuclear industry was not hit as hard by the effects of the 1979 Three Mile Island accident (USA) or the 1986 Chernobyl disaster (USSR) as some other countries. Construction of new plants continued to be strong through the 1980s and into the 1990s. However, starting in the mid-1990s there were several nuclear related accidents and cover-ups in Japan that eroded public perception of the industry, resulting in protests and resistance to new plants. These accidents included the Tokaimura nuclear accident, the Mihama steam explosion, cover-ups after accidents at the Monju reactor, and the 21 month shut down of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant following an earthquake in 2007. Because of these events, Japan's nuclear industry has been scrutinized by the general public of the country.