Earth sciences and energy
of fossil fuel-burning power stations with likely to be attracted to projects in China
nuclear reactors as a more reliable solution and the Middle East, which are progressing
than focusing on renewable energy. Nearly quickly, leaving projects in Europe and
all developed nations have plans to build North America in the lurch.
or encourage the building of new nuclear There is also a view that it will take some
reactors to replace the fi rst generation of time to reverse the perception that nuclear
nuclear plants which are coming to the end is a ‘twilight industry’ and for it to start
of their working lives. attracting new graduates into the business.
However, although the nuclear revival is Partnerships between the nuclear industry
in full swing, it is not that simple. There are and universities in the UK, for example, are
several problems and unanswered questions expected to bear fruit in fi ve to 10 years.
about the technology. These include the
question of radioactive waste and how The nuclear cost meant that there was only a very shallow
to dispose of it safely, and whether there Perhaps a more fundamental problem for pool of expertise and spare parts to draw
are enough nuclear scientists and skilled the nuclear industry is the issue of cost. In on when plants broke down, leading to
engineers to work on all of the nuclear nuclear power’s early days, it was thought lengthy periods when power was not being
projects planned. that electricity would be generated so generated.
Because the fi rst generation plants cheaply it could almost be given away free With the current generation of
were built many years ago and then the of charge but, in the decades that followed, nuclear reactors, the industry is seeking
technology fell out of favour, the required many nuclear power plant projects missed much greater standardisation. Reactor
skills are not readily available. Many nuclear deadlines and ran over budget. In the UK, manufacturers such as Westinghouse,
scientists, executives and inspectors are frequent changes to reactor technology Areva and GE stress that the best way to
reaching retirement age. Some countries,
such as France, maintained their investment
in the sector and have retained the skills »In the past, nuclear power has been more
and expertise. Others, like the UK, did not.
expensive but, as fossil fuel costs have risen in
This factor could hold back new nuclear
projects.
recent years, nuclear energy has started to look
The top talent in the nuclear industry is more commercially viable.
Oil, gas and coal provide keep costs down and limit outages is to
about four-fi fths of the
build large fl eets of standardised reactors.
world’s energy.
This would provide economies of scale and
mean that each country could draw on an
established global supply chain and source
of skills and technical information.
In the past, nuclear power has been more
expensive than power generated from gas-,
oil- or coal-fi red plants when measured over
the life of the plant but, as fossil fuel costs
have risen in recent years, nuclear energy
has started to look more commercially
viable.
There are fi erce debates about the real
cost of nuclear energy, once the expense
of dealing with spent fuel and radioactive
waste has been included. As yet there is
little impartial data available, but industry
©
experts argue that nuclear power offers
S
I
O
T
countries advantages that outweigh
C
K
H
P
the costs. ■
O
O
T
C
.
O
M
Malcolm Maitland is a freelance journalist
;
H

E
specialising in regional affairs, corporate
N
R
K
I
governance and transport. He is also a
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member of the UK’s Society of Editors.
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42 PLANET EARTH www.yearofplanetearth.org
PE9.Renewable energy.rkymw.indd 42 16/2/09 11:15:21 am
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