INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY FOR ENERGY
Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy at the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), explains how modern nuclear energy technologies could play a role in decarbonization and helping mitigate climate change.
OPEC Fund Quarterly: What role does nuclear power play in the energy transition and decarbonization / climate change? Mikhail Chudakov: We are facing a double challenge: electricity demand is increasing at a time of increased greenhouse gas emissions and rising global temperatures. Nuclear power has a unique potential to address both of these pressing concerns. • Nuclear power produces virtually no greenhouse gas emissions during its life cycle.
• It is a proven technology and steadily and reliably supplies large amounts of energy.
• Having nuclear energy as part of the mix tends to lower energy systems’ overall costs due to its dispatchability and high capacity factors.
• Nuclear power plants need less land per unit of energy than other low- carbon technologies. It is one of the densest and most concentrated energy sources.
Nuclear energy accounts for 10 percent of the global electricity mix. It is the second largest source of low-carbon electricity. There are currently 443 reactors in operation in 32 countries,
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and 52 reactors are under construction, two-thirds of them in Asia. The IAEA’s calculations show that nuclear power is estimated to have avoided about 78 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions in the past 50 years (1971-2020). It plays a significant role in helping climate change mitigation. As a proven, scalable, and low-carbon
energy source and reliable partner of intermittent renewable sources, nuclear power is part of the solution to climate change. It can play a vital role in achieving global carbon neutrality by 2050 and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
OFQ: What kind of technological and scientific progress is happening in the use of atomic energy? Can you tell us how all of this contributes to sustainable development? Mikhail Chudakov: Innovative solutions are being developed throughout the nuclear power sector—from uranium processing and fuel fabrication to new designs for reactors, new methods of building and decommissioning, and novel approaches to managing radioactive waste and spent fuel. One example is the construction of the BREST reactor,
the world’s first lead-cooled reactor for civilian nuclear energy, this year in Russia. Such innovations are likely to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of nuclear energy. With enhanced safety features and optimized performance design, advanced large reactors could open the door to better economics, streamlined licensing and greater public acceptance. This may encourage more countries to consider using nuclear power to help achieve their climate goals. There may be too little electricity demand in some countries, or their electricity grid may be too small to warrant the large size of a traditional nuclear reactor. The industry is working on new technology to overcome this challenge with Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Currently, there are some 70
SMR concepts at various stages of development around the world, including one in operation in the Russian Federation and two in advanced construction in China and Argentina. SMRs offer unique attributes in terms of efficiency, flexibility and economics. These characteristics may position them to play a key role in the clean energy
PHOTO: IAEA
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