COMMENTARY | NO PAUSE POSSIBLE
No time to pause on new nuclear
With a sharp focus on energy security it has become increasingly clear that nuclear is the only option available. But with many nuclear installations across
Europe set for decommissioning the likelihood of nuclear capacity shrinking even while new plants come on-line is all too real. There’s not a moment to waste
By Vince Zabielski, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
EVER SINCE THE RUSSIAN INVASION of Ukraine in February 2022, European governments have been focused on energy security. In response, the UK government has announced plans for what it describes as the “biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years”, with 24 GW of nuclear planned by 2050. France, meanwhile, announced plans to build six new reactors and to consider building a further eight, and has since dedicated efforts towards an investment plan that allocates €1bn towards developing small nuclear reactors. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that nuclear energy could reduce the need for Russian gas by 4bcm, bioenergy 8 bcm, and coal another 22 bcm. But what exactly does “energy security” mean, and what is nuclear power’s role in achieving it? Will ambitious nuclear plans result in energy security, and if so, when?
Elucidating energy security Let’s start with a definition. The IEA defines energy security as the “uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price.” The IEA recognises this definition encompasses both long- and short-term energy security.
According to the Agency, long-term energy security “mainly deals with timely investments to supply energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs.” Short- term energy security is a measure of the grid operator’s ability to react to changes in the supply-demand balance at any point in time. Yet the ambitious nuclear new build programmes across Europe are focused on long-term energy security, and if those ambitions are realised, Europe will be far more energy secure in the long term. In this context, “long term” means decades from now. In the meantime, short-term energy security – balancing supply with demand – will present challenges over the next decade or so. At any instant in time the energy supplied to the grid
must exactly equal the energy demanded from the grid. Energy security therefore doesn’t just mean that there is enough installed energy capacity to meet demand, but also that the amount of energy supplied to the grid can be controlled as supply and demand change relative to one another. This balancing act is performed by the operator of the electrical grid, in the UK that is the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO).
Right: Hinkley Point C is not due to be commissioned until 2030, by which time the UK will have less nuclear capacity than it does now
46 | July 2024 |
www.neimagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
