Asia may once again hit the play button when it
comes to either resuming or restarting nuclear
construction. Any movement, of course, has been on
pause since the Fukushima nuclear accident in March
2011. But the need for those countries to achieve
cleaner air and energy independence remains
paramount.
Notably, China and Japan are going ahead with their
plans to either resume construction of new plants or
to start up those that have been turned off. In all
cases, they are saying that it is about safety
first, although they are acknowledging that they
cannot wean themselves from the fossil fuels without
nuclear power. Their ultimate decision will have
major implications for the rest of the world not
just environmentally but also economically.
Specifically, China, along with India, South Korea
and Russia, remain committed. China, alone, accounts
for 40 percent of all projected new nuclear units,
says the
World Nuclear Association, with 25 of them in
the pipeline. Japan, meantime, only has two of its
54 units in operation right now. And while it has
vowed to phase out all of them by 2040, it can’t
happen if Japan hopes to reduce its energy costs and
to meets its obligations under global climate change
treaties.
“Nuclear energy provides about (6) percent of the
world’s electricity supply right now and I
personally find it hard to believe that we can have
a transition to a low-carbon economy without nuclear
power,” says Jeffrey Sachs, an advisor to the United
Nations who spoke at an
OECD conference in India.
As for China, its economy is growing at about 7.4
percent a year and it needs roughly $1.4 trillion to
modernize its energy infrastructure. It is now has
15 nuclear units that supply about 12,500 megawatts
of generation. It is planning on building 30,000 to
40,000 megawatts of nuclear energy, which is a
reduction of about 10,000 in the wake of the
Japanese nuclear crisis.
Now, though, national leaders there are saying that
they have evaluated the nuclear portfolio, deeming
those reactors to be completely safe. At the same
time, they are saying that they will not build any
such plants in earthquake prone areas. Among the
companies that will supply China: France's AREVA,
Russia's AtomStroyExport and Westinghouse, all of
which have won bids and now offer sophisticated
“third generation” light water reactors.
“The inspection results show that nuclear security
is guaranteed in China,” says a government report
referenced by the
Associated Press. “China implements the
principle of ‘safety first’ in the whole process of
nuclear power station planning.”
Different Paths
China and Japan diverge, naturally, because they
have had two different experiences with regard to
nuclear power. Japan has been one of the leading
advocates of global climate change action, largely
because it has no natural resources of its own and
had once vowed to become a nuclear energy leader,
producing as much as half of its power by 2030 from
those fuels.
While it has not backtracked from its commitment to
cut its greenhouse gas emissions, it did shut down
its entire nuclear fleet that had generated 25
percent of that nation’s electricity. Replacing that
would be a huge task. Therefore, it must focus on
enacting rigid safety procedures, and then carefully
monitoring the results.
Indeed, fear of energy shortages has prompted the
government there to give permission to restart two
of its idled nuclear plants, and just recently its
leaders said that any plant already in the pipeline
could go forth. Without the nuclear capacity, Japan
has been forced since March 2011 to import double
the amount of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which
is cost it an additional $72 billion, a
UPI report says.
Japan is at a fork in the road. But the signage is
clear: In one region where nuclear provides almost
half of the power, capacity could fall by 16-18
percent below the peak demand. If the nation import
fossil fuels, electric rates could skyrocket.
Minimizing nuclear power would come at “a huge cost
and loss of energy security,” says Nobuo Tanaka, an
analyst at the Institute of Energy Economics, in the
UPI story.
The Japanese experience has caused Germany, Italy
and Switzerland to swear off nuclear power. Even
France, which generates nearly 80 percent of its
electric generation from nuclear, is saying it will
reduce its dependence on the fuel, all under the
newly-elected left-of-center government there.
What happens in Asia is bound to make waves around
the globe. Likewise, the choices that China and
Japan are now making will have major ramifications
for both the environment and the Western industries
that will be supplying the tools and the fuels to
power their economies.
EnergyBiz Insider has been awarded the Gold for
Original Web Commentary presented by the American
Society of Business Press Editors. The column is
also the Winner of the 2011 Online Column category
awarded by Media Industry News, MIN. Ken Silverstein
has been honored as one of MIN’s Most Intriguing
People in Media.
Twitter: @Ken_Silverstein
energybizinsider@energycentral.com
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