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Topic: Electricity Update Pt 6
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DunkingDan · « **Reply #14 on:** October 22, 2018, 02:20:13 PM »

Three more companies - WS Atkins plc, KBR and Wood - have been appointed by Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe Limited to support delivery of the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant in Wales.

Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's Hitachi Limited - will supply the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) for Wylfa Newydd, acting as architect engineer for the project, under contract to Horizon Nuclear Power, also a Hitachi subsidiary. The architect engineer is responsible for design integration and technical consistency across all aspects of the plant.
Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe announced today that design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins - part of the SNC-Lavalin group - will support it on civil engineering design for the nuclear island. KBR, a provider of full life-cycle professional services, project delivery and technologies has been appointed to work on project controls. In addition, project, engineering and technical services provider Wood will support Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe in its architect engineering role on technical specifications, procurement and design integration as well as managing interfaces with the project management contractor and the plant owner, Horizon.
"Each partner will operate directly under contract to Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe Ltd and these contracts reflect the significant work underway to support preparation for construction of the plant," the company said.
Wood said it expects its appointment to "transition into a ten-year framework, extending up to the start of commercial operations, once the project passes further key milestones in 2019."
Bob MacDonald, CEO of Wood Specialist Technical Solutions, said: "Being selected for this work is an indication of the deep and broad technical knowledge of our 2000 nuclear specialists. Many are internationally recognised experts with wide experience of design integration and delivering optimised solutions."
Engineering, consulting and construction company Black & Veatch said it expects to be subcontracted by Wood to provide technical services to support contracts required for the engineering, procurement and construction of Wylfa Newydd.
"Wylfa Newydd will make a significant contribution to the low-carbon baseload power generation capacity in the UK for decades to come," said Matt Lee, Vice President and Director of Nuclear at Black & Veatch. "Globally, Black & Veatch has supported nuclear projects for more than 60 years. At Wylfa Newydd, we will combine our world-class expertise of ABWR technology with our proven ability to successfully deliver UK power generation projects."
Eric Chassard, Project Director at Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe Limited, said: "Wood has been involved in every nuclear new build in UK history. KBR and Atkins are also world leaders in their fields - with clear and proven experience on projects of this scale and complexity. The pedigree, expertise and detailed knowledge of all three partners are second to none."
He added, "We are rapidly developing a team of the world's most capable companies as we prepare to deliver the nuclear island and architect engineering for Wylfa Newydd, and couldn't have found stronger partners to support us. This is one more step in the UK's growing domestic expertise around UK ABWR technology. A chance for UK workforces to play a role at the heart of technical delivery for the Wylfa Newydd project, and to further spread the economic benefit through the UK supply chain."
Established in 2009 and acquired by Hitachi in November 2012, Horizon aims to provide at least 5.4 GWe of new capacity across two sites - Wylfa Newydd, which is on the Isle of Anglesey, and Oldbury-on-Severn, in South Gloucestershire - by deploying Hitachi-GE UK ABWRs. US engineering firm Bechtel will manage construction of the proposed Wylfa Newydd plant under a contract signed with Horizon in August this year.
In June, Hitachi and the UK government announced they had entered negotiations on public investment in the proposed Wylfa Newydd project.
Hitachi plans to make a final investment decision on the Wylfa Newydd project next year and to start operation of the first unit in the first half of the 2020s.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

HK_Vol · « **Reply #15 on:** October 24, 2018, 08:42:56 PM »

Electricity - last 12 months:

Coal: 28.0%
N. Gas: 34.0%
Nuclear: 19.9%
Hydro: 6.9%
Wind: 6.7%
Solar: 2.9%

Electricity - 2008:

Coal: 48.2%
N. Gas: 21.4%
Nuclear: 19.6%
Hydro: 6.2%
Wind: 1.3%
Solar: 0.0%

Change:

Coal: -20.2%
N. Gas: +12.6%
Nuclear: +0.3%
Hydro: +0.7%
Wind: +5.4%
Solar: +2.9%

HK_Vol · « **Reply #16 on:** October 24, 2018, 10:32:39 PM »

August Solar - Utility Scale:

Southwest (California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada): 9.6% of total electricity produced
Expanded Southwest (Above + New Mexico and Colorado): 8.5% of total electricity produced

HK_Vol · « **Reply #17 on:** October 24, 2018, 10:37:37 PM »

Coal - largest y-o-y drops for August:

Oregon: -42.1%
Montana: -37.6%
Tennessee: -35.9%
New Mexico: -34.5%
N. Carolina: -27.3%

HK_Vol · « **Reply #18 on:** October 25, 2018, 05:39:30 AM »

Solar Capacity adds - reported for September 1st.
Expected completion by year end 2018:

3 MW - Operating (ahead of schedule)
37 MW - Construction complete, but not yet in commercial operation
1127 MW - Under construction, more than 50 percent complete
1522 MW - Under construction, less than or equal to 50 percent complete

375 MW - North Carolina
69 MW - Tennessee

DunkingDan · « **Reply #19 on:** October 25, 2018, 09:49:16 AM »

Quote from: HK_Vol on October 25, 2018, 05:39:30 AM

Solar Capacity adds - reported for September 1st.
Expected completion by year end 2018:

3 MW - Operating (ahead of schedule)
37 MW - Construction complete, but not yet in commercial operation
1127 MW - Under construction, more than 50 percent complete
1522 MW - Under construction, less than or equal to 50 percent complete

375 MW - North Carolina
69 MW - Tennessee

Got to love all that non green PC correct energy

DunkingDan · « **Reply #20 on:** October 27, 2018, 06:11:58 PM »

Building a nuclear energy programme is a truly global undertaking. It requires a strong and long-term commitment from the nation pursuing the programme, and partnerships with governments and global experts that offer guidance and insight based on best practices and operating experience. As the first new nuclear energy programme in decades, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offers a unique example of this process, writes Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi.

In late June of this year, the UAE became the first country in the world to be assessed under the IAEA Phase 3 Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR), and we were pleased to officially receive the report during the recent 62nd Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference. The review mission evaluated the UAE on 19 infrastructure issues as outlined in the IAEA's Milestones approach - a comprehensive methodology that has guided the UAE, as well as all countries that are newcomers to the global nuclear energy industry, to work in a systematic way towards the introduction of peaceful nuclear energy.
By following the IAEA's Milestones approach from the moment the nation embarked on developing the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme in 2008 to successfully concluding the INIR Phase 3 review in 2018, we have clearly demonstrated our position in the international nuclear community. The extraordinary progress we have made is a direct result of our commitment to the key principles of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme, which include complete operational transparency, and adhering to the highest standards of nonproliferation, safety and security. It is also the product of our long-standing collaboration with the IAEA and our cooperation with international organisations.
The UAE continues to benefit from the cumulative global expertise on peaceful nuclear energy, but we have also become a contributor to the international community. As the first country to achieve Phase 3 of the Milestones approach, we have set the benchmark for all countries currently embarking on new peaceful nuclear energy programmes, including Bangladesh, Belarus and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result, when the IAEA conducts INIR Phase 3 review missions in the future, the UAE will serve as the reference case and such missions will perhaps include UAE nuclear energy experts as evaluators. Our expertise has once again been recognised as pivotal to the future of the global nuclear energy industry.
The UAE's approach to nuclear energy is more than a policy or public statement. It actively engages and is involved with the global nuclear energy community, gaining knowledge and insight from expert organisations along with countries with established programmes. This engagement and collaboration helps to maintain a focus on continuous improvement and the establishment of a strong safety and compliance culture. Collectively, this has elevated the UAE as a standard bearer in nuclear energy programme development.
As part of this, Nawah Energy Company, the operator of the UAE’s nuclear energy plant at Barakah in Abu Dhabi, recently conducted a comprehensive review of the startup of the plant’s first unit and announced that the unit will commence fuel loading between the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020. This decision is based on the need to complete commissioning and operational readiness and in line with the UAE’s policy commitment to maintain the highest standards of safety.
In my role as the UAE’s permanent representative to the IAEA, I have seen firsthand the country’s commitment to pursuing nuclear energy the right way - from the early days of the programme to today’s significant achievement as we prepare for the operation of the first reactor at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. Prioritising quality and safety during the construction process, and as part of the ongoing preparations for operation, is the only way to maintain strong commitment to the founding principles and ensure the future sustainability of the programme as a whole.
In the development of its programme, the UAE has benefitted from the collective experience and expertise of the global nuclear energy industry. Combined with the framework and commitments the nation’s leadership laid out at the outset, the UAE acts as a leading example of successful peaceful nuclear energy programme development in the region and around the world.
Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi is the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

DunkingDan · « **Reply #21 on:** October 31, 2018, 03:13:12 PM »

A study on the employment generated by the nuclear energy industry has been published by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Some 200,000 job-years of employment are created by each gigawatt of nuclear capacity constructed, it suggests.

"The nuclear energy sector employs a considerable workforce around the world, and with nuclear power projected to grow in countries with increasing electricity demand, corresponding jobs in the nuclear power sector will also grow," the report says.
NEA and IAEA used the most available macroeconomic model to determine total employment - the 'input/output' model - to measure direct, indirect and induced employment from the nuclear power sector in a national economy. The authors used a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches in an attempt to create a methodology that can be applied to all electricity sources.
The work was done in collaboration with employees at Areva, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (Idaho, USA), the Generation-IV International Forum secretariat, the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute, the US Nuclear Energy Institute, PriceWaterHouseCoopers Strategy Group, Rosatom Central Institute, and the University of Stuttgart.
"This report generalises and simplifies the modelling efforts of the OECD member countries (where macroeconomic models are generally available) to make them more applicable to other economies, in particular, those IAEA member states (where macroeconomic models might be less developed)," the report says.
The results of the report - entitled Measuring Employment Generated by the Nuclear Power Sector - suggest direct employment during a ten-year period of site preparation and construction of a single 1000 MWe advanced light water reactor of some 1200 professional and construction staff, producing 12,000 labour-years.
Over a 50-year operating period, approximately 600 administrative, operation and maintenance, and permanently contracted staff are employed annually, or about 30,000 labour-years.
Once the reactor is shut down, a further 500 people are employed annually over a ten-year period of decommissioning, or around 5000 labour-years. In addition, over a period of about 40 years, 80 employees manage nuclear waste, totalling around 3000 labour-years.
This brings a total of about 50,000 direct labour-years per gigawatt during the reactor's construction, operation and decommissioning, the report says.
In addition, the study says a further 50,000 job-years of indirect employment is also created through the nuclear supply chain. Meanwhile, another 100,000 job-years of induced employment is generated.
Total employment over the life cycle of a 1000 MWe nuclear power reactor is therefore about 200,000 job-years, the study concludes.
"While the purpose of this report is to help member country experts determine the levels of inputs (particularly labour) flowing into the nuclear power sector, these inputs depend on the state of development of the nuclear power sector in a particular economy," the report states.
Although the study was completed in 2016, the report has only just been released following an agreement last week between the NEA and IAEA for both to publish the report.
The nuclear industry has set the Harmony goal for nuclear energy to provide 25% of global electricity by 2050. This will require trebling nuclear generation from its present level. Some 1000 GWe of new nuclear generating capacity will need to be constructed by then to achieve that goal.
Geoffrey Rothwell of the NEA, who contributed towards the study, presented its findings at the World Nuclear Association Annual Symposium in September 2017.
At that time, he said the workforce to fulfil the Harmony goal of 1000 GWe of new build by 2050 could require peak direct employment of 810,000 job-years per year.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

DunkingDan · « **Reply #22 on:** November 03, 2018, 01:20:17 PM »

Unit 4 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province has been connected to the electricity grid, bringing global nuclear generating capacity to over 400 GWe for the first time.

Tianwan Phase I - units 1 and 2 - was constructed under a 1992 cooperation agreement between China and Russia. First concrete was poured in October 1999, and the units were commissioned in June 2007 and September 2007, respectively.
Tianwan Phase II - units 3 and 4 - are similar to the first stage of the Tianwan plant, comprising two AES-91 VVER-1000 units designed by Gidropress and supplied by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of the fourth unit began in September 2013. Unit 3 achieved first criticality on 29 September last year and was connected to the grid on 30 December. The unit entered commercial operation on 15 February having completed demonstration operation at nominal capacity for 100 hours.
The loading of a total of 163 fuel assemblies into the core of unit 4 was started on 25 August and completed on 2 September. The reactor achieved first criticality at 30 September.
Following permission from the Chinese regulator, power at Tianwan 4 was raised to 25% of capacity, after which the turbine was brought into operation and electrical tests of the field and power delivery systems were carried out. This process was completed at 1.53am on 27 October. "The result of the work was the connection of the power unit to the electricity system," Rosatom said. "All systems of the power unit were operating according to the design mode."
Power output from the reactor will now be maintained at 25%. Dynamic tests will later be performed at 50%, 75% and 100% of capacity. Upon completion of initial testing at full thermal capacity, demonstration operation will proceed at nominal capacity for 100 hours, after which preliminary acceptance procedures will follow. Preliminary acceptance is the starting point of a two-year warranty period for the operation of Tianwan 4. The unit is scheduled to enter commercial operation later this year.
Construction of Tianwan Phase III - units 5 and 6 - was originally scheduled to start in early 2011. However, following the March 2011 accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Chinese government suspended the approval of new nuclear power projects, including those two units.
The latest Five-Year Plan called for construction of Phase III of the Tianwan plant to be accelerated. China's State Council gave its approval for Tianwan units 5 and 6 - both featuring 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors - on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 on 27 December 2015, with that for unit 6 poured on 7 September 2016. CNNC plans to put both units 5 and 6 into commercial operation by the end of 2021.
On 8 June, Russia and China signed four agreements, including for the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors as units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan plant. In addition, two VVER-1200 units are to be constructed at the new Xudabao site in Liaoning province.
"The Tianwan nuclear power plant is currently the largest Russian-Chinese power project that is being developed successfully thanks to the synergy of specialists from the two countries," said Alexey Likhachov, director general of Rosatom. "And start-up of the fourth power unit is further proof of that. At the Tianwan plant site we became a united team with our Chinese colleagues, which has facilitated the achievement of this milestone. Our further cooperation, both in the construction of the next phases of the Tianwan plant and on the new Xudapu site, will for sure also be efficient and fruitful."
Connection of Tianwan 4 to the electricity grid brings the number of operable power reactors worldwide to 454, with a combined generating capacity of 400,287 MWe. As such, global nuclear capacity has exceeded 400 GWe for the first time. A further 54 reactors are currently under construction, with a total capacity of 54,675 MWe.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

HK_Vol · « **Reply #23 on:** November 05, 2018, 01:59:00 AM »

Florida to add the equivalent power of a nuclear power plant each and every year for the next six years...

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/02/tampa-electric-solar-plan-blazes-with-another-260-megawatts/

DunkingDan · « **Reply #24 on:** November 08, 2018, 03:16:55 PM »

Contracts have been signed between China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, including for the construction of units 7 and 8 at the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province.

CNNC said the contracts, which were signed yesterday at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, marked the implementation of framework contracts signed on 8 June between Russia and China in Beijing. Those agreements included the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors as units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan plant, as well as two VVER-1200 units are to be built at the new Xudabao site in Liaoning province.
Rosatom said its engineering division, AtomStroyExport, yesterday signed four executive contracts with CNNC enterprises for the construction of Tianwan 7 and 8. No details of the contracts were disclosed.
Tianwan Phase I - units 1 and 2 - was constructed under a 1992 cooperation agreement between the two countries. First concrete was poured in October 1999, and the units were commissioned in June 2007 and September 2007, respectively.
Tianwan Phase II - units 3 and 4 - are similar to the first stage of the Tianwan plant, comprising two AES-91 VVER-1000 units designed by Gidropress and supplied by Rosatom. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of the fourth unit began in September 2013. Unit 3 entered commercial operation in February this year, with unit 4 was connected to the grid late last month.
Construction of Tianwan Phase III - units 5 and 6 - was originally scheduled to start in early 2011. However, following the March 2011 accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Chinese government suspended the approval of new nuclear power projects, including those two units.
The latest Five-Year Plan called for construction of Phase III of the Tianwan plant to be accelerated. China's State Council gave its approval for Tianwan units 5 and 6 - both featuring 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors - on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 on 27 December 2015, with that for unit 6 poured on 7 September 2016. CNNC plans to put both units 5 and 6 into commercial operation by the end of 2021.
Executive contracts were also signed yesterday between Rosatom subsidiary Afrikantov OKBM and CNNC enterprises for the implementation of China's demonstration 600 MWe fast reactor project at Xiapu, Fujian province. The contracts involve the supply of equipment and services, the provision of licences for the right to use software, and services for the examination of documentation.
First concrete for the CFR-600 sodium-cooled pool-type fast reactor was poured in December 2017. The reactor is scheduled to begin commercial operation by 2023.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

DunkingDan · « **Reply #25 on:** November 13, 2018, 04:54:20 PM »

Canada is well positioned to become a global leader in the development and deployment of small modular reactor (SMR) technology, Minister of Natural Resources Amarjeet Sohi said yesterday at the release of a report outlining the potential applications for SMRs in the country.

The report, A Call to Action: A Canadian Roadmap for Small Modular Reactors, was unveiled at the Generation IV and Small Reactor (G4SR) conference in Ottawa. The report is the culmination of an initiative launched in February by Canada's Department of Natural Resources. The ten-month process involved expert analysis, consultation with industry and end users, and initial engagement with indigenous communities and organisations. It includes more than 50 recommendations on, for example, waste management, regulatory readiness and international engagement.
SMRs are smaller in scale than traditional nuclear power plants, with lower up-front capital costs and enhanced safety features. They also have the potential to provide non-carbon emitting energy in a wide range of applications, such as grid-scale electricity generation and heavy industry, including in remote communities such as those found in Canada's northern regions, mining and oil sands operations.
"Small modular reactors represent a promising area of energy innovation in Canada. The Roadmap includes recommendations that will help inform ongoing collaboration among federal, provincial and territorial governments - as well as other stakeholders and indigenous communities - to ensure Canada becomes a global leader in the development of this new technology", Sohi sad.
The report recommends actions according to four pillars. The first pillar, Demonstration and Deployment, includes calling on the federal government, and provincial governments interested in SMRs, to provide funding to cost-share with industry in one or more SMR demonstration projects for advanced reactor designs. Federal and provincial governments should implement measures to share risk with private investors to incentivise first commercial deployment of SMRs in Canada, with the potential of exporting SMR technologies and related innovations developed in Canada to international markets.
The second pillar, Policy, Legislation and Regulation, identifies priority actions under the Canadian impact assessment process, to ensure that nuclear liability limits for SMRs are aligned with the risks they pose; regulatory engagement; and action on waste management, including engagement of technology vendors with Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organisation to ensure that planning for the country's deep geological repository is well-informed by the technical specifications of SMR technologies.
The third pillar, Capacity, Engagement, and Public Confidence, prioritises indigenous engagement, while the fourth pillar, International Partnerships and Markets, focuses on frameworks for strong and effective international engagement on SMRs.
The report concludes that SMRs are a responde to market forces for "smaller, simpler and cheaper" nuclear energy. If successful, it says, there will be a large global market for this technology, "driven not just by climate change and clean energy policies but also by the imperatives of energy security and access".
It adds that Canada "has what it needs to seize the opportunity but the time for action is now". With nuclear power plant refurbishments under way in Ontario and a revitalised nuclear science campus at Chalk River, the country "has the opportunity to leverage [its] longstanding leadership in nuclear energy to make this happen".
The report's recommendations are now being reviewed by the Canadian government.
Industry support

The Canadian Nuclear Association's (CNA) Vision 2050: Canada's Nuclear Advantage, which described the Canadian nuclear industry's vision of its role in leading SMR manufacture and deployment in Canada, preceded the Roadmap initiative.
CNA President and CEO John Barrett said the Roadmap lays the groundwork for Canada to lead in the development of innovative low-carbon nuclear technologies.
"SMRs are an exciting innovation story in the nuclear and natural resources sector. But more than that, they can help bring Canada and other countries closer and faster to their GHG reduction target," he said. "The Canadian nuclear industry looks forward to working with federal and provincial governments to get these innovative power sources to market, both in Canada and abroad."
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) last year set the goal of siting a new SMR on its Chalk River site by 2026, and co-hosted an SMR Vendor Roundtable on the margins of the G4SR conference.
"As a safe, reliable and low-carbon source of energy, SMRs have a number of unique features that could make them a unifying technology here in Canada," CNL President and CEO Mark Lesinski said. "In particular, SMRs are ideal for remote locations, such as mine sites, the oil sands or willing communities, which typically rely on diesel-fuelled generators for electricity. They can also be deployed alongside renewables, including wind and solar, offering reliable baseload power to these otherwise intermittent forms of energy."
Canada's mature nuclear supply chain and "vibrant pool" of skilled, innovative companies gives the country a distinct advantage in the deployment of SMR technology, he said.
Vendor support

Also at the G4SR conference, NuScale Power announced that Ontario Power Generation Inc (OPG) had agreed to support NuScale in its vendor design review (VDR) for its SMR with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding on the agreement, which NuScale Chairman and CEO John Hopkins said was an "important milestone" in the company's efforts to bring its reactor to Canada.
"We are extremely fortunate to have OPG’s valuable nuclear regulatory and utility expertise, and we know that they will be an incredibly helpful partner in our efforts to ensure that our new and innovative technology meets Canadian regulatory requirements and customer needs," he said.
Under the agreement, OPG will offer expertise to support NuScale’s VDR application, which is currently under development with the CNSC, as well as the further evaluation of development, licensing, and deployment of the first NuScale power plant in Canada.
Jeff Lehman, OPG’s vice president of New Nuclear Development, said: "In support of Canada’s climate change goals, we look forward to supporting NuScale as they move through the Canadian regulatory process."
The CNSC offers the pre-licensing VDR as an optional service to provide an assessment of a nuclear power plant design based on a vendor's reactor technology. The regulator announced in February that it had received NuScale's application for a review of the self-contained 50 MWe integral pressurised water reactor, and is now developing a service agreement prior to setting a start date for the review.
NuScale's SMR is also undergoing design certification review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

DunkingDan · « **Reply #26 on:** November 15, 2018, 11:07:21 AM »

The search for solutions to climate change must include discussion of nuclear power, Scott Foster, director of the Sustainable Energy Division of UNECE, told World Nuclear News (WNN) today.

Nuclear power has for the first time been included on the programme of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE's) Ministerial Conference of the International Forum of Energy for Sustainable Development. In its ninth year, the annual event is being held this week in Kiev.
In an interview with WNN during the conference, Foster said: "The challenges that we've seen since Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima is that the response has been more rebar, more concrete, more containment because they’re concerned about risk. The origins of the risk have almost always been human and institutional, but the response has been technological. So, the consequence has been just rising costs, but not actually addressing the underlying risk.
"One of the issues we're trying to explore at this forum is can we revisit that equation. Is it possible to address the human and institutional risk factors without actually having the corresponding increase in the capital costs of nuclear [power]. Now, there are those who believe that the nuclear long-term waste issue is huge. I won't deny that. There are issues that nuclear has risks that other technologies don’t have. I don't deny that. But we are facing a species existential threat in climate change and, at some point, you have to go, 'Excuse me, but which is the risk we think we can manage, and which is the risk that we can't?' I would suggest the fact that we are in the process of wiping out 50% of the species on this planet, probably including our own, might lead people to a different conclusion."
The UNECE region will play an important role in attaining the international energy and climate objectives that were agreed in 2015, notably the Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals and the agreement reached at the 21st COP meeting in Paris in 2015, referred to as the Paris Agreement. Energy underpins most of these goals, and the energy sector plays a critical role in finding solutions for both sustainable development and climate change mitigation.
Asked how challenging it is for him to include nuclear in discussions with other parts of the United Nations, Foster said: "Nuclear is not in my organisation's mandate per se, but we have organised this forum with explicit segments looking at the nuclear challenge. The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna is the one best equipped to address nuclear topics, but we’ve got an ongoing Pathways project, which is exploring what are the strategic options countries have, given their own natural endowments of resources, given their own legislative history, etc. What's their best pathway to achieving the 2030 agenda? You can't have that conversation by excluding something you don't like. So, leave it [fossil fuels] in the ground, or no nuclear? It doesn't leave you with a lot of options."
He added: "Given that 80% of today's energy mix is fossil, it's improbable that we're going to be able to deal with a future that doesn't have fossil in it one way or another. So, what we want to do, in a transparent and fair way, is not pick the technology, not be for or against. I'm not pro-nuclear, but I'm not anti-nuclear. I’m not pro-renewables, but I’m not anti-renewables. The idea is you've got to be very neutral and sterile in your arguments and put them out and say, 'What's the most rational approach for us, collectively, to take in terms of economic, environmental and societal needs?' And that's where you'll get pragmatic and sensible outcomes."
Foster stressed the urgency of the climate change debate.
"We're on a path to 4-6 degrees and right now we're worried about a 1 degree increase in temperatures. The weather effects we’re seeing now are the consequence of CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions that happened 20 years ago; there's a lag time that occurs. So, we're going to see all of the emissions that have occurred in the intervening years 20 years hence. Well, excuse me, that gets to be some very scary numbers that we've got to address quite quickly."
Vital role for nuclear

At the conference's plenary session, Agneta Rising, World Nuclear Association's director general, said nuclear generation helps ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. She told delegates that, by offering an alternative to fossil fuels that produce air pollution, nuclear energy helps ensure healthy lives.

"By allowing rapid decarbonisation of electricity, nuclear helps take urgent action on climate change. Nuclear desalination can provide clean water to help ensure access to water, and by supplying affordable, reliable 24/7 electricity, nuclear contributes to sustainable economic growth," she said.
"Substituting energy supplied by fossil fuels with electricity generated from nuclear energy and other low-carbon sources is a practical proposition to deliver a clean energy transition," she added.
In a statement today, World Nuclear Association noted that the number of influential bodies acknowledging the importance of nuclear energy in the climate and energy challenge is growing. In October the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported to the UN on the impacts of climate change and what would be needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius. They concluded that achieving the 1.5 degrees goal will require global greenhouse gas emissions to start reducing almost immediately.
Nuclear generation increases by an average of around 2.5 times by 2050 in the 89 mitigation scenarios considered by the IPCC.
The Ninth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development is co-organised by the government of Ukraine and the five United Nations Regional Commissions in partnership with: United Nations Development Programme; United Nations Industrial Development Organisation; United Nations Institute for Training and Research; UN Environment; The World Bank; International Energy Agency; International Renewable Energy Agency; International Atomic Energy Agency; Global Environment Facility; Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; European Commission; International Energy Charter; International Energy Forum; the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis; Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental Safety, and Energy Technology; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Dartmouth College; Climate Action Network; Oil and Gas Climate Initiative; and World Nuclear Association.
The Forum's goal is to provide a unique opportunity for policymakers and experts from various parts of the energy sector to reflect on the implications of the fast-paced energy transition that UNECE says has become the "new normal", review the activities to date and to make further progress towards meeting the sustainable development goals.
Established in 1947 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states, UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of United Nations headquarters.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Cincydawg · « **Reply #27 on:** November 15, 2018, 11:08:48 AM »

We probably have more people meeting to TALK about this than we do actually DOING stuff.

And these various committees have no power or influence worth noting.

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Topic: Electricity Update Pt 6

DunkingDan

Hitachi appoints three further Wylfa Newydd partners

HK_Vol

Re: Electricity Update Pt 6

HK_Vol

Re: Electricity Update Pt 6

HK_Vol

Re: Electricity Update Pt 6

HK_Vol

Re: Electricity Update Pt 6

DunkingDan

Re: Electricity Update Pt 6

DunkingDan

UAE's programme strategic to future of global nuclear energy

DunkingDan

Study quantifies job creation in the nuclear sector

DunkingDan

Fourth Tianwan unit connected to grid

HK_Vol

Re: Electricity Update Pt 6

DunkingDan

Contracts signed for two more Tianwan units

DunkingDan

Canada SMR Roadmap signals 'call to action'

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