Nuclear power, the long-time foe of the environmental movement, is returning to favour in many countries where issues of energy dependency and the rising cost of fossil fuels are driving policy changes.
On Monday, Britain announced a public consultation on its future energy supplies, raising the spectre of a return to nuclear power, and France stressed the need for nuclear energy as part of future EU policy during representations in Brussels.
Fossil fuels are estimated at present to provide about 80% of the world’s energy, but production of gas and oil could reach its maximum in the next three decades, experts say.
Jean-Marie Chevallier, a director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and professor at France’s Paris-Dauphine university, sees the debate about nuclear power as ”logical” in the current environment.
Europe’s dependence on foreign gas has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following a stand-off between Russia and Ukraine at the start of the year, which saw supplies temporarily reduced to some EU countries.
Furthermore, environmental concerns and the perceived inadequacy of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels have pushed nuclear power back up the agenda.
Nuclear energy appears to be ”a partial solution,” said Chevallier, who stressed that only three European countries had recently decided to build new nuclear power stations — France, Finland and Romania.
”Among the countries that one feels are beginning to think about about nuclear power in Europe are Britain, Spain, Switzerland and The Netherlands, which just extended the life of a nuclear power station by 20 years,” he added.
European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia recently said that it would be ”suicidal” for European government to eschew nuclear power.
And French Finance Minister Breton laid out the French government’s vision of future energy policy in the EU on Monday.
European energy policy should take into account ”the increasingly tense situation worldwide between oil and natural gas supply and demand [and] climate change,” he said.
He added: ”Maintaining the current contribution of nuclear power to the European energy mix and preserving Europe’s technological and industrial edge in this field are issues of strategic importance for the Union.”
France, a leading exporter of electricity in the EU, derives nearly all of its electricity from nuclear power.
Debate about nuclear power in Germany, where opposition is more entrenched, is also re-emerging.
Chevallier also stressed that fears about climate change and recognition of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were further arguments in favour of nuclear power.
”Finland, a democratic country and very concerned by environmental problems, has chosen to build a nuclear power station rather than using Russian gas,” he said.
In the United States, where the nuclear issue is not a hot topic of public debate, authorities are nonetheless keen to acquire a third-generation European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR), being developed jointly by French nuclear group Areva and Germany’s Siemens.
In Japan energy giant Toshiba on Tuesday said it had been named the preferred bidder for US nuclear power plant maker Westinghouse, beating out stiff competition from General Electric.
Westinghouse has built 49 of the nuclear reactors now in service in the United States with 35 constructed by General Electric. The bid by Toshiba comes as Japan is anxious to re-launch its nuclear energy program.
Chinese authorities have meanwhile undertaken a nearly $50-billion effort to build 40 reactors by 2020.
And in France, where 80% of electricity production is nuclear-driven, President Jacques Chirac earlier this month announced plans to develop a prototype fourth generation reactor that would become operational in 2020. – AFP
