Nuclear power plants produce vast amounts of radioactivity in nuclear waste, some of which is in the form of used fuel, which isn’t consumed in the way that one imagines burning fossil fuels. In 2015 the European Commission said there was a good level of compliance with rules laid out in Europe’s Nuclear Safety Directive, which was updated as a result of Fukushima and the stress tests. Initiatives suggested by the EC include the deployment of advanced nuclear systems such as Generation-IV reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), and progress at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) under construction at Cadarache in France. In Japans energy mix in 2013 only 1% was nuclear energy however a plan has been set so that by 2030 20% to 22% of japans nuclear mix would be nuclear energy (World-nuclear-news.org, 2015). Nuclear is needed for reliable, long-term power that cannot be guaranteed by other technologies. Nuclear power contributes more than 25% to the current electricity generation. Europe’s role is a critical one. But other factors indicate that nuclear energy will play an important role in the world’s energy mix in the long run. Waste is also generated by the decommissioning of nuclear plants. Energy supply including nuclear is the best way to fight climate change and conserve wildlife and ecosystems. A 2013 report by the IEA concluded that nuclear energy has “the best potential capacity factor and the longest plant economic lifetime”. The EU said the tests found that the safety standards of nuclear power plants in Europe were high. Other options include increased efficiency, renewables, and carbon sequestration, and all may be needed for a successful greenhouse gas management strategy. Discover librarian-selected research resources on Nuclear Energy from the Questia online library, including full-text online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. There are already 25 nuclear-related research projects financed by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever with nearly €110 billion of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020). There are four reactors under construction in the EU: one in France, one in Finland and two in Slovakia. This study, addressed to government, industry, and academic leaders, discusses the interrelated technical, economic, environmental, and political challenges facing a significant increase in global nuclear power utilization over the next half century and what might be done to overcome those challenges. And because the fuel assemblies can be stored on-site, nuclear is relatively impervious to supply constraints. Nuclear technology and applications The IAEA assists its Member States in using nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes and facilitates the transfer of such technology and knowledge in a sustainable manner to Member States. The safe and efficient management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is assured at all times and the European nuclear industry is subject to legal provisions establishing a Community-wide framework for the responsible and safe management of radioactive waste. Civil nuclear waste from nuclear power plants has never caused any harm, nor posed an environmental hazard, in over 50 years of the nuclear power industry. National regulators published national action plans (NAcP) in order to implement the recommendations of the safety assessments and nuclear operators are in charge of carrying out the required safety upgrades. Nuclear reduces our dependence on fossil fuel imports and does not require continuous fuel supplies to operate, allowing countries to develop greater energy independence. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2014 report:http://ar5-syr.ipcc.ch/ipcc/ipcc/resources/pdf/IPCC_SynthesisReport.pdf. Citizens must have access to the facts, so that they can make an informed judgment about what is the world’s largest source of low-carbon base-load electricity. Dangers of nuclear energy; The Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan; Articles general. The headquarters of the Authority are in London, but work is centred upon laboratories and offices in Winfrith, Harwell, Culham, Dounreay, Risley, Springfields, Windscale and Culcheth. The US Department of Energy has announced a plan to provide funding of up to $12m for new research on nuclear data. Deep geological repositories are expected to be operating by 2025 in Finland, Sweden and France. Student Energy is a global youth-led organization empowering the next generation of leaders who are accelerating the transition to a sustainable, equitable energy future. A particular challenge of this program … The EU supports the secure supply and the establishment of a sustainable supply chain of radioactive medical isotopes and has already undertaken several initiatives to respond to the critical situation regarding the supply of radioisotopes for medicine. One of the reasons nuclear is seen as a secure form of energy is that the quantity of uranium needed to produce a given amount of electricity is extremely low, and nuclear operators are able to store sufficient uranium fuel assemblies on-site for years of operation. Nuclear Energy aims to publish significant research on nuclear energy science and technology covering both fission and fusion, and including advanced reactor designs, fuel cycles, fuel management, safety and risk assessment. The report, Climate Change and Nuclear Power 2015, says renewable energy sources would have to increase at a level “hard to believe” to compensate fully for the use of nuclear energy in the fight against climate change. Nuclear fusion is one of the options for generating large amounts of carbon-free energy. The IPCC said scenarios that are likely to maintain warming at below 2°C include “more rapid improvements in energy efficiency and a tripling to nearly a quadrupling of the share of zero- and low-carbon energy supply” from renewable energy and nuclear energy. But a joint study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency concludes that nuclear energy costs remain “in line” with those of other energy technologies. This R&D is necessary because new, environmentally sustainable forms of electricity will be required to meet the aspirations of a growing world population. Nuclear power is widely used as a highly efficient and clean energy source in the fields of industry, electricity and marine systems. The IAEA is also projecting growth in Eastern Europe. A 2015 International Atomic Energy Agency report, Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period up to 2050, says the need to mitigate climate change is a key driver of new nuclear plants. Short- and intermediate-lived radioactive waste (this includes tools, clothing, filters and contaminated material from reactor maintenance or decommissioning) accounts for around 90% of the total volume of waste, while long-lived waste (spent reactor fuel) accounts for the remaining 10%. International Energy Agency and OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency study: https://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/ElecCost2015SUM.pdf. The final disposal of this spent fuel is a key topic in the nuclear industry. They are used in a broad range of areas, from power production to medicine, agriculture, food safety, environment, forensics, industry, and the analysis of artefacts. Nuclear can have a long-term impact in the fight against climate change. Nuclear energy produces none of the pollutants such as nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide that cause acid rain and damage the ozone layer. It’s time that the record was set straight. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in France aims to show that that nuclear fusion – the power source of the sun and stars – is technically feasible as a source of energy. James Marvin Phelps/Flickr December 15, … Its two programme topics address the challenges resulting from the changed conditions in Germany. The study estimates that the average levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for a nuclear station is comparable to that for coal and lower than that of a natural gas-fired power station. The nuclear industry is a vital contributor to the sustainability of local, regional and national economies. The IPCC has recognised nuclear as an “effective greenhouse gas mitigation option” with life cycle emissions “comparable to most renewables”. The price of uranium – the fuel used by nuclear reactors – accounts for only around 15% of the final cost of nuclear energy, ensuring stable and affordable electricity prices. Nuclear research reactors are used in nuclear medicine, which uses radiation to provide diagnostic information about the functioning of a person’s specific organs, or to treat them. The tests measured the ability of nuclear facilities to withstand damage from hazards such as earthquakes, flooding, terrorist attacks or aircraft collisions. Options for final disposal include deep geologic storage and recycling. Nuclear energy is a comparatively new source of energy. https://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/ElecCost2015SUM.pdf, https://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/pubs/2014/7209-uranium-2014.pdf, http://ar5-syr.ipcc.ch/ipcc/ipcc/resources/pdf/IPCC_SynthesisReport.pdf, WordPress Download Manager - Best Download Management Plugin. Another IAEA report confirms that the fight against climate change is the main reason nuclear power remains strong. A European Observatory on the Supply of Medical Radioisotopes has been established, aimed at developing policies to secure the long-term supply of these crucial radioisotopes. Solar Energy The standards reflect an international consensus on what constitutes a high level of safety at nuclear plants and are applicable throughout the entire lifetime of facilities and activities. Existing R&D projects in Europe include Myrrha (Belgium), the first-ever prototype particle accelerator-driven reactor; Allegro (Central Europe), a gas-cooled fast breeder reactor prototype; and Pallas (the Netherlands), a high-flux research reactor that will produce more than 60 percent of Europe’s medical radioisotopes, which are used for treating cancer. The development and introduction of fast breeder reactors, which generate more fissile material than they consume, would multiply by 50 the amount of electricity generated per tonne of uranium. It is used in the fight against diseases such as malaria, and in the management of animal livestock systems. There are other, more localised economic benefits of nuclear energy. 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