World Nuclear Association Blog

A new information paper has just been published,  Uranium in Mongolia, detailing Russian, Canadian and Chinese interest in the urnanium reserves in that country. In total WNA now has around 40 Country Profile pages.

WNA has also launched a page with listing weekly the latest updates  to its information papers. From this page you can also access an archive of previous industry developments. 

Bill Gates talks at the TED conference on the need to reduce to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Gates identifies population, energy services, efficiency and the carbon intensity of energy generation as the factors determining future carbon dioxide. Population growth and increasing demand for energy services will drive up GHG emissions. Energy efficiency will help reduce emissions, but Gates identifies the need to switch to zero-emission energy generation as the key need.

Gates identifies five technologies as the best prospects to be "Energy Miracles" to achieve this aim - carbon capture and storage, nuclear power, wind turbines, solar voltaic and solar thermal. Gates identifies challenges for each technology, and points out areas where he thinks innovation can help address those challenges. For more information on some of the issues that Gates raises please see WNA's Information Papers on  Economics of Nuclear Power,  Safety of Nuclear Power Reactors,  Radioactive Wastes - Myths and Realities,  Renewable Energy and Electricity and  'Clean Coal' Technologies. 

Morocco 's inclusion of plans to build two nuclear power plants as part of its Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action submission  to the COP 15 Copenhagen Accord is an indication of how international climate change policy has developed over the last decade from one where nuclear energy was treated negatively to one where nuclear enegy is now being recognized as a key element of global efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to  Morocco 's plans, China's declaration that it will seek to reduce the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15% by 2020, is dependent on a significant contribution from nuclear power.  China 's plans for its fast-expanding nuclear generation capacity to increase to around 60GWe by 2020.  South Korea 's declaration that it will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from business as usual projections is similarly dependent on its ambitious programme of nuclear build.

The Guardian newspaper weighs into the debate on new nuclear build today with an article examining whether the cost of managing nuclear risk slows the construction of new nuclear power stations. It conclusion is that, even if it were ascertained that current regulations are too tough this would be unlikely to lead to any great cost-reduction for new build.

WNA's Jeremy Gordon points out that the impact comes in lost opportunity, because overly strict regulations can be a barrier to entry in using nuclear power. A drive for ever lower dose constraints goes beyond the point that any benefits can be measured. Beyond even the point that any benefit exists. If this continues it could represent a barrier to entry so high that some countries without nuclear power may never begin to use it. This would close off one of the significant technologies that can generate low-carbon power with low environmental impact. A failure to develop new nuclear generation will lead to real health effects arising from the predominantlyfossil fuel electricity generation  likely to be deployed in its place - from increased air pollution, fuel poverty and climate change.

The conclusion of the Copenhagen COP 15 climate change conference must be seen as an underachievement. Although many have pointed to the Copenhagen Accord not being a legally binding document as a key concern leading politicians had long announced that they did not think that such an outcome was possible from Copenhagen.

However, what was hoped for was a strong political declaration that would set a path to a legally binding document that would be agreed over 2010. In the end, the rushed Accord developed by a small number of heads of state set some admirable objectives, but appeared almost separately from the two weeks of negotiations and the two years of preparation that had led up to COP 15.

One sign of optimism was the almost complete agreement from governments, from richest to poorest, that climate change poses a serious threat and urgent and substantial action is  needed to address it. It can only be hoped that future intergovernmental meetings can agree on what action to take.

The participation of civil society in COP15 is in question as the UN announced that the numbers of NGOs able to access the Bella centre will be severely restricted as the second week of the COP 15 conference proceeds.

The President of the COP 15, Connie Hedegaard, told NGO delegates that she wanted civil society to keep up the pressure on politicians, but then had to acknowledge it would be hard for that to be achieved if the NGO delegates were unable to access the conference centre.

There are now estimated to be around 25,000 NGOs in Copenhagen trying to get into the Bella Centre. NGOs are the Non Governmental Organizations – Business, Trade Unions, Environmental Groups, and Research Institutes amongst others.

On top of this there are 5,000 registered press delegates and 10,000 registered as government delegates, who are being given priority. 

The Bella Centre itself can only admit 15,000 people

On Monday 10,000 people, the ones who have arrived to attend this week’s second part of the conference, have been waiting to be registered. Some delegates have been queuing since 8am and are now being told, six hours later, that registration has been closed for today and has been sent back to their hotels.

Today and Wednesday less than a third of the NGO delegates will be let in, on Thursday this will be reduced to 1000, just 4% of those wanting to get in. By Friday, maybe only 90 NGOs will be allowed in at all. The 15,000 limit of the Bella Centre will almost entirely be taken up by Government delegations and the Press.

These restrictions are likely to serious disrupt the civil society activities being held this week. Those with exhibition stands in the second week of the conference face having to take them down again on Wednesday barely halfway into their allotted time. Those with 'sidebar' presentation events will struggle to get their speakers into the conference centre and find there is no audience for them.

These reductions in NGO numbers will likely not be noticed too much by government delegates at the meeting. The conference centre will remain full and negotiations are ongoing. It has to be wondered how so many government delegates can be actively involved in the negotiation process.

With some irony, the first heads of state delegates arriving today are being greeted by heavy snowfalls.

A new draft text released by one of the UN groups in Copenhagen this afternoon sets out the options that delegates will negotiate next week to reach a deal to combat climate change.

The Ad Hoc Working Group for Long Term Action under the Convention is discussing steps necessary to reach the ultimate goal of the UNFCCC to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that does not harm the environment.

The options on offer include:

• Limiting global average temperature rises, compared to pre industrial levels, to 1.5 or 2.0 degrees Celcius.
• Reducing global emissions, compared to 1990, by 50%, 85% or 95 %  by 2050.
• Developed country emissions to fall by 75-85%, 80-95% or more than 95% by 2050.

The document also lays out targets for 2020:

• Developed country emissions to fall by 25-40%, 30%, 40% or 45% by 2020 in comparison to 1990 levels.
• Developing countries shall undertake plans, supported by developed countries, to substaintially deviate emissions from business as usual, possibly by 15-30% 

All these options are up for discussion, and there is no commitment to even the lowest levels of reductions at this stage.