21 September 2023
NTS Bulletin September 2023
Securing Clean Energy from Nuclear Power for Climate Change Mitigation
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius necessitates a drastic reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions. Strengthening energy security, in the context of global clean energy transition, requires significant financial and technological investments in zero-carbon energy sources. However, transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels and guaranteeing stable and affordable electricity supply (24/7) would be difficult to achieve if the world solely relies on fluctuating renewables.
In the global transition to clean energy, we need the complementary roles of both nuclear power and renewable energy. In fact, the latest global energy forecast indicates that nuclear power and renewables “dominate” electricity demand growth from 2022 to 2025, together meeting more than 90% of additional global power demand for the next three years. Nuclear energy must therefore be part of the clean energy solution.
Asia is currently leading international resurgence in nuclear power generation, driven by new construction in China and India, together with reactor restarts in Japan. The global energy crisis spurs a revival of nuclear power generation, driven by new construction in China and India, together with reactor restarts in Japan. The global energy crisis spurs a revival of nuclear power in Asia and an improvement in public opinion on it, as countries grappled with the economic impact of rising energy costs and limited supply exacerbated by the lingering impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
East Asia hosts 43% of global nuclear new build, with three quarters in China alone. Governments in Japan and South Korea are adopting new policies to expand the share of nuclear energy and reversing anti-nuclear pronouncements which were triggered by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. In February 2023, Japan’s Cabinet officially adopted the “green transformation” policy that permits the operation of nuclear reactors beyond their current 60-year limit alongside the construction of new nuclear reactors. South Korea’s government issued a new energy policy that aims to maintain the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix at a minimum of 30% by 2030. China is rapidly building more nuclear reactors, including its own Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.
Even some countries in Southeast Asia have been taking preparatory steps in exploring nuclear power as one of their future clean energy sources. According to the latest 7th ASEAN Energy Outlook 2020-2050, nuclear energy is predicted to be deployed in the region between 2030 and 2040, with 5.2 GW of electricity to be supplied by nuclear power plants in 2050, or around 1.6% of the power mix in South-east Asia.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Thailand are carefully studying the viability of advanced SMRs through various commercial agreements and feasibility studies with SMR developers, mainly from the United States, South Korea, Russia, China and European countries. The potential role of SMRs, including floating nuclear power plants, has strengthened the stance of nuclear energy proponents as SMRs hold particular promise for newcomer countries and those with smaller grids or less developed infrastructure in decarbonising electricity production and providing a clean source of energy for a variety of uses.
But given the novelty of SMR technology, it is expected to have uncertainty about its safety, security and non-proliferation features. SMR has raised concerns about the applicability and scope of existing nuclear safety, security, and safeguards conventions and standards for regulating their use. Geopolitical and economic considerations will also have an important role in the deployment of SMRs in the region. Nevertheless, nuclear governance tools and mechanisms, particularly by national regulatory bodies, should be put in place before their initial deployment.
Energy planners clearly recognise that introducing nuclear energy, especially for newcomers in Southeast Asia, entails addressing a total of 19 nuclear infrastructure issues that may take even a decade to complete. Thus, the overall governance challenge is to advance and boost national policies and international cooperation that uphold safe, secure, well-regulated, economically viable and climate-friendly expansion of nuclear power globally, especially in countries where nuclear energy has yet to be generated.
Securing Clean Energy from Nuclear Power for Climate Change Mitigation
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius necessitates a drastic reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions. Strengthening energy security, in the context of global clean energy transition, requires significant financial and technological investments in zero-carbon energy sources. However, transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels and guaranteeing stable and affordable electricity supply (24/7) would be difficult to achieve if the world solely relies on fluctuating renewables.
In the global transition to clean energy, we need the complementary roles of both nuclear power and renewable energy. In fact, the latest global energy forecast indicates that nuclear power and renewables “dominate” electricity demand growth from 2022 to 2025, together meeting more than 90% of additional global power demand for the next three years. Nuclear energy must therefore be part of the clean energy solution.
Asia is currently leading international resurgence in nuclear power generation, driven by new construction in China and India, together with reactor restarts in Japan. The global energy crisis spurs a revival of nuclear power generation, driven by new construction in China and India, together with reactor restarts in Japan. The global energy crisis spurs a revival of nuclear power in Asia and an improvement in public opinion on it, as countries grappled with the economic impact of rising energy costs and limited supply exacerbated by the lingering impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
East Asia hosts 43% of global nuclear new build, with three quarters in China alone. Governments in Japan and South Korea are adopting new policies to expand the share of nuclear energy and reversing anti-nuclear pronouncements which were triggered by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. In February 2023, Japan’s Cabinet officially adopted the “green transformation” policy that permits the operation of nuclear reactors beyond their current 60-year limit alongside the construction of new nuclear reactors. South Korea’s government issued a new energy policy that aims to maintain the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix at a minimum of 30% by 2030. China is rapidly building more nuclear reactors, including its own Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.
Even some countries in Southeast Asia have been taking preparatory steps in exploring nuclear power as one of their future clean energy sources. According to the latest 7th ASEAN Energy Outlook 2020-2050, nuclear energy is predicted to be deployed in the region between 2030 and 2040, with 5.2 GW of electricity to be supplied by nuclear power plants in 2050, or around 1.6% of the power mix in South-east Asia.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Thailand are carefully studying the viability of advanced SMRs through various commercial agreements and feasibility studies with SMR developers, mainly from the United States, South Korea, Russia, China and European countries. The potential role of SMRs, including floating nuclear power plants, has strengthened the stance of nuclear energy proponents as SMRs hold particular promise for newcomer countries and those with smaller grids or less developed infrastructure in decarbonising electricity production and providing a clean source of energy for a variety of uses.
But given the novelty of SMR technology, it is expected to have uncertainty about its safety, security and non-proliferation features. SMR has raised concerns about the applicability and scope of existing nuclear safety, security, and safeguards conventions and standards for regulating their use. Geopolitical and economic considerations will also have an important role in the deployment of SMRs in the region. Nevertheless, nuclear governance tools and mechanisms, particularly by national regulatory bodies, should be put in place before their initial deployment.
Energy planners clearly recognise that introducing nuclear energy, especially for newcomers in Southeast Asia, entails addressing a total of 19 nuclear infrastructure issues that may take even a decade to complete. Thus, the overall governance challenge is to advance and boost national policies and international cooperation that uphold safe, secure, well-regulated, economically viable and climate-friendly expansion of nuclear power globally, especially in countries where nuclear energy has yet to be generated.
