Nuclear now for Sustainable Development

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Slide 1
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Nuclear now for Sustainable Development
David Bonser
5 September 2002
Slide 2
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Presentation Outline

• The need for nuclear.
• The demands of energy for sustainable development
• AP1000 - answering the challenge
• PBMR - a flexible solution
• Managing wastes sustainably
• The need for governments to deliver
• Summary

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The Need for Nuclear

• World Electricity Demand Projections

35
30
25
20
GWh
15
10
5
0
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2050
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The Need for Nuclear - UK
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Meeting the Challenges

• World Summit has concluded in Johannesburg. We
  believe that energy for sustainable development
  should
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid climate
  change
• minimise the environmental impact of operations
  and meet appropriate standards
• generate enough power for everybodys needs at an
  affordable price
• use fuel reserves and land resources responsibly.

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Answering the challenge

• Westinghouse AP1000 - a design for sustainable
  energy.

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AP1000 - reduced component need
45 Less Seismic Building Volume
50 Fewer Valves
35 Fewer Pumps
80 Less Pipe
80 Fewer Heating, Ventilating Cooling Units
70 Less Cable
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AP seriesSmaller land requirement
Sizewell
AP600
10
Cost effective with low environmental
externalities
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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PBMR - a new opportunity

• Smaller 165 MWe size expands the reach of the
  design
• suitable for emerging electricity
  infrastructures.
• allows greater flexibility in mature electricity
  infrastructures.
• Demonstrates benefits of North-South
  partnerships.
• Development led by South Africa
• Support from UK, Japan, US
• Potential for reverse technology transfer, from
  developing country to developed countries.

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Waste - something we can manage

• Wastes from the UK nuclear industry are being
  safely stored and managed.
• Good progress is being made at implementing
  solutions for waste disposal in Finland and US.
• New power stations will produce smaller waste
  volumes, minimising the amount of waste that
  would have to be dealt with.
• New plant is designed with decommissioning in
  mind - whole life solutions.

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Westinghouse AP1000
2000
Low level waste
(electricity)

Intermediate
level waste
1500
High level waste
3
1000
from generating 1GWy
Waste Quantity m
500
0
Magnox
AP1000
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From safe to sustainable

• The early nuclear industry had one top priority,
  to develop an industry that was safe.
• Today the industry goes beyond that, to develop
  solutions that minimise environmental impacts
  over and above those related to safety.
• But regulation of routine emissions is
  challenging the nuclear industrys ability to be
  truly sustainable by demanding tighter discharge
  limits for negligible environmental gain with
  little regard for the economic or social costs.

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Governments need to deliver

• US Government showing a lead with the Nuclear
  Power 2010 programme
• UK Government undertaking Energy Review
• economic mechanisms to recognise the value of
  greenhouse gas emissions-free generation
• reform to planning process to allow rapid
  deployment
• long term contracts
• take the steps needed to implement a waste
  management and disposal strategy.

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Summary

• Two billion people have no access to reliable
  energy supplies
• Two billion people have unreliable energy
  supplies
• Two billion people have an energy supply system
  that is releasing unsustainable quantities of
  greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
• Nuclear power can supply electricity cleanly,
  affordably, reliably. Its part of the solution