Description: The Future of the Nuclear Industry Reconsidered : Risks, Uncertainties, and Continued Potential

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The Future of the Nuclear Industry Reconsidered : Risks, Uncertainties, and Continued Potential

Skeptics point out, with some justification, that the nuclear industry's prospects were dimmed by escalating costs long before Fukushima. If history is any guide, one direct consequence of the calamity in Japan will be more stringent safety re...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Kessides, Ioannis N.
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:	ABSORPTION ACCIDENTS AIR AIR FLOW ALTERNATIVE ENERGY APPROACH ATMOSPHERE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AVAILABILITY BORON CADMIUM CAPACITY FACTORS CARBON CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE CARBON ECONOMY CARBON ENERGY CARBON ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES CARBON TECHNOLOGIES CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL CATASTROPHIC EVENTS CHEMICAL PROCESSES CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE CO CO2 COAL COAL PLANT COD COLD WATER CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES CONSTRUCTION COST CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS CONVECTION COOLING COOLING TOWERS COOLING WATER CORROSION COST PER KILOWATT DESALINATION DISASTERS DISTRICT HEATING DIVERGENCE ELECTRIC GRIDS ELECTRIC OUTPUT ELECTRIC POWER ELECTRICAL ENERGY ELECTRICAL POWER ELECTRICITY ELECTRICITY DEMAND ELECTRICITY GENERATION ELECTRICITY SUPPLY ELECTRICITY SYSTEM ENERGY MIX ENERGY NEEDS ENERGY POLICY ENERGY SECURITY ENERGY SOURCES ENERGY SYSTEMS ENERGY TECHNOLOGY ENERGY USE ENGINEERING ENGINEERING DESIGN ENGINEERS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY EXPLOSIVE FEEDWATER FLEXIBILITY FLUIDS FOOD PRODUCTION FOSSIL FOSSIL FUEL FOSSIL FUEL PRICES FUEL COSTS FUEL CYCLE FUEL INVENTORY FUELS GAS TURBINE GASES GENERATION GENERATION CAPACITY GLOBAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION GLOBAL ENERGY MIX GRAPHITE GREEN ENERGY GREENHOUSE GREENHOUSE GAS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS HAZARDS HEALTH RISKS HEAT CAPACITY HEAT EXCHANGER HEAT EXCHANGERS HEAT TRANSFER HELIUM HIGH LEVELS HYDROGEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION HYDROPOWER INCOME INSURANCE IRRADIATION KINETIC ENERGY LEAKAGE LITHIUM LOW-CARBON MASS NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS NATURAL GAS NEW PLANT NUCLEAR CAPACITY NUCLEAR ENERGY NUCLEAR FACILITIES NUCLEAR FISSION NUCLEAR FUEL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE NUCLEAR FUELS NUCLEAR INDUSTRY NUCLEAR MATERIAL NUCLEAR PLANT NUCLEAR PLANT CONSTRUCTION NUCLEAR PLANTS NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS NUCLEAR POWER STATION NUCLEAR REACTOR NUCLEAR REACTORS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY NUCLEAR WASTE NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL OUTLET TEMPERATURES PARTICLES PELLETS PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY PETROLEUM PETROLEUM REFINING PHOTOVOLTAICS PIPES PLANT DESIGN PLANT DESIGNS POROSITY POWER COMPANY POWER DEMAND POWER GRID POWER PLANTS POWER STATIONS PRESSURE VESSEL PRESSURE VESSELS PROCESS HEAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT PUBLIC HEALTH PUMPS QUALITY ASSURANCE QUALITY CONTROL QUANTITY OF HEAT RADIATION RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS RADIOACTIVE WASTE RADIOACTIVITY RADIONUCLIDES RADIUM RAW MATERIALS REACTOR VESSEL RELIABILITY ENGINEERING RENEWABLE ENERGY RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES SAFETY SAFETY EQUIPMENT SAFETY MEASURES SAFETY OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY STANDARDS SALTY WATER SILICON SILICON CARBIDE COATING SILVER SODIUM SOLAR POWER STEAM CYCLE STEAM GENERATORS STRUCTURES SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TEMPERATURE THERMAL EFFICIENCY THERMAL ENERGY THERMAL OUTPUT THERMAL POWER THERMAL STRESSES TRANSMISSION FACILITIES TRANSMISSION GRID TURBINE TURBINES TURBULENCE URANIUM URANIUM FUEL UTILITIES WIND WIND POWER WIND RESOURCE WIND RESOURCES WORLD ENERGY
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/06/16448399/future-nuclear-industry-reconsidered-risks-uncertainties-continued-potential http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19935

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Summary:	Skeptics point out, with some justification, that the nuclear industry's prospects were dimmed by escalating costs long before Fukushima. If history is any guide, one direct consequence of the calamity in Japan will be more stringent safety requirements and regulatory delays that will inevitably increase the costs of nuclear power and further undermine its economic viability. For nuclear power to play a major role in meeting the future global energy needs and mitigating the threat of climate change, the hazards of another Fukushima and the construction delays and costs escalation that have plagued the industry will have to be substantially reduced. One promising direction for nuclear development might be to downsize reactors from the gigawatt scale to less-complex smaller units that are more affordable. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are scalable nuclear power plant designs that promise to reduce investment risks through incremental capacity expansion; become more standardized and reduce costs through accelerated learning effects; and address concerns about catastrophic events, since they contain substantially smaller radioactive inventory. Given their lower capital requirements and small size, which makes them suitable for small electric grids, SMRs can more effectively address the energy needs of small developing countries.