Abstract
Nuclear energy is undergoing a global renaissance. While nuclear energy has been contributing between 14 and 16 per cent of the total electricity in the world in recent years, most of the countries that are operating nuclear power reactors are expanding and/or reviving their nuclear energy development programmes, including countries such as the US and the UK. At the same time, several new countries and regions, many of which are rich in other energy resources, are also opting for nuclear energy. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects that nuclear energy will generate 800 GWe by 2030, and that about 60 countries will have a nuclear energy component in their domestic electricity profiles. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), by 2050, global nuclear capacity is projected to increase by a factor of 1.5 to 3.8. Under its ‘high scenario’, the nuclear share of global electricity production would rise from the current 16 per cent to 22 per cent by 2050. Hence, while there were 444 nuclear reactor units in the world in 2009, 63 new nuclear reactors are being constructed in the world, and five reactors will be facing a shutdown in the near future. This paper analyses the opportunity, constraints and prospects of nuclear energy in electricity generation and development.
PDF