The political economy of nuclear energy

Abstract

Despite a history of problems, nuclear power is being discussed as a potentially useful and appropriate electricity source for both developed and developing countries. For example, expanding nuclear power's share of electricity portfolios could reduce, relative to a fossil-intensive baseline, greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change. Moreover, nuclear power has long been advocated as a route to energy security and indeed, for many of the nuclear nations, it could decrease dependence on oil imports under certain technological scenarios, such as an increased use of plug-in hybrid vehicles. The nuclear industry argues that a new generation of reactors, representing a refinement of existing technology, will enable this expansion. Because of these new motivations, some advocates have applied the term 'nuclear renaissance' to the possibility of a rapid expansion of nuclear power to satisfy a projected growing global electricity demand, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This article outlines the primary challenges that this unique energy source presents for such a renaissance. Like other technologies, nuclear is situated in a social and political-economic matrix that influences its evolution. After reviewing the basic aspects of the technology, I discuss the history of the existing nuclear fleet, then address the prospects for advanced and next-generation nuclear technologies. I review the economics of nuclear power as it is currently deployed and the potential changes to these economics under potential future development. In examining future scenarios, I explore the effects of national and international policies on nuclear energy.  2011

The Politics and Institutions of global Energy Governance

“…Alternatives for fossil fuels generally fare much better in terms of resource availability, although here too problems may arise. For nuclear energy, some observers argue that shortages of high-quality uranium may be 'imminent' (Sovacool and Cooper 2008) and others point at the risk that the supply lines of uranium might be easily disrupted because of the concentration of reserves (Hultman 2011). Even for renewable energy sources, there may be planetary boundaries on the availability of necessary resources.…”

Comparing Nuclear Power Trajectories in Germany and the UK: From 'Regimes' to 'Democracies' in Sociotechnical Transitions and Discontinuities

“…As such, the resulting explicit and systematic framework is intended to encompass a broad diversity of perspectives on regime dynamics in sustainability transitions, rather than a single theoretical framework. It equally encompasses general theories concerning the orienting of directionality in technological trajectories, as well as studies focussed on implications of attributed economic, technical, and political features of nuclear power and renewable energies more particularly (Hultman, 2011;Jewell, 2011;Linares & Conchado, 2013;MacKerron, 2004;Sovacool & Valentine, 2012;Verbruggen, Laes, & Lemmens, 2014). It is because of the resulting lack of dependence on a particular deductively explanatory framework or a definitively testable inductive theory, that the present approach might be considered to be more 'abductive' in style (Peng & Reggia, 1990;Josephson & Josephson, 1996;Aliseda, 2006;Magnani, 2009).…”

“…These include unresolved issues surrounding waste disposal, on-going risks related to proliferation of nuclear weapons, recent accidents, 'negative learning experiences' in terms of increasing costs over time, long lead times for construction, public concern and protest, to name a few (Hultman, 2011). For these reasons nuclear remains one of the most "iconoclastically controversial" of modern technologies (Wynne, 2010: 1).…”

“…These include concerns such as the wider economic framework in which nuclear is proposed in consideration that nuclear struggles to operate in more liberalised energy markets (Kahn, 1997;MacKerron, 2004). Hultman (2011) identifies other key dimensions of nuclear technology which can be used as useful criteria including military-related nuclear activity and how competitive a country's particular nuclear industry is in terms of general performance and economic efficiency.…”

An Expert Elicitation of the Proliferation Resistance of Using Small Modular Reactors (SMR) for the Expansion of Civilian Nuclear Systems

“…Expanding nuclear energy capacity worldwide based on large centralized facilities (e.g., reactor designs with generating capacity greater than 1 GWe) poses challenges and risks due to the large capital outlays, potential safety issues, negative public opinion, and persistent concerns about proliferation—that is, the intentional misuse of nuclear technology and material . SMRs, defined as units with a generating capacity of less than 300 MWe, may represent a viable alternative to large reactors.…”