Nuclear power seen as climate change mitigation option (01 December)
By: Brindaveni Naidoo
Published: 01 Dec 11
Mitigation improvements derived from nuclear energy and hydropower could contribute more to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than what Annex 1 countries could achieve under the Kyoto Protocol in the next year, International Atomic Energy Agency head of planning and economic studies Holger Rogner said on Wednesday.
He explained to Engineering News Online that the amount of CO2 that could be avoided through the use of nuclear energy was more than what Annex 1 countries were expected to reduce under the Kyoto Protocol.
Rogner said nuclear power was good for the climate and could make a substantial contribution in a long-term mitigation strategy.
But, he warned that nuclear power was not a “quick-fix” mitigation option and would require nonpartisan policy support.
“If one is serious about protecting the climate, one cannot ignore nuclear energy, which needs public tolerance and political support.”
Rogner explained that given that global energy demand is set to grow, nuclear power would expand supply options. Nuclear also offered low life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reliable baseload electricity at predictable and affordable costs for meeting millennium development goals.
Nuclear power per se was not “the silver bullet” to the world’s energy, environment and security issues, he said, but added that it could be an integral part of the solution and make a major contribution to climate-change mitigation.
“Clearly, there are issues and challenges surrounding the technology that need continued attention.”
These included the high up-front investment costs, maintaining and improving safety performance standards, waste disposal, spent fuel management and proliferation and physical security.
Rogner said he believed that energy choices were generally not an entirely either-or decision.
“All countries use a mix of energy sources, and nearly all countries generate electricity from a mix of technologies. Partly that reflects the march of history, where new technologies replace older ones, but more usually in fits and starts over time, not in one sudden, instantaneous and complete replacement.
“It reflects the fact that investors disagree about what will prove most profitable, and it reflects the fact that a portfolio of sources reduces risk and vulnerability,” Rogner said.
Copyright Creamer Media (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. Tel: +27(0)11 622 3744 | Fax +27(0)11 622 9350 | newsdesk@engineeringnews.co.za
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Creamer Media
01 December 2011