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Nuclear transition opens up Asia’s energy future – Can that be improved?


By Vijay Jayaraj

At a time when the global media is dominated by fossil fuels and renewable energy, countries in Asia have been operating more and more nuclear plants, in contrast to many countries. Europe and America.

With a flurry of new approvals in recent years, the future of energy security in Asia seems increasingly dependent on nuclear power to fuel the already thriving fossil fuel industry.

Unlike renewable energy, nuclear plants don’t take up much land and don’t shut down when there’s no wind or sun. In addition, out of all the methods of electricity generation available, nuclear plants have highest power factor – a measure of a plant’s ability to produce at full capacity for a given period of time. Nuclear power factor is more than 90% while solar and wind are around 25% and 35% respectively.

Lured by the advantages of nuclear power and the financial boost from fossil fuel-supported economic growth, many countries are starting to invest in new nuclear plants.

China, India and other countries conduct nuclear

China is spending up to $440 billion on new nuclear plants. Last month, Bloomberg report China is planning to build at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35 years.

India has also absorbed nuclear technology. There are currently 23 reactors in operation, the subcontinent will add 12 new reactors in 2024 and is evaluating the capabilities of five more. Although India’s numbers are lower than China’s, it has made significant progress. Installed nuclear power capacity increased by more than 40 percent in the past seven years.

My home state of Tamil Nadu at the extreme southwest of India boasts a modern generation of nuclear – including the Kudankulam plant with four reactors – using fast seed reactors imported from Russia. Even as I’m writing this, construction of a new reactor has been started 200 miles from where I was born.

Japan returns to nuclear after a short hiatus

In the Far East, Japan has give back with its old love of nuclear power after a decade of hiatus due to a knee-jerk reaction caused by the tsunami-induced Fukushima nuclear accident.

The Fukushima incident was exaggerated by the media and people around the world feared for no reason. In fact, one recent research of wildlife living in the Fukushima exclusion zone showed “almost No adverse effects of radiation from the breakdown of animal DNA in a nuclear plant. ” Incidents of this kind involved an outdated technology that was susceptible to earthquakes and the unusual tidal waves that hit the plant.

Japan’s nuclear embrace is inevitable. The country’s lack of fossil fuel resources makes nuclear the obvious choice. Although Japan’s leadership seems to have a soft spot on renewables, they know they can’t meet the electricity needs of cities. At least 20% of Japan’s total electricity expected to go from nuclear by 2030..

Anti-nuclear sentiment affects major economies

Currently, China has 46 nuclear plants that are either in the planning stage or under construction. In contrast, the US has only two factories under construction. Many European countries do not have nuclear plants under construction.

In Europe, France is already a champion of nuclear power. However, other major economies such as Germany and the UK are reluctant to increase nuclear capacity, leading to an unstable energy sector and higher electricity prices. In fact, Germany is set up to eliminate all nuclear power plants by 2022.

This huge divergence in the nuclear priorities of the East and the West is likely to widen in the coming years as nuclear advocates face collective climate opposition – unless the so-called nuclear programme. The green agenda lost support for a technology far superior to wind turbines and solar panels.

Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at CO2 Alliance, Arlington, Va., and holds a Master’s degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, UK. He resides in Bengaluru, India.

This review was first published December 28, 2021 at American Thinker



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