ThorEA - Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future.pdf

Chapter 5: The economics of thorium-fuelled ADSR technology continued
5.4 Public acceptance of nuclear power
One of the political challenges of climate change is that
although nuclear power is clear an option for reducing carbon
emissions, it is unpopular with the electorate. There is still
considerable opposition to nuclear power in the UK. Climate
change is pressing some towards ‘grudging acceptance,
however there is a long way to go before the nuclear option
is widely welcomed. Depending on the path taken (oncethrough
vs reprocessing and pure thorium vs enriched fuel)
thorium fuelled ADSR has the opportunity to be marketed
as a distinctly better technology; lower risk, waste reducing
and proliferation resistant; in many respects thorium-fuelled
ADSR technology could be ‘the acceptable face of nuclear’.
5.5 UK reputation and leadership
For a small island on the edge of Europe the UK holds a
significant position in the world. Politically the UK has
considerable international influence, commercially it strong (is
still the 6th largest economy globally (International Monitory
Fund, 2009), and is the world’s 9th largest exporter (CIA).
There are clearly both historical reasons for this (natural
resources, technological leadership gained during the
industrial revolution) and more recent developments (the
dominance of English as the international language of
commerce and politics, for example). However, if Britain
is to maintain its position of strength there is a need to
create new wealth in ways aligned with the 21st century.
Innovation is a key driver of future success yet this is an
area where the country is not currently excelling. The World
Economic Forum’s ‘Global Competitiveness Index’ (World
Economic Forum, 2008) assesses the Innovation capabilities
of countries using seven criteria, see Figure 17.
44 Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future
12th pillar: Innovation
12.01 Capacity for innovation 14
12.02 Quality of scientific research institutions 7
12.03 Company spending on R&D 12
12.04 University-industry research collaboration 9
12.05 Gov’t procurement of advanced tech products 32
12.06 Availability of scientists and engineers 32
12.07 Utility patents 18
Figure 17. The UK’s ranking in the components of the 12 th pillar of
innovation (World Economic Forum, 2008)
Although the ‘Quality of scientific research institutions’
and ‘University-industry research collaboration’ are
commensurate with the UK’s economic standing the UK is
lagging in areas critical to the future; the ‘Availability of
scientists and engineers’ and ‘Utility patents’ (the number
of patents per m population) are judged to be poor.
These, and other indicators, would be greatly improved by a
large scale innovative R&D programme such as that proposed
for the thorium fuelled ADSR systems. This would not only
strengthen the UK economically, but keep it at the forefront in
areas that are becoming ever more critical politically – energy,
carbon reduction and the scientific innovations that will lead to
the solutions the world is waiting for.
Much of the above is predicated on the UK securing a position
at the forefront of the technological innovation. Once others
have developed the technology, and secured the IP, the UK
will have lost the lead at which point much of the value could
be lost. This is more than a “make vs buy“ situation, it is a
unique “make, patent and sell vs buy” opportunity.