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GLOBAL NUCLEAR PLANT BUILDING PROSPECTS
(Unit: MW, number of plants in parentheses)
CURRENT GLOBAL USE OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND PROSPECTS
(Unit: number of plants)
ASIA
US
25,000MW(19)
RUNNING UNDER CONST. FINALIZED PLANNED
109 35 94
148
EUROPE 197 13 20 93
N. AMERICA 122 3 15 22
OTHER 816 32
POLAND
10,000MW(5)
ENGLAND
6,000MW(4)
ITALY
17,000MW(10)
UKRAINA
27,000MW(20)
UAE
15,500MW(11)
DAWN OF THE NUCLEAR AGE The global
nuclear reactor market is expected to
double over the next two decades.
Today, 31 nations are running 436 reactors.
By 2030, an additional 430 reactors
are expected to be built. The United
States will resume building reactors after
a 30-year hiatus. Italy, which stopped
building new reactors after a 1980 referendum,
will join the party in 2013.
France, one of the leading nuclear
states, will rely on nuclear power for 78
percent of all its electricity. Japan is also
trying to expand its scope.
China, the world’s largest emitter of
greenhouse gases, is ahead of everyone
else in nuclear power plant construction.
It plans to increase its nuclear energy
generation to 40 gigawatts by 2020 so
that up to 6 percent of all its electricity
will come from nuclear power.
The world is turning its eyes toward
the resource because alternative renewable
energies have been secured, and no
other form of fuel can effectively reduce
greenhouse gases. Though nuclear power
accounts for only about 15 percent of
electricity production, it can only
increase from here as countries continue
to expand their industries.
Even considering the massive construction
costs, risks of casualties and
INDIA
20,000MW(15)
CHINA
79,000MW(90)
VIETNAM
8,000MW(8)
Source: World Nuclear Association
RUSSIA
36,680MW(37)
contamination through radiation, and
problems with disposing of nuclear
waste, there is hardly any doubt that
nuclear power — with no carbon emissions
— will replace oil and coal as the
major source of energy. Nuclear reactor
technology has reached a point where
dangers can be controled and “carbon
neutrality” has emerged as the new
value for all nations.
Many countries are in stiff competition
for contracts to build reactors. To
construct reactors in Vietnam, Japan has
been lobbying the government and civilians
for 20 years. To make up for its loss
over the UAE deal, France will be in hot
pursuit of the Vietnam order. France has
also reportedly told Kenya that it would
like to join the African country’s first
reactor construction in five years.
Russia is known to have signed deals
or to be in negotiations for deals with the
likes of Vietnam, Egypt, Morocco,
Malaysia, China, Brazil and Algeria over
nuclear reactor construction or uranium
exports. Canada and India have recently
completed negotiations with Trinidad
and Tobago over nuclear power cooperation
and are finalizing a deal.
The nuclear reactor market is competitive
and the national strategies and support
will be the key determinant. In an
attempt to raise its competitiveness in
an increasingly fierce market, the
Korean government plans to invest
around US$350 million through 2017
to turn nuclear plant construction into
a new export industry.
Using the UAE deal as the stepping
stone, Korea wants to develop this niche
industry and place it on par with semiconductors,
shipbuilding and automobiles
— the leading export industries.
The government aims to export 10 reactors
by 2012, and 80 by 2030, assuming
20 percent of the global nuclear
power plant construction market.
The additional 80 reactors would be
worth US$400 billion. That’s more than
the entire Korean export level last year of
US$363 billion. Building these plants
would create 75,000 jobs annually for a
total of 1.56 million new jobs. Revenue
for small and medium enterprises related
to nuclear power plant equipment
could reach more than US$24 billion. If
Korea can achieve all these goals, it
would become one of three leading
exporters of nuclear power plants.
Today, France, the US and Japan
make up the top three. Westinghouse
and GE account for 28 and 20 percent
of the market, while Areva of France,
which has pursued deals in the past several
years, has a 24 percent share. Japan
entered the fray when Toshiba took over
Westinghouse in 2006.
To develop this into an export industry,
the Korean government will concentrate
on the following areas: customizing
exports and aggressively reaching out to
nuclear power plant operation and maintenance
markets; making technology
independent and promoting global competitiveness;
nurturing technical experts;
securing fuel for power plants; bolstering
export capabilities of core materials and
equipment; and strengthening export
industrialization.
“By forming strategies to turn nuclear
power plant construction into an export
industry, we’ve laid the ground work for
what will feed us over the next 50
years,” said Minister of Knowledge
Economy Choi Kyung-hwan. “We will
concentrate our efforts on constant technological
innovation and the nurturing of
new talent.”
KOREA
FEBRUARY
2010
39