atw 2017-06

More documents

Recommendations

Info

atw Vol. 62 (2017) | Issue 6 ı June 430 NUCLEAR TODAY Links to reference sources: European Commission announcement on Clean Energy for All: http://bit.ly/2fQbVQk Foratom position paper: http://bit.ly/ 2oI2Sna Clean Energy Proposals are Chance for Nuclear to have Rightful Place at Policy Table John Shepherd Every New Year’s Eve in Germany, there is a tradition that has become as fixed on the calendar as the ringing of church bells at midnight and the clinking of Champagne-filled glasses to toast the year ahead. This tradition, curiously, takes the form of a number of television stations broadcasting an 18-minute black-andwhite 1963 TV recording of an English-language comedy sketch called ‘Dinner for One’ – also known as the ‘90th Birthday’. The show features the late British comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the sketch – although its popularity has since spread to other European nations – it centres on the annual birthday dinner of upper-class Englishwoman, Miss Sophie. Every year, she hosts a celebration dinner for her friends. The problem is that, due to Miss Sophie’s considerable age, she has outlived all of her friends. The only ones at the annual celebration are Miss Sophie herself and her equally-aged manservant, James. His task it is to make his way around the dining table, impersonating each of the absent guests in turn. As he carries out his duties, James asks Miss Sophie: “Same procedure as every year?” To which she nods affirmatively. Poor James is also required to drink the copious glasses of alcohol on the guests’ behalf in toasts ordered by Miss Sophie throughout the evening until, inevitably, he becomes inebriated with hilarious consequences. I cannot do justice to the sketch here – you must see it for yourselves! But this anniversary event reminds me of a ritual that we frequently see in attempts to guide energy policy towards a sustainable future and to combat the effects of climate change. In April, Foratom, the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear industry in Europe, published a position paper on the European Commission’s ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package of EU legislative proposals. The proposals seek to improve the functioning of the energy market and ensure all energy technologies can compete on a level-playing field without jeopardising climate and energy targets. Foratom has called for “cost-efficient decarbonisation, an effective power market leading to competitive and affordable electricity prices for the end consumers and the promotion of investments in low carbon technologies”. Foratom also underlined the importance of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and “of protecting it from conflicting policy overlaps, in particular from the proposed new 30% energy efficiency binding target”. The European Commission’s proposals were unveiled towards the end of last year in a move designed to show the clean energy transition “is the growth sector of the future”. “Clean energies in 2015 attracted global investment of over EUR300 billion,” the Commission said. “The EU is well-placed to use our research, development and innovation policies to turn this transition into a concrete industrial opportunity. By mobilising up to EUR177bn of public and private investment per year from 2021, this package can generate up to 1% increase in gross domestic product over the next decade and create 900,000 new jobs.” The EU’s Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete said: "Our proposals provide a strong market pull for new technologies, set the right conditions for investors, empower consumers, make energy markets work better and help us meet our climate targets. I'm particularly proud of the binding 30% energy efficiency target, as it will reduce our dependency on energy imports, create jobs and cut more emissions.” The Commissioner said last year that Europe was “on the brink of a clean energy revolution”. He added: “We can only get this right if we work together. With these proposals, the Commission has cleared the way to a more competitive, modern and cleaner energy system. Now we count on the European Parliament and our member states to make it a reality.” Despite the Commissioner’s rallying call, can such an ambitious policy agenda ever come to fruition? And can “new technologies” also really encompass support for new nuclear technologies? Yes, the proposals may well be adopted by the parliament and EU nations, but I would suggest that while countries such as Austria and Germany are dead set against the further development and deployment of nuclear (within their own borders at least), how can the clean energy package ever work for the benefit of the EU as a whole? It is for this reason that I started this article by referring to Miss Sophie’s annual birthday dinner ritual. There are rather amusing parallels in the regular unveiling of various proposals at European and international level. It is the “same procedure”, if not quite every year, but as regular as clockwork. A new policy is drawn up that aims to be “ inclusive” and encourage all low-carbon energy technologies to compete to offer the best deals for electricity consumers and the environment. However, many of the EU nations who are called together to sit around the policy table at each of these ritual initiatives are, like Miss Sophie’s guests, not really there. Yes, nations are represented in a physical sense, but many “go through the motions”, to coin a phrase. They nod, toast the initiatives, then go back to what suits their political objectives at home. This is frequently the case in relation to the benefits of nuclear energy. European and international bodies recognise the benefits of nuclear as part of a mix of energy technologies, everyone agrees, then it is the “same procedure” as before, as James would say. Everyone removes from the mix what does not suit their domestic policies – and the result is an inebriated, incoherent performance, in this case an unbalanced energy policy. If Europe seeks to have a coherent and inclusive energy policy, which encompasses all low-carbon contributors, nuclear must be allowed a place at the policy table. If not, it will be a charade only worthy of the comic antics of James and Miss Sophie. Author John Shepherd nuclear 24 41a Beoley Road West, St George’s Redditch B98 8LR, United Kingdom Nuclear Today Clean Energy Proposals are Chance for Nuclear to have Rightful Place at Policy Table ı John Shepherd
PROGRAMME OUT NOW VGB CONGRESS 2017 VGB KONGRESS 2017 GENERATION IN COMPETITION ERZEUGUNG IM WETTBEWERB Congress Center Essen/Germany 13 and 14 September 2017 The meeting place of European electricity and heat production l More than 500 participants from more than 20 countries l Accompanying technical exhibition Lecture programme with current topics l Market and Competition l Technology, Operation and Environment Interesting side programme l Pre-Congress Get-together l Welcome evening l Sight-seeing Essen and surroundings l Technical visits Register now and benefit from early bird discount! ©Richard Demandt ©EMG Further information: www.vgb.org Information on participation: Ines Moors Phone: +49 201 8128-274 E-mail: ines.moors@vgb.org Information on the exhibition: Angela Langen Phone: +49 201 8128-310 E-mail: angela.langen@vgb.org
Page 1 and 2:
nucmag.com 2017 6 ISSN · 1431-5254
Page 3 and 4:
atw Vol. 62 (2017) | Issue 6 ı Jun
Page 5 and 6:
Kommunikation und Training für Ker
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16: atw Vol. 62 (2017) | Issue 6 ı Jun
Page 65: atw Vol. 62 (2017) | Issue 6 ı Jun
show all

atw 2017-06

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?