atw - International Journal for Nuclear Power | 04.2019

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atw Vol. 64 (2019) | Issue 4 ı April 234 NEWS This last notion was addressed by Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, who referred to the recent analysis published by the International Energy Agency. According to the IEA, the share of electricity generated by wind power will reach more than 30% globally by 2039. However, as pointed out by Mr Dickson, the power sector is not the only sector which needs to be significantly decarbonised in the coming years. The same challenges will need to be addressed by the transport and heating sectors. One of the possible solutions to achieve this goal is increased electrification which will play a key role in achieving a low-carbon future. Eurelectric Secretary General Kristian Ruby presented a recent study carried out by the organisation, which focuses on decarbonising the European Union through strong electrification, energy efficiency, and support from other non-emitting fuels. Each of the scenarios developed by the association will allow the EU power sector to be fully decarbonised by 2045 and in each of them the bulk of electricity will be provided by renewables and nuclear energy. Mr Ruby mentioned also the importance of system reliability and flexibility, which need to be provided by multiple sources in the power sector, including hydro, nuclear and gas, but also emerging sources such as hydrogen or battery storage. The issue of storage was discussed by Peter Claes, Vice President of the International Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers. During his speech, Mr Claes pointed to the importance of security of supply for efficient, reliable and safe operation. In this context, the current capability of battery storage as a backup to renewables does not guarantee the continuous supply of the electricity needed by the industry. Other potential pathways to decarbonise the power sector, listed by Mr Claes, were renewables with gas, nuclear energy and geothermal energy. The potential nuclear pathway and the role nuclear energy has to play in decarbonising Europe was underlined during a speech given by Nuclearelectrica CEO and ROMATOM President Cosmin Ghita. Mr Ghita stressed that there is no decarbonisation without nuclear energy, and all low-carbon energy sources should be treated equally as they are all needed to reach the decarbonisation goal and help the EU achieve its climate objectives. During his closing remarks, FORATOM Director General Yves Desbazeille briefly presented the key takeaways of the FTI study commissioned by FORATOM, noting that keeping a share of nuclear provides clear environmental, social and economic benefits. The long-term operation of existing reactors is a must and more needs to be done to trigger investment in new nuclear reactors. He also identified some actions which must be undertaken by both the EU and industry in order to ensure nuclear remains part of the mix and can help Europe achieve its decar bonisation targets. He was followed by Gerassimos Thomas, Deputy Director-General of DG Energy, who stressed the fact that energy mix included in the long-term greenhouse gas emissions reductions strategy is based on the feedback received from the Member States. According to the information received, two low-carbon sources will make up the EU electricity mix: renewables (80%) and nuclear (15-20%). These two energy sources should work together and not against each other as all low-carbon energy sources are needed in order to achieve the EU’s climate objectives. Other innovative technologies should be developed and therefore increased attention to the R&D sector should be paid. Competitiveness should be improved, as this has an impact on all technologies. Waste, decommissioning and encouraging young people to join the nuclear industry were also points highlighted by Mr Thomas. At the end of the event, Elena Popescu, Director General, DG Energy and Climate Change, Romanian Ministry of Energy, drew attention to the specificities of each country in terms of availability of energy sources and the need to adapt to specific conditions. Electrification will play an important role in achieving the mid-century decarbonisation targets, as long as it is based on low-carbon electricity sources. | | www.foratom.org World EU and IAEA review progress and agree on priorities in nuclear cooperation at annual meeting (iaea) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union (EU) reviewed progress achieved in working together on a range of nuclear activities and agreed to further enhance cooperation during their seventh annual Senior Officials Meeting, in Luxembourg, this week. The talks provided a forum for exchanging views on strengthening collaboration on nuclear safety, security, safeguards and nuclear research, innovation and training. In particular, the two organizations took note of progress they have made in cooperation on nuclear safety and security, as well as nuclear safeguards. The role of nuclear energy in addressing climate change, for those countries choosing to use it, was among the topics raised in the discussions. “We took stock of important developments in areas of common interest and steered the direction of our cooperation for the year ahead. The EU is one of our most relevant partners and its support for the IAEA’s mandate and work is valued,” said Cornel Feruta, Assistant Director General, Chief Coordinator for the IAEA. “Nuclear safety and security remain a major priority in the EU”, said Gerassimos Thomas, Deputy Director General in the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission. “In 2018, the EU completed its first ever topical peer review on ageing management of nuclear power plants and research reactors under the amended Nuclear Safety Directive.” To support continuous safety improvements, the EU would continue to support the IAEA’s peer review services IRRS and ARTEMIS, which were being widely used by EU Member States to fulfil their legal obligations on nuclear safety and waste management. Developments related to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), in particular regulatory aspects, were also discussed. EU support for a variety of IAEA activities has delivered consistent and concrete results over the past year. Officials commended the long-standing and fruitful cooperation under the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and in the Regulatory Cooperation Forum. Joint efforts to address environmental remediation in Central Asia will continue following the successful donors’ conference in 2018. The EU reiterated its support for the IAEA’s role in verifying and monitoring the implementation of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). During the talks, the EU and the IAEA agreed to further strengthen cooperation in training as well as research and development. In this context, they welcomed progress in advancing activities on nuclear applications under the Practical News
All results are from a survey of 2,061 people, conducted on behalf of the Nuclear Industry Association by YouGov, 29 November to 6 December2018 atw Vol. 64 (2019) | Issue 4 ı April Arrangements over the second year of their implementation. The EU reaffirmed its support for the IAEA’s 2018-2021 Nuclear Security Plan, highlighting the importance of the universalisation and implementation of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM). Implementation of the EU Council Decisions in support of IAEA’s activities on nuclear security was also discussed. The two sides also reviewed cooperation on technical matters in the field of nuclear security. Officials reviewed progress on the implementation of nuclear safeguards in EU Member States and on the European Commission Safeguards Support Programme to the IAEA. The next Senior Officials Meeting is expected to take place in Vienna in early 2020 | | www.iaea.org Did you miss the NEA webinar on the true costs of decarbonisation? (nea) The NEA hosted a webinar on 17 January to preview the findings from the report The Costs of Decarbonisation: System Costs with High Shares of Nuclear and Renewables. The webinar featured introductory remarks by the OECD Secretary- General Ángel Gurría and NEA Director- General Magwood, who led a discussion on the importance of system costs in assessing the overall costs of the energy transitions under way. If you missed the live webcast, the video recording is available at oe.cd/nea‐system‐costs‐webinar‐2019 | | www.oecd-nea.org Nuclear Industry Association publishes 2018 public polling (niauk) New research, carried out for the Nuclear Industry Association by YouGov has revealed what the public thinks about nuclear energy. The 2018 polling data has found that 72% of people support nuclear as part of a low carbon energy mix. In addition, nuclear is seen as the most secure for keeping the lights on, with 35% agreeing it is the most secure, followed by 16% for solar, and 13% for gas and offshore wind respectively. The 2008 Climate Change Act established a legally binding climate change target aiming to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 80% by 2050. However, the research showed that 73% of people agreed the government should be doing more to combat carbon emissions. When asked about small reactors, two in five of those asked agreed that they could play a role in tackling climate change, and 45% agreed they could increase energy security. The research also showed nuclear is considered the best for job creation and investment, when compared to other energy sources. | | www.niauk.org Reactors NIA Polling: What the public think YouGov, on behalf of the Nuclear Industry Association, has carried out polling to find out what the public think about nuclear. Here are the findings of the 2018 research. More people support nuclear as part of a low carbon energy mix Nuclear energy is ranked highest for job creation and investment Nuclear Industry Association is a company limited by guarantee registered in England No. 2804518. Registered Office: 5 th Floor, Tower House, 10 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA Nuclear energy is seen as most secure for keeping the lights on Most agree government should be doing more to combat CO 2 emissions 45% agree, SMRs could increase energy security Two in five agree SMRs could tackle climate change Men favour new build more than women NIAUK.ORG | | Nuclear Industry Association publishes 2018 public polling 40 years after Three Mile Island, nuclear plants are among the safest U.S. Facilities (nei) March 28 marks 40 years since the accident that damaged the core of the Three Mile Island (TMI) 2 nuclear reactor. The event was caused by a combination of equipment failure and the inability of plant operators to understand the reactor’s condition at certain times during the event. The TMI accident was a cultural touchstone for the nation and a turning point for the industry. And while there were no reported injuries or adverse health effects from the accident, our industry learned crucial lessons from that day and has continued to enhance the safety of our plants year after year. As a result, safety is in the DNA of every U.S. nuclear plant. By a variety of metrics – rate of human error, worker injury or equipment failure, number of unplanned shutdowns and level of occupational exposure – plant operations are smooth, stable and smart. Nuclear plants pursue excellence All companies operating power reactors have adopted a shared safety model and formed an independent safety organization, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, to perform frequent in-depth audits of all the reactors including peer audits, in which operators of similar plants travel from site to site to critically examine each other’s practices, successes and challenges. Additionally, plant executives brief each other on their malfunctions, personnel errors and other events and critique each other’s approach to operations. The plants still adhere to a strict code of regulations from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but the peer-to-peer interactions are more comprehensive and promote a level of safety and excellence in operations far beyond what the government requires. In fact, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) found that the risks posed to public health and safety from nuclear plants are much lower than previously understood. While studies in the 1980s and 1990s showed plants had operated at a relatively modest margin of safety, a recent EPRI study shows that U.S. plants are nearly 100 times more safe than the NRC’s own safety goals. Nuclear plants are well-run Highly trained experts run America’s 98 nuclear plants. With the NRC’s oversight and layers of safety precautions, a nuclear plant is one of the safest industrial environments in the United States. Plant workers are well- qualified: Reactor operators must hold federal licenses that require extensive training to obtain and they typically spend one week out of every five in training. Following the accident at Three Mile Island 2, the industry formed the National Academy for Nuclear Training to promote the highest levels of training program excellence and consistency across the industry. Every four years nuclear power plants are required to demonstrate high standards in their training programs to maintain program accreditation by the academy. Plants also have training simulators, which are exact duplicates of control rooms, but connected to a computer, not a reactor. That allows the operators to practice responses to postulated accidents that cannot be run on a real reactor, similar to jet pilots who practice engine failures or instrument malfunctions on a simulated airliner. Nuclear plants have evolved since 1979 Innovation drives the nuclear industry. These plants may look the same on the outside, but throughout their operation, they are continuously 235 NEWS News
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