Mar 16, 2021 06:00:00

Experts point out that nuclear power should not be invested in addressing climate change

Nuclear power generation was expected as a clean energy source that does not emit carbon dioxide during power generation, but in recent years, the risks of nuclear power generation accidents and the treatment of radioactive waste have become issues. Michael Schneider, editor of the

World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR), an annual report on the global nuclear industry, said in an interview with Germany's national broadcaster Deutsche Vere, 'Greenhouse effects. If you want to reduce gas, you shouldn't invest in nuclear power. '

Every euro invested in nuclear power makes the climate crisis worse'| Environment | All topics from climate change to conservation | DW | 11.03.2021
https://www.dw.com/en/nuclear-climate-mycle-schneider-renewables-fukushima/a-56712368

In addition to simple greenhouse gas emissions reductions, Schneider points out that 'how fast can we reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a certain cost?' Is also important in dealing with climate change. In addition to cost and feasibility, the time to achieve emission reductions also needs to be considered.

Considering this point, the option of 'building a nuclear power plant to deal with climate change' is excluded. Nuclear power plants are expensive to generate and take a long time to build a nuclear reactor, so even if clean power generation is possible after construction, the deterioration of climate change cannot be stopped during construction. So, rather than investing in a new nuclear power plant, Schneider said he should invest in efficient climate change measures that produce results sooner.

Schneider also points out that the basic operating costs of already constructed nuclear power plants are higher than those of power generation methods that use renewable energy such as solar power generation and wind power generation. The following graph vertical axis 1kWh ( kilowatt-hour of power generation cost per) American cents are indicated by the horizontal axis represents the year. Looking at the movement of the red line indicating the cost of nuclear power generation, as of 2009, nuclear power generation was cheaper than solar power generation (yellow) and wind power generation (light blue), but as of 2020, solar power generation You can see that the power generation cost is overwhelmingly cheaper for wind power generation and wind power generation.

According to Schneider, the cost of solar power generation per 1kWh is only 1.1 cents (about 1 yen) in Portugal, and the combined power generation cost of solar and wind power is 2.5 cents (about 3 yen) per 1kWh in Spain. That is. These values are said to be below the cost of many nuclear power plants that exist around the world.

In addition, power generation using renewable energy has the problem that 'the amount of power generation cannot be changed according to time', but since the basic operating cost is low, nuclear power generation is costly even if it costs money to store power. It's cheaper, Schneider said.

Despite the fact that many renewables are already below the cost of nuclear power, countries are still announcing plans to build new nuclear power plants. Regarding this reason, Mr. Schneider said that the industry's intention that 'the nuclear industry will decline if the industry does not proceed with the construction of nuclear power plants' and that 'maintaining the nuclear industry has military strategic benefits' Pointed out that the aim of is intervening. In addition, some nations, including China, are constructing nuclear power plants as infrastructure support for countries that want to strengthen their influence.

It is difficult for electric power companies to stop the operation of nuclear power plants that have already been built. If a nuclear power plant is abolished, the amount of power generated will decrease and the decommissioning cost will increase, which will increase the debt. Therefore, it is not uncommon for it to take several years or more to actually stop operation even after deciding to abolish it.

According to Schneider, dismantling a nuclear power plant that has already been built will cost more than 1 billion euros (about 130 billion yen) per reactor. Schneider said that it is difficult for electric power companies, which already have financial problems, to generate this cost, and there are circumstances in which they are forced to maintain nuclear power plants.

Another problem associated with nuclear power generation is the disposal of radioactive waste generated by power generation. Radioactive waste is fill in deep underground there is no danger to touch a person

geological disposal has been considered the most appropriate, but there is no actual cases of permanent geological disposal facility is operational.

In Finland and Sweden, disposal sites have already been selected, and construction plans for the facility are underway, but Schneider points out that it is unclear whether the test run can be completed. Other countries are further behind, saying that the current situation is that a clear stance on treating radioactive waste has not yet been shared.