ABSTRACT
Civil nuclear power can address two important challenges: the demand for electricity supplies to meet the needs of a growing global population, and the need for Climate Change mitigation. This chapter considers whether it will make that contribution over the next 30 years.
All low-carbon technologies will be needed in the future. Nuclear power, like all technologies, has its strengths and weaknesses but, overall, it can benefit the global community if it is deployed at scale over the next 30 years.
The greatest global benefit would be gained if it replaced coal, and to a lesser extent gas, in three major countries: China, USA and India. For different reasons, these three countries are unlikely, or unable, to do so in the foreseeable future. Without this deployment nuclear power’s contribution to the world’s electricity supply will likely remain at the current level, against a background of rising electricity demand.
Irrespective of this conclusion, it is important that the resources required to maintain the existing global nuclear reactor fleet throughout its life-cycle are available. It is also important to recognise the large quantities of low-carbon electricity generated by nuclear power that will continue to benefit society.
