Nuclear energy is embraced by Asia
news.scotsman.com
MORE Asian countries are turning to nuclear power to meet their energy needs as Western countries move away from nuclear energy sources.
While the construction of nuclear plants in Western Europe and the United States has virtually stopped in recent years, Asian countries are forging ahead, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said today, ahead of a major conference on the future of nuclear power starting tomorrow in Moscow.
Just 16 per cent of global electricity is produced by 442 nuclear power plants, mostly in Western Europe and North America.
But nuclear energy is increasingly popular in many Asian countries because they lack access to more traditional sources of fuel, such as coal or gas, IAEA expert Alan McDonald said.
"Countries like South Korea and Japan don’t have so many alternatives," he said. Nations where the energy demand is growing fast, or with economies conducive to long-term investments - including several Asian countries - are more likely to opt for nuclear energy, he added.
Agency figures say 18 of the 27 nuclear power plants currently under construction are in Asia, as are 27 of the last 31 plants built around the world.
None are planned in North America and only one is planned in Europe - in Finland.
Safety concerns have led four European governments to phase out nuclear power completely, while others have decided against building more reactors.
The Chernobyl accident in Ukraine and Three Mile Island meltdown in the US showed the risks posed by nuclear power plants. Terrorism has added yet another worry.
Concern for the environment may see European governments reconsider, Mr McDonald said. Nuclear power may be one of the few alternatives if renewable energy sources are unable to meet future energy demand.
• The UK is to give a £15 million grant to Russia to help pay for a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel, the Government said.
Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt, on an official visit to Moscow, said the money will be used to pay for an interim storage facility and 50 storage casts in Murmansk. She said the spent nuclear fuel was a "major nuclear security and environmental concern" for the area. |
