Resergence of U.S. Nuclear Power
Over the past quarter century, things have not gone well for the nuclear industry. First came the Three Mile Island accident in America in 1979, then the disaster at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine in 1986. In Japan, Tokyo Electric Power, the world's largest private electricity company, shut its 17 nuclear reactors after it was caught falsifying safety records to hide cracks at some of its plants in 2002. In addition, the attacks on September 11, 2001 were a sharp reminder that the risks of nuclear power generation were not only those inherent in the technology. But lately, prospects have brightened for the nuclear industry. Nuclear power is an important source of electricity in many countries. In 2003, 19 countries depended on nuclear power for at least 20 percent of their electricity generation. As of March 2005, there were 441 nuclear power reactors in operation around the world, and another 25 were under construction. Five new nuclear power plants began operation in 2004 - one each in China, Japan, and Russia and two in Ukraine. In addition, Canada?s Bruce 3 reactor was reconnected to the grid. Five nuclear power plants were permanently shut down in 2004 - one in Lithuania and four in the United Kingdom. Nuclear power is expected to see a revival in the next decade given the availability of uranium and the prospect of emission-free power generation, Also, with conventional energy sources such as oil and gas likely to see severe depletion over the next 30 years, the price of conventional power generation is set to rise significantly, which would put nuclear power generation in focus again. The report provides an overview of the opportunities for nuclear power in the U.S. electric industry and gives a concise look at the challenges faced by nuclear power, the ability of advanced nuclear reactors to address these challenges, and the current state of nuclear power generation. Topics covered in the report include: an overview of U.S. Nuclear Power including its history, the current market environment, and the future of nuclear power in the U.S.; an analysis of the key business factors that are driving renewed interest in nuclear power; an analysis of the barriers that are hindering the implementation of new nuclear power plants; a description of nuclear power technology including existing reactors, as well as 3rd and 4th generation reactor designs; a review of the economics of new nuclear power projects and comparison to other generation alternatives; a discussion of the key government initiatives supporting nuclear power development; profiles of the key reactor manufacturers participating in the U.S. nuclear power market; and, profiles of the leading U.S. utilities participating in the U.S. nuclear power market.
- Research Organization:
- Research Reports International, Inc., Evergreen, CO (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 893436
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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