Nuclear power future

The metal is a source of nuclear power. There is probably more energy available for use from thorium in the minerals of the earth s crust than from both uranium and fossil fuels. Any sizable demand from thorium as a nuclear fuel is still several years in the future. Work has been done in developing thorium cycle converter-reactor systems. Several prototypes, including the HTGR (high-temperature gas-cooled reactor) and MSRE (molten salt converter reactor experiment), have operated. While the HTGR reactors are efficient, they are not expected to become important commercially for many years because of certain operating difficulties. 

Polyphenyl Ethers. These very stable organic stmctures have been synthesized in a search for lubricants to meet the needs of future jet engines, nuclear power plants, high temperature hydrauHc components, and high temperature greases (49). A typical formula is C H (—OC H ... 

Nuclear Power Technical and Institutional Optionsfor the Future, National Academy Press, Washiagton, D.C., 1992. 

Nuclear power plants of the future are to be designed and operated with the objective of better fiilfiUing the role as a bulk power producer that, because of reduced vulnerabiUty to severe accidents, should be more broadly accepted and implemented. Use of these plants could help stem the tide of environmental damage caused by air pollution from fossil-fuel combustion products (64). 

C. E. TiU, The Riquid-Metal Reactor. Overview of the Integrated Fast Reactor Rationale and Basis for Its Development, Presented to National Academy Sciences Committee on Future Nuclear Power, Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, lU., Aug. 1989. 

The use of nuclear power has been a topic of debate for many years. Nuclear fuel represents a resource for generating energy weU into the future, whereas economically recoverable fossil fuel reserves may become depleted. Worker exposure, injuries, and fataHties in nuclear fuel mining are reportedly far less compared to those associated with recovery and handling of fossil fuels. Potential hazards associated with transporting and storing radioactive wastes do exist, however. 

Nuclear Reactors. Nuclear power faciUties account for about 20% of the power generated in the United States. Although no new plants are plaimed in the United States, many other countries, particularly those that would otherwise rely heavily on imported fuel, continue to increase their nuclear plant generation capacity. Many industry observers predict that nuclear power may become more attractive in future years as the price of fossil fuels continues to rise and environmental regulations become more stringent. In addition, advanced passive-safety reactor designs may help allay concerns over potential safety issues. 

Haag, G., Kugeler, K. and Philippen, P.-W., The high temperature reactor (HTR) and the new German safety concept for future nuclear power plants. In Proceedings of the... 

The accident at Three Mile Island unfortunately tlircatened the future of nuclear power in tlie United States and called into question the safety systems... 

A low-energy-future scenario envisioned in the late 1970s. By 2000, the energy being consumed from petroleum, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power were all on the rise, and renewable energy supplied a smaller fraction of total energy. 

Producers of electricity from nuclear power plants are assessed a fee of 0.1 cent per kilowatt-hour to pay for future storage of spent nuclear fuel at a federal facility. Receipts from this fee are allocated to the Nuclear Waste Trust Fund and arc appropriated by Congress to cover the costs of developing and constructing a permanent storage facility. 

The significant environmental challenges associated with increased energy use, coupled with increasing competition for fossil fuel supplies, suggest that nuclear power should continue to be an important part of the mix in planning the energy future. 

As I mentioned earlier, the climate change debate - and more broadly the debate about emissions constraints on energy production and use - is also a critical one for the future of nuclear power in the U.S. 

No issue is more critical to the future of nuclear power in the US. than solving the problem of waste disposal. 

To ensure a viable future for nuclear power as a key component of the world s energy mix, nuclear energy research and development is key. 

As I mentioned earlier in try talk, the need to establish a greater alignment of our energy R D investments with our policies, regulations - and the externalities I have outlined - is critical to the future of nuclear power, especially in times of declining private sector R D. 

The news then on the future of nuclear power in today s energy environment is mixed. Good, because nuclear power will continue to be an option, particularly in Asia. . . because construction costs and times are coming down. . . because some units are able to compete in a restructured market. . . because as a non-emitter of carbon, nuclear power is more desirable in a carbon-constrained environment. 

There have, over the last decade, been at least three major developments in the energy field, all with considerable potential effect on the future of nuclear power ... 

Should for one reason or another the climate change issue disappear, there would only be a future for nuclear power if it can compete vis-a-vis combined cycle natural gas plants. At least for the next 50 years, there should be adequate gas resources and if gas hydrate deposits are taken into account, resources could last centuries. 

In May, 1991, Hemy Thomas, a former Assistant Secretary ofEnergy and executive of the American Gas Institute, described his vision for an energy future in the US to participants at a Federal executive seminar on foreign policy. He described nuclear power as safe - but then said that natural gas would become the energy resource of choice because of the inability to manage nuclear wastes. 

A more limited, but potentially quite useful, step would be to establish in the United States a nuclear energy "think tank" where alternative nuclear futures could be analyzed critically by participants from universities, industry, government agencies, and private policy groups. The goal would be to further the safety and economy of nuclear power. 

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