by Dan Yurman, via Energy Post
Dan Yurman presents his worldwide review of nuclear’s prospects. 19 nations are covered. He explains while some countries are planning to scale down nuclear, like South Korea and France, some are increasing investment, like China. Others remain stuck over policy, pricing, financing and politics (e.g. Japan, the U.S.). Exporters of plants, led by Russia, are making moves – not always easily – in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. R&D continues, particularly in Small Nuclear Reactors (SMR) and their variants and technologies, like molten salt and high temperature gas. 50MW SMRs, and even 1.5MW compact fast reactors, may become the breakthrough technologies. As Yurman says, nuclear’s fortunes are a “bouncing ball”. So the European Parliament’s resolution that all technologies, including nuclear, are needed to combat climate change could help point towards more certainty.
With a growing realisation that nuclear energy is necessary to achieve decarbonisation in the electric generation utility industry, and for major process heat applications, 2020 looks like a year where action based on this concept will see more significant developments for nuclear energy worldwide.
In an effort to lay out a roadmap of what to look for in the coming year, this blog engages in its annual exercise to identify pointers to the future. Read More