Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the second-largest source of low-carbon electricity today, supplying 10% of global electricity
Nuclear power is generated by a controlled chain reaction inside a nuclear reactor, most commonly in a process called nuclear fission. In fission, neutrons collide with uranium or plutonium atoms, causing the atoms to split and release additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat. This heat is used to convert water into steam, which drives turbines to produce electricity. A nuclear reactor was first used to produce electricity in the 1950s, in light of discoveries made through research efforts previously focused on developing nuclear weaponry. A series of commercial reactors for electricity production have since been developed. Today, nuclear power is gaining importance driven by the climate change agenda since it emits minimal greenhouse gases, at levels similar to renewable energy in terms of total life cycle emissions per unit of energy generated. Nuclear power projects are heavily dependent on government policy due to their capital-intensive nature, and are strictly regulated as they deal with radioactive materials.
Nuclear power is controversial in some locations due to these radioactive materials and the potential health hazards they pose. A number of destructive accidents have occurred in the history of nuclear power; these include the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union in 1986 and the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011. Different nations have widely different visions for the deployment of nuclear power, ranging from France’s 75% dependence on nuclear power for electricity generation to Germany having announced decision to shut down all of its nuclear power plants by 2022. Another important aspect is the disposal of nuclear waste; spent fuel remains active for tens of thousands of years and a proven long-term solution for safely managing and disposing of this radioactive waste is yet to be developed. Although newer, safer and more efficient reactor designs are being constructed today, nuclear power has an uncertain future challenged by public acceptance, costs, fuel resource sustainability and nuclear waste management.
As a potentially safer and less waste-generating type of reaction than fission, nuclear fusion is an ongoing area of research. Several experimental reactors exist, but commercial-scale results remain far from realisation. Small modular reactors are also attracting interest, as they allow for greater flexibility with potential benefits particularly for developing countries with limited grid capacity.
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0Gt
of CO2 emissions have been avoided by nuclear power over the past 50 years, nearly equal to 2 years of global energy-related CO2 emissions (IEA)
0
operable reactors around the world provide 400 GW of civil nuclear power capacity, almost 100 GW of which is located in the US (World Nuclear Association)
Around0%
of all radioactive waste from nuclear power (by volume) is highly radioactive and requires permanent isolation from the environment (World Nuclear Association)
£0bn
of building costs are estimated for Hinkley Point C – the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in over 20 years (EDF Energy)
What's new?
ITER plasma project achieves assembly milestone
18/05/2022
The first sub-section of the plasma chamber, under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance in France, has been successfully lifted out of tooling and l...
Gas price volatility rises after Russia halts gas exports to Poland and Bulgaria
04/05/2022
Russia’s decision to cut off gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria will significantly impact these two countries, although the knock-on effects should be m...
UK government unveils new hydrogen, nuclear and CCS investment
20/04/2022
The funding announcement followed publication of the government’s British energy security strategy, which sets out how the UK will accelerate the...
New energy strategy boosts role of nuclear in UK energy transition
13/04/2022
However, there was a mixed reaction to the strategy, with environmentalists such as Greenpeace claiming that the UK government’s plans defied some net...
Surge in wind projects as Germany beats record, but more capacity needed
13/04/2022
Wind energy generation reached a new record high of 20.6 TWh in Germany in February 2022, according to research conducted by Rystad Energy. Wind contr...
Events and training
EI LIVE | Ageing and Life Extension of Offshore Structures
06/09/2022
This one-day online course will give you an understanding of managing ageing and life extension of structures for offshore oil and gas installations a...
Introduction to Process Safety Management - October 2022
04/10/2022
This 3-day course is based on the renowned Energy Institute High level framework for process safety management - a comprehensive proces...
EI LIVE | Human Factors Foundation - October 2022
17/10/2022
This 5-day virtual learning course delivers a comprehensive introduction into human factors for non-specialists. It provides a practical, engaging and...
Technical guidance publications
IP 499: Determination of aromatic carbon content of lubricant mineral base oils and middle distillate petroleum fractions - Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy method
2013
This standard specifies procedures for determining the aromatic carbon content of mineral base oils within the range of 0,6 % mole to 13,8 ...
IP PM EO: Determination of Olefin content - High resolution Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method
2013
ScopeThis method covers the determination olefin content of hydrocarbon oils. These include crude oils, heavy fuel oils, middle distillates: diesels w...
Nuclear human factors conference papers, held on 16 September 2010
2010
Human factors encompasses what people are being asked to do, who is doing it, and where they are working, all of which is influenced by a wider organi...
Disposal of nuclear waste at sea
1986
This report was prepared to review current developments and to identify industrial opportunities in the UK in the field of disposal of nuclear waste a...
IP 392: Determination of aromatic hydrogen and carbon content - High resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method
1970
This method covers the determination ofaromatic hydrogen and aromatic carbon contents ofhydrocarbon oils. These include kerosines, gas oils,mineral lu...