The Future of Nuclear Power: Growth opportunities, market risk and the impact of future technologies

Executive Summary

• Introduction
• Nuclear fuel
• Nuclear power generation technology
• Risk and the environment
• Nuclear economics
• The future of nuclear power

Chapter 1 Introduction to nuclear power

• Introduction
• Nuclear development and stagnation
• The current situation
• Nuclear risk
• Why build more nuclear plants
• This report

Chapter 2 Nuclear fuel

• Introduction
• Uranium production
• Uranium enrichment
• Other nuclear fuels
• Energy content of uranium

Chapter 3 Nuclear power generation technology

• Introduction
• Controlling the nuclear reaction
• Moderators
• Reactor designs
• Boiling water reactor (BWR)
• Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
• Pressurized heavy water reactor (Candu reactor)
• Gas-cooled reactors
• RBMK reactor
• High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR)
• Breeder reactors
• New and advanced reactor designs
• Third generation designs
• ABWR
• AP1000
• APR1400
• ESBWR
• EPR
• ACR Series
• PBMR
• Other third generation designs
• Fourth generation designs
• Hydrogen production
• Some economic considerations

Chapter 4 Nuclear risk and the environmental effects of nuclear power

• Introduction
• Net Energy Analysis
• Lifetime CO2 emission analysis
• Nuclear risk
• Power plant safety
• Nuclear waste disposal
• Nuclear proliferation
• International terrorism

Chapter 5 Economics of nuclear power

• Introduction
• The cost of building a nuclear power plant
• Historical construction
• Capital cost of a new nuclear power plant
• The cost of electricity from nuclear power plants
• Nuclear fuel costs
• Chapter 6 The future of nuclear power
• Introduction
• Economics
• Fuel costs
• Greenhouse emissions
• Kyoto mechanisms
• Energy security
• Risks
• Nuclear scenarios
• Capacity erosion
• Maintaining the status quo
• Major capacity growth
• Nuclear capacity growth

List of Figures

• Figure 1.1: Global nuclear generating capacity (GW), 1960-2007
• Figure 1.2: Global nuclear power generation (TWh), 1980-2005
• Figure 1.3: Leading countries for nuclear generation, 2007
• Figure 2.4: World uranium resources (1,000t), by region
• Figure 2.5: World uranium production (tonnes of U), 2005
• Figure 4.6: CO2 emission rates based on UIC collated data (t/GWh)
• Figure 4.7: Life-cycle analysis-based CO2 emissions (t/GWh)
• Figure 5.8: Cost of power from different sources as a function of discount rate ($/MWh)
• Figure 5.9: Cost of electricity in Japan ($/MWh), 1999
• Figure 6.10: The cost of electricity using different technologies (€ /kWh)

List of Tables

• Table 1.1: Global nuclear generating capacity (GW), 1960-2007
• Table 1.2: Global nuclear power generation (TWh), 1980-2005
• Table 2.3: World uranium resources (1,000t), by region
• Table 2.4: World uranium production (tonnes of U), 2005
• Table 2.5: World uranium enrichment capacity (1000 kg SWU/y)
• Table 3.6: World reactors in operation by type, 2007
• Table 3.7: Third generation reactor designs
• Table 4.8: Life cycle energy efficiencies of different technologies
• Table 4.9: Energy payback ratios, by power generation technology
• Table 4.10: Input percentage of lifetime output for nuclear fission plants with fuel from different sources
• Table 4.11: Greenhouse gas emission rates for different technologies (Tonnes of CO2 equivalent/GWh), US
• Table 4.12: CO2 emission rates based on UIC collated data (t/GWh)
• Table 4.13: Life-cycle analysis-based CO2 emissions (t/GWh)
• Table 5.14: Historical costs of construction of nuclear power plants (Cost/kW)
• Table 5.15: Cost of a new nuclear power plant (Cost/kW)
• Table 5.16: Cost of power from different sources as a function of discount rate ($/MWh)
• Table 5.17: Cost of electricity from different sources, entering service in 2015 (€ /MWh)
• Table 5.18: Cost of electricity in Japan ($/MWh), 1999
• Table 5.19: Cost of electricity generation in Vietnam Cost ($/MWh @ a Discount rate of 5%)
• Table 6.20: The cost of electricity using different technologies (€ /kWh)
• Table 6.21: Predicted growth in nuclear capacity (GW)