Is there a renaissance of nuclear energy?

The concept of the Renaissance is very well described in human history. It designates a European cultural epoch extending over three centuries in the period of transition from the Middle Ages to modern times. Characteristic was the revival of the cultural achievements of Greek and Roman antiquity, which became the benchmark for subsequent Renaissance works by scholars and artists.

Now let's find out how "renaissance" applies on nuclear power technology. For sure the timeframe is much shorter that we are taking into account.

The big boom in nuclear power was in the 1970s and 80s: up to 35 reactors were connected to the grid worldwide every year. In the end, just over 400 units ran worldwide - and the number has stagnated at this level to this day. Activations and deactivations are roughly balanced. Last year, six nuclear power plants went online and eight were permanently shut down. Without China, the stagnation would have been a decline long ago. The country contributed about half of the new construction in the last ten years. The People's Republic did not shut down any reactors either, because they are all relatively young. The development in China is particularly interesting here, even when it comes to the statistical variables. Since 2004, China has quadrupled the number of its operating nuclear power plants.

?China's second nuclear power plant unit, featuring the Hualong One, a third-generation nuclear reactor developed in China, has started generating electricity, paving the way for commercial operations. The No. 6 block in the city of Fuqing, east China's Fujian province, was connected to the grid last year. The development of this reactor series is in some cases more advanced than the European version of the EPR 2.

In addition, China is working on making its smaller reactors ready for series production with thorium, which is still experimental. China wants to build what will be the world's first commercial nuclear reactor that will not require water for cooling. Instead of being operated with uranium like most nuclear power plants, the planned molten salt reactor is to run on liquid thorium.

A certain dynamic is also emerging outside of China. Several countries are new to nuclear power. Poland, which is still heavily dependent on coal, wants to build six new reactors by the early 2040s in order to achieve climate targets. In the Turkish city of Akkuyu, the Russian state-owned company Rosatom is building a nuclear power plant with four reactors that are scheduled to go online next year. Another newcomer is Bangladesh, where Rosatom has also been building two reactors since 2017, which are scheduled to go online in 2023 and 2024. Egypt also started building a reactor, also of Russian design, in the summer.

Other countries, above all Germany, Spain and South Korea, are phasing out nuclear energy. After the Fukushima catastrophe more than 10 years ago, Japan is now taking a different course. In order to become climate-neutral by 2050 and also under the impression of the current energy crisis, Japan wants to use nuclear power more intensively again: By 2030, nuclear power is to cover 20 to 22 percent of Japanese electricity production. To this end, the running times of existing reactors are to be extended and new ones to be built. However, the target is below the status before Fukushima, when nuclear power accounted for almost a third of the electricity mix.

Driven by the Inflation Reduction Act and the possibility of using base load nuclear energy for a national hydrogen strategy, the United States of America is currently in the process of extending the service life of its nuclear power plants. Some talk here about extensions up to the year 2040 and longer. However, this is essentially a modernization of existing nuclear power plants.

A mixed picture emerges to speak of a global renaissance. Overall, a slight upward trend is visible. A special focus should be put on France and Great Britain.

Only in Great Britain and France would he speak of a Renaissance. In Great Britain the meaning of the word is most likely to be fulfilled: rebirth was preceded by death. 34 power plants have been shut down since 1977, and further shutdowns are pending. Two reactors are currently under construction at Hinkley Point, south-west England, and are expected to be operational by the middle of the decade: the UK's first new build in 17 years. Two more kilns are to be built in Sizewell in East England. Rolls Royce is one of the early movers in this direction.

Similarly in France: President Emmanuel Macron announced a “renaissance of nuclear power” in February 2022. In France, too, nuclear power production has been falling for years to a record low this year, which, among other reasons, is also due to the aging of the reactors. Six reactors are now to be built by 2050 and the construction of eight more to be examined. A first new reactor is currently being built in Flamanville in northern France. Some delays in huge projects are non unexpected.

However, a potential that should not be underestimated is to be expected from so-called small-modular reactors (see reference on SMR in UK in this article). Large nuclear power plants are often state investments in the high single-digit billion range. Smaller reactors are limited in their MW number, but have cost and safety advantages due to their size.It is also being considered to replace old coal-fired power plants with such smaller reactors because they have a similar output and could therefore be more easily integrated into the existing network. From a private investor's point of view, the lower investment sum mentioned above is particularly interesting.

The bottom line is that even though some countries are turning to nuclear power again more than before, the term “renaissance” seems far too big. The returnees and newcomers see nuclear power more as a supplement than as a mainstay of their energy systems. In Europe, the Ukraine war has pushed the question of energy independence in many countries. This also partly includes nuclear energy, which, however, is significantly more time-consuming to implement. This is therefore an option in strategic planning, but not for short-term independence from gas/oil. Rather, other forms of energy (especially fossil) are currently being intensified for this purpose.

?All in all, if it comes to technical expertise and steam turbine supply on the conventional turbine part check out what Siemens Energy #teampurple #siemensenergy can provide.