By Lyn Resurreccion / Science Editor
The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday said that, despite the nuclear-plant accident in Japan in 2011 that has led to the closure of all nuclear plants in that country, 441 nuclear power plants are still operational in 30 countries and 65 new reactors are being built.
At the same time, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano also said in his keynote address at the Third Philippine Nuclear Congress at a hotel in Manila that nuclear power could contribute to the mitigation of climate change, an issue which world leaders are currently discussing at a conference in Paris.
Amano said nuclear power “does not emit climate-change gas” because it emits minimum carbon. It is one of the lowest emitters of carbon dioxide, when emissions through the entire life cycle are considered, he said.
“It contributes to the mitigation of climate change,” he told the congress, which has the theme “Meeting Challenges through Nuclear Science and Technology for Sustainable Growth.”
Director Alumanda de la Rosa of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) told the BusinessMirror that nuclear power is comparable to wind power in emitting the least volume of carbon dioxide.
“Despite the Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011, many countries believe nuclear power can help them to achieve the twin goals of increasing electricity supply while curbing greenhouse-gas emissions,” Amano said.
He added that many countries use nuclear power in their energy mix because it can provide the steady supply of baseload electricity needed to power a modern economy.
Amano said: “There are 441 nuclear power reactors in operation in 30 countries today, while 65 reactors are under construction. Most of the growth is happening in Asia.”
He said safety is the key to the future development of nuclear power. The safety record of the nuclear industry “is actually very good.”
“But the Fukushima Daiichi accident was a painful reminder that a terrible accident can happen anywhere, even in a developed industrial country,” he said.
Five years after the accident, he said “necessary lessons have been learned.” He added that “extensive improvements in safety have been put in place all over the world” and “nuclear power is much safer [now] than it was before the accident,” although “nuclear safety will always be a work in progress.”
Technologically, this is an “exciting time for nuclear power” because remarkable research is being done on new generations of reactors, which will be safer and generate less waste.
“I am confident that technological developments already in the pipeline will make nuclear power not just safer, but much more efficient. I look forward to the development of new nuclear technologies which can generate electricity at competitive prices, with reduced construction times and operating costs,” Amano said.
Asked by the BusinessMirror at a news conference on whether the future of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) will be resolved in the nuclear congress, Science Secretary Mario G. Montejo said the decision would be based on inputs of different stakeholders.
He expressed hope that the congress would provide update on the BNPP, which construction was finished in mid-1980s but was mothballed in 1986, owing to protests.
Montejo said the activation of BNPP might still be considered even beyond 2016.
Amano said IAEA does not intervene in the position of each country on nuclear power generation. “It is up to the government of the Philippines on whether it will use it [BNPP].”
However, he said the agency provides support for legal and regulatory framework, and offer know-how on the construction, commissioning, start-up and safe operation of nuclear reactors.
“We establish global nuclear safety standards and security guidance. We offer expert peer review missions to assess the operational safety of nuclear power plants. We can help with the decommissioning of plants at the end of their lifetimes and with waste disposal. The end-result, we hope, is that countries will be able to introduce nuclear power safely, securely and sustainably,” he said.
On the controversial issue of repository of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste, Amano said Finland has recently issued a license for the construction of a deep geological repository at Onkalo.
“Expected to be operational in 2023, this will be the first repository in the world for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel,” he said.
Image credits: NONIE REYES