Nuclear Power and the Environment Prospects and Challenges

World wide there were 441 operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) at the end of 2002 supplying 16 percent of global electricity generation, cumulative operating experience now stands at over 10,000 reactor years. The most significant recent trend has been that of steady increases in availability factors, without such improvement in availability factors, nuclear power would not have maintained its 16% share of global electricity. Some 83% of nuclear capacity is concentrated in industrialized countries. By contrast, almost 2 billion people in developing countries remain without reliable energy supplies, a major factor in their aspirations for social and economic development. Nuclear power can be considered the only source that can provide electricity on a large scale with comparatively minimal impact on the environment. But any major future expansion in the use of nuclear power will depend heavily on the innovation in reactor and fuel cycle technology. Innovation should ensure that new reactor and fuel cycle technologies incorporate inherent safety features, proliferation resistant characteristics, and reduced generation of waste, consideration should be given to physical protection and other characteristics that will reduce the vulnerability of nuclear facilities and materials to theft, sabotage and terrorist acts. In this paper consideration will be given to economic competitiveness, safety, waste management, proliferation resistance, health effects, and sustainable development and environmental protection, the nuclear innovation efforts and the international collaboration will be highlighted.