Is it really useful to focus the interest of business historians on major companies that failed in recent years, like Parmalat in Italy or Enron in the United States? What can we learn from studying cases like that of the French company Schneider, a first mover in metallurgy, armaments, and nuclear energy, which for almost 150 years dominated the company town Le Creusot, where the Business History Conference held its fiftieth anniversary meeting in 2004, but which has now disappeared?
Subject
China's nuclear programme.
Significance
China has the world's largest fleet of new nuclear plants and plans to increase its nuclear energy capacity more than fivefold over the next 15 years. It is one of the few countries to be adding to capacity, while expansion has largely stalled in Europe, the United States and Japan. Chinese companies have also started to sign deals with other countries to build plants there.
Impacts
Nuclear energy will enhance security of electricity supply in the economically crucial coastal provinces.
Success in its domestic programme would position China to rival Russia in the international market.
Nuclear power will help China tackle air pollution, currently a greater political liability than concerns about nuclear safety.
Public opinion seems unlikely to become a barrier to expansion unless there is a serious nuclear accident.
Preliminary assessment of nuclear energy centers and energy systems complexes in the western United States. Final report