The Importance and Meaning of Signatures and Integrity to the Global Nuclear Community and Successful Nuclear Renaissance

Author(s):  
Clayton T. Smith

Welcome to the “Nuclear Renaissance”... The global nuclear renaissance and concerns over climate change were addressed by the keynote speakers at the 20th anniversary of POWER-GEN International, December 2, 2008. J.M. Bernhardt, Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Shaw Group, opened his presentation by acknowledging that the nuclear renaissance is not something that might happen; it is happening now. He stated that “When greenhouse gasses are in the mix, he believed nuclear is where we need to go.” Additionally, Jacques Besnainou, president and CEO of Areva, Inc supported Bernhardt with the call for more investment in nuclear power. He stated that “nuclear power is not THE solution, but there is no solution without nuclear power. What Will it Take to Make the Global Nuclear Renaissance a Success?Must have the need... The Department of Energy (DOE) indicates U.S. energy consumption is expected to grow 1.5 percent a year over the next two decades, and should reach an increased 45% baseload need by 2030. Additionally, the gap between total worldwide energy production and demand will double over the next 15–20 years. Must have the will... Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), and World Nuclear Association indicate that globally, 36 plants are currently under construction, 93 plants are on order or planned in 18 countries (30 in U.S.), and 219 projects are under consideration in 27 countries. Additionally, they indicate that the combination of low production costs, high reliability, safe operation and clean air benefits positions nuclear energy favorably to meet our baseload electricity needs today and for future expansion. Must have the commitment... Each of us who are members of the global nuclear community must have our core values embedded in a solid quality foundation. We exercise our commitment to quality daily by the application of our signature on documents, instructions, and drawings.

Author(s):  
Kenji Akagi ◽  
Masayuki Ishiwata ◽  
Kenji Araki ◽  
Jun-Ichi Kawahata

In nuclear power plant construction, countless variety of parts, products, and jigs more than one million are treated under construction. Furthermore, strict traceability to the history of material, manufacturing, and installation is required for all products from the start to finish of the construction, which enforce much workforce and many costs at every project. In an addition, the operational efficiency improvement is absolutely essential for the effective construction to reduce the initial investment for construction. As one solution, RFID (Radio Frequent Identification) application technology, one of the fundamental technologies to realize a ubiquitous society, currently expands its functionality and general versatility at an accelerating pace in mass-production industry. Hitachi believes RFID technology can be useful of one of the key solutions for the issues in non-mass production industry as well. Under this situation, Hitachi initiated the development of next generation plant concept (ubiquitous plant construction technology) which utilizes information and RFID technologies. In this paper, our application plans of RFID technology to nuclear power is described.


Author(s):  
Savannah Fitzwater

This chapter provides an overview of nuclear power around the world, the fundamentals of nuclear technology, and nuclear energy’s costs and benefits. Nuclear energy accounts for 10.6 percent of energy produced for electricity globally. Although a relatively small percentage of production, it has often been in the spotlight for its great potential, both good and bad. As of 2018, there were 451 operational commercial nuclear reactors globally and many more under construction. This chapter explores some of the key arguments made for and against nuclear energy and examines future areas of nuclear power development, including small modular reactors, advanced Generation IV reactor designs, and the expansion of non-electric applications, in light of the current state of nuclear power.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 541-559
Author(s):  
Ekong J. Peters, PhD ◽  
Caroline S. Hackerott, PhD ◽  
Weijia Jia, PhD

High-reliability organizations (HROs) including commercial airlines, the NASA Space Shuttle engineering team, US Naval aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine crews, and US nuclear power plants are relatively safe. However, these organizations experience system breakdowns often with catastrophic outcomes. This study focuses on risk information management strategies employed by a nuclear energy power plant located within 10 miles of a population center. The evacuation planning zone (EPZ) includes a hospital, several schools, and a public university. The nuclear plant provides written preparedness and evacuation information for all residents within the EPZ in the event of a radiological emergency. Focusing on the campus community within the EPZ, this study investigates individual awareness regarding the potential of a radiological event, the emergency information booklet, and the information provided within the booklet. We use descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, and cross tabulations (contingency tables) to establish awareness levels. Our study determines those participants who read the emergency instructions booklet are prepared to make an informed decision in the event of a radiological incident. We find college affiliation, educational level, university role, and age significantly related to emergency instruction booklet utilization. We also find gender is significantly linked to overall risk perception regarding a radiological event. Findings support previous research regarding women’s higher levels of risk aversion and pessimism involving dangerous new risky technologies and activities like nuclear energy plants. These findings support modifying policy to ensure nuclear facilities assess the efficacy of their warning systems in alerting the public. Furthermore, our findings provide guidance regarding the evaluation of the effectiveness of emergency instruction booklet distribution.


Author(s):  
Łukasz Sawicki ◽  
Bożena Horbaczewska

Abstract The purpose of the paper is to present an innovative business model, the SaHo Model, designed specifically to enable the Polish government to implement nuclear power development plans, which can be possibly used in other countries and in sectors requiring high capital expenditures. The SaHo Model solves the problems identified in the nuclear energy sector, which are related to high investment risk and high costs of capital at the investment stage, and ensures revenues after connection to the grid. Since the state is the investor at the initial stages, it takes over most of the risk in the short term. Selling the shares before connection to the grid, the state significantly reduces the financial involvement in the long term. From then on, the SaHo Model works similar to the Finnish Mankala or American electric cooperative models, producing and selling energy to their shareholders at production costs. None of the models used so far in nuclear energy provides such opportunities. The SaHo Model allows to enhance the competitiveness of the national industry and to increase public acceptance for nuclear power. Thus, it is not only a business model but also a concept for the functioning of the nuclear industry.


Author(s):  
Sören Holmberg ◽  
Per Hedberg

Sweden started its nuclear programme in the early 1950s. Initially it was generally welcomed as modernization and even supported by environmentalists. The issue became more contested in the 1970s, when protests began and the Centre Party turned anti-nuclear. In the 1980s, the phasing out of nuclear energy until 2010 was decided as a consequence of a referendum. In 2010, however, the parliament decided to allow building a new generation of nuclear power plants. After the Fukushima disaster a new phase of nuclear energy confinement began in 2014 as a consequence of a Red-Green coalition coming to power. Over the years most Swedish parties have reversed their positions on the nuclear power issue. Policy reversals were triggered by party competition and government replacement and reflected changes in public opinion as well as coalition politics.


This chapter provides an overview of the relevance of nuclear energy worldwide and especially in Europe (EU-27 + Switzerland) in the most recent decades. It presents the number of reactors currently connected to the grid and under construction as well as their capacities. It differentiates between nuclear energy’s contribution to gross inland energy consumption and to electricity production. These patterns are contrasted with the import dependency of countries. Counter-intuitively, it can be shown that import dependency does not explain the observed extent of the usage of nuclear energy. Rather there seem to be positive feedback processes between enhanced nuclear power usage, economic growth, and further reliance on external resources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-158
Author(s):  
E. V. YANUSIK ◽  

The article discusses the main prerequisites for the development of nuclear energy in the global econo-my, also defines nuclear energy and discusses the structure of global energy consumption. The article proves that the crucial prerequisite for the development of nuclear energy in the world market is the economic efficiency of nuclear power plants.


2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Burchard-Dziubińska

The text analyses the influence of the EU climate policy on the competitiveness pollution-generating of sectors of the Polish economy. Study of literature and the results of the questionnaire survey, carried out in 2008 in enterprises located in Poland and representing the steel, glass, aluminium and cement industries became a basis for formulating conclusions concerning the consequences of the climate policy already implemented and planned after 2012. The EU climate policy, particularly the common system of emission allowances trade, makes the enterprises face new developmental barriers. The expected increase in production costs will not only slow down the production dynamics, but may also entail lowering the competitiveness of Polish companies compared to companies from outside the EU, to which the greenhouse gasses emission limits do not apply. Adverse consequences for employment and for regional development should also be considered indisputable. If that was accompanied by an emission leakage outside the EU, achieving the global purposes of the climate policy would also become questionable. The businesses surveyed represent industries which are pollution generators by their nature and even ecologically-oriented technological progress is incapable of ensuring considerable emission reductions without general switching of the economy to renewable energy sources.


MRS Bulletin ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siegfried S. Hecker

Raj et al. describe the promise of nuclear energy as a sustainable, affordable, and carbon-free source available this century on a scale that can help meet the world's growing need for energy and help slow the pace of global climate change. However, the factor of millions gain in energy release from nuclear fssion compared to all conventional energy sources that tap the energy of electrons (Figure 1) has also been used to create explosives of unprecedented lethality and, hence, poses a serious challenge to the expansion of nuclear energy worldwide. Although the end of the cold war has eliminated the threat of annihilating humanity, the likelihood of a devastating nuclear attack has increased as more nations, subnational groups, and terrorists seek to acquire nuclear weapons.


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