The supply-demand imbalance caused by the Kovid-19 epidemic turned into a large-scale energy crisis, especially in Europe and Asia. Price shocks due to supply-demand imbalance were followed by supply constraints triggered by the Russia-Ukraine War.
OIL AND NATURAL GAS WILL SHAKE THE Throne
Since the beginning of the war, the embargo decisions of Western countries on energy imports from Russia and the problems experienced in the flow of gas and oil from Russia to Europe lead countries to seek new energy sources and routes.
Nuclear energy, which is considered as a low-carbon energy source that will contribute to the reduction of countries’ dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, stands out in this pursuit.
While the European Union (EU) countries reevaluate their plans for nuclear power plants that they plan to close within the scope of their commitments to combat climate change, many countries, especially the UK, France, USA, Canada and China, are trying to implement their new and first-of-its-kind investment plans in nuclear energy. getting ready.
MINI NUCLEAR REACTORS
According to the information received by the AA correspondent from the London-based World Nuclear Association (WNA), Belgium, which meets about 25 percent of its electricity needs from nuclear power plants, was among the first countries to decide to postpone its nuclear reactors decommissioning plan. In Germany, which has gradually closed its nuclear power plants for the last 10 years, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz has proposed to delay the closure of the remaining three reactors.
While the USA and Canada invested in developing mini-modular nuclear reactor (SMR) technologies, the United Kingdom included new generation nuclear reactor investments in its Energy Security Strategy announced in April. Under this plan, £1.7 billion of direct public funding has been committed, £100m for the development of the Sizewell C project, £210m for the development of Rolls Royce and SMR technologies, and £120m for new nuclear projects.
Project development permission was granted at the end of July for Sizewell C, which will meet the electricity needs of approximately 6 million households.
CHINA AIMS TO BE THE “BIGEST OF NUCLEAR”
France, which meets 70 percent of its electricity needs from nuclear, has announced its plan to build 14 new nuclear reactors and invest 1 billion euros in SMR technologies until 2050.
While the Netherlands is planning 2 new nuclear reactor investments, Poland is working on large and mini-scale nuclear reactor investments.
Egypt, which started the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Africa, stands out as the second country in the continent to produce electricity from nuclear power after South Africa. Egypt’s first nuclear power plant Dabaa, to be built by the Russian State Atomic Energy Agency (ROSATOM), will consist of 4 units, each with a capacity of 1200 megawatts.
TURKEY STARTED THE GIANT PROJECT
In the Asian continent, China stands out in new nuclear energy investments. By building 6 to 8 nuclear reactors each year, China aims to have the world’s largest capacity in this field by 2030. South Korea, which has disabled its nuclear exit strategy, plans to build 10 new nuclear reactors by 2030.
The first unit of Akkuyu, which is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, is planned to be operational next year.
NUCLEAR’S SHARE IN GLOBAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION 10 PERCENT
According to WNA data, 10 percent of global electricity production last year came from nuclear power. Electricity generation from nuclear power plants in the world increased by 300 terawatt hours (13 percent) last year compared to 10 years ago, and a significant part of this growth took place in Asia.
As of the end of 2021, the installed power of 436 nuclear reactors in operation in the world is 396 gigawatts.
144 of these reactors are in Asia, 119 in Western and Central Europe, 113 in North America, 53 in Eastern Europe and Russia, 5 in South America and 2 in Africa. is also included.
According to International Energy Agency data, nuclear power is the second largest source of low-carbon energy in the world after hydropower, but 63 percent of current nuclear electricity production comes from power plants older than 30 years.