POWER November 2021 - 40

COMMENTARY
Arun
Khuttan
A
Sophie
Zienkiewicz
Net-Zero Needs
Nuclear: Why Following
Science Is a Must to
Meet Climate Targets
rguing whether or not climate
change is " a thing " seems like it's
(thankfully) in our past. Climate
change is part of our lexicon and our
everyday habits are positively changing
to reflect a new sense of individual responsibility
and collective action toward
protecting our planet.
The pressure on governments and industry
is also at an all-time high. More
and more of our leaders are scrambling
to make ambitious targets to help keep
global temperatures well below a 2-degree-C
increase, as agreed at the Paris
climate summit (COP21) in 2015. As
COP26 begins, the world will be watching
to see whether negotiators and leaders
can separate fact from fiction and
truly follow the science.
Global energy needs are rapidly increasing.
Electricity demand alone is
projected to double in the next three decades.
However, a key question remains.
How can we effectively offer abundant
clean energy globally?
A recent Nuclear for Climate position
paper, authored by volunteers from the
UK Nuclear Institute's Young Generation
Network (YGN), brings together some of
the hard science on climate change mitigation
and the role of nuclear power. The
five key themes are explored below.
Nuclear Is a Proven and Effective
Low-Carbon Energy Source. The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) recognises the incredibly low lifetime
emissions of nuclear power and
shows it to be similar to that of wind and
hydropower. In fact, Swedish nuclear energy
last year was verified to have emissions
of 2.5 grams CO2
/kWh, making it one of
the cleanest energy sources in the world.
France, which produces approximately
three quarters of its electricity from nuclear
energy, has the lowest per capita
emissions of the seven largest industrialised
countries (G7). Many countries
that have shut down their nuclear power
plants have struggled to reduce their reliance
on polluting fossil fuels.
40
Nuclear Is Available, Scalable, and
Deployable. The consensus across major
international institutions, such as
the United Nations (UN), International
Energy Agency (IEA), Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development
Nuclear Energy Agency (OECDNEA),
and European Union, is that all
low-carbon technologies, including nuclear
energy, will need to be deployed
urgently and at scale in order to achieve
net-zero targets. As reflected in both
the IPCC's special 1.5C report and the
IEA's net-zero roadmap, primary energy
supply from nuclear power needs to
double by 2050 in order to meet our
climate commitments.
Nuclear Is a Flexible and Affordable
Source of Clean Energy. Nuclear
energy also brings huge system value.
Its dispatchability and reliability means
that it adds grid stability and predictability-a
feature taken for granted in
developed electricity grids. As such, it
circumvents the fatal trifecta as coined
by Meredith Angwin, " Over reliance on
renewables, just-in-time natural gas,
and imported electricity. "
But nuclear power is expensive, right?
Not really. The IEA and OECD-NEA recently
found that new nuclear power
remains the dispatchable, low-carbon
energy resource with the lowest expected
costs in 2025. If we also look at
France and Germany, France has 1/10th
the emissions of Germany thanks to the
large share of nuclear power, and one
quarter the cost in energy bills. We can
have our cake and eat it too.
Nuclear Delivers More Than Just
Low-Carbon Electricity. Hard to abate
sectors like aviation, steel manufacture,
and even polymer and plastic production
will require significant innovation before
reaching
carbon
neutrality. However,
with the hydrogen revolution on the horizon,
the challenge is reduced, but we
need firm, low-carbon energy, and nothing
fits the bill better than nuclear energy.
The heat from nuclear power plants
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also means it can offer low-carbon heating.
Believe it or not, district heating from
nuclear energy is already being delivered
in Switzerland and China. Furthermore,
nuclear-produced hydrogen can be used
in clean energy systems to add further
flexibility, meaning it can help work harmoniously
with intermittent renewables.
Nuclear Supports Inclusive and Sustainable
Global Development. Nuclear
energy is strongly aligned to the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and can be used to address energy poverty
by delivering clean energy globally,
supporting high living standards, good
health, a clean environment, and a sustainable
economy. According to the IEA,
new nuclear capacity of 15 GW is required
on average every year between
2020 and 2040 in order to meet its projected
SDG-aligned Sustainable Development
Scenario (SDS). In 2020, only 5
GW came online. We are behind!
This technology-neutral, scientific approach
is the request to leaders from the
next generation of climate activists. Follow
the science-net-zero needs nuclear.
Net Zero Needs Nuclear is an international
campaign being driven by the YGN,
a voluntary community of early career
individuals seeking to promote the benefits
of nuclear to a wider, more diverse
audience. The YGN is championing collaboration
with organisations outside the
nuclear sector, as well as hosting webinars,
speaking competitions at schools,
producing inspiring content, and having
a presence at COP26. In addition to
meeting with senior policymakers and
politicians, the team has a petition with
almost 5,000 signatories and a scientifically
underpinned position paper supported
by more than 100 organisations
representing 80,000 members on which
this article is based. ■
-Arun Khuttan volunteers his time to
being the COP26 lead for the Nuclear
Institute Young Generation Network
(YGN) and Sophie Zienkiewicz is
an active volunteer for the YGN.
POWER | November 2021
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POWER November 2021

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