Bangkok--21 Dec--Total Quality PR
At the climate change meeting in Paris last year Thailand gave a promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 to 25% by 2030. The Paris agreement will come into effect in 2020, empowering all countries to act to prevent average global temperatures rising above 2 degrees Celsius. According to scientists, a global temperature elevation by 1.5°C, would kill 18% of the world's species, and if it goes beyond 2°C, sea levels are expected to rise by 7 meters, resulting in further catastrophes. Experts think that to fulfill its promises Thailand should rethink its energy mix by introducing nuclear generation.
Energy is a fundamental input to economic activity, social development and welfare. Mainly driven by large, fast growing, emerging economies, global primary energy demand is projected to increase to nearly 18 gigatonnes of oil equivalent (Gtoe) by 2040 according to the New Policies Scenario of the International Energy Agency (IEA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). By contrast, meeting the 2°C target entails a 41% reduction in total energy related CO2 emissions and a 70% reduction in power sector emissions, said IAEA.
Seeking the optimal balance
Energy efficiency, transformation of the global energy mix by finding the optimal balance and integrating available types of renewable energy, nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, smart grids and new transport technologies can contribute in sustainable manner to curtailing greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting energy security and delivering wider environmental and social benefits.
Thus, one of the main challenges over the next decades will be to keep promoting socioeconomic development by providing safe, reliable and affordable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power is already among the energy sources and technologies available today that could help meet the climate–energy challenge.
Speaking at a press conference at the UNFCCC COP 22 climate change conference in Marrakech (7-18 November 2016), Agneta Rising, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, said: "Electricity is a vital part of our modern world. Full global access to reliable and affordable electricity supplies is essential. To meet the climate change objectives of the Paris agreement this must be achieved using all low carbon sources of electricity. Nuclear is a proven source of low carbon electricity.
It promotes the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development."
At the same event, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy CEO for Corporate Development and International Business at ROSATOM, Russian State Nuclear Energy Agency, noted that to meet world demand for electricity and tackle climate change there was a need to review the entire world energy supply with the aim to reduce carbon emissions."We believe that in these circumstances, the most effective solution is to expand the use of nuclear power generation", he said. "We are confident that the future of energy is a diversified balance of low-carbon technologies, providing affordability, security of supply and minimal environmental impact."
Greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power plants are negligible, and nuclear power, working in harmony together with other green energies, is among the lowest greenhouse gas emitters when emissions over the entire life cycle are considered.
Nuclear power plants advantages in terms of its low carbon, competitive and reliable character, scalable energy and climate change mitigation are an important reason why many countries intend to introduce nuclear power in the coming decades, or to expand existing programs.
"There is much pressure in the world to lower greenhouse gas emissions quickly due to global warming's impact on climate change, and nuclear energy generation, in this regards, can significantly reduce this pressure of global warming and climate change", said Doonyapong Wonsawaend, Assistant Professor at the Department of Nuclear Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University.
Members of the world's nuclear industry have considered a vision of making a goal of constructing 1000 GW of new nuclear capacity to be added by 2050, so that nuclear would supply about 25% of global electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association. Nuclear power has significantly contributed to climate change mitigation by avoiding nearly 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, specified IAEA in its 2016 Nuclear Technology Review.
Nuclear is the new green
A side event on low-carbon development, organized by the Russian government during the COP 22 climate change conference, provided a review of the potential role of nuclear power in mitigating global climate change; its contribution in resolving other energy supply concerns, and it has non-climatic environmental benefits. It also pointed out that nuclear power contributes and helps to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while delivering energy in the increasingly large quantities needed for growing populations and socioeconomic development. Nuclear power plants (NPPs) produce virtually no greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants during their operation and only very low emissions over their entire life cycle. Nuclear power fosters energy supply security and industrial development by providing electricity reliably at stable and foreseeable prices.
"We promote in Russia and abroad NPPs based of a VVER technology which is safe, mature and one of the most referenced globally", said Kirill Komarov. According to him, thanks to VVER (Russian variety of Pressurized Water Reactor) designed NPPs built in the world, approx. 15 Gigatonnes of CO2 hadn't been emitted globally. Such amount of ??2 could be emitted by 40 coal TPPs of 1 GWe (each) during 60 years. "The current contribution of nuclear to low carbon electricity generation in Russia is 48%. It is our contribution to the low-carbon future of the planet", said Komarov.
Agneta Rising said, "France, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada's province of Ontario, have all achieved more than 80% low carbon electricity generation by using nuclear energy in harmony with renewable. By using nuclear energy those countries have already achieved the kind of low carbon generation mixes that the whole world will have to adopt by 2050 if we are to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement."
Mr. Komarov emphasized that atomic energy and renewables can't be set against each other. "We are sure that the future of the energy industry is in diversified balance of low-carbon technologies that provide price affordability, safety of deliveries and minimum impact on the environment". In proof of his words Mr. Komarov told about current ROSATOM projects in wind power generation. The total amount of investments made by ROSATOM exceeds 1 billion euros.
"Nuclear power is beneficial and also a great choice for the future",thinks Dr. Sunchai Nilsuwankosit, Head of Department of Nuclear Engineering, Chulalongkorn University and Chairman of Academic Affairs Committee of Nuclear Society of Thailand. "It should be studied and considered"
For reference
UN Climate Change Conference (COP-22) took place from November 7-18, 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco. Around 20 thousand delegates participated in it. On December 12, 2015 at COP-21 conference in France the Paris Agreement were signed. Its purpose is to curb the increase in average temperature on the planet by 2100 by no more than 2 degrees Celsius in comparison with preindustrial era and to keep the growth of temperature within 1,5 degrees.