POLICY-MAKERS DISCUSS THE FUTURE FOR
NUCLEAR POWER IN THE OECD
Energy policy-makers from 20 OECD
Member countries met in Paris to assess the long-range implications of
the current trends in nuclear power for energy policy and the nuclear
energy industry.
The one and half day meeting, called
"Business as Usual and Nuclear Power", draws its name from the
"Business as Usual" projection of the International Energy Agency’s
(IEA) publication "World Energy Outlook". This projection suggests
that if current trends continue, world nuclear power output in 2020 will
remain at about the level of 1995; but as a proportion of total electricity
generated, nuclear power’s share will have more than halved. Within the
OECD itself, nuclear power production in 2020 will be below the level
of 1995.
The meeting, organised jointly by the
IEA and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), both based in Paris, was
chaired by Nemesio Fernández-Cuesta, the former Secretary of State
for Energy in Spain, and currently President of one of the most important
publishing groups in Spain.
Presentations
were made by officials from OECD countries with widely differing policies
regarding nuclear power. A select group of industry invitees addressed
the implications for industry and what they saw as the role for governments.>
Among the major issues addressed were
the impacts of this trend on:
OECD energy security – particularly the diversity
of fuels
Economics of power generation and replacement sources
Environmental implications of reduced use of nuclear
power and increased use of its replacement sources
The institutional challenges for nuclear safety regulators
Maintaining the necessary industrial and educational
infrastructure for nuclear power
The proceedings of the meeting will
be published early next year.
In summarising the findings of the meeting,
Mr Fernández-Cuesta said the meeting had given participants a better
appreciation of the issues facing governments as they consider the most
appropriate role for nuclear energy. He recognised that there is no option
without hurdles or controversy. He encouraged both organisations to pursue
similar joint efforts in order to stimulate informed dialogue and suggested
that non-OECD countries should be brought into the process.
Robert Priddle, Executive Director of
the IEA, stated that "any policy decision regarding the place of
nuclear power in future energy supply must be made with full awareness
of its implications for energy security, economic efficiency and environmental
sustainability".
Luis Echávarri, Director-General
of the NEA, stressed that energy policy decisions need to be taken in
the light of sound, informed and unbiased information on all the options
available, including that of nuclear energy.
The IEA is the forum for energy co-operation
among 24 OECD Member countries. The Agency maintains an emergency system
for dealing with oil supply disruptions and a regular flow of information
and analysis on other forms of energy. It promotes rational energy policies,
the development of alternative energy sources and increased efficiency
of energy use. It also works to strengthen the link between environment
and energy policies, especially on the issue of climate change.
The primary objective of the NEA is
to foster co-operation among the governments of its 27 Member countries
in the use of nuclear power as an economic, environmentally benign and
safe energy source. The main priorities of the NEA include nuclear safety
and regulation, radioactive waste management, radiation protection, as
well as nuclear science, economics and technology, and nuclear law and
liability.
