World Will Need Nuclear Energy, Concludes US Report
Written by NucNet
Monday, 15 October 2007
15 Oct (NucNet): The world "will need all economic, environmentally
responsible energy sources," including nuclear energy, to ensure an
adequate, reliable energy supply, the US National Petroleum Council
concluded in a report released last week.
US energy secretary Samuel Bodman requested the report, "Facing the Hard Truths About Energy," to consider the future of oil and natural gas until 2030 in the context of the global energy system. The study relies on data from International Energy Agency and Energy Information Administration energy outlooks.
While fossil fuels "will remain indispensable to meeting total projected energy demand growth," the council said the US also must expand its use of nuclear energy, biomass and renewable energy sources.
Global energy demand will increase by 50 percent to 60 percent by 2030. Political hurdles, infrastructure requirements and limited availability of trained energy-sector workers will strain the ability to meet this demand, the council said.
Additionally, "policies aimed at curbing carbon dioxide emissions will alter the energy mix and increase energy-related costs." Therefore, "actions must be initiated now and sustained over the long term," the council recommended.
With the current forecasts for nuclear energy growth, it is believed that there is sufficient uranium as fuel and that the infrastructure could be constructed to support that level of growth.
"If growth is significantly higher than forecast, there is a possibility that the supply chain for critical nuclear components will need additional time to increase their manufacture," the council said.
The report can be downloaded free from a special National Petroleum Council website (www.npchardtruthsreport.org)
Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
New Climate Change Report Considers 'Widespread Development Of Nuclear' (News No. 166, 11 July 2007)
Global Uranium Reserves 'More Than Adequate' Beyond 2030 (News in Brief No. 24, 6 September 2007)
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