New US Nuclear Plants Should Be 'Highest Priority', Says Report
Written by NucNet
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
NucNet News No. 232
30 Oct (NucNet): The research and development component of the US
Department of Energy's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) should
not proceed at its current pace, says a new report from a National
Academy of Sciences panel.
Instead, the DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, of which GNEP is a part, should assign the "highest priority" to starting new commercial nuclear power plants in the US, a programme that according to the panel is falling behind schedule due to funding gaps.
The technologies needed for achieving GNEP's goals are "too early in development" to justify the DOE's accelerated schedule for construction of commercial facilities that would use these technologies, the panel said.
Although one of the GNEP's goals is to reduce the overall amount of radioactive waste, which would in turn decrease the need for a second geological repository in addition to Yucca Mountain, the panel said it was not clear that such a need exists.
The Office of Nuclear Energy should place greater emphasis on the Nuclear Power 2010 programme, the panel said. Key elements of this programme include identifying sites for new nuclear power plants, completing the design engineering of advanced light water reactors, and helping the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in its efforts to grant construction and operating licences in one action.
"If nuclear power is indeed going to play an increased role in meeting US energy needs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Nuclear Power 2010 needs full funding in all aspects of the programme, the panel's report says. "While an increase in funding has been proposed in the administration's fiscal year 2008 budget, it would not be enough for the programme to meet all of its goals."
The panel also found that the Generation IV programme is unlikely to achieve its goal of having a next-generation nuclear power plant in operation by 2017 because of the focus on the GNEP.
