Publication Laka-library:
Climate Change: Assessment of the Vulnerability of Nuclear Power Plants and Approaches for their Adaptation (2021)
| Author | OECD, NEA |
 |
6-01-2-19-03.pdf |
| Date | 2021 |
| Classification | 6.01.2.19/03 (INFLUENCE OF GREENHOUSE EFFECT ON NUCLEAR POWER - INFLUENCE OF GREENHOUSE EFFECT ON NUCLEAR POWER) |
| Front |
From the publication:
Climate Change: Assessment of the Vulnerability of Nuclear Power Plants and Approaches for their Adaptation OECD 2021 NEA No. 7207 NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Executive summary For several decades the international community has voiced concern over the growing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), identified as a primary factor responsible for global warming and, more generally, climate change. The 2015 Paris Agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to limit global warming to well below 2°C. Climate scientists believe that failure to reduce anthropogenic emissions of GHG substantially may lead to disastrous impacts on the climate. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007, 2013 and 2014), the frequency and amplitude of heat waves and droughts are likely to increase in many parts of the world in the future, as are the frequency and intensity of storms, floods and cold spells. Concern over the possible consequences of this projected climate change has prompted calls to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to promote low-carbon energy sources. Climate conditions directly impact our energy systems. Thermal power plants such as fossil fuel and nuclear power plants will be affected by the reduction of water availability and the increased likelihood of heat waves, impacting the cooling capabilities of the plants and thus their power output. In the case of coal, its shipping transport can be disrupted by low levels in the waterways. Also, the increased use of variable renewable technologies (wind and solar photovoltaics), while desirable to reduce GHG emissions from the power sector, is likely to make electricity production and distribution systems more dependent on climatic conditions (IEA, 2020a). Regions and countries will not be affected by climate change in the same way. Some countries may benefit from it while others will see their energy supply security and reliability undermined. According to the IPCC (2014), the world remains ill- prepared for risks from a changing climate because of a lack of forethought and the high exposure to climatic hazards. The IPCC makes the case that these risks an be partly mitigated through adaptation measures. Nuclear energy is the largest source of low-carbon electricity in OECD countries, and the second-largest (behind hydro) at the world level, and plays an important role in future decarbonisation scenarios. This role has been recognised for a number of years, and was discussed in previous NEA publications (NEA, 2012, 2015, 2021) and in the International Energy Agency’s 2°C scenario (IEA, 2021) in a context of growing concern that GHG emissions cannot be reduced quickly enough (IEA, 2020b). Given the long operating period of nuclear reactors, with an initial design licence of 60 years for generation III designs, the possible impact of climate change on the safety and operation of nuclear power plants needs to be studied and addressed at design and siting stages to limit costly adaptation measures during operation. The availability of water for cooling will certainly become one of the major criteria for siting new large nuclear power plants. Existing reactors, on the other hand, may face more severe environmental and regulatory standards (e.g. post-Fukushima safety measures) requiring plant retrofits, especially if long-term operation is considered. In some cases, additional investments may be needed to cope with local variations in climatic and hydrological conditions exceeding initial design assumptions.