Kromek Civil Nuclear Newsletter

Nuclear Power -

what's been and what's next?

A whistle-stop tour of where nuclear power began, where it has gone and where it is heading now

Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman first discovered Nuclear Fission in 1938 by by bombarding elements with neutrons. Now, Nuclear Fission is used worldwide to generate nuclear power.

The current global landscape of Nuclear Power is varied. Many countries including Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Austria are phasing it out. Costs, time to build, lack of human resources and concerns surrounding disposal of nuclear waste serve as hurdles to the use and expansion of nuclear power in these parts of the world. The incidents at Three Mile Island in 1979 and Chernobyl in 1986 also altered public and government perception of Nuclear Power.

However, other countries such as the United States, France, the UK and China seek to expand their Nuclear Power capabilities, with Bulgaria, Czechia, Romania, Slovakia and Poland also looking to make it a considerable part of their energy mix

There are three main reasons for the resurgence of Nuclear Power in these countries: 

1. Projections of large increases in demand for electricity
2. Increased attention towards energy security whereby individual countries can maintain national access to affordable energy and dispatchable energy to always meet demands
3. Climate change concerns resulting in many countries looking to low-carbon sources of electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 

In 2023, nuclear power provided 10% of the world’s electricity, and the International Atomic Energy Agency predicts global nuclear energy capacity will more than double by 2050. New nuclear technologies such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are also being developed.

Even though some countries are no longer pursuing nuclear power, it still is and will remain a significant part of the global energy mix. With these new developments in nuclear power alongside rising geopolitical tension, the importance of nuclear safety remains as significant as ever. Chernobyl, Fukushima and other past incidents demonstrate the long and short-term consequences - whether physical, political or psychological - that result from nuclear incidents.

So, what needs to be done?

Delivering accurate, up-to-date data from early warning systems to remote decision-makers on local, national and international scales enables prepared responses to rapidly be set in motion. A suitable public message can be delivered to reduce panic. The appropriate action can also be taken to decrease human and environmental health risks, protect key infrastructure and minimise the spread of contamination.