DOCSLIB.ORG

Impacts of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident on Nuclear Development Policies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Impacts of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident on Nuclear Development Policies Nuclear Development 2017 Impacts of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident on Nuclear Development Policies NEA Nuclear Development Impacts of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident on Nuclear Development Policies © OECD 2017 NEA No. 7212 NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 35 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was established on 1 February 1958. Current NEA membership consists of 31 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency also take part in the work of the Agency. The mission of the NEA is: – to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes; – to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues, as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD policy analyses in areas such as energy and sustainable development. Specific areas of competence of the NEA include the safety and regulation of nuclear activities, radioactive waste management, radiological protection, nuclear science, economic and technical analyses of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear law and liability, and public information. The NEA Data Bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found online at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2017 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of the OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) [email protected]. Cover photos: Tsunami at Fukushima Daini (TEPCO); Industrial wind installation (Carlos Castilla, Shutterstock); Placement of first AP1000 steam generator at Virgil C. Summer unit 2, United States (SCE&G). FOREWORD Foreword In October 2012, the NEA Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC) endorsed a proposal to include the “Impacts of Fukushima on Nuclear Development Policies” project in the 2013-2014 Programme of Work for the NEA Division of Nuclear Development (DEV) in an effort to review changes in nuclear energy policies following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP). Such an assessment would provide insight not only into the current trajectory of nuclear power development but also into the likelihood of meeting rising energy demand to 2025 and beyond, while achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals and the important policy goal of decarbonising electricity generation. Keeping abreast of policy changes is important for NEA member countries, in particular those with nuclear power programmes, reactor vendors and associated businesses. Since most must also make decisions on commitments to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, on the need to replace ageing electricity generating facilities and on energy security of supply concerns, it is important for them to be up-to- date on developments in nuclear power in other countries so as to inform their own decision making. It became clear as time progressed after the March 2011 accident that a few key countries would not be able to finalise policy responses to the accident for some time, and thus the NDC agreed to extend the study to cover approximately a six-year period following the accident. Today, policies in the majority of countries with nuclear power remain unchanged. In some countries, the changes in nuclear energy policies are evident, whereas in others they are much less so. Clearly, policy changes driven by the Fukushima Daiichi accident have slowed the development of nuclear energy, but countries’ policy re-evaluations of nuclear power linked to the accident generally appear to have subsided. Other factors, in particular abundant, low-cost natural gas (mainly in the United States), ambitious targets for developing variable renewable energy generation, the risk averse investment climate persisting since the global financial crisis in 2008, the low demand for and price of electricity in many developed countries and the challenges of investing in thermal electricity generating facilities of any kind in liberalised markets (particularly in Europe and in some areas of the United States), appear to be the main factors affecting investment decisions for nuclear power projects in many parts of the world today. This uncertainty and inherent risk context offers a more likely explanation to why projections for nuclear development have tended to decrease, for instance, the 2035 projections of the NEA/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Uranium: Resources, Production and Demand (the “Red Book”) or the two-degree scenario (2DS) projections of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy Technology Perspectives. IMPACTS OF THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI ACCIDENT ON NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, NEA No. 7212, © OECD 2017 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements This report was produced under the auspices of the NEA Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC). It was drafted by Mr Robert Vance and Mr David Henderson, former and current staff of the NEA Division of Nuclear Development, from a review of news articles, press releases and from member country contributions to two series of publications: Uranium: Resources, Production and Demand and Nuclear Energy Data, the former of which also includes data contributed by IAEA member states. Information on installed capacity was taken primarily from the IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS). The contribution of Mr Laurie Moore, who provided editorial assistance throughout the preparation of the report, is also gratefully acknowledged. 4 IMPACTS OF THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI ACCIDENT ON NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, NEA No. 7212, © OECD 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents List of abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................................7 Executive summary ........................................................................................................................9 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................17 Regional policy responses ...........................................................................................................19 East Asia ......................................................................................................................................19 Southeast Asia ............................................................................................................................27 Middle East, Central and South Asia .......................................................................................30 European Union .........................................................................................................................38
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Taiwanese Sovereignty & the United States' Strategic
    TAIWANESE SOVEREIGNTY & THE UNITED STATES’ STRATEGIC DETERRENCE OF CHINA Brent A. Alves Captain, United States Air Force Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for AIR UNIVERSITY ADVANCED RESEARCH PROGRAM NEXT GENERATION INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE In part of SQUADRON OFFICER SCHOOL VIRTUAL – IN RESIDENCE CLASS 21D AIR UNIVERSITY MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE May 2021 Dislcaimer: “Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US Government agency.” Abstract Since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, the United States has maintained a rather complex relationship between the governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (China). Recently, Beijing has taken an increasingly aggressive stance towards Taipei with their “One China Principle”. Under the “One China Principle”, the end goal is the reunification of China under the government of the PRC. With the aim of preserving regional stability in the Indo-Pacific, the United States and its allies require innovative, as well as traditional solutions. This paper explores the solutions that the United States could employ to maintain regional stability, as well as geopolitical ties in the region. Introduction Historically, the United States has sustained a healthy level of strategic dominance regarding deterrence and China in the INDOPACOM (Indo-Pacific Command) region. However, China has experienced tremendous economic growth over the past two decades, which has led to their defense budget growing by approximately 640 percent between 1996 and 2014.1 As China continues to grow economically and militarily, dominance is no longer a necessary condition for deterrence.2 Rather than focusing on dominance, it is necessary for the United States to employ other forms of deterrence with its new-peer competitors.
    [Show full text]
  • Learning from Fukushima: Nuclear Power in East Asia
    LEARNING FROM FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER IN EAST ASIA LEARNING FROM FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER IN EAST ASIA EDITED BY PETER VAN NESS AND MEL GURTOV WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANDREW BLAKERS, MELY CABALLERO-ANTHONY, GLORIA KUANG-JUNG HSU, AMY KING, DOUG KOPLOW, ANDERS P. MØLLER, TIMOTHY A. MOUSSEAU, M. V. RAMANA, LAUREN RICHARDSON, KALMAN A. ROBERTSON, TILMAN A. RUFF, CHRISTINA STUART, TATSUJIRO SUZUKI, AND JULIUS CESAR I. TRAJANO Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Learning from Fukushima : nuclear power in East Asia / Peter Van Ness, Mel Gurtov, editors. ISBN: 9781760461393 (paperback) 9781760461409 (ebook) Subjects: Nuclear power plants--East Asia. Nuclear power plants--Risk assessment--East Asia. Nuclear power plants--Health aspects--East Asia. Nuclear power plants--East Asia--Evaluation. Other Creators/Contributors: Van Ness, Peter, editor. Gurtov, Melvin, editor. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU Press. Cover image: ‘Fukushima apple tree’ by Kristian Laemmle-Ruff. Near Fukushima City, 60 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, February 2014. The number in the artwork is the radioactivity level measured in the orchard—2.166 microsieverts per hour, around 20 times normal background radiation. This edition © 2017 ANU Press Contents Figures . vii Tables . ix Acronyms and abbreviations .
    [Show full text]
  • The Regulatory Control of Radioactive Waste
    RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENTAND DECOMMISSIONING IN ITALY 1. NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGEMENT AND REGULATION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND DECOMMISSIONING 1.1 National Framework 1.1.1 Overview of national policy Commercial utilisation of nuclear power in Italy started in 1963 and by 1981 four nuclear power plants, namely the NPPs of Garigliano (BWR), Latina (MAGNOX), Trino (PWR) and Caorso (BWR), and a LEU fuel fabrication installation (Bosco Marengo S.p.A.) had been commissioned. During that period the Nuclear Energy Research Agency (CNEN) – now the Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) - developed an extensive R&D programme on the nuclear fuel cycle with the operation of experimental fuel cycle installations (e.g. ITREC and EUREX). The three NPPs of Latina, Trino and Caorso continued to be operated until 1987, when they were definitely shut down based on a governmental decision which interpreted the results of a national referendum, called upon after the Chernobyl accident, as the will to abandon the nuclear option. The NPP of Garigliano had been already shut down in 1978, for technical reasons. At the same time the nuclear programme was cancelled, the Interministerial Committee for the Economical Planning (CIPE) required the National Electricity Company (ENEL S.p.A.) to start the decommissioning of the NPPs and a “Safe storage” (IAEA level 1/2) option was initially adopted. In 1999, all ENEL S.p.A. liabilities and assets connected to nuclear power were assigned to a newly established company, named Sogin (Società Gestione Impianti Nucleari) S.p.A., whose shareholder is the Ministry of Economy and Finance, while the Ministry of Economic Development gives the strategic and operational objectives.
    [Show full text]
  • Interim Financial Report at March 31, 2009
    INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT AT MARCH 31, 2009 INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT AT MARCH 31, 2009 Contents INTERIM REPORT ON OPERATIONS INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AT MARCH 31, 2009 STATEMENTS AT MARCH 31, 2009 6 The Enel structure 64 Condensed Consolidated Income Statement 7 Foreword 65 Statement of total recognized income/(expenses) for the Period 8 Summary of results 66 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet 10 Significant events in the 1st Quarter of 2009 67 Statement of Changes in Consolidated Shareholders’ Equity 13 Outlook 68 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 14 Regulatory and rate issues 69 Notes to the interim consolidated financial statements 32 Operating review at March 31, 2009 35 Results by Division 39 – Sales 41 – Generation and Energy Management 44 – Engineering and Innovation 45 – Infrastructure and Networks 47 – Iberia and Latin America REPORTS 50 – International 54 – Renewable Energy 57 – Parent Company, Services and Other Activities 94 Report of the Independent Auditors 59 Operating performance and financial position 4 Interim report on operations 5 at March 31, 2009 6 The Enel structure Corporate Enel SpA Sales Generation and Engineering Infrastructure Energy Management and Innovation and Networks Enel Servizio Elettrico Enel Produzione Enel Produzione Enel Distribuzione Enel Energia Enel Trade Enel Rete Gas Vallenergie Enel Trade Hungary Enel Sole Enel Trade Romania Deval Nuove Energie Enel Linee Alta Tensione (1) Hydro Dolomiti Enel Enel Stoccaggi Iberia and Latin America International Renewable Energy Services
    [Show full text]
  • CNS Fifth Italian National Report
    Convention on Nuclear Safety Sixth Italian National Report 2013 Convention on Nuclear Safety Sixth Italian National Report 2013 This National Report has been prepared on behalf of the Italian Government by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................5 SECTION B. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................11 Introductory Remarks .................................................................................................................... 11 Italy’s Nuclear Activities Policy .................................................................................................... 11 Policy Developments ..................................................................................................................... 14 Decommissioning policy .................................................................................................................................. 14 Spent fuel management policy......................................................................................................................... 14 Radioactive waste management policy............................................................................................................ 15 List of Nuclear Installations in Italy.............................................................................................. 18 Italian Participation
    [Show full text]
  • The Decommissioning of the Latina Nuclear Power Plant
    WM’01 Conference, February 25-March 1, 2001, Tucson, AZ THE DECOMMISSIONING OF THE LATINA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT G. Bolla, Eur Ing. Director, Plant Activities Co-ordination, Sogin, Italy. E. Macci, Eur. Ing. Decommissioning Planning Manager, Sogin, Italy. J. F. D. Craik, C. Eng Decommissioning Manager - Bradwell & Hinkley A, BNFL, UK P. Walkden, Ph.D., C Eng. Development Manger, BNFL, UK ABSTRACT Following a referendum in Italy in the late 1980s, the four nuclear power stations owned and operated by the state utility ENEL were closed down. During the late 1990s, twin decisions were made to privatise ENEL and to transform the nuclear division of ENEL into a separate subsidiary of the ENEL group. This group was renamed Sogin and during the past year, the shares in the company have been transferred from ENEL to the Italian Treasury. After agreeing to close the Italian NPPs, ENEL selected a “safestore” decommissioning strategy; anticipating a safestore period of some 40-50 years. This approach was consistent with the funds collected by ENEL during plant operation, and was reinforced by the lack of both a LLW repository and an unambiguous set of clearance limits for the free release of contaminated materials in Italy. On formation, Sogin was asked by the Italian government to review the national decommissioning strategy. The objective of the review was to move from a safestore strategy to a prompt decommissioning strategy, with the target of releasing all of the nuclear sites by 2020. It was recognised that this target was conditional upon the availability of a national LLW repository together with interim stores for both spent fuel and HLW by 2009.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Beautiful
    photovoltaics pv parks in italy Highly symbolic location: where once a nuclear power plant was planned, today PV modules produce clean and sustainable energy. Photos (2): SMA Italia isBig beautiful In December 2009, one of the largest solar parks wants to re-introduce nuclear power in Italy in an att- empt to reduce energy costs, which are definitively in Italy was inaugurated in Montalto di Castro, the highest in all of Western Europe at the very least. The solar power plant project started in 2008, Tuscany. In early June 2010 an extension was while the installation work started in February 2009. announced: the project is now scheduled to grow The environmental benefits are impressive; the park will produce electricity for more than 13,000 Italian to 100 MW by the end of 2010. families, and there will be a cut of more than 22,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to planting more than two mil- hile the 24 MW PV park in Montalto di Cas- lion trees. tro today has a capacity to produce The added value of the project is represented by W40,000 MWh per year, its extension will the strong collaboration between two big players, make it a competitor to the SunEdison solar park namely SMA and Sunpower, which collaborated to (72 MW) near Rovigo, Veneto region, to become the put up the solar park and connect it to the grid, over- biggest solar park in Italy. The Montalto di Castro coming all the administrative and bureaucratic prob- plant is sited near a nuclear power plant, whose con- lems they faced due to the size of the project.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Environmental Ngos in Tackling Environmental Problems in Taiwan Yttrium Sua Pomona College
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont Pomona Senior Theses Pomona Student Scholarship 2015 Bridging the Blue-Green Divide: The Role of Environmental NGOs in Tackling Environmental Problems in Taiwan Yttrium Sua Pomona College Recommended Citation Sua, Yttrium, "Bridging the Blue-Green Divide: The Role of Environmental NGOs in Tackling Environmental Problems in Taiwan" (2015). Pomona Senior Theses. Paper 133. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/133 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Pomona Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pomona Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Bridging the Blue-Green Divide: The Role of Environmental NGOs in Tackling Environmental Problems in Taiwan Yttrium Sua In partial fulfillment of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Analysis, 2014-2015 academic year, Pomona College, Claremont, California Readers: Professor William Ascher & Professor Melinda Herrold-Menzies Acknowledgements Many thanks to… The Schulz Fund for Environmental Studies, funded by Jean Shulz, for funding my sophomore year summer research The Pomona College Summer Funding Internship Program for funding my junior year summer internship Professor William Ascher, Professor Melinda Herrold-Menzies, Professor Char Miller, and Professor Dru Gladney for the constant guidance and mentoring throughout the thesis writing process All my interviewees,
    [Show full text]
  • CNS Fifth Italian National Report
    Convention on Nuclear Safety Seventh Italian National Report 2016 Convention on Nuclear Safety Seventh Italian National Report 2016 This National Report has been prepared on behalf of the Italian Government by the Nuclear, Technological and Industrial Risk Department of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), which carries out the functions of national competent regulatory authority for nuclear safety and radiation protection TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 9 Introductory Remarks .................................................................................................................... 11 Italy’s Nuclear Activities Policy .................................................................................................... 11 Policy Developments ..................................................................................................................... 14 Decommissioning policy .................................................................................................................................. 14 Spent fuel management policy ......................................................................................................................... 16 Radioactive waste management policy ............................................................................................................ 16 Institutional and regulatory framework ............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Taiwan's 2014 Nine-In-One Election
    TAIWAN’S 2014 NINE-IN-ONE ELECTION: GAUGING POLITICS, THE PARTIES, AND FUTURE LEADERS By John F. Copper* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .................................. 2 II. PAN-GREEN’S HANDICAPS ...................... 6 III. PAN-BLUE’S TRAVAILS ........................... 17 IV. PRE-ELECTION POLITICS ........................ 28 A. State of the Economy ............................ 28 B. Sunflower Student Movement ................... 31 C. Gas Explosion in Kaohsiung and Bad Cooking Oil Incidents ..................................... 36 V. THE CANDIDATES AND THE CAMPAIGN ..... 39 A. Taipei Mayor Race: Sean Lien v. KO Wen-je .... 44 B. Taichung Mayor Race: Jason Hu v. LIN Chia- Lung . ............................................ 48 C. Predictions of Other Elections ................... 50 D. How Different Factors May Have Influenced Voting ........................................... 50 VI. THE ELECTION RESULTS ........................ 51 A. Taipei City Mayoral Election Results ............ 53 B. Taichung Mayoral Election Results .............. 55 C. New Taipei Mayoral, Taoyuan Mayoral and Other Election Results ................................. 56 D. Main Reasons Cited Locally for the DPP Win and KMT Defeat ................................ 59 E. Reaction and Interpretation of the Election by the Media and Officialdom in Other Countries . 61 VII. CONCLUSIONS ......... ........................... 64 A. Consequences of This Election in Terms of Its Impact on Taiwan’s Future ...................... 70 * John F. Copper is the Stanley J. Buckman Professor of International Studies (emeritus) at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the author of a number of books on Taiwan, including Taiwan’s Democracy on Trial in 2010, Taiwan: Nation-State or Province? Sixth edition in 2013 and The KMT Returns to Power: Elections in Taiwan 2008 to 2012 (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2013). He has written on Taiwan’s elections since 1980. (1) 2 CONTEMPORARY ASIAN STUDIES SERIES B.
    [Show full text]
  • Asia's Emerging Nuclear Era: Climate Strategies & Implications for U.S
    Asia's Emerging Nuclear Era: Climate Strategies & Implications for U.S. Policy Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies Task Force: 2011 $VLD¶V(PHUJLQJ1XFOHDU(UD Climate Strategies & Implications for U.S. Policy Task Force Report 2011 Task Force Advisor: Scott L. Montgomery Task Force Evaluator: Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. Task Force Members: Chantal Anderson Kristina Backstrom Heather Early Sylvia Gozdek Alyssa Hunt Emilia Jones Andrew Kim Kimberly Kuo Sandy Lee Christan Leonard (Editor) Darren Levin (Editor) Ann Pederson Mbasireh Saidybah Alexandra Sawyer Brandon Skyles Nikki Thompson (Coordinator) Michelle Tong Asia’s Emerging Nuclear Era: Climate Strategies and Implications for U.S. Policy Policy Brief Background: Earth‘s climate is changing rapidly. Two centuries of burning fossil fuels have increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This has led to elevated mean near-surface temperatures, rising sea levels, and acidification of the oceans. As the harmful effects of climate change become more apparent, many nations are turning to nuclear power as a viable option to meet rising demands for electricity with minimal carbon emissions. Concentrated in Asia, where hundreds of new reactors will be built in the next few decades, the new era of nuclear power expansion is underway. A nuclear power plant has not been built in the U.S. in over 30 years, suggesting America may be falling behind in nuclear technology. The American public has a largely negative perception of nuclear power due to past accidents at Chernobyl and Three-Mile Island. In the post 9/11 world, Americans are also particularly concerned about national security and the threat of nuclear terrorism.
    [Show full text]
  • Energy Policies of IEA Countries
    Energy Policies of IEA Countries Please note that this PDF is subject to specific restrictions that limit its use and distribution. The terms and conditions are available online at www.iea.org/about/copyright.asp ITALY 2009 Review Energy Policies of IEA Countries ITALY 2009 Review The Italian government has made substantial progress in a number of sectors since the last IEA in-depth energy policy review in 2003. The success of the green certificate and white certificate schemes and continued reform of the electricity and natural gas supply markets are just a few examples and build on the recommendations contained in the previous review. Nonetheless, many challenges remain. Italy recognises the need to diversify its energy supply portfolio to reduce its heavy dependence on fossil fuels and electricity imports, and to decrease its growing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2008, the government announced its intention to recommence the country's nuclear power programme and start building a new nuclear power plant by 2013. To do so, Italy must first develop an efficient process for identifying critical energy infrastructure, including nuclear power, and subjecting it to an effective, streamlined siting and permitting process. Italy will face another major challenge in complying with Europe’s new climate and energy package, particularly in relation to renewable energy and emissions targets. The government must step up efforts to comply with its new responsibilities, specifically by developing and putting in place a comprehensive climate change strategy for the years until 2020. In mid-2009, the legislature enacted a wide-ranging new law that will facilitate the emergence of a robust long-term energy policy.
    [Show full text]