Navigating the Path of Least Resistance to Sustainable, Widespread Adoption of Nuclear Power

Alistair F. Holdsworth () and Edmund Ireland
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Alistair F. Holdsworth: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Edmund Ireland: Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Civil Engineering (MACE), University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: With climate change rapidly accelerating, we must seriously reconsider our inconsistent and, at times, disjointed approach to energy grid decarbonisation by applying extant low-carbon technologies rapidly and at scale rather than continuing to rely on fossil fuel generation. In contrast to more transient renewables such as wind and solar energy, nuclear power is capable of reliably generating large quantities of baseload low-carbon energy. Despite this advantage, however, deployment has stagnated due to a combination of high costs, safety concerns, and an unwillingness of political authorities to commit to a large-scale, publicly funded program. The focus on private sector leadership in R&D has resulted in a smorgasbord of under-developed and conceptual reactor and fuel cycle technologies, many of which are a decade or more from commercial viability. Meanwhile, the aforementioned political issues have prevented the necessary long-term funding, incentivisation, or provision of the necessary market structures for the significant construction of actual generating plants. With this in mind, we present a potential path to a long-term sustainable approach to the nuclear fuel cycle, highlighting key reactor and fuel cycle technologies and providing an overview of how these should be implemented. Additionally, we discuss the industrial, political, and societal changes needed to achieve this through the comprehensive management of both waste and resources.

Keywords: nuclear fuel cycle; reactor; reprocessing; waste management; sustainability; resource management; circular economy; climate change; Net Zero; decarbonisation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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