Brussels, 11/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The record low in electricity produced from nuclear power in 2012 and the rapid ageing of nuclear plants provide further grist to the mill of ecologists.
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013 was drawn up by a team of six experts from France, Japan and the UK, under the direction of the independent nuclear expert, Mycle Schneider. On 11 July it was presented to the European Parliament by Greens-EFA representatives Rebecca Harms and Yannick Jadot. The report highlights the record low in electricity production from nuclear power in the world in 2012, which fell by 7% compared to the 2011 level and by 12% compared to the 2006 peak. The current number of 427 nuclear power plants in operation worldwide is 17 fewer than in 2002. The authors of the report said this decline was due to the closure of a significant number of Japanese nuclear power plants after the Fukushima disaster, and the reduction in nuclear power in other major nuclear energy producing countries, in favour of renewable energy sources.
Harms said: “Once again, this report shows the glaring gap between the promises of the nuclear lobby and the reality. Nuclear power is in steady decline.” She insisted that “the verdict is clear: nuclear is on its way out. The efforts of the nuclear enthusiasts to keep this technology in the energy mix come at a high price and still fail to stop the steady decline of nuclear around the world. It is high time to draw the political conclusions and focus efforts on sustainable, clean and safe energy solutions for the future - on energy savings, energy efficiency and renewables”. Jadot added that, “with the ongoing disaster in Fukushima, the myth of zero risk has collapsed in France. With the successive increases in electricity prices, the myth of cheap nuclear energy has also collapsed. Nuclear energy is expensive everywhere and private investors and banks are turning away from this sector”.
Green MEPs are also alarmed by age-onset of the reactors currently in operation and are concerned by the spiralling costs for many ongoing projects that are increasingly behind schedule. According to the report, estimated costs for new nuclear plants have increased over the past decade from $1000 to $7000 US for each kilowatt installed. At the same time, the costs for renewable energy installations are falling, emphasised Harms. The MEP asserted that “this is far from a nuclear renaissance - it looks instead like a very expensive attempt to keep an ailing technology alive”.
The Schneider Report also provides a shocking update on the situation at Fukushima, two years after the disaster in March 2011. Harms deplored the fact that “150,000 people remain in forced evacuation and it is becoming painfully clear that the situation at the reactor site is far from under control”. Over the past few weeks, the international press has also reported a significant increase in the number of incidents and a rapid rise in radioactivity in the disaster area. (EH/transl.fl)