The future of nuclear is divided into two camps - here’s why
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Published 2023-05-02
As the price of oil increased, energy independence became a priority, and Germany started commissioning more nuclear reactors. By the end of the 1980s, around 29% of Germany’s energy supply came from nuclear.
It took the nuclear disasters in Chernobyl in 1986, which was then part of the Soviet Union, and Fukushima, Japan, in 2011 to shift German public opinion against nuclear energy.
Germany’s decision to end its reliance on nuclear energy made it reliant on Russian pipeline gas.
Even though the country’s anti-nuclear stance waned after Russia invaded Ukraine — which meant it could no longer count on Russian gas — Germany still pressed ahead to close its remaining nuclear reactors by April 2023.
In the U.K., however, the Ukraine war prompted a tighter embrace of nuclear for Britain to achieve its climate goals and improve energy security.
The UK’s first nuclear power station was built in the 1950s, but it was Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who, in the 1980s, proposed constructing a nuclear power station every year for a decade as part of the country’s industrial strategy.
That didn’t happen, but British public opinion, to this day, remains favorable. A study by market research firm YouGov in 2022 showed that almost half of Britons back the use of nuclear energy, compared with 31% who are opposed.
So, why are the two countries moving in different directions? Watch the video above to find out.
#CNBC #NuclearEnergy #NuclearPower #Nuclear
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All Comments (21)
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Decommissioning nuclear plants was and still is dumb
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Closing down nuclear plants, the cleanest of ALL energy sources, only to replace them with coal plants, the DIRTIEST of them all. Makes sense...
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The problem with "short-term loss for long-term gain" is twofold. One, short-term solutions often have a way of becoming longer and longer-term. Two, especially for governments, it's easy to make long-term plans for 2030 or 2050 or whatever - the elections are usually every four years, so the next government can easily reverse the decision or push the dates forward... so the 'long-term gain' is up there in the clouds, it's NOT a given.
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French nuclear reactors were not built in the fifties. They were for the most part commissioned between 1978 and 1997. Between the fifties and 1978, there were experimental reactors running on graphite-gas technology or surgenerators (Phenix, Superphenix). Most French nuclear reactors come from a Westinghouse 900 MW water pressurized reactor patent. Then some were constructed with a modified design up to 1450 MW. The latest in construction, the Flamanville EPR reactor (it's construction is a never-ending nightmare) is a French-German design with a 1650 MW power output. The first modern reactors, Fessenheim 1 and 2, commissioned in 1978 were shut down last year.
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3:35 "ARGUABLY" coal plants are "MORE" environmentally damaging than nuclear plants? 😂
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"The worst nuclear power accident ever" Wow, and how many there were in total? nervous sweating "Well, actually, there were only 3" PS: I know there are more incidents recorded in nuclear power plants, but all of them are events in common with any other industrial facility. The only ones NPP-specific are TMI, Chernobyl and Fukushima.
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German green transition is actually a return to lignite for base load generation. Germans can then happily fax how a head of time they are to each other.
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Love the hand-drawn graphics!
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Loved this. Super important and informative.
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Access to increasingly more electricity for industry and general peoples is a large part of what made Western countries modern and successful. To me it is sad that the goal should be simply to replace the current capacity with some half-assed version instead of continuing this trend to improve people's quality of life. Nuclear power and research is the way forward. If Germany is closing the large coal stations they should convert them for scientific research. A huge potential, same as in Australia and other countries that are doing this.
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Nice video. Nuclear energy is essential until humanity find a viable solution for renewable energy storage.
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Please do not talk about energy production but "electricity production" France for instance produce 70% of it electricity with nuclear, but it's much less in % if we talk about the total energy consumed in France (with all the fossile fuel for transport, heat, etc)
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There used to be a place up here where everybody could go look for gold but then they closed it down so only one person could go look for it
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They forgot to mention that Finalnd just built the largest european nuclear reactor, maybe it was recorded before.
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It is not saying anything about who controls nuk fuel prices
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relying on the russ for your energy - how did that go?
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Nuclear waste can be recycled, which has the twin benefits of reducing its lifespan while also generating power.
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After the EU decided to use gas as a weapon, and after the pipeline was destroyed by some mysterious forces from another realm
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So far there has been no risk from nuclear waste. This stuff can still be burned in fast reactors.
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Germany: doesn't have enough wind and is too cloudy for wind or solar to be effective Also Germany: relies on wind and solar anyway, burns more coal to make up the shortfall Brilliant. Great job, guys, way to lead the world in shooting yourselves in the foot.
