Sustainability Assessment of Nuclear Power: An Integrated Approach (SPRIng)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Chem Eng and Analytical Science
Abstract
The early years of the 21st century have seen energy policy return to the political agenda both in the UK and internationally. Growing concerns about environmental, economic and social issues associated with energy production (climate change, the depletion of hydrocarbon resources, declining public trust in science and technology and increasing energy prices) have led to a reappraisal of the wider energy scene and of individual energy technologies. The return of various nuclear power options to the list of candidate technologies being actively considered is but one element of this change. One potential advantage of nuclear power is that it may help us to reduce CO2 emissions and therefore mitigate some of the climate change concerns, However, it is far from clear how sustainable the nuclear option is overall, compared to other generating options. Issues such as health and safety, investment risks, security, public trust and perception are also important for understanding of the full sustainability implications of nuclear generation. Furthermore, the nuclear power industry is faced with many uncertainties, including financial, technical and regulatory. Decommissioning and high-level waste disposal are prime examples of areas where these uncertainties exist. The public attitude toward nuclear power in general ranges from ambivalent to negative; there is, however, a growing public awareness and concern about the impacts of global warming which may start to influence the change in public opinion. Therefore, any decisions about the future of nuclear power will need to take into account these and other relevant issues, taking an integrated, balanced and impartial approach to evaluating the relative environmental, economic, social and political sustainability of nuclear power.This project proposes to develop such an integrated approach and apply it to sustainability appraisals of nuclear power relative to other energy options. The main objectives of the project are:1. development of a rigorous, robust and transparent multicriteria decision-support framework for sustainability assessment of energy options;2. sustainability assessments of the nuclear option within an integrated energy system;3. engagement with and communication of the results of research to relevant stakeholders.The outputs of the project will help to inform the debate on the future of nuclear power in the UK.
Organisations
- University of Manchester (Lead Research Organisation)
- UK Energy Research Centre (Project Partner)
- University of Sheffield (Project Partner)
- Orano (France) (Project Partner)
- John Wood Group (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- National Nuclear Laboratory (Project Partner)
- Battelle (Project Partner)
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Project Partner)
- Health and Safety Executive (Project Partner)
- Serco (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- EDF Energy (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Westinghouse Electric Company UK Limited (Project Partner)
- The Nuclear Institute (Project Partner)
Publications
Anderson, K.
(2013)
A Review of Research Relevant to New Build Nuclear Power Plants in the UK
Azapagic A
(2016)
Towards sustainable production and consumption: A novel DEcision-Support Framework IntegRating Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability (DESIRES)
in Computers & Chemical Engineering
Azapagic, A.
(2011)
Assessing the Sustainability of Nuclear Power in the UK
Baker K
(2014)
A Comparison of State Traditions and the Revival of a Nuclear Power in Four Countries
in Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice
Baker K
(2019)
Governance, depoliticization, and nuclear power in Britain and the United States
in Policy Studies
Baker K
(2009)
Delivering Nuclear Power: Challenges for the Obama Administration
in International Journal of Public Administration
Baker K
(2012)
Metagovernance and nuclear power in Europe
in Journal of European Public Policy
Baker K
(2012)
Governance and Nuclear Power: Why Governing is Easier Said than Done
in Political Studies
Baker K
(2011)
Assessing the prospects for a revival of nuclear power in Britain
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy
Baker K
(2012)
Power failures: metagoverning a revival of nuclear power in Britain
in International Journal of Sustainable Development
Baker, K
Applying Cultural Theory to Analyse Government Efforts to Promote a Revival of Nuclear Power in Britain, France and the United States
in Review of Policy Research
Baker, K.
(2008)
The Nuclear Investors Conference
Baker, K.
(2011)
Interactive Policymaking, Metagovernance and Democracy
Barteczko-Hibbert C
(2014)
A multi-period mixed-integer linear optimisation of future electricity supply considering life cycle costs and environmental impacts
in Applied Energy
Evatt G
(2010)
The expected lifetime of an extraction project
in Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Evatt, G.W
(2010)
The Measurement and Inclusion of a Stochastic Ore-Grade Uncertainty in Mine Valuations Using PDEs
in IAENG International Journal of Applied Mathematics
Evatt, G.W.
(2010)
Mine Valuation in the Presence of a Stochastic Ore-Grade Uncertainty
Goodfellow M
(2014)
A system design framework for the integration of public preferences into the design of large infrastructure projects
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Goodfellow M
(2015)
Public perceptions of design options for new nuclear plants in the UK
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Goodfellow M
(2011)
Nuclear renaissance, public perception and design criteria: An exploratory review
in Energy Policy
Greenhalgh C
(2009)
Review of drivers and barriers for nuclear power in the UK
in Environmental Science & Policy
Grimston M
(2012)
Have we been here before? Will nuclear history repeat itself?
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy
Johnson P
(2011)
Electrical Engineering and Applied Computing
Johnson, P.V.
(2010)
The Derivation and Impact of an Optimal Cut-Off Grade Regime Upon Mine Valuation
Kearns J
(2011)
Comparative risk analysis of electricity generating systems using the J -value framework
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy
Kouloumpis V
(2015)
Decarbonising electricity supply: Is climate change mitigation going to be carried out at the expense of other environmental impacts?
in Sustainable Production and Consumption
Santoyo-Castelazo E
(2014)
Environmental implications of decarbonising electricity supply in large economies: The case of Mexico
in Energy Conversion and Management
Stamford L
(2011)
Sustainability indicators for the assessment of nuclear power
in Energy
Stamford L
(2014)
Life cycle sustainability assessment of UK electricity scenarios to 2070
in Energy for Sustainable Development
Thomas P
(2009)
Incorporating the 2007 recommendations of the International Commission on Radiation Protection into the J-value analysis of nuclear safety systems
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Thomas P
(2012)
J-value analysis of different regulatory limits for workers and the public
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Thomas P
(2010)
The Quantum of Wealth
in Measurement and Control
Thomas P
(2010)
The trade-offs embodied in J-value safety analysis
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Thomas P
(2009)
The effect of the exposure time on the value of a manSievert averted
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Thomas P
(2009)
Calculating the benefit to workers of averting a radiation exposure lasting longer than the working lifetime
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Thomas P
(2010)
J-Value Safety Assessment: The Two Trade-offs
in Measurement and Control
Thomas P
(2012)
The limits to wind power and the cost of standby generation
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy
Thomas P
(2011)
Using real options to compare the economics of nuclear power and wind power with electricity from natural gas
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy
Thomas, P.
(2009)
Measurement of parameters to value human life extension
Waddington I
(2013)
Computing the limits of risk aversion
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Wallbridge S
(2012)
Life cycle environmental impacts of decommissioning Magnox nuclear power plants in the UK
in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
Wung Pok Liu
(2012)
Potential Economic and Technical Constraints on Nuclear Power: The Importance of Uranium Supply
in Nuclear Energy: Special issue of Journal of Power and Energy
Yue Q
(2017)
Nuclear Power in China: An Analysis of the Current and Near-Future Uranium Flows
in Energy Technology
| Description | This project considered the environmental, economic and social sustainability of different electricity options in the UK, from now up to 2070. The main findings were: • To meet the GHG emission targets, carbon capture and storage (CCS) for coal power plants can only play a limited role, contributing 10% to the electricity mix at most; the use of CCS also increases other sustainability impacts compared to today, including worker injuries, large accident fatalities, depletion of fossil fuels, while needing a long-term storage of CO2. This calls into question the case for investing in coal CCS. The government has since cancelled the investment in CCS. • A very low-carbon mix with nuclear and renewables provides the best overall environmental performance, but some impacts increase, such as terrestrial ecotoxicity. Such a mix also worsens some social issues such as health impacts from radiation and radioactive waste storage requirements. UK-based employment may more than double by 2070 if a renewables intensive mix is chosen. However, the same mix also increases depletion of minerals and metals nearly seven-fold relative to the present, emphasising the need for end-of-life recycling. Very low-carbon mixes also introduce considerable uncertainty due to grid instability. • With equal importance assumed for each sustainability aspect, the electricity mix with an equal share of nuclear and renewables is considered most sustainable. |
| Exploitation Route | The findings are particularly relevant to energy companies and policy makers who could use them to develop more sustainable electricity mix for the future. |
| Sectors | Energy |
| URL | http://www.springsustainability.org/ |
| Title | SPRIng |
| Description | The SPRIng toolkit comprises: 1) Energy Technologies Life Cycle Assessment (ETLCA) - a tool for the estimation of life cycle environmental impacts of future UK electricity scenarios up to 2070. 2) SPRIng Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (SPRIng MCDA) - an MCDA decision-support tool for identifying sustainable electricity options based on different sustainability criteria and decision-makers' preferences. 3) Scenario Sustainability Assessment Tool (SSAT) - a spreadsheet tool for the estimation of full life cycle sustainability impacts (techno-economic, environmental and social) of future UK electricity scenarios. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | The toolkit has been used by researchers around the world. |
| URL | http://www.springsustainability.org/ |