Annex 2
Environmental benefits and energy issues
of the nuclear power and the reprocessing-recycling policy
Greenhouse gases
Concern over emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from
fossil energy production has continued to increase. Although there remains
some debate over the extent and causation of global warming, the developed
countries have accepted the undesirability of carbon dioxide emissions
in signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(1992 Rio de Janeiro). The Third Conference of the Parties to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in December 1997 in
Kyoto: the meeting succeeded in agreeing, for the first time, binding
targets for reductions (5,2% on average) in emissions of greenhouse
gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2) by OECD members, eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union (for the period 2008-12).
For island nations like Japan or Caribbean and South Pacific islands,
the global warming effect is a particularly serious issue which may
threaten its living environment through rises in the sea level. Nuclear
energy, which produces no carbon dioxide, is therefore extremely significant
if such effects are to be avoided.
Substantial emissions of carbon dioxide have been avoided by the development
of nuclear power since 1970. Worldwide, nuclear power saves the emission
of more than 20 billion tonnes of CO2 every year (1). In Europe
alone, it saves around 800 million tonnes.
Energy supply
Whilst it is not possible to recycle fossil fuels once they have been
burned, the world reserves of uranium can be preserved by reprocessing
and recycling used nuclear fuel and making full use of the recovered
uranium and plutonium. There are sufficient known uranium reserves for
at least 100 years and estimates of additional reserves extend this
period between 300 and 400 years. If fast reactor technology is employed
the reserves will last well in excess of 1,000 years.
Moreover, 1 gram of plutonium or 100 grams of uranium are equivalent
to over 1 tonne of oil, so by recycling these materials over 20 million
tonnes of oil are saved each year.
It is expected that the amount of oil consumption and the demand for
energy supply will grow rapidly among the developing nations in the
near future. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will
increase, leading to the global warming effect and bringing serious
environmental problems to the earth (such as the increase of the sea
level).
Other environmental issues
Compared to other options for irradiated fuel management, the recycling
of plutonium and uranium via reprocessing also results in a number of
significant benefits, when the whole of the nuclear fuel cycle is considered.
In addition to conserving uranium resources, the volume of total wastes
generated by reprocessing and recycling is significantly less than that
of direct disposal of used fuel. The volume of final residues arising
from reprocessing at UP3 plant at La Hague, for example, is already
less than that forecast by direct disposal by a factor of two and is
forecast to be less by a factor of four by the year 2000. Reprocessing,
and the associated recycling, is thus an excellent example of sustainable
development in practice.
(1) The Global Nuclearr Fuel Market, Supply and Demand 1995-2015 — The
Uranium Institute Market Report 1996 |
