Nuclear Powering the Future Mark Salisbury Energising the Nation

Magnox Power Stations Hunterston A Chapelcross Calder Hall Wylfa Trawsfynnydd Oldbury Hinkley Point A Dungeness A Bradwell Sizewell A

Magnox Power Stations  Natural Uranium fuelled  Graphite moderated  Carbon dioxide cooled  Reactor output from 50 to 450 MW e  Commenced operation with Berkeley Power Station in 1962  Last reactors at Wylfa due for closure in 2016

Torness Hunterston B Heysham 1 Heysham 2 Hartlepool Hinkley Point B Dungeness B Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors

 Enriched Uranium fuelled  Graphite moderator  Carbon dioxide cooled  First AGR, Dungeness B  Each reactor has an output of approximately 600 MW e

Pressurized Water Reactors  Enriched Uranium fuelled  Pressurised water moderator  Pressurised water coolant  Sizewell B is the UK’s only PWR. Commenced commercial operation in  Westinghouse design, latest generation SNUPPS plant.  Single reactor with a capacity of 1200 MW e. Sizewell B

Current Power Generation DTI Website 06/10/05

Generating Cost £ / MWh Coal Gas Nuclear Wind Micro-hydro Solar CHP 5% Rate of ReturnLower Limit Range 10% Rate of ReturnLower Limit Range Summary of the OECD Study on “Projected Costs of Generating Electricity”, March 2005

Recently Published Cost Studies (1) MIT Study, the Future of Nuclear Power (2) Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) Energy Review Working Paper, The Economics of Nuclear Power (3) University of Chicago Study, The Economic Future of Nuclear Power (4) Royal Academy of Engineering, The Cost of Generating Electricity, (5) General Directorate for Energy and Raw Materials (DGEMP) of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, (6) Tarjanne, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland (7) OECD Projected Costs of Generating Electricity (2005 Update), conversions from report based on 1 GBP = USD. (8) Based on 1 GBP = USD (exchange rate used in RAE study) (9) Based on 1EUR ~ 0.7 GBP (Bloomberg, 10 March 2005) (10) Based on Weighted Average Capital Cost (11) Depreciation period / amortisation

Safety  One of the most heavily regulated industries.  Never been a nuclear incident at a UK commercial power station that has caused a hazard to the public.  UK Plants are regularly monitored and evaluated  UK Commercial Nuclear plants have safely generated electricity for over 40 years.  Less than 0.1 % of the entire radiation you receive is due to nuclear power plants.

Your typical radiation dose Source: UK National Radiation Protection Board 1994

WANO & INPO  World Association of Nuclear Operators  Institute of Nuclear Power Operations  Voluntary organisations setup to promote nuclear safety  Assist member plants in achieving excellence  Peer Reviews  Provision of technical support and feedback on operational experience. 

Security “For some, particularly British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, British Energy Group Plc, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and the Urenco Group, my requirements impose a significant regulatory burden on their activities which they shoulder willingly, promptly and responsibly” Director of Civil Nuclear Security. DTI OCNS Report April 2004 – March 2005

Skills  Numerous nuclear courses taught across the UK: Birmingham, Imperial, City University, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, HM Naval Base Sultan  Nuclear Technology Education Consortium  Imperial College’s CONSORT reactor  University of Manchester, Dalton Institute

British Nuclear Energy Society  A Learned society to help promote nuclear science and technology.  Strategic partnership with Institute of Nuclear Engineers (INucE).  Over 1200 members nationwide.  YGN Network has over 350 members nationwide. 

Waste & Decommissioning  Three main types of waste – LLW, ILW, HLW  UK HLW = 4 double decker buses  Over 90 % of waste is LLW  Finland & USA researhing/building repositories  Decommissioning costs are “built” into the cost of electricity

Practicalities  Nuclear technology ready NOW  Only a small number of IGCC operational, no full scale carbon capture on power plant.  Nuclear has supplied reliable baseload power for over 40 years.  Renewables are unreliable baseload technologies, and expensive at present  Energywise, one 7 g uranium fuel pellet = 149 gallons of oil = 1780 pounds of coal = cubic feet of natural gas.

Olkiluoto  Home to a new EPR  To be operated by TVO, a Finnish consortium  Finland has repository for spent waste  Seen as the “best” solution  Adding 1600 MW of capacity to the Finnish electric system

Proposed Reactor Designs  AP Westinghouse Electric Company  EPR – Framatome  ESBWR – General Electric  CANDU ACR – Atomic Energy of Canada  PBMR – BNFL/Eskom  VVER - Atomstroyexport

AP1000  Designed by Westinghouse Electric Company  Full certification from NRC expected end 2005  Advanced Passive Safety Systems  Simple 2 loop PWR with 1000 MW e output  Smaller footprint than equivalent plants  36 month construction schedule

EPR EPR  European Pressurised Water Reactor  Evolution of a 4 loop PWR  1600 MW e capacity  Can run on a complete core of MOX fuel  Designed for capacity factors > 92 %  First EPR under construction at Olkiluoto  Under consideration for construction at Flamanville, France, and by Constellation Energy, USA

ESBWR  GE designed 1550 MW e  60 year design life  Overnight cost $1200/kW e  Utilises natural circulation and passive safety systems  45 month construction schedule  Preferred technology of the NuStart Consortium  Application for COLs at two locations in Missouri and Louisiana

ACR CANDU  Designed by Atomic Energy Canada Limited  Builds on the success of early CANDU reactors  Proven technology & new innovations could decrease capital cost by up to 40 %  Expected construction time of 48 months  700 MW e to 1000 MW e output.

PBMR  Grafite moderated, helium cooled  Utilises grafite/silicon carbide encased enriched uranium fuel  Inherently safe design  Can be built in modular units from 100 to 400 MW e  Utilises Brayton Cycle to achieve higher thermal efficiency

Megatons to Megawatts – The Future  Use of MOX fuel  Research into waste handling  Use of reprocessing technology  Use of fast breeder reactors  Use of thorium sands in reactors  Uranium extraction from seawater

In Summary  Fuel available from politically stable countries  Fuel not subject to price volatility like fossil fuels  Good safety record  Economically viable  Many reactor designs ready for deployment  Issue of waste requires addressing

The Future’s Nuclear DTI Energy Website – DTI Office of Civil Nuclear Security Reports - National Radiological Protection Board – Supporters of Nuclear Energy - World Association of Nuclear Operators – British Nuclear Energy Society – BNES Young Generation Network – Nuclear Energy Institute – Nuclear Technology Education Consortium – General Electric (ESBWR)– Atomic Energy of Canada (CANDU) – Westinghouse Electric (AP1000) – Framatome (EPR) – Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) – Olkiluoto – Joseph Gonyeau’s Nuclear Tourist –