LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 An Alternative Nuclear Future Professor Bob Cywinski BSc, PhD, CPhys, FInstP, SFHEA Dean of the Graduate School Special Advisor (Research) International Institute for Accelerator Applications University of Huddersfield

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 The energy crisis

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March Mt 159Mt Electricity supply 2011 CO 2 equivalent emissions 2050 target UK’s CO 2 equivalent emissions by sector Transport Business Residential Agriculture Other (waste etc) Total: 553Mt CO 2 Target: 159Mt CO 2 Source: UK GHG Inventory (UNFCCC coverage) (Ricard0-AEA, 2013) (1.5% of the world’s total emissions)

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 DECC figures indicate that in the UK we currently use 5 KW per person: 36% 108GW 36% 108GW 32% 96 GW 32% 96 GW 32% 96GW 32% 96GW 42GW Electricity 42GW Electricity 66GW losses 66GW losses TransportHeatingElectricity Generation 0.43kg/kWhr0.21kg/kWhr CO 2 emission 2.6 tonnes2.9 tonnes CO 2 emission per person per year Current UK energy usage

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March kg/kWhr 0.11kg/kWhr CO 2 emission 0.6 tonnes1.6 tonnes CO 2 emission per person per year The enormity of the task ahead…… 48 GW 42GW Electricity 42GW Electricity TransportHeatingElectricity Generation 48 GW Electricity 48 GW Electricity 48 GW Electricity 48 GW Electricity So: Even if we more than triple our electricity generation to 138GW using only “clean” fuels (10g of CO 2 per kWhr) we will still exceed 2050 target by 43% We have to “clean up” not just electricity generation, but transport and heating : Total UK annual CO 2 emissions 228Mt

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 The options for cleaner electricity: Energy source Grams of CO 2 per KWh of electricity Nuclear 4 Wind 8 Hydroelectric 8 Energy crops 17 Geothermal 79 Solar 133 Gas 430 Diesel 772 Oil 828 Coal 955 source: Government Energy Technology Support Unit (confirmed by OECD) Requires back-up generation

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Land usage: Energy source Watts per square metre Nuclear up to 4000 Wind 2 Hydroelectric 11 Energy crops 0.5 Geothermal Solar 5-20 Gas 1000 Diesel 1000 Oil 1000 Coal 1000 source: Government Energy Advisor David Mackay (Sustainable energy without the hot air) Requires back-up generation Current UK rate of energy consumption is ~1W/m 2

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Summary so far: We need to increase our generating capacity to 140GW using low carbon technology. Whilst we might get 10% of this with wave and tidal the two more realistic options are: 140 GW is 14 times existing capacity and 35 times present generation Turbines would occupy approximately km 2 (6 times area of Yorkshire or about 5km deep around the UK coast) and backup would be needed Cost would be ~£2,100bn Nuclear Wind 140 GW is equivalent to ~40 Hinckley Cs They would occupy approximately 40 km 2 Cost would be ~£640bn No backup is required

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Source: U.K. National Grid status GW Installed capacity (5276 turbines) Intermittency: UK wind generation 2013

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Intermittency:

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Global nuclear capacity Country N o. Reactors GW capacity % Total Electricity France Sweden South Korea Japan Germany United States Russia United Kingdom Canada India Others Totals: A comparable global increase in nuclear capacity (x13) similar to that suggested for the UK would consume known U reserves in 20 years !!

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Annual global use of energy resources 5x10 9 tonnes of coal 27x10 9 barrels of oil 2.5x10 12 m 3 natural gas 65x10 3 tonnes of uranium 5x10 3 tonnes of thorium An alternative fuel?

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Breeding fuel from thorium Advantages Does not need processing Generates virtually no plutonium and less of the higher actinides 233 U has superior fissile properties Disadvantages Requires introduction of fissile seed ( 235 U or Pu) The decay of parasitic 232 U results in high gamma activity from 208 Tl.

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Past experience with thorium

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Potential modes of thorium deployment 1. Conventional Systems (LWR, PWR, HTGR) 2. Molten Salt Reactors After Weinberg’s Oak Ridge MSRE 3. Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors (ADSRs)

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Applications of ADSRs (Ferficon)

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 Summary Thorium has been used in the past and could now be deployed in conventional, molten salt or ADS reactors providing an alternative, sustainable, safe, low waste and proliferation- resistant technology for nuclear power generation 780kg of thorium = 200 tonnes of uranium (as currently used) No plutonium need be used and very little is produced After 70 years the radiotoxicity is 20,000 times less than an equivalent conventional nuclear power station Thorium systems provide means of burning existing legacy waste Waste can be mixed with thorium and burnt as fuel, reducing radiotoxicity by orders of magnitude and turning a liability into an asset

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014 The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out stones…….

LibDem Fringe Meeting, York, 8 March 2014