Russia takes aim at US nuclear power by throttling uranium
Limits creates potential supply risks to utilities operating American reactors that generate almost a fifth of the country’s electricity.
If the uranium industry was hoping that China would be the tide that floats all boats, it will have to wait longer than expected.
Amid a global re-think of nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima crisis earlier this year, uranium producers were pinning their hopes on China filling orders for uranium, the fuel needed to create the nuclear reaction.
The Asian economic powerhouse had stated it planned a 12-fold increase in nuclear capacity from 10GW to 120GW by 2020, but as The Australian reports, that target is unlikely to be reached.
The article cites three reasons why China will fall short of its nuclear power goal, and has the head of regional power research at Hong Kong-based brokerage and investment group CLSA saying that China will only reach 56GW by 2020 due to these factors.
A poll commissioned last month for the BBC found the public’s appetite for nuclear power is waning. Polling around 23,000 people in 23 countries, it found that most are significantly more opposed to nuclear power than they were in 2005, with just 22% agreeing that “nuclear power is relatively safe and an important source of electricity, and we should build more nuclear power plants.”
3 Comments
Dave
What about progress in the mini nuc field utilizing nuclear submarine technology to provide smaller scale self contained nuclear power plants?
Tallen
I would imagine the permitting would be a nightmare. The permiting just for a mine in an established mining district is horrendous….
Dmorisset
To those who oppose nuclear or any other sort of fuel for energy should go live in the forest and cook and warm yourselfs up to a fire.. Wake up! we need energy PERIOD.