Greetings!



In this issue we highlight the announcement by Bill Gates to halt construction of  Terrapower’s demonstration reactor in China, the latest on Russia’s civil nuclear projects in Nigeria and Finland, and China’s $3.3 billion investment in a molten salt reactor complex. We also continue to feature PGS's recent paper on the four policy pillars that support the value of nuclear power in the 21 ^st  century.  

The new democratic majority in the House of Representatives is pressing for action on a “Green New Deal” (GND) that would significantly cut carbon emissions and support clean technologies. At least in its initial iteration, its centerpiece is reaching 100 percent carbon-free electric generation in 12 years – but only using wind, solar and other renewable sources.

This GND idea is a significant opportunity to tackle multiple aspects of the climate challenge, but it can’t be effective and attract the scale of political and public support that it needs if it is unrealistic.

Nuclear power doesn’t make the GND list, even though it provides 56 percent of the emission-free electricity in the U.S., roughly triple the amount generated by hydropower and wind, and almost 19 times the amount produced by solar power. 

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, who first suggested a GND a decade ago, this week offered his vision for a zero-carbon electric grid powered by solar panels, windmills and batteries.

But, as the world moves toward a clean energy future, no one technology will be adequate to respond to the growing electricity demand in developing nations and the global need to decarbonize the transportation, manufacturing and agriculture sectors, which together account for almost 60 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. California is starting to come to this realization. A report this week noted that the state’s ambitious zero-carbon goal will be difficult to reach, and it raised questions

about the costs and risks of an all-renewables approach.

The top global emitter of carbon, and the world’s leading manufacturer of solar panels, China, is not making the bet that renewables alone can cut greenhouse gases. Instead, they are deploying significant new nuclear power at home and scaling their nuclear industry and fusing it with their geopolitical strategy to become the dominant source of global reactor supply in this century. The U.S. is facing significant geopolitical competition from China on multiple fronts including this one. A prudent GND would recognize that the U.S. has to remain a robust domestic nuclear energy producer and exporter if it is to repel a race to the bottom on global nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security standards.

                                                                                                                       

Our view, as set out in our recent Four Pillars policy paper , is that any response to the climate change challenge must be comprehensive and include all clean energy and carbon remediation technologies –including non-carbon-emitting, safe and secure nuclear power. A single path approach will not adequately address the problem. 

The United States has been a leader in responding to every significant global challenge for decades. It can and must rise to meet the serious challenges posed by climate change. A key element of that response must be a recognition that current and future nuclear energy sources and technologies have a vital role to play in supporting decarbonization. Nuclear power also has additional significant and important roles in strengthening U.S. geopolitical competitiveness, sustaining America’s leadership on technological innovation, and improving global security and governance. These are significant and vital functions at the core of American strength and values. They should be reflected at the core of any GND. 

 

Ken Luongo, President of Partnership for Global Security

Nigeria’s nuclear technology agreement with Russia will create benefits beyond access to sustainable energy,  said Rosatom’s CEO for Central and Southern Africa, Dmitry Shornikov. The planned Multipurpose Research Reactor Complex will help improve Nigerian healthcare, science, industry and agriculture sectors.  

The start-up date of the Russian-built nuclear power plant (NPP) in Finland is being delayed due to safety concerns. Rosatom has been struggling to meet the standards of the STUK, Finland's nuclear safety agency, which is known to be one of the world’s toughest regulators.

India will have 21 nuclear reactors completed by 2031, says Jitendra Singh, the country's atomic energy and space minister. Currently, nine reactors are being built in India.

Domestic Civil Nuclear Developments

Bill Gates  stated   that advanced-nuclear company Terrapower will halt its work to build a demonstration reactor in China because of U.S.  policy restrictions  and relations with China.  After the announcement, Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette  called   on Gates to work with the Energy Department to pursue building the advanced reactor in the U.S.   

Connecticut officials announced that two NPPs recently  won  “zero-carbon” energy contracts.   These contracts will provide low-cost zero-carbon energy from Dominion Energy’s Millstone plant in Connecticut and   NextEra Energy’s Seabrook plant in New Hampshire.  In 2017, Connecticut passed a law allowing nuclear power plants to bid into markets with other zero-carbon resources such as wind, solar and hydropower.  

Belgium is facing problems with it's electricity supply as it phases out NPPs and replaces them with natural gas plants.

Noteworthy Research

The Center for Strategic and International Studies published a report stating that the nuclear energy industry helps the U.S government meet several key national security objectives. The paper explains the critical importance of the U.S commercial nuclear industry in support of U.S. defense, research, economics, geopolitics, and international nonproliferation.

The AUB Policy Institute has published the first report in a series which aims to provide annual updates on the development and challenges of nuclear power projects in the Middle East, and focuses on the bidding process, the financing and stakeholder agreements, and the technology and fuel providers.

The Wall Street Journal has published a detailed reconstruction of the March 2017 hack into the U.S. electric grid. This account illustrates how the expansive Russian hacking campaign easily exploited an overlooked vulnerability and infiltrated hundreds of small contractor networks.

What I Learned at Work This Year

GatesNotes, December 29, 2018

A Warming World Needs Nuclear Power

The Herald News, January 1, 2019

“Underway on Nuclear Power” – Again

Nuclear Energy Institute, January 2, 2019

Nuclear Power Critical to Clean Energy Goals

The Journal Record, January 4, 2019

Nuclear energy could be competitive, but it requires pricing carbon

Axios, January 7, 2019

For more than a decade, the Partnership for Global Security (PGS) has developed actionable responses to global security challenges by engaging international, private sector, and multidisciplinary expert partners to assess policy needs, identify effective strategies, and drive demonstrable results.