Greetings!
In this issue we highlight the important role of nuclear security in a global environment where nuclear energy is becoming more essential to meet climate goals. Also featured are a report that assesses U.S. cybersecurity, new developments on emerging technologies, actions promoting nuclear energy in the U.S., new nuclear cooperation agreements between Russia and other countries, and civil nuclear delays.
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In a significant breakthrough,
The New York Times
and
The Boston Globe
acknowledged the role of nuclear power in addressing climate change in separate editorials this week. The Times editorial noted that while “many environmentalists have serious qualms about nuclear energy, retaining this capacity is smart from a climate perspective.”
Examining the role of nuclear power in combating climate change and the security challenges it brings has been the focus of the
Global Nexus Initiative
(GNI), an innovative boundary-spanning project led by PGS. For the past three years, GNI has examined the issues at the intersection of climate change, energy demand, nuclear power and global security, producing
22 policy recommendations
. The project marked the first time that experts from the nuclear power, environmental, and global security communities gathered to work on these vital issues.
The GNI's key findings recognized that nuclear power, in addition to other clean energy technologies, is an essential component in meeting increasing global clean-energy demands. But for nuclear power to continue being a major provider of zero-carbon energy, nuclear governance – including safety, security and nonproliferation measures and standards - must be strengthened.
Strengthening nuclear governance is particularly important for the next generation of small and advanced reactors, which have the potential to be more easily deployable and operationally flexible than large light-water reactors. It is also essential as nuclear power expands in the politically tense and unstable regions of Asia and the Middle East. Energy demand and populations are growing in these regions, and states are developing strategies to meet their sustainable development, climate and clean-air goals. Nuclear will play a role, that much is certain. What’s less clear is whether the global nuclear safety and security framework can keep pace.
Kenneth Luongo,
President, Partnership for Global Security
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Nuclear Policy, Governance, and Geopolitics
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On Friday, President Trump
called on the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Secretary Perry to take immediate action to prevent additional closures of domestic nuclear power plants (NPP). A
leaked
memo indicates that DoE could direct operators to purchase electricity from at-risk nuclear facilities for the next two years, and establish a Strategic Electric Generation reserve that will maximize domestic energy supplies. Bloomberg
reported that this could lead to more nuclear production, displacing millions of tons of CO2 a year.
Over the past weeks, Jordan and Russia signed an
agreement to conduct a joint feasibility study on building a Russian-designed Small Modular Reactor in Jordan. Russia’s Rosatom also signed a Memorandum with
Germany to analyze potential nuclear cooperation projects, and a nuclear agreement with
French Alternative Energy and the Atomic Energy Commission to increase technical and commercial cooperation with the goal of achieving Paris Agreement commitments.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has drafted new post-Brexit
safeguards with the U.K. that will replace their existing agreements with Euratom.
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Civil Nuclear Developments
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The U.K. is
considering direct investment in Hitachi's U.K. nuclear projects, potentially taking an ownership stake in the new nuclear plants. A recent
summary report by the
Energy Technologies Institute identifies opportunities to reduce the cost of generating low-carbon electricity using nuclear power that could be applied in the U.K.
Brazil's state power company Eletrobras and France's Electricite de France
signed a three-year nuclear cooperation agreement with goals of completing the Angra 3 plant and developing new reactors.
After undergoing a comprehensive operational readiness review, Barakah, UAE’s first nuclear power plant, start-up date will be
delayed until 2019 or 2020.
With support from the Department of Justice and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
Illinois will continue implementing its Zero Emission Credit program to subsidize nuclear power despite contrasting federal rules and
appeals.
After subsequent construction delays and lack of investors, Japan’s Toshiba Corporation
will no longer build the nuclear reactors for NRG Energy’s South Texas Project.
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Nuclear Security and Emerging Technologies
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Following last year’s Executive Order 13800 on “Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure,” DoE
released a
report that assesses the cybersecurity and threats to the U.S. electric grid. DoE also created the
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response to enhance DoE’s ability to protect domestic energy infrastructure from cyber-related threats and address current capability gaps.
The design of a
virtual digital NPP developed by the Russian Research Institute for NPP Operation, VNIIAES, and the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences will be
used in the Russian advanced nuclear reactor
Proryv project. The design calculates the NPP’s characteristics, i.e. new equipment behavior and costs, and simulates potential system failures and impacts.
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Boston Globe, June 3
New York Times, June 1
The Statesman, May 31
The Hill, May 31
Zawya, May 30
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Spotlight
Some key highlights that came out of NEI's 2018 Nuclear Energy Assembly session on "
Regaining America's Place in a Thriving Global Nuclear Market" included the foreign, domestic and economic importance of America's role in the nuclear market place; and the strong linkage between nuclear power, carbon reduction, and global security.
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The Partnership for Global Security (PGS) is a recognized international leader and innovator in nuclear and transnational security policy developing actionable responses to 21st century security challenges by engaging international, private sector, and multidisciplinary expert partners to assess policy needs, identify effective strategies, and drive demonstrable results.
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Washington, DC 20005
202-332-1412
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