Nuclear power: critical aspects, geopolitical game changers and future scenarios

Abstract

Nuclear energy is reported to possess both good and bad qualities. In particular, it may be used for both the production of weapons and for peaceful purposes. This research aims to discuss both sides, focusing on the game changers of technology and geopolitics; regarding the effects those two can have for the development of the sector. As this research showed, the dynamics of international relations are in stalemate, while the current issues in the management of geopolitics will decide whether a new era of more significance or less importance for nuclear energy will emerge. Nuclear power’s energy mix shareholding is rising steadily but is yet far from reaching high levels in the world energy mix. Some countries abandoned it after tragic accidents occurred like Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 while other strengthened their support, aiming at further developments in the security around of its power generation technologies. Apart from the issues one can note in terms of nuclear power use, the same case does not apply when one is looking into the environmental aspect. It is understood that nuclear power can considerably lower the environmental damage that other forms of energy produce. Therefore, in this thesis we attempt to further elaborate and point out nuclear power’s advantages and disadvantages, on the level of politics, society, and technology bearing in mind society’s emotional terms. In fact, technology plays a huge part in this categorization and it promotes the whole research into a new level of game changing effects that will render nuclear power either more widely accepted and used or completely bottle-necked in today’s low energy mix values.