Progress in Nuclear Power Technologies and Implications for ASEAN

Abstract

Since its inception, the nuclear industry has committed strongly to enhancing the safety features of Light Water Reactors (LWRs). Unfortunately, the series of nuclear accidents from Three Mile Island, to Chernobyl, and Fukushima led to spiking fear and strong negative perceptions of nuclear power. Since then, the nuclear industry has initiated a new wave of scientific and technological innovation towards safer LWR as well as advanced reactor designs. Besides the research and development of Generation III+ and IV types and thorium based reactors, recent years have also seen revived interests in fusion reactors. Given the early stage of development, the economic and environmental performance of the advanced reactor systems are yet to be evaluated. For the fast developing economies in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), while environmental friendly energy sources are preferable, affordability of energy is critical. Given the resource and land constraints, several ASEAN members have expressed interest in nuclear power with Vietnam being the first one to build nuclear power reactors. However, the economic and environmental performance of the advanced reactors have not yet been determined due to their early stage of development. In addition, the safety and security of these advanced reactors combined with the under-developed governance on nuclear power are yet to be ascertained. Although some of the ASEAN members already have nuclear research programs, there is a lack of knowledge and expertise in civilian nuclear technology. If the advanced reactor technologies became commercially attractive, it is important to understand the implications for ASEAN's nuclear movement. Through analyzing the economic (commercial costs) and environmental (life cycle carbon emissions) performance of possible advanced reactors, I provide a preliminary competitive landscape for the advanced reactor systems. Based on the findings, I outline the policy considerations for ASEAN when advanced nuclear power reactors become commercially available. Essentially, this paper seeks to address an important question: what are the key steps in preparing the region towards “safer nuclear” in the long term.