EU Energy Policy Blog

2011 will remain as one of the year that shaped the fate of nuclear power the most. The Fukushima accident has had profound consequences on energy policies in several countries, and even France and its unique system have not escaped the controversy. But if the debate focuses mostly on an assessment of a partial or total phase-out with 2030 as a global deadline, there is few economic appraisal of the optimum pace for a nuclear power plants’ retirement. Closing a nuclear power plant earlier than expected, even though the operator complies with all the safety requirements, would mean getting rid of a still valuable asset, and a global loss for the economy. Continue reading »

Could Fukushima put an end to the French exception? Everybody in France is now talking about, and arguing for or against, a prospective nuclear phase-out. Political Candidates running for the next presidency defend their affirmative or negative position on this issue with figures published in several recent studies assessing the investment costs of an eventual a potential phase-out, as opposed to a continuation of the current power generation model. Unsurprisingly, the numbers differ. Why?

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What would be the impacts of the Fukushima accident on the European-Union (EU) outlook for nuclear energy by 2020 and 2050? The EU, with one third (143) of the world NPPs, had before Fukushima about 20 new NPPs planned by 2020, including 4 NPPs currently under construction.

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The Fukushima nuclear on-going accident has led to a growing concern about electricity generation from nuclear origin which will undoubtedly have long term impacts on nuclear new-build. In the short term a debate has emerged in the European Union about the safety of the 143 nuclear power plants in operation. In particular, it is argued that the oldest nuclear power plants should be closed because they are more dangerous. Is there any evidence that older NPPs are less safe? We argue that policy makers need to look beyond this simplistic criterion.
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In fall 2010, France passed a law to reform the organisation of electricity markets and tariffs. There is no doubt that the new Act overlooks some major principles of European energy and competition law. However, it is less clear that it infringes any particular article and could be deemed partly incompatible with the Union Treaty.

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The absence of federal leadership to tackle GHG emissions in the US has left the room free for regional and state level policy initiatives. These initiatives include policies to reduce and monitor GHG emissions, increase energy efficiency and promote renewable energy. In particular, Renewable Portfolio Standards (i.e., a target related to the share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources) have experienced a large success across the US. They have been adopted to date by about 30 American States. How can we explain this trend ?
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In promising on a unilateral level to reduce the energy intensity of its economy by more than 40% from 2005 levels by 2020, China has positioned itself among the political leaders in the debate about climate change. Is China’s target ambitious and achievable?

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The number of patents in a given technological field provides a proxy of the strengths and paths of innovation. Using a worldwide database on patents, we gave a quick glance at patterns in innovation in nuclear technology, its relation with specific historical events and oil prices. We also found interesting trends regarding nuclear innovation in Germany, France and China.
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Bill Gates recently gave a talk at Ted.com on innovating to zero carbon that starts as follows: “I am going to talk today about energy and climate. And that might seem a bit surprising because my full-time work at the foundation is mostly about vaccines and seeds, about the things that we need to invent and deliver to help the poorest two billion live better lives. But energy and climate are extremely important to these people, in fact, more important than to anyone else on the planet”. Click on ‘Continue Reading’ to see Bill Gate’s talk.
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The debate about the true level of nuclear electricity generation cost is far to be closed. The estimates are regularly reviewed and updated. In the same time, new nuclear builds provide new data. The newest observations stimulate a question about the possible impact of the recurrent cost overruns and delays in on-going construction of EPRs on the electricity generation cost and the competitiveness of nuclear power.
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