Generating the Option of a Two-Stage Nuclear Renaissance

Concerns about climate change, security of supply, and depleting fossil fuel reserves mean that, even post Fukushima, nuclear energy will continue to be responsible for a considerable proportion of the electricity generated worldwide.  Whether a new entrant to nuclear or a new build nation, the immediate concern is to increase the efficiency and availability of reactors while maintaining safety and security - we will discuss particularly the implications for fuel.  The vast majority of reactors built in the short term will be based on light water technology using a once through uranium based fuel cycle.  This is technologically the simplest way to generate nuclear electricity but uses only a small proportion of the energy that could be derived from the uranium.  If we continue to use uranium in this manner, its availability is likely to become a concern on a time scale similar to that associated with the depletion of fossil fuels.  Alternative fuel cycles based on thoria are possible and will be discussed but not as the panacea often reported.  After 2030, a large-scale second period of construction would allow nuclear energy to contribute substantially to electricity generation but only if fuel cycles include fuel reprocessing.  While technologically and economically challenging they substantially reduce the volume and long timescale radiotoxicity of the waste arising from energy generation.  Careful long-term planning now will ensure that nuclear power generation remains a carbon-neutral option.