What is the future of nuclear power generation?
What does “Privatization of National Policy” mean?
The promoter of nuclear power is a private power utilitiy. Should the private sector construct & operate nuclear power plant in the first place?
Unfortunately the answer is NO.
Price competitiveness is indispensable for private sector to be the main body for promotion of nuclear power plants. However, the idea that nuclear power plants are competitive can not be said.
First of all, there is extremely huge cost to process and dispose high-level radioactive waste. Difficult to determine the repository, materials and construction method necessary for ensuring safety and security, management of waste over a long period of time, all costs will exceed our imagination.
Next is the application of unlimited liability without fault to nuclear disasters. In January 2017, the Cabinet Office revealed that this principle will be applied to power utilities against a huge nuclear disaster. This is nothing less than in limiting the risk of a huge nuclear disaster, that is, denying economic rationality.
Finally it is a shrinking operation period. In addition to applying the principle of 40 years (or 60 years), judicial risks seen in the Kansai Electric Power Company’s Takahama nuclear power plants are becoming obvious for all plants, and even if a huge amount of disaster prevention expenses are introduced, the guarantee for operation of nuclear power generation can not be obtained.
Unfortunately, these costs and risks are not reflected in the power company’s accounting. The idea that nuclear is economic is completely out of date.
It is for the country to promote nuclear power generation to ensure energy security. Regardless of the economic nature of nuclear power, they are trying to promote nuclear power in order to secure Japan’s energy resources that depend entirely overseas. They can not easily deny this idea. “Privatization of National Policy” is a framework in which power utilities take over the basic ideals of this country.
To that end, however, it is necessary to create a system that guarantees cost recovery including the final disposal cost, limit the risk of the promoter by imposing an upper limit on nuclear disasters, and create an environment that does not hinder operation for a certain period of time. They are indispensable conditions.
It would be impossible to promote nuclear power generation without satisfying these conditions. There is no new electric power that actually enters nuclear power generation. In the future, no nuclear power plant will be newly constructed, and only scrap by the decommissioning existing power plant will be expected to progress.