Safety in the Nuclear Industry - Professor Philip Thomas

TL;DR

Despite the perceived risks, nuclear power is proven to be safe and plays a vital role in global energy production.

Transcript

I am very pleased to have this chance to give this lecture in the City of London because I think it's particularly appropriate because some of the work I'm going to present to you was carried out during my time at City University London which is just up the road from here in Northampton Square so my thanks go to City University also for allowing me... Read More

Key Insights

• ✊ Nuclear power is a significant source of global electricity, providing 1/8 of the world's power.
• 🤑 The UK has a rich nuclear history, being the first country to connect a nuclear power station to its national grid in 1956.
• 📽️ The NRS project highlights that the risks to the public from nuclear accidents are minimal and often result in an overreaction.
• 📈 The current metric used by the UK nuclear industry for safety spending, the vpf, is questionable and can be replaced with a more reliable metric like the J value.

Questions & Answers

Q: How much electricity does nuclear power currently supply worldwide?

Nuclear power supplies 1/8 of the world's electricity, with 435 nuclear power plants in operation globally.

Q: What were the first types of nuclear reactors used for onshore electricity production?

Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and boiling water reactors (BWRs) were initially used for nuclear submarines and then developed for onshore electricity production.

Q: How has the UK's nuclear fleet changed over the years?

The UK's nuclear fleet has transitioned from Magnox reactors to advanced gas reactors (AGR), and currently consists of seven twin reactor AGRs and one PWR.

Q: What is the projected new nuclear capacity in the UK?

The UK plans to build additional PWRs and EPRs, adding up to a total new nuclear capacity of 16 gigawatts of electricity.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Nuclear power supplies 1/8 of global electricity and there are currently 435 nuclear power plants in operation worldwide.

• The UK, being the first country to connect a nuclear power station to its grid in 1956, has seen a decline in nuclear power's share to 20% due to older plants being taken offline.

• The NRS project, a collaboration between four universities, investigated the worst-case scenario of nuclear accidents and found that the risks to the public are minimal.