Study: Nuclear power not looking so good an option due to high operating costs

The latest World Nuclear Industry Status Report, released Tuesday, paints a bleak picture for the future of nuclear power. The annual assessment of the trends in nuclear power production and the state of nuclear reactors worldwide reveals that the industry is aging, plagued with high costs and construction delays, and generally on the decline. 

Though some of the most prominent climate scientists in the U.S. view nuclear power as a necessary means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation to combat climate change, the report shows that nuclear power’s share in global energy production has dropped to 10.8 percent in 2013, down from 17.6 percent at its peak in 1996. This is due to the rapid growth in low-carbon electricity generation from wind and solar sources. 

The World Nuclear Industry Status Report was written by independent consultants in London and Paris, with support from the German Green Party and the anti-nuclear Rocky Mountain Institute based in Colorado.

Mycle Schneider, lead author of a new report, has highlighted the decline of the nuclear power industry in recent decades. Speaking to Climate Central on Wednesday, Schneider noted that peak production of nuclear electricity was reached in 2006, the number of nuclear reactors peaked in 2002, and the share of nuclear power in global electricity generation peaked in the mid-1990s. This marks a 20-year decline in the role of nuclear power. 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has predicted that nuclear power generation is unlikely to experience significant growth or decline over the next 25 years.

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