Nuclear energy may see role wane, UN agency says

In a new report the International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) said that the sector would face challenges as "ageing reactors are retired and the industry struggles with reduced competitiveness".

"Overall, the new projections suggest that nuclear power may struggle to maintain

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its current place in the world's energy mix," the IAEA said.

In its worst case scenario, nuclear power capacity would fall by more than 10 percent until 2030.

Other factors cited as contributing to the squeeze on the sector were the low price of natural gas, the impact of renewable energy sources on electricity prices and the global reaction to the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.

Several countries have announced plans to phase out nuclear power, including Germany and Switzerland, and the IAEA says the industry "faces increased construction times and costs due to heightened safety requirements".

Given this, and "the considerable number of reactors scheduled to be retired around 2030 and beyond", the lower end of the IAEA's projections see capacity falling by more than 10 percent from its 2017 level of 392 gigawatts.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-09-nuclear-energy-role-wane-agency.html#jCp