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Emerging Trends in Nuclear Energy: The View from Pakistan

Opinion - July 30, 2024

By Iraj Abid

Amid rising geopolitical tensions and climate crisis, nuclear energy has emerged as an indispensable component of the global energy mix, with technological advancements in reactor design and operation set to transform the nuclear industry. Being a reliable source of long-term power generation, nuclear energy has become an attractive option for bolstering energy security for many countries. In 2023, COP28 for the first time formally acknowledged nuclear power as a part of the solution to mitigating the effects of climate change. The final statement approved unanimously by 198 delegations attending the conference called for “accelerating zero-emission and low-emission technologies,” including nuclear energy, to achieve “deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.” Separately, 22 world leaders signed a declaration to make efforts to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

At the first global Nuclear Energy Summit held in Brussels in March 2024, co-chaired by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium, over 30 nations and the European Union pledged to expand nuclear energy for reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

According to IAEA, currently there are 441 nuclear power reactors installed across 32 countries with a capacity to generate over 395 GWe, contributing about 10 percent to the global energy mix. 59 new reactors are under construction globally. Rafael Grossi, Director General IAEA, has attributed global change in attitude toward nuclear energy to the growing realization that it has to be a part of any solution to mitigating carbon emissions. In view of the significance of nuclear energy for achieving climatic goals, in 2022 IAEA launched its Atoms4NetZero initiative which advocates for increasing the share of nuclear energy in achieving net-zero target by 2050. The initiative aims to achieve full potential of nuclear technology to facilitate decarbonization of global energy systems.

In addition to climate threats, technological advancements in the nuclear field are also attracting interest in nuclear energy. New and emerging technologies, with a positive disruptive effect, are ready to transform the ways nuclear energy is being generated today. Innovative reactor designs such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) with alternative fuels and coolants are expected to make future nuclear power generation faster, safer, while also being more efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly.

SMR technology is the leading trend in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) design. Compared to traditional large NPPs, SMRs are compact and relatively simpler energy generation units, with a capacity of up to 300 MWe. SMRs can be manufactured through module fabrication, which involves construction of reactor components and systems off-site in fabrication facilities unlike bespoke on-site construction of conventional NPPs. Microreactors, a sub-class of SMRs, with power generation capacities ranging from 1 to 10 MWe, offer viable energy solutions to remote areas and sites such as data centers, university campuses, health facilities and military bases. By and large, SMRs are flexible in terms of investment and operation, while also being easier to manage in safety terms. Decommissioned coal plant sites, for example, can be suitable for SMR installations.

The majority of current reactors use enriched uranium or plutonium as fuel, compacted in the reactor core and surrounded by pressurized water as coolant. AMRs aim to replace water with molten salt, liquid metals like lead and sodium, or even gases like helium as coolants. Alternative coolants utilize less fuel, have enhanced safety properties and can operate under lower pressure. Usually, alternative coolants work well with alternative fuel options. TRISO (tri-structural isotropic particle fuel) and HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium) are common alternative fuel choices offering efficiency, longer operating cycles, more power generation, and safety benefits. The production of HALEU is particularly vital for SMR development. Currently, Russia and China are the only large-scale producers of HALEU. In 2023, the US Department of Energy initiated HALEU Availability Program with investment of USD 700 million to the secure domestic supply chain of this fuel.

At the global level, China and Russia are leaders in SMR technology. Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov is the world’s first floating nuclear power plant (FNPP). Docked at the Arctic port town of Pevek, the plant generates electricity using two SMRs, each with a capacity of about 35 MWe, providing power to approximately 200,000 people. China operates the world’s only land-based commercial SMR. The United States is trying to catch up with China and Russia in SMR technology. Other countries including Canada, Argentina, and South Korea are also engaged in the construction and licensing of SMRs.

 

Applications in Pakistan

In the context of Pakistan, SMRs could provide a practical solution to the challenges of constructing large NPPs and addressing the issue of line losses by providing localized solutions. Besides cutting down the hefty capital costs involved in establishing traditional NPPs, SMRs can be a reliable source of provision of electricity in remote areas across Pakistan.

The Centre for Studies on Emerging Reactor Technologies (CERT) at the Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences (PIEAS) is engaged in research on advanced reactor designs and technologies, particularly SMRs. During his visit to Pakistan in February 2023, Rafael Grossi, the director general of the IAEA, acknowledged that Pakistan has the technical and engineering capacity for new NPPs including SMRs.

Pakistan and China, with a long history of cooperation in production of nuclear power, have significant potential for collaboration in SMR technology. China is the only country in the world which is cooperating with Pakistan in the field of nuclear energy. All six NPPs, currently producing about 3,530 Mwe, have been established in Pakistan in collaboration with China. Pakistan-China partnership in emerging nuclear technologies could facilitate implementation of Pakistan’s Nuclear Energy Vision 2050, which aims to generate 44,000 MWe of nuclear power by 2050. Some of the 32 NPPs envisaged in the Vision 2050 could be replaced with easier-to-build, low-cost SMRs at various sites across the country.

Despite the increasing significance of nuclear energy, financing for nuclear projects remains a challenge for developing nations, including Pakistan. For this reason, during a recent meeting with the World Bank officials, Rafael Grossi urged that multilateral development banks and international financial institutions contribute to nuclear financing in developing countries. Yet international financial institutions are unlikely to provide funding for NPPs in Pakistan as they have yet to be granted the waiver extended by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to India in 2008.

Given the West’s discriminatory policies, in order to implement its Nuclear Energy Vision 2050, besides further strengthening collaboration with China, including funding for new NPPs, Pakistan should thus public-private partnership, especially for SMRs.