Key Factors of Small Modular Reactor Deployment Strategies in Developing States

Download or read book Key Factors of Small Modular Reactor Deployment Strategies in Developing States written by Heidi Zsanelle Boening and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For the first time in United Nations Climate Change Conference history COP26, which has been rescheduled for 2021, will be focusing on the implementation of advanced nuclear reactors as a valuable option to reach a net zero carbon future. Soon, one of the most disputable global conversations in international affairs about how to achieve a net zero carbon future will involve the conversation of nuclear energy. The baseload document powering the fight against climate change is the Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which ultimately incentivizes states to pursue sustainable energy practices as an essential part of meeting energy a state's demands. The reason COP26 will focus on advanced nuclear reactors is that signatory states of the Paris Agreement have exhibited a trending interest in including nuclear energy into their energy mix; however, not with conventional large scale nuclear reactors, but with advanced reactors, namely SMRs - "Small Modular Reactors". In a report by the International Energy Agency in May 2019 their Executive Director Dr. Fatih Birol said, "If governments don't change their current policies, advanced economies will be on track to lose two-thirds of their current nuclear fleet, risking a huge increase in CO2 emissions...Wind and solar energy need to play a much greater role in order for countries to meet sustainability goals, but it is extremely difficult to envisage them doing so without help from nuclear power." SMRs have been flagged as the baseload energy needed in order to build a sustainable energy future. Overall, the attractiveness of SMRs lies within their inherent safety, security, locational flexibility, and lower costs for both assembly, running the facility, and decommissioning in comparison to large scale nuclear power plants. Since it seems as though SMRs will be implemented in many state's energy demand strategies, this thesis will be an investigation on the key factors in determining a SMR deployment strategy. Furthermore, since a facet of SMR attractiveness is their locational flexibility, there will be an investigation on to rural areas of developing and developed states planning to deploy SMRs. The study will focus on two cases: 1) Canada - a tier 1 nuclear state with international reputation for nuclear innovation and a completed SMR roadmap deployment strategy. 2) Kenya - a nuclear new comer that is in the process of implementing SMRs into their energy mix as a part of their 2030 climate change goal, but who's reputation in nuclear is yet defined. Both states plan to deploy SMRs into rural areas with limited grid systems and use international regulatory tools to guide their strategies. Both states also deal with similar social issues surrounding public perception of nuclear energy and indigenous communities in the potential deployment areas. In a comparative analysis of the two cases there will be an assessment of the following independent variables: security, safety, and public perception in the cases of Canada and Kenya. Due to the complex and contemporary nature of each independent variables in this study, the majority of the literature is derived from primary sources which are based heavily on reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency"--Pages v-vi.