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Two years on: How nuclear sells itself post-Fukushima

LONDON (Reuters) –

http://www.firstpost.com/world/two-years-on-how-nuclear-sells-itself-post-fukushima-1121567.html

(Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel in Moscow; editing by Keiron Henderson)

18 September 2013

Two years after catastrophe at Japan’s Fukushima plant, sellers of atomic reactors woo potential buyers with the promise that lessons learned from one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters make the technology safer than ever.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns and radiation leaks at the plant, 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Tokyo, causing widespread contamination and prompting mass evacuations. The shockwave through the nuclear industry has not subsided and Fukushima plant owner Tepco is still struggling to contain the consequences.

Last month the firm said new spots of high radiation had been found near storage tanks holding highly contaminated water, raising fear of fresh leaks. Barbara Judge, a UK-based nuclear expert appointed by Tepco to improve its safety culture, says the disaster has made safety the top priority. “My opinion is that after Fukushima everything will be safer and that the safety agenda will be first in everyone’s minds,” she said In the aftermath of the accident many reactor developers reviewed their designs following government guidance and engaged in deep soul-searching that continues more than two years later.

Germany, with a traditionally anti-nuclear voting force, went as far as completely shunning nuclear power, vowing to switch off its nuclear fleet by the early 2020s. As a consequence of the political rethinking on nuclear power after Fukushima, companies such as France’s Areva (AREVA.PA), Toshiba’s Westinghouse unit or GE-Hitachi have seen orders dry up and costs for new plants explode due to additional safety requirements set by regulators.

At the end of 2010, 120 nuclear reactors were planned across the world.. By the end of last year this number had dropped to 102, according to statistics published by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) also scaled back the 2035 nuclear capacity forecast by some 50 gigawatts in its latest World Energy Outlook due to policy changes. “The prospects for nuclear power worldwide have been clouded by the uncertainty surrounding nuclear policies after the Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011,” said IEA analysts in the outlook.

In a bid to win new business, nuclear reactor makers largely ignore references to the Fukushima accident in marketing material, and those who do refer to it say the event has made their designs safer. “Since March 2011, the context has changed, but the fundamentals remain the same,” Areva’s chief commercial officer, Tarik Choho, says in a statement in a brochure promoting the company.

Areva has long realised that chasing nuclear customers alone is not a sustainable business and has been selling renewable energy technology alongside nuclear reactors since 2006. Its stall at the London-based annual conference of the World Nuclear Association last week had a picture of an offshore wind turbine that caught the eye before images of its nuclear plants.

In two bold examples showcasing how costly it is to build new reactors, Areva’s European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) projects in Finland and in its home market in France are billions of euros over budget and years behind schedule. “

Utilities worldwide are increasingly required to reduce emissions, while adapting to regional resources and producing profitable, competitive electricity – with the utmost safety,” he said.

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September 19, 2013 Posted by arclight2011part2 | 2 WORLD, marketing of nuclear | Leave a comment