The world will need about 1,160 GW of installed nuclear capacity – up from about 400 GW today – if it is to meet its climate targets, but the way financing for reactors is politicised is an obstacle to construction, a webinar heard.
William Magwood, director-general of the Nuclear Energy Agency, said the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has drawn up about 90 scenarios for fighting climate change and the average of all 90 would mean 1,160 GW of reactor capacity is needed by 2050, an increase of almost 200%.
The additional 760 GW of capacity would be equivalent to about 460 new 1,630-MW (net) EPR units of the type being built by France’s EDF, or 640 Russian VVER V-510K units of 1,175 MW (net) each.
William Magwood, director-general of the Nuclear Energy Agency, said the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has drawn up about 90 scenarios for fighting climate change and the average of all 90 would mean 1,160 GW of reactor capacity is needed by 2050, an increase of almost 200%.
The additional 760 GW of capacity would be equivalent to about 460 new 1,630-MW (net) EPR units of the type being built by France’s EDF, or 640 Russian VVER V-510K units of 1,175 MW (net) each.
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