Is Nuclear the Future?

Abstract

Is nuclear energy indeed the future? It depends: the IAEA, IEA and the Chinese government would like to emphasise that nuclear power is efficient, reliable, clean, safe and large enough to be used as base-load to, if not solve, at least, alleviate the pressures from the twin challenges China and the world are facing — energy security and climate change. Others see the current move as mere ‘nuclear amnesia’ because nuclear power will not be able to meet the growing demand or cut carbon emission sufficiently to make a dent in the two main problems, especially in China. One way of describing it perhaps is: ‘nuclear power alone won’t get us to where we need to be, but we won’t get there without it.’¹