Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Towards a clean and sustainable energy system: 26 criteria nuclear power does not meet

AuteurJ.Haverkamp, WISE, Heinrich Böll Stiftung
6-01-0-00-280.pdf
Datumapril 2021
Classificatie 6.01.0.00/280 (ALGEMEEN)
Voorkant

Uit de publicatie:

Towards a clean and sustainable energy system: 
26 criteria nuclear power does not meet

JAN HAVERKAMP
Published by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, April 2021

Introduction
Nuclear energy has been brought back into the European energy debate due to 
populist power. Currently, a complex debate is taking place within the EU about 
whether nuclear power should be part of the Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities. 
Nuclear energy does not meet a number of basic criteria that should be a 
requirement of technologies in a sustainable energy policy. It only became clear 
slowly after the introduction of the first nuclear power plants that nuclear 
energy does not meet these criteria. In the 1970s, however, this crystallised in 
a thorough nuclear energy critique on a technical, economic, social and political 
level. Over the last 50 years, the nuclear industry has not been able to overcome 
these problems. Certain ways of approaching them have changed, however: some risks
 have been counteracted by dint of expensive safety and security measures, so that 
the problem has shifted partly, but still not sufficiently, from risk to costs.
It is currently argued that we should keep existing nuclear power plants open 
longer to prevent a further exacerbation of the climate problem. It is also argued 
that we need to build new nuclear power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
Work is currently underway on a few dozen new nuclear power plant designs that, 
according to protagonists of nuclear energy, should meet the criteria for a 
sustainable energy supply. However, these designs have not yet proven their worth 
in practice.
To determine whether nuclear energy can, or even should, play a role in future 
energy policy, it must fulfil basic criteria of sustainability.