The status quo and future of nuclear power in Germany and worldwide

In the context of predicted energy demand growth, concerns regarding the security of fossil fuel supplies and the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions, a reappraisal of nuclear power has taken place on national, European and international levels. While the Geman government concedes nuclear power only a ''bridging function'' to a world where energy demand is fully covered by renewable energies, international institutions like the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) see nuclear power as a key element of any sustainable long-term energy strategy compatible with climate protection. They call for a multiplication of nuclear power generation by 2050. In agreement with the international organizations mentioned, nuclear power and renewable energies are seen by AREVA as complementary, not as alternatives and represent today AREVA's core businesses. Over the last two decades, construction of new nuclear power plants has been centering mainly on Asia while in Europe and North America the focus was on lifetime extension of existing plants. In Germany, the government has announced to revise the lifetime restrictions imposed by a former government in 2002. But an upswing in the new-build market can be observed also in Europe, and major new-build programs are being prepared in the US and the UK. Several countries in Europe and abroad are planning new plants, and a growing number of countries, in particular in the Middle and Far East, plan to embark on nuclear power. The IEA scenario consistent with limiting global warming by the year 2100 to 2 C is highly challenging for utilities and the vendor industry, but feasible provided there is a stable political and regulatory environment. Several global vendors offer state-of-the-art designs for generation III+ reactors. (orig.)