The future of nuclear energy (group 17)

This article is the work of a group of students from the ''Ecole Nationale d'Administration'', they had to study the perspective of nuclear energy in France. Nuclear energy is an important element to assure the stability of the energy supply of the country. Uranium purchases appear to be safe for being diversified and the price of the nuclear fuel contributes to only 20% of the price of the kWh compared to 40% for natural gas. Today the competitiveness of nuclear energy is assured but technological progress concerning gas turbines might challenge it in the years to come. Sustainable development implies not only abundant energy for all but also a preserved environment for the generations to come. The development of nuclear energy is hampered by the lack of satisfactory answers to the problem of fuel back-end cycle and more generally to the issue of radioactive wastes. On the other hand nuclear energy presents serious assets concerning the preservation of environment: nuclear energy as a whole from the uranium ore mining to the production of electricity emits very few atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse effect gases, and requires little room for its installations. The composition of the future energy mix will depend greatly on opinions and assumptions made about the reserves of fossil fuels, technological perspectives and the perception by the public of industrial risks (environmental damage, nuclear accidents...). (A.C.)