(EnergyAsia, March 14 2012, Wednesday) — The World Energy Council (WEC) said the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan in March 2011 had limited impact on the nuclear energy plans of many countries around the world.

In a report, ‘World Energy Perspective: Nuclear Energy One Year After Fukushima’, WEC found that “very little has changed, especially in non-OECD countries, in respect of the future utilisation of nuclear in the energy mix, according to the data analysed by the study group.”

It added that there has been little improvement to global governance of the nuclear sector, highlighting the need for action, and the critical need to inform the public about issues relating to nuclear generation technologies, safety, costs, benefits and risks.

The report said that about 50 countries are operating, building, or considering nuclear power as part of their energy mix, with half of them new to this energy source.

A total of 63 nuclear plants are under construction, mainly in China (26), Russia (10), India (7) and South Korea where energy demand growth is strongest.

The report was compiled by energy experts, practitioners and regulators from 13 countries under the chairmanship of Alessandro Clerici, incorporating feedback from WEC’s network in over 90 countries.

Mr Clerici said: “Apart from the limited cases where the Fukushima accident has caused governments to think again, the majority of countries, after the initial emotion, are now engaged in a rational assessment of the pros and cons of nuclear to bring energy to their populations.

“In the pursuit of sustainable energy, no technology should be idolised or demonised. This study shows that the nuclear option is not being disregarded worldwide. However, national boundaries are meaningless in the context of severe nuclear accidents. Therefore, safety and regulation, and the lessons learnt, must clearly lead to the improvement of the security of existing and future nuclear plants.”

Pierre Gadonneix, the WEC chairman, said:

“It is clear from the report that nuclear energy will play a full part in the future energy mix, especially in developing countries, provided nuclear safety and transparency are continuously being reinforced.

“I believe there is a real opportunity for our world leaders to promote a consensual solution to this issue and thus demonstrate that real international governance, where emerging economies fully participate, can be successful.”

Ayed Al-Qahtani, WEC’s senior project manager, said:

“The Fukushima accident has not led to any significant retraction in nuclear energy programmes in countries outside Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Japan. The progress in many national nuclear power programmes, especially in non-OECD countries, has been delayed, but there is no indication that their pursuit of nuclear power has declined in response to Fukushima.”

Where national governments have altered their plans for nuclear, the report highlights the role that public opinion has played in affecting government decisions.

Christoph Frei, the WEC secretary general, said:

“Fukushima has accelerated a trend towards more ‘energy democratisation’. At the heart of this is the question of trust. The public demands transparency and participation in decisions about the future of their country’s energy mix.

“Therefore all sides must engage in a fact-based dialogue about the tensions between security of supply, environment, and access to energy to overcome the ‘energy trilemma’.”