Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions
Nuclear power plays a crucial role in achieving the target of carbon neutrality to build a sustainable society. However, it is not “carbon-free” when considering its entire life cycle. Therefore, accurate accounting and monitoring of its generated carbon emissions are required to avoid miscalculatio...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Energy Research |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1147016/full |
| _version_ | 1797680782026735616 |
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| author | Bojie Liu Bojie Liu Binbin Peng Fei Lu Jiang Hu Li Zheng Li Zheng Meifang Bo Xin Shang Weiwei Liu Yichi Zhang Xiafei Zhou Pengfei Jia Gengyuan Liu |
| author_facet | Bojie Liu Bojie Liu Binbin Peng Fei Lu Jiang Hu Li Zheng Li Zheng Meifang Bo Xin Shang Weiwei Liu Yichi Zhang Xiafei Zhou Pengfei Jia Gengyuan Liu |
| author_sort | Bojie Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nuclear power plays a crucial role in achieving the target of carbon neutrality to build a sustainable society. However, it is not “carbon-free” when considering its entire life cycle. Therefore, accurate accounting and monitoring of its generated carbon emissions are required to avoid miscalculations of nuclear energy as a clean energy source. In this study, the life-cycle carbon emissions of nuclear power plants (NPPs) with different reactor types are reviewed. In addition to the characteristic differences among different reactors, disparities in the review results originate from the varying emissions at the respective stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, technology choices at each stage and accounting methods and boundaries. The carbon emissions resulting from NPP construction and operation are underestimated due to the limited data and methods, which creates uncertainty in the evaluation of NPP carbon emissions. An integrated framework for carbon emissions accounting considering the construction and operation of NPPs (CACO-NPP) is proposed. This integrated framework aims to improve the accounting accuracy for carbon emissions originating from NPPs. An emerging Generation III NPP with the latest technology, HPR1000 (an advanced pressurized water reactor), was adopted as a case study. The results show that the total emissions resulting from vegetation loss, equipment manufacturing and labor input during construction and operation are 1232.91 Gg CO2 with a carbon intensity of 1.31 g CO2/kWh, indicating the notable mitigation capability of Generation III NPPs. By combining the maturity of HPR1000 technology with successive design improvements, the carbon emissions of such reactor types could be further reduced. This development is very important for realizing China’s carbon neutrality target. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:35:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb18f343b7ce44cdbdbdc55fd6e9ce03 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-598X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:35:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Energy Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb18f343b7ce44cdbdbdc55fd6e9ce032023-09-20T04:49:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Energy Research2296-598X2023-09-011110.3389/fenrg.2023.11470161147016Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissionsBojie Liu0Bojie Liu1Binbin Peng2Fei Lu3Jiang Hu4Li Zheng5Li Zheng6Meifang Bo7Xin Shang8Weiwei Liu9Yichi Zhang10Xiafei Zhou11Pengfei Jia12Gengyuan Liu13State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaChina Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing, ChinaCollege of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin, ChinaResearch Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaChina Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing, ChinaCollege of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin, ChinaNational Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS), Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Tianjin, ChinaChina Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing, ChinaChina Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration, Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, ChinaChina Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing, ChinaThe Center for Eco-Environmental Accounting, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing, ChinaChina Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Beijing, ChinaState Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaNuclear power plays a crucial role in achieving the target of carbon neutrality to build a sustainable society. However, it is not “carbon-free” when considering its entire life cycle. Therefore, accurate accounting and monitoring of its generated carbon emissions are required to avoid miscalculations of nuclear energy as a clean energy source. In this study, the life-cycle carbon emissions of nuclear power plants (NPPs) with different reactor types are reviewed. In addition to the characteristic differences among different reactors, disparities in the review results originate from the varying emissions at the respective stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, technology choices at each stage and accounting methods and boundaries. The carbon emissions resulting from NPP construction and operation are underestimated due to the limited data and methods, which creates uncertainty in the evaluation of NPP carbon emissions. An integrated framework for carbon emissions accounting considering the construction and operation of NPPs (CACO-NPP) is proposed. This integrated framework aims to improve the accounting accuracy for carbon emissions originating from NPPs. An emerging Generation III NPP with the latest technology, HPR1000 (an advanced pressurized water reactor), was adopted as a case study. The results show that the total emissions resulting from vegetation loss, equipment manufacturing and labor input during construction and operation are 1232.91 Gg CO2 with a carbon intensity of 1.31 g CO2/kWh, indicating the notable mitigation capability of Generation III NPPs. By combining the maturity of HPR1000 technology with successive design improvements, the carbon emissions of such reactor types could be further reduced. This development is very important for realizing China’s carbon neutrality target.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1147016/fullnuclear power plants (NPPs)carbon emissionsCACO-NPPHPR1000carbon neutrality target |
| spellingShingle | Bojie Liu Bojie Liu Binbin Peng Fei Lu Jiang Hu Li Zheng Li Zheng Meifang Bo Xin Shang Weiwei Liu Yichi Zhang Xiafei Zhou Pengfei Jia Gengyuan Liu Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions Frontiers in Energy Research nuclear power plants (NPPs) carbon emissions CACO-NPP HPR1000 carbon neutrality target |
| title | Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions |
| title_full | Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions |
| title_fullStr | Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions |
| title_short | Critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions |
| title_sort | critical review of nuclear power plant carbon emissions |
| topic | nuclear power plants (NPPs) carbon emissions CACO-NPP HPR1000 carbon neutrality target |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1147016/full |
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