Nuclear energy offers a smart solution to the ‘3E Trilemma’
How does a rapidly developing nation, such as the UAE, support economic and social growth without negatively affecting its natural heritage?
This has been a key area of debate for leaders and decision-makers, and embodies a fundamental dilemma at the core of economic and social development. Those working at the intersection of energy and environment call it the “3E Trilemma” or the “Trilemma of the Earth”.
Driving economic growth and development requires an increase in energy expenditure (new businesses need electricity). However, an increase in energy production typically causes environmental issues such as a rise in the emissions of pollutant gases. Therefore, growth in a nation’s economic activity usually results in higher emissions, and therein lies the “trilemma”.
Solutions to this were at the heart of discussions at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi this week, as international experts, business leaders and entrepreneurs came together to analyse global trends and formulate viable and effective sustainable development strategies that mitigate climate change and address energy challenges.
The UAE is aiming to increase the contribution of clean and renewable energy in the total mix to 50 per cent by 2050. This will help to broaden the nation’s energy sources and, linked with this, sources of revenue. The importance of having a diversified energy mix stems from the long lifetimes of energy infrastructure and the need to utilise technology that can provide a substantial baseload, producing reliable power 24/7.
The UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme, conceived about 10 years ago, has a key role to play in the country’s efforts to sustainably meet its energy needs. Through its delivery of clean, efficient and reliable energy, the programme also forms a part of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which seeks to diversify the UAE’s energy mix and reduce the carbon footprint of electricity generation by 70 per cent over the next 30 years.
The WFES showed how the UAE is implementing its energy strategy, which has been designed to support the development of the nation by helping to tackle the potentially damaging effects of climate change while also powering future growth. Peaceful nuclear energy forms a key part of this strategy.
The energy dimension of nuclear energy within the framework of sustainable development is highly favourable. Uranium resource availability is vast and, when measured in terms of reserve-production ratio, it is far greater than the availability of oil or natural gas resources. The global comparison of levelised costs of electricity generation for every available energy generation technology identifies nuclear energy as one of the cheapest sources of baseload power, especially when externalities such as grid level system costs are accounted for. Finally, as compared to its counterparts, peaceful nuclear energy technology remains secure because it is not affected by policy changes such as the adoption of climate change policy, or major resource price fluctuations.
Likewise, the environmental benefits of producing electricity from peaceful nuclear energy are particularly strong. On a life-cycle basis, nuclear energy plants are among the least carbon-intensive power sources. Increasing the share of nuclear energy in a country’s energy mix, or including it for the first time as is the case with the UAE, is usually foreseen as a major component in decarbonising the energy system at the lowest possible cost.
Similar to many other energy generation technologies, nuclear energy produces waste, in this case used nuclear fuel assemblies. However, the technology for managing the used fuel exists and has been proven in a number of countries. While interim storage solutions for the first 10 to 20 years of operations are already in place for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the first nuclear energy plant in the UAE and Arab world, we are already working on our national radioactive waste strategy to ensure we are prepared well in advance of long-term facilities being required.
Peaceful nuclear energy supports the economic and social growth of a nation and its people. Peaceful nuclear plants do not emit harmful pollutants into the air and water, and their construction and operation also provide employment opportunities, creating high-value, long-term jobs. More skilled labour is necessary to design and operate a nuclear plant and supply chain as compared with other technologies, meaning that it has a higher potential to generate economic value during the entire lifetime of the plant.
In light of these qualities, peaceful nuclear energy is uniquely positioned to address the 3E Trilemma, offering countries the energy they need to support economic development without significant environmental consequences.
So it is of little surprise that the UAE has chosen peaceful nuclear energy as one of its tools in its quest to mitigate climate change while also diversifying and securing its energy mix.