Nuclear power could be an option for Ireland as smaller, safer reactors become available – expert

Beyond 2030, smaller, safer, cheaper reactors could open up the possibility for nuclear in smaller countries like Ireland. File picture: David Creedon / Anzenberger

Nuclear power could be a good option for Ireland as it moves towards cleaner energy production, but only if safety and societal concerns are assuaged.

That is according to one of Ireland's leading energy experts, who told an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) event that the attraction of nuclear power was zero carbon and lots of power.

Dr Hannah Daly, a lecturer in sustainable energy and energy systems modelling at University College Cork (UCC) and a former modeller and analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA), said nuclear is a good option in energy systems models run by scientists, but models need to consider social and political and societal feasibility. 

"First of all, is nuclear a good fit for our grid as it currently stands? Maybe, with small modular reactors in the coming decades, it will be possible, but those aren’t commercially available now.

"But largely, it is the wider timescale that is needed to make these choices. I teach first-year energy engineers, and we run a debate with them on whether nuclear is a good option, and many think nuclear is a clear choice as it is zero carbon, lots of power, but when they consider all the tradeoffs in the societal and safety and political feasibility, they tend to switch their minds. It’s not a straightforward question," Dr Daly said.

Important role in reducing emissions

Senior research fellow at Cork-based MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Dr Paul Deane, told the Irish Examiner that nuclear is a low-carbon energy source and does play an important role in reducing emissions in places where it has been deployed, such as France.

However, it is not a likely option in the period to 2030 in Ireland as traditional nuclear is very large, requires back-up and takes time to build, he said.

Beyond 2030, smaller, safer, cheaper reactors could open up the possibility for nuclear in smaller countries like Ireland, he added. These need to be proven safe and reliable before they could be considered, Dr Deane added.

An Irish nuclear lobby group named 18for0, which is comprised of professionals in energy and related fields, has lobbied Environment Minister Eamon Ryan to enquire as to whether the Government plans "to conduct or commission a study to consider the potential of nuclear energy to benefit Irish society after 2030".

No appetite for nuclear power

In December, Mr Ryan said he had “not ruled out” the possibility of nuclear power being utilised during the transition to more efficient energy, but said there was no appetite for it at the moment.

However, 18for0 said its own study indicated that Ireland is capable of developing a nuclear power programme that would "provide cheaper energy than alternative proposals, reduce carbon emissions faster, and enable a just transition for hundreds of energy workers".

It urged the Government to authorise a study on the possibility of harnessing nuclear power to help Ireland meet its emissions targets over the coming decades.

Last month, the group said in response to the IEA's world emission reduction roadmap to 2050 that "it is now critical that Ireland immediately repeals its legislation that prohibits nuclear power plants being built here, and that Ireland considers the need for the latest nuclear technology that could begin operating from 2033".

Current nuclear legislation is no longer fit for purpose, it said.