How do the superpowers build nuclear power models?

On November 25, according to the announcement of the Party Central Office, the Party Central Committee agreed on the policy of restarting the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project and continuing to research the Nuclear Power Program in Vietnam.

This aims to firmly ensure national energy security, meet socio-economic development goals, enhance scientific and technological potential and sustainable national development.

Nuclear power is a long-standing energy technology, and is used by many developed countries to solve particularly urgent energy problems.

However, nuclear energy still has some disadvantages, and requires special attention to improving safety in exploitation, use and international cooperation.

Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power

Basic model of a nuclear power plant (Photo: Aydemperakende).

Nuclear energy is essentially the 'leverage' created by nuclear reactors, through the release of their energy to create heat. This heat is then used in steam turbines to generate electricity in power plants.

Compared to coal, gas and other forms of power generation, nuclear power provides the lowest greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), nuclear power generates more clean-air energy than any other energy source, and is responsible for 62% of all zero-emission electricity in the United States.

Another advantage of nuclear power is that once it is operational, the electricity generated by a nuclear power plant reactor is much cheaper than coal, gas or any other fossil fuel plant.

Almost all of the costs are upfront (construction costs), and factory maintenance is not too labor-intensive.

This factor combined with the relatively long life cycle of nuclear power plants (about 40-60 years) creates favorable conditions for countries to implement the nuclear power model.

Often associated with images of exhaust pipes spewing smoke into the sky, nuclear power technology is considered quite environmentally friendly (Photo: Getty).

Unlike other renewable energy sources, typically wind and solar, which are dependent on weather conditions, nuclear energy has no such limitations. On the contrary, this model is not affected by climatic factors, and still produces stable energy output even during natural disasters.

The biggest disadvantage of nuclear power is that the initial construction costs are huge, and can take 5-10 years.

There is also the risk of accidents. Chernobyl (Soviet Union), Three Mile Island (USA) or Fukushima Daiichi (Japan) are nuclear disasters that no country wants to encounter.

However, accidents do happen. In all of the major nuclear accidents listed above, human error or natural disasters led to the collapse of the power plants.

Radioactive waste and environmental impact are other points to consider when talking about nuclear power.

Radioactive waste generated by electricity generation, although small in quantity, is considered hazardous. Therefore, the waste must be stored safely to avoid polluting the environment.

How do countries develop nuclear power applications?

Nuclear power plants have been built in 31 countries around the world. Of these, two-thirds of the nuclear reactors are built in China, India and Russia.

The United States is the world's largest producer of nuclear power.

However, the United States is the world's largest producer of nuclear power , accounting for about 30% of global nuclear power output, according to data from World-nuclear.org.

The country's nuclear reactors are expected to produce 772 TWh by 2022, accounting for 18% of total electricity production.

Almost all of America's nuclear generating capacity comes from reactors built between 1967 and 1990, and no new construction has begun since 1977.

This was because gas production was considered more economically attractive and safety concerns increased following the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident in 1979.

Despite a virtual halt in new construction for more than 30 years, America's reliance on nuclear power has grown every year.

Specifically, in 1980, nuclear power plants in the United States produced 251 TWh of electricity, accounting for 11% of the country's electricity output. By 2019, that output had increased to 809 TWh, accounting for more than 30% of the electricity generated by nuclear energy worldwide.

China, the second largest user of nuclear power, has taken a different approach, as the drive to develop nuclear power has been fueled by air pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Nuclear power production by country in 2023 (Source: World Nuclear Association, IAEA PRIS).

China aims to "go global" by exporting nuclear technology, thanks to its great advantage from the nuclear supply chain and closed cycle.

According to World-nuclear.org, China has largely become self-sufficient in reactor design and construction, but has made the most of Western technology, incorporating process improvements.

Currently, there are 30 reactors under construction in China, and the country is expected to surpass the US in nuclear power production in the near future.

France, the third largest nuclear power producer, has the advantage of being the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generating electricity and earns more than 3 billion euros a year from it.

Currently, France produces about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy thanks to a long-term policy based on energy security, and is very active in developing nuclear technology.

Reactors and especially fuel products and services are important French exports.

In February 2022, France announced plans to build six new reactors and is considering building eight more.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Tran Chi Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute, said the world trend is returning to nuclear power to combat climate change and balance CO2 _emissions .

"The current trend in many countries is nuclear power and renewable power. Nuclear power is a good foundation for developing renewable power because the power system needs a stable power source to ensure reliable system operation ," the expert analyzed.

Dr. Ngo Duc Lam, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Energy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), said that many countries such as Russia have begun to switch from large-scale nuclear power to small-scale, low-capacity nuclear power with lower costs.

The advantages of small modular reactor nuclear power are low cost, short construction period, suitable for the conditions of most countries, and early response to the demand for electricity supply.