Fukushima and its impact on the nuclear energy industry

Conference with Frost & Sullivan Market Experts

The world’s $370 billion nuclear industry covers 14% of the world’s total energy demand emitting near to no emissions. To reach these results, it plays with one of the most dangerous types of naturally occurring substances on earth. The nuclear crisis in the aftermath of a disastrous earthquake and tsunami in Japan showed what could happen and what could have happened. Will the Fukushima event slow down the nuclear energy industry and divert public funding away? Prior to the explosion, a number of European countries had been bringing forward plans to develop new nuclear projects – will still be the case?

The answers to these and more questions will be addressed in Frost & Sullivan's web conference, taking place on Tuesday, 29th March at 4 pm BST. Two Frost & Sullivan key nuclear market experts in Europe Senior Consultant Jonathan Robinson and Consultant Enguerran Ripert will offer insights into the past, the present and the future of the industry. The conference is open to all players interested in the subject.

The Japanese disaster is the biggest nuclear accident for 25 years, with some speculating it could have become another Chernobyl. On the back of a deep recession, governments now tread carefully around public opinion for fears of losing further public support after cost cutting reforms, and potentially being ousted in upcoming elections.

Jonathan Robinson says: "New nuclear projects still faced challenges because of the significant level of capital investment required to construct new plants, as well as concerns on the potential for project time and cost overruns and also lower electricity demand in some key markets. This situation has now undoubtedly been made more complex by the accident at Fukushima. But many European governments remain committed to nuclear power and are determined to drive new investment forward".
“The private sector is surely to become a more important pillar in the nuclear industry in the medium term, however, state and governments have strong interests in the sector for as long as it keeps going”, says Enguerran Ripert.

Now that a plethora of projects and government decisions are purposefully slowed, the key issues of nuclear’s levelised cost of electricity, and the impending additional safety reviews could add billions to the development and construction of existing projects as well as pipeline projects.

Frost & Sullivan briefing discusses these issues from the perspective of Europe, given its important nuclear interests. In particular, Jonathan Robinson and Enguerran Ripert will look at the state of current projects, highlight likely changes in the short and medium term and lay down the likely impact it will have for the European nuclear industry in particular.