June 1999

Number of Plants: 430
Global Electricity Generation: 16 percent
Emissions Avoided Annually: 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2 (500 MMTCE)

World demand for electricity will continue to grow as population grows and countries develop and expand their industrial base. All methods of electricity generation have some impact on the environment. Our global challenge is to minimise this impact while satisfying the electricity needs of the world. Nuclear energy plays an important role in fulfilling this objective because it protects the environment, provides much needed energy and makes sustainable development possible. Particularly, nuclear electricity generation avoids the emission of greenhouse gases and thus plays a key role in limiting potential climate change.

Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should acknowledge nuclear poweras an acceptable energy and environmental policy option that successfully avoids greenhouse gas emissions. Continued, effective use of nuclear energy to address potential climate change requires several policy elements be included in, or implemented in concert with, any effort to manage risks from global warming. These should include:

• Recognition of the contribution from operating nuclear energy facilities as an integral part of current and future greenhouse gas abatement strategy.
• Accreditation of current and future emission avoidance from non-emitting and low-emitting technologies, including nuclear energy facilities, in the design and implementation of all the Kyoto Mechanisms.
• Distribution of emission allowances in global electricity sectors based on electricity generated to ensure an emissions trading system that is non-discriminatory of non- and low-emitting technologies.
• Equal application of full life-cycle analysis, to all energy generation technologies, in order to account for greenhouse gas emissions from every stage of energy generation.

Nuclear energy is already avoiding global carbon emissions and contributing to the attainment of voluntary reduction commitments. Therefore nuclear energy should be entitled to credits in the same manner as reduction technologies such as sinks or carbon sequestration. In the event that binding emission limits are established, avoidance actions eligible for emissions trading should include (but not be limited to):

• emissions avoided through plant upgrade or modernization that increases electricity output at existing nuclear plants over the 1990 baseline year;
• emissions avoided by refurbishment or regulatory action that extends the operating life of a nuclear plant beyond the current business-as-usual case; and
• emissions avoided through the addition of a new nuclear plant unit.

Implementation of emission restrictions should be flexible, without limits on the nature and scope of acceptable projects, so as not to interfere with an individual country's development and energy choices. Maintaining and expanding nuclear energy generation can avoid emission increases which result from developed and developing country industrial growth. Nuclear energy projects meet the test of sustainable development as defined in Clause 12 of the Kyoto Protocol because they are real, quantifiable, verifiable, and additional. Therefore, the development of nuclear energy, as Joint Implementation or Clean Development Mechanism projects, should receive credit for early action.

Stategies and measures to avoid man-made emissions of greenhouse gases must strive for efficient use of all energy sources, including electricity. In addition, strategies and measures should encourage fuel switching and take advantage of available low emitting primary energy sources, as provided by nuclear generation.

The global nuclear energy industry, through its participation in this International Nuclear Forum, will continue to work with all UNFCCC Parties, observers, and the Public to protect the environment and make sustained development possible.