Manchester University leads SPRIng project
University to develop new tools for assessing the sustainability of nuclear power; among the tools to be developed: Methodology and decision-support system for assessing the sustainability of nuclear power and considering energy supply and demand
The high price of oil and concern about the environment have led to a renewed interest in nuclear power generation. In the United States, for example, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the first time is nearly three decades is considering application for new nuclear plant (and, as is the case with New York’s Indian Point, a controversial application to renew the operating license of the plant for two more decades). With this renewed interest in nuclear power, there is a need for new and sophisticated methods to assess the technology’s potential, performance, and impact. Manchester University is leading a £2 million project to develop new tools for assessing the sustainability of nuclear power. The university has won funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to lead a project to develop a methodology and decision-support system for assessing the sustainability of nuclear power, considering energy supply and demand.
The framework being developed will draw together technical, environmental, economic, social, and governance perspectives to enable systematic, transparent, and balanced assessment of nuclear power relative to other energy options — including renewables. The Sustainability Assessment of Nuclear Power: An Integrated Approach (SPRIng) project is being led by Professor Adisa Azapagic in the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science (CEAS) at Manchester University.
She said: “The outputs of this three-year project will have the potential to contribute to a better quality of life through improved understanding of the sustainability implications of the nuclear option compared to other energy options. Given the importance of the subject and the interest in its outputs, the work has a potential to impact both the UK and the international scenes.”
Partners in the project include U.K. universities, large nuclear engineering companies, government departments, media organisations, and NGOs.