Nuclear Energy Development In Asia

An exploration of how and why Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and India have initiated and developed nuclear energy programs and what challenges they face today. Were the nuclear programmes driven by the low energy endowment, a desire to pursue international prestige, national security concerns, environmental pollution or economic development?

The rising demand for energy, the higher costs of oil and gas, and the association of fossil fuels with adverse climate change have all brought a renewed interest in nuclear energy. Nuclear power, however, is itself controversial, because of its costs, its environmental effects and the security risks it poses. This book discusses these critical issues surrounding nuclear power in relation to Asia. It discusses also the politics of nuclear power and the activities of civil society organisations concerned about nuclear issues. Throughout the book the perspectives are included of both proponents and opponents of nuclear power on the key controversial issues.

This book aims to introduce and discuss the policy issues and challenges surrounding the development of nuclear power energy in Southeast Asia (SEA). Nuclear energy is poised for substantial growth in a region that is in need of more sustainable and clean energy source against the background of rising energy demand and an increasingly narrower power supply and demand gap. However, there are many safety and security risks associated with nuclear power especially so for a region that remains vulnerable to political risks and military conflicts. This book will, therefore, discuss those policy issues and challenges and offers unique insights from the practitioners, industry experts, academics, and policymakers on how the SEA governments could mitigate those risks through good governance. Contents:Nuclear Energy: Issues and Challenges for Southeast Asia States (Nur Azha Putra)Nuclear Energy Security and the Policy Environment in Southeast Asia (Alistair D B Cook and Sofiah Jamil)Towards a Regional Nuclear Energy Safety Regime in Southeast Asia (Nicholas Fang)Areas of Regional Nuclear Energy Cooperation (Eulalia Han)Challenges in Adapting Malaysia's Legal Framework to International Nuclear Norms (Aishah Bidin)Policy Considerations for Singapore's Nuclear Energy Involvements (John Bauly)Human Resources and Capacity Building: Issues and Challenges for Vietnam's Nuclear Energy Programme (Ton Nu Thi Ninh)Socioeconomic Impact of Nuclear Power (Hans Rogner) Readership: Graduates and researchers interested in policy issues and challenges surrounding nuclear power energy in Southeast Asia.

This book focuses on the issue of ‘resurgence of nuclear power’ and discusses the feasibility of nuclear in the energy mix of Asian economies. It discusses nuclear energy sector in detail in the context of India, a country where currently overseas supply of hydrocarbon fuels plays a major role in meeting the domestic energy needs. The book presents an in-depth analysis of nuclear energy policy as well as regional and global politics surrounding the nuclear industry, and the relevance of nuclear energy from the low-carbon energy perspective. To do so, it explores three different perspectives. To start with, the resurgence of nuclear power is discussed from a global energy perspective to understand whether and how it has been increasingly gaining policy attention among Asian economies. Secondly, it highlights the role of nuclear power in Asia and examines how the collaboration with the global nuclear sector is influencing that role. While the epicentre of nuclear power growth can be seen shifting to the Global East, there is a growing need for strengthening the industry, its legal and regulatory infrastructure and knowledge management. The third perspective focuses on the challenges and opportunities for the nuclear power industry and explores, to what extent the public perception is in favor of nuclear sector in the region. The perceived risks of nuclear power, public perception related to legal and regulatory issues, and concerns regarding land acquisition for nuclear facilities are also discussed. The book contains contributions from specialists in the global energy and nuclear sector, and examines some of the most sought-after topics related to the energy policy studies, especially in the Asian context.

Learning from Fukushima began as a project to respond in a helpful way to the March 2011 triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown) in north-eastern Japan. It evolved into a collaborative and comprehensive investigation of whether nuclear power was a realistic energy option for East Asia, especially for the 10 member-countries of ASEAN, none of which currently has an operational nuclear power plant. We address all the questions that a country must ask in considering the possibility of nuclear power, including cost of construction, staffing, regulation and liability, decommissioning, disposal of nuclear waste, and the impact on climate change. The authors are physicists, engineers, biologists, a public health physician, and international relations specialists. Each author presents the results of their work.

This book offers a comprehensive assessment of the dynamics driving, and constraining, nuclear power development in Asia, Europe and North America, providing detailed comparative analysis. The book formulates a theory of nuclear socio-political economy which highlights six factors necessary for embarking on nuclear power programs: (1) national security and secrecy, (2) technocratic ideology, (3) economic interventionism, (4) a centrally coordinated energy stakeholder network, (5) subordination of opposition to political authority, and (6) social peripheralization. The book validates this theory by confirming the presence of these six drivers during the initial nuclear power developmental periods in eight countries: the United States, France, Japan, Russia (the former Soviet Union), South Korea, Canada, China, and India. The authors then apply this framework as a predictive tool to evaluate contemporary nuclear power trends. They discuss what this theory means for developed and developing countries which exhibit the potential for nuclear development on a major scale, and examine how the new "renaissance" of nuclear power may affect the promotion of renewable energy, global energy security, and development policy as a whole. The volume also assesses the influence of climate change and the recent nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, on the nuclear power industry’s trajectory. This book will be of interest to students of energy policy and security, nuclear proliferation, international security, global governance and IR in general.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and regulatory framework for the nuclear industry from an Asian perspective. It includes information on the history of nuclear lawmaking, the key international treaties and agreements that govern the use of nuclear energy, the role of national and regional regulatory bodies, and the legal and policy issues that arise in the development and operation of nuclear power plants. The book also covers topics such as nuclear safety, security, waste management, environmental protection, and liability for nuclear accidents. Additionally, it provides insights into the legislative process and the various stakeholders involved in nuclear lawmaking, such as industry, government, and civil society organizations. The overall goal of this book is to provide a detailed and up-to-date understanding of the legal and regulatory framework for the nuclear newcomers, particularly in Asia, and to help readers navigate this complex and dynamic field. The book is also used as a guide for all nuclear energy-producing countries, lawmakers, students, researchers, or even for general readers to understand the perspectives of international nuclear energy law.