Nuclear Power and Energy Policy: The Limits to Governance

257 Pages·2015·5.263 MB·English

by  Keith Baker, Gerry Stoker (auth.)

NUCLEAR
POWER
AND
ENERGY
POLICY
THE LIMITS TO
GOVERNANCE
KEITH BAKER
AND
GERRY STOKER
Nuclear Power and Energy Policy

Nuclear Power and Energy
Policy
The Limits to Governance
Keith Baker
AssistantProfessor,SchoolofPublicPolicy,OregonStateUniversity,USA
Gerry Stoker
ProfessorofPoliticsandGovernance,UniversityofSouthampton,UK
CentenaryResearchProfessor,IGPA,UniversityofCanberra,Australia
©KeithBakerandGerryStoker2015
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workinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Firstpublished2015by
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ISBN 978-1-349-56792-8 ISBN 978-1-137-43386-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137433862
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Contents
ListofFiguresandTables vi
PrefaceandAcknowledgements vii
ListofAbbreviations ix
1 ARevivalofNuclearPower? 1
2 ThePoliticalEconomyofNuclearPower 13
3 GovernanceandtheLimitsofGovernanceTheory 38
4 AFrameworkforUnderstandingGovernanceinPractice 59
5 ARevivalofNuclearPowerinBritain 81
6 ARevivalofNuclearPowerintheUnitedStates 114
7 ARevivalofNuclearPowerinFrance 146
8 ARevivalofNuclearPowerinFinland 171
9 Conclusion:TheLimitsofGovernance 193
References 210
Index 234
v
Figures and Tables
Figures
2.1 No.ofnuclearreactors(worldwide)bygridconnection
date 25
2.2 Averagecapacityfactors 29
2.3 Thebathtubcurveofindustrialfaults 30
5.1 PercentageofBritishelectricitygenerationbytechnology 84
6.1 USelectricitysuppliedbyfueltype 118
6.2 AverageUSelectricitypricesc//KWhsince1990 120
6.3 TheincreasingpoweroutputofUSreactors:1953–1963 123
6.4 Noofunitsorderedandopenedbyyear,1953–2013 124
7.1 Frenchelectricityproductionbysource,1970–2012 151
7.2 Powerreactorsordersandcommissioningdates 152
8.1 ElectricitygenerationbyfuelinFinland 173
Tables
4.1 Governanceinpractice:theinstrumentsofgovernment 65
5.1 Theinstruments,techniquesandtoolsof
metagovernance 94
6.1 MarginalfuelbymarketintheUnitedStates 119
6.2 Theinstruments,techniquesandtoolsof
metagovernance 129
7.1 TheinstrumentsoftheFrenchgovernment 159
8.1 TheinstrumentsoftheFinnishgovernment 180
9.1 Limitstogovernance 197
vi
Preface and Acknowledgements
Thisbookhasemergedfromtheproject‘SustainabilityofNuclearPower:
An Integrated Approach’ (SPRIng) that was funded by the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Council (Grant no. EP/F001444/1). The authors
werepartnersintheprojectasitwasrecognizedthatnuclearpowerisa
complexissueandmanyofitsdimensionsarebeststudiedbypolitical
orsocialscientists.
Aswebegantoinvestigatenuclearpower,thedifficultiesofthetech-
nology, the costs involved and the overwhelming complexity of the
networksandregulationinvolvedbecameobvious.Althoughthevolu-
minousliteratureongovernanceoffersawaytomakesenseofsuchcom-
plexity, the concept itself and its daughter notion of metagovernance
haverarelybeensubjecttosuchadifficulttest.Moreover,therearefew
large cross-national studies of governance and the authors have long
been struck by the optimistic tone in much of the literature. Nuclear
powerofferedanopportunitytoconductacross-nationaltestoftheabil-
ityofgovernmentstorealizetheirpolicygoalsinaworldofdecentred
networks.Ourassumptionwasthatifgovernmentscangoverntheirway
tonuclearpower,itislikelythattheycangoverntowardsotherpolicy
goalsaswell.
Any cross-national study, conducted by a few researchers in a fast-
movingpolicyfield,willalwaysbeincomplete.Wehavetriedtoensure
that our study is as up to date as possible through the extensive use of
informed secondary sources. Luckily for us most information is avail-
ableinEnglishbecausetheInternationalAtomicEnergyAgencyinsists
that all documents are available in its working languages (including
English) and the fact that the language of business, finance, engineer-
ing and science is English. Nuclear regulators, engineers and financiers
needtocommunicateinternationally,andtheytendtodosoinEnglish.
Wewereaidedinourresearchbythefactthatthenuclearindustryisin
somerespectsquitetransparentandsharesawiderangeoftechnological
informationwithitsownprofessionalpresses.Despitetheavailabilityof
Englishlanguagesources,somematerialwasonlyaccessibleinFrenchor
This book represents a joint effort on the part of the two authors, and both
authors share responsibility for the final outcome. Any mistakes or oversights
areentirelyourown.
vii
viii PrefaceandAcknowledgements
Finnish.Wherenecessary,theauthorshavetranslatedrelevantsections
of such documents themselves or have drawn upon the expertise of
nativespeakers.
TheSPRIngprojectbeganin2008andtheauthors’researchintothe
subjectofnuclearpowerhasstretchedacrossaconsiderableamountof
time(justlikenuclearconstructionprojects).Anyprojectthatstretches
across several years is supported by a vast number of people, and
it would be impossible to thank them all individually as we would
otherwisewish.Wearegratefultoallofthem.
We wish to thank the anonymous interviewees who gave their time
to speak with the authors and their kindness in offering honest and
insightful answers. We could not have written this text without them.
We are grateful to our colleagues at the University of Manchester
and City University London and other partners in the SPRIng project.
We must also express our deep gratitude to John Simpson, a colleague
researcher with us on the research project whose scholarship, enor-
mous expertise and understanding of nuclear policy have guided us
throughout.
Withouttheseandotherallies,thisbookwouldnothavehappened.
We owe a huge debt to the University of Southampton, UK, for
supportingtheresearchthroughout.TheresourcesofNorthumbriaUni-
versity,Newcastle,UK,alsohelpedtosupporttheproject.OregonState
University, US, and the University of Canberra, Australia, must also
be thanked for providing us with the time to write. Our colleagues at
Palgrave have been unceasing in their kindness and support and must
be thankedfor their organizationalskills in keeping us on task andfor
agreeingtopublishthebookinthefirstplace.
We are very grateful to the anonymous peer reviewers whose critical
commentsforcedustoproducebetterargumentsandabettertext.
We also wish to thank the following people: Dr. Ishan Ashutosh
(Indiana University, US) and Dr Ian Cook (Northumbria University,
Newcastle) for their willingness to buy beer, Dr Michael Jones (Oregon
State University, US) for his encouraging comments and sound advice,
ProfessorDeniseLach(OregonStateUniversity,US)forhersupportand
Dr Ellen Rubin (University at Albany, US) who repeatedly stressed that
even complex subjects can be explained through clear argument. Rod
Rhodes (Southampton and Griffiths University, Australia) remains an
inspirationwhenitcomestounderstandingthecomplexworldofgov-
ernance. We also wish to thank our students who have forced us to
think deeply on what we comprehend to be the processes involved in
governmentandgovernance.
Abbreviations
ABWR AdvancedBoilingWaterReactor
AEC AtomicEnergyCommission
AGR AdvancedGas-cooledReactor
BcF BillionCubicFeet
BERR DepartmentofBusinessEnterpriseandRegulatory
Reform
BNFL BritishNuclearFuelsLimited
BWR BoilingWaterReactor
CANDU CanadianDeuteriumUraniumReactor
CEA Commissariatàl’énergieatomiqueetauxénergies
alternatives(CommissionforAtomicand
RenewableEnergy)
CEGB CentralElectricityGeneratingBoard
CfD ContractforDifference
CO CarbonDioxide
2
COGEMA CompagnieGeneraledesMatiéresNucléaire
(Nuclearfuelproductioncompany)
CRE ElectricityRegulationCommission
DECC DepartmentofEnergyandClimateChange
DiP DecisioninPrinciple
DOE DepartmentofEnergy
DTI DepartmentofTradeandIndustry
EA EnvironmentAgency
EC EuropeanCommission
EDF ÉlectricitédeFrance
EIA EnergyInformationAdministration
EMR ElectricityMarketReform
EPA EnvironmentalProtectionAgency
EPACT EnergyPolicyAct
EPR EuropeanPressurizedReactor
EU EuropeanUnion
FERC FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission
FFL FossilFuelLevy
Framatome Franco-AméricainedeConstructionsAtomiques
(Franco-Americanatomicconstructioncompany)
GAO GovernmentAccountabilityOffice
ix