Nuclear power under the clean development mechanism

Not a few developing countries have been following a policy of positively i ntroducing nuclear power to meet the predicted increase in energy demand in future, however, nuclear power development needs technically and financial ly advanced infrastructures. It is essential for the developing countries t o receive technical and financial supports from a developed country or coun tries, in relation to procurement of funds, education/training of operation /maintenance personnel, assurance of safety, nuclear nonproliferation and s afeguard etc., when they seek to introduce or develop nuclear power. It is expected that the developed countries would actively invest in the introduc tion or development of nuclear power plants in the developing countries, if the investing countries can get emission reduction credits through the Cle an Development Mechanism (CDM) defined in the Article 12 of the Kyoto Proto col of the COP-3. This paper examines effectiveness of the CDM, when it is used as an institu tional means of funds raising and technical infrastructure development that are expected to be the greatest obstacles to introducing nuclear power in the developing countries, and proposes the guidelines which are specificall y necessary to realize it. Funds that can be raised by Japan to a nuclear p ower project of developing country in return of the emission right of green house gases were calculated, substituting coal-fired thermal power plants w ith nuclear power. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.