The Recent Overview and Prospects of Nuclear Power Policy and Industrial Strategies in the UK, Italy and Sweden

Abstract

European countries that had moved away from nuclear energy or frozen the construction of new nuclear power plants have begun to return to the construction due to their pursuit of low-carbon electricity sources, energy security and requirements for replacements for existing nuclear plants. Particularly, we should pay attention to developments in the UK that vowed to launch the construction of new nuclear power plants in its 2007 Energy White Paper, and in Italy and Sweden that have begun to reconsider their legal ban on new nuclear plants. These countries launched nuclear power generation development comparatively in the early stage in the world, and built solid nuclear industry infrastructure, however after that, suspended the construction of new nuclear power plants for energy-related or economic reasons. In view of recent conditions, however, they are trying to reintroduce nuclear energy or expand nuclear energy use. Given these points, the three countries are viewed as symbols of Europe’s return to nuclear energy.nuclear energy, nuclear power, regulation, energy security, carbon emissions