Nuclear power under the clean development mechanism

Not a few developing countries have been following a policy of positively introducing nuclear power to meet the predicted increase in energy demand in future, however, nuclear power development needs technically and financially advanced infrastructures. It is essential for the developing countries to receive technical and financial supports from a developed country or countries, in relation to procurement of funds, education/training of operation/maintenance personnel, assurance of safety, nuclear nonproliferation and safeguard etc., when they seek to introduce or develop nuclear power. It is expected that the developed countries would actively invest in the introduction or development of nuclear power plants in the developing countries, if the investing countries can get emission reduction credits through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) defined in the Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol of the COP-3.

This paper examines effectiveness of the CDM, when it is used as an institutional 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 specifically necessary to realize it. Funds that can be raised by Japan to a nuclear power project of developing country in return of the emission right of greenhouse gases were calculated, substituting coal-fired thermal power plants with nuclear power.