COGENERATION BASED ON

NUCLEAR: CURRENT USE AND

ACTUAL DEVELOPPEMENT

20/03/2014
Graziana Pizzigallo
Mathilde Sirbu

Nuclear cogeneration
potential in Europe
Nuclear is the largest energy supplier in EU (31%)
Projects of EU and AIEA

[www.snetp.eu]

[www.euronuclear.
org]

Cogeneration: how does it

work?

3
[http://energie.lexpansion.com

Advantages of nuclear
cogeneration
Nuclear cogeneration would optimize losses using
the waste heat that can be exploited for
residential and industrial use (saves fossil fuel,
cuts emissions, unlocks a new huge market)

4
[www.finfacts.ie]

Advantages of nuclear
cogeneration
Exemple of Nogent-sur- Seine if it was with
cogeneration
Situated 120 km far from Paris
low losses (~6%)
Production of 9 TWh therm/year
150% of Paris consumption
Save 4,2 million tons/year of CO2
[http://energie.lexpansion.com]

Replace heat production by natural gas

Implications:
Less production of electricity ~ 2TWh that means -10%
but offset by gains!

Calculating to have an
idea
Considering:
1)Heat energy cost: 60 /MWh (486 miliards for
8,1 TWh)
2)Electrical energy cost: 50 /MWh ( 100 mil /an
for 2 TWh losses)

Pay-back period ~ 7 years and 6 months

In maximum 10 years all Parisian can have

quite free heat energy !!!

How to implement it?

One example: Temelin

Czech Republic
2002
2002 :: the
the heat
heat produced
produced by
by the
the
reactors
reactors is
is used
used for
for the
the heating
heating
of
of Tyn
Tyn (8000
(8000 inhabitants)
inhabitants)

75%
75% of
of the
the buildings
buildings linked
linked to
to
the
the grid
grid
http://energie.lexpansion.com

Heating
Heating 20%
20% less
less
expensive
expensive in
in Tyn
Tyn

Less
Less polluting:
polluting:
25
25 coal-fired
coal-fired heating
heating
systems
systems removed
removed =
= 14
14 000
000
tons
tons of
of CO
CO22 rejected
rejected in
in the
the
atmosphere
atmosphere

In France
Underdevelopment of nuclear
residential & industrial use

cogeneration

Why ?
Financial risks : no immediate profits
Public acceptance
For industries : the concept is
(feasibility, reliability)
75%
75% of
of
electricity
electricity from
from
nuclear
nuclear plants
plants

58
58
reactors
reactors

2/3
2/3 of
of the
the
energy
energy
released
released
lost
lost

not

in

proven

Could
Could
heat
heat all
all
the
the France
France

For now : Heating of a municipal swimming-pool, of

a retirement home

Perspectives for the

future
In Europe

European Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial

Initiative (NC2I)
Decreasing CO2 emissions and securing the
energy supply of European industries
mentioned in the EUs Strategic Energy
Technology Plan
Low
Low Temperature
Temperature
Cogeneration
Cogeneration
Already
Already in
in use
use
(seawater
(seawater desalination
desalination
or
or district
district heating)
heating)

High
High Temperature
Temperature
Cogeneration
Cogeneration
(hydrogen
(hydrogen production
production or
or
steelmaking,
steelmaking, chemical
chemical and
and
refining
refining plants)
plants)
National
National project
project in
in Poland
Poland

10

Perspectives for the

future
In Europe

Potential
for
nuclear
cogeneration deployment
in industry is very large

11

Perspectives for the

future
In the world

HTR cogeneration to decrease CO2 emissions and

to enhance competitiveness
HTRs are subject to worldwide interest
China is building an HTR demo plant to be
commissioned in the next years
The USs objective to commission an HTR demo by
2022-2025

The objective of NC2I is the commissioning within

10 years of a nuclear cogeneration prototype
Europe in the worldwide competition
Deployment of this technology in several energyintensive industries

12

Perspectives for the

future
In France

Cogeneration from existing nuclear plants?

. Technical issue : reduction of the yield
. Financial issue : not sure of the profits

Cogeneration on future nuclear power plants

made for it
. Thermal performances of pipes : less than 2% of heat
lost on 100 km
Investment of 20bln
. Development of district heating
networks
= half of the heating
consumption

Diminution of oil and

gas purchases
= 10bln / year

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Conclusion

Very
cheap
energy
Big
quantities
produced
Low-carbon
energy

No immediate
profits
Use of nuclear
plants

432 nuclear reactors in the world 74 use nuclear

cogeneration : Eastern Europe, Japan, India

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Bibliography
Article Applications de l'nergie nuclaire: chauffage
domestique et production industrielle, bulletin from
the AIEA 2/1997
www.energie.lexpansion.com from Alexandra de
Manssion and Marion Manhes
www.lemonde.fr
Impianti Nucleari, Maurizio Cumo , Casa Editrice
Universit La Sapienza
www.finfacts.ie
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www.euronuclear.org