Brazil and its Nuclear Power Programme
A) The Angra 3 Nuclear Power Project
Nuclear energy provides about 3% of Brazil’s electricity. In 2007, gross production was 445 billion kWh, with net imports of 39 billion kWh being required. Of the total generated in the country, 84% of power was from hydro, 3.5% from gas, 4% from biomass, just over 5% from coal and oil, and 3% (12.4 million kWh) from nuclear. In 2009, nuclear power generated 13 billion kWh of electricity. Per capita electricity consumption in Brazil has grown strongly since 1990 – from under 1500 kWh/yr in 1990 to nearly 2200 kWh/yr in 2007.
The high dependence on hydro gives rise to some climatic vulnerability which is driving policy to diminish dependence on it. Des [...]
Green Buildings in Russia – is all still quiet on the Eastern Front?
The World Bank and IFC have recently reported that Russia’s current energy inefficiency is equal to the annual primary energy consumption of France. Indeed, the low local cost of energy, a mainly declarative legislation on environmental efficiency and little public interest have long kept Russia out of the global warming debate, and far away from the exotic issue of green buildings.
This trend is hopefully coming to an end with the recent enactment of a new law with compulsory requirements on energy saving and efficiency. This marks a clear ambition by Russian policymakers and will probably enhance the nascent interest in green buildings of the main players in the real estate industry, who [...]
The Middle East Nuclear Renaissance – Update
To continue the nuclear theme of my last blog, which considered the legal and regulatory frameworks necessary for a country aspiring to nuclear power, and suggested that the UAE had set the bar high in its progress to date, this blog looks at what other countries in the region are up to and how all these projects might be financed.
I had the good fortune to attend the Middle East Nuclear Energy Summit in Amman, Jordan last month. Jordan is arguably second only to the UAE in the race for peaceful nuclear energy. Indeed the Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission told the conference of his country’s plan to become a net exporter of electricity, and to use their indigenous su [...]
The Nuclear Option: legal consequences
As you will all have noticed, there is something of a nuclear renaissance underway. Among existing nuclear powered countries those leading the comeback are the US, China and India, all building, or with ambitious plans to build many more nuclear power plants. There is also substantial interest in nuclear power from countries that do not currently have nuclear power. Of these countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can probably claim to be one of the furthest along the path of nuclear new build having recently announced the award of a contract to build four nuclear reactors to a South Korean consortium and with first power to the grid scheduled for 2017. So what does an aspiring nuclear [...]
Going Green Gets Greatly Muddled
The spreading trend toward “green” building has resulted in a number of competing and overlapping certification systems, with only faint hope in sight of better standardization. United States builders are most familiar with the LEED system sponsored by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Through USGBC’s association with the World Green Building Council, LEED is now available in almost 60 countries, spanning the globe from Malaysia to Morocco.
Starting in 1996, Canada’s Building Research Establishment developed its Environmental Assessment Method. This then evolved into an online assessment and rating tool owned by BOMA Canada, known as Green Globes. BOMA Canada then [...]
