Exposure of future nuclear energy infrastructure to climate change hazards: A review assessment

2024/04/06 by Joana Portugal‐Pereira, Miguel Esteban, Kathleen Araújo · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Engineering · #Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies #Infrastructure Resilience and Vulnerability Analysis #Climate Change and Sustainable Development

paper · doi:10.1016/j.esr.2024.101365

openalex publication_date 2024/04/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

This review discusses climate hazards and specific risks associated with existing and new nuclear power plants under global warming level futures, with an emphasis on water-based risks for plants that rely on traditional water-cooling processes. Projected hazards, including extreme heatwaves, sea-level rise, and altered precipitation patterns pose significant challenges to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear plants. Additional risks include reduced water-cooling system efficiency, clogging due to biological contamination of water streams, water access issues in reactors during droughts, disruptions from extreme storms, and coastal sea level rise. These findings emphasise the importance of formulating appropriate adaptation strategies that incorporate enhanced safety measures in the planning and design of new nuclear facilities. Incorporating these specific risks into mitigation scenarios and decision-making processes for nuclear energy expansion or modernisation is crucial to improve the resilience of such infrastructure in the face of a changing climate.

Citations

• The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and their energy, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions implications: An overview
• Weather and Climate Extreme Events in a Changing Climate
• Prospects for Nuclear Microreactors: A Review of the Technology, Economics, and Regulatory Considerations
• Credibility gap in net-zero climate targets leaves world at high risk
• Climate Change 2022 – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

Discussions

• Heatwaves are forcing nuclear plants in France and Switzerland to shut down due to cooling water limits. As I explored in past research, climate risks challenge nuclear’s reliability. Are our energy s [bsky, 1 points, 1 comments]

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