David Victor on Nuclear Plant Development in Asia
Bandwagons and busts
03/10/2012
The Economist
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The true costs in South Korean business can be hard to make out. It would not be at all surprising if, working abroad for the first time and having been keenly competitive in its bidding, KEPCO failed to deliver the UAE reactors on budget. And given that nuclear prices have gone up everywhere else, it is fair to expect that they will do so to some extent in Asia, too. But if China and South Korea can build reactors abroad at prices not much higher than those at home, nuclear may see its fortunes tick up elsewhere, argues David Victor, of the University of California. Both Westinghouse and EDF have plans for new reactors in the export market that would be designed and sold in collaboration with Chinese partners. Russia is keen to export PWRs too, but its costs are not clear.
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David G. Victor is a professor at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies and director of the School’s new Laboratory on International Law and Regulation. His research focuses on how the design of regulatory law affects issues such as environmental pollution and the operation of major energy markets. He is the author of Global Warming Gridlock, which explains why the world has not made much diplomatic progress on the problem of climate change while also exploring new strategies that would be more effective.
