Papers by David Ignatius Torre
A state has a plethora of options when it comes to electricity generation. In the case of nuclear... more A state has a plethora of options when it comes to electricity generation. In the case of nuclear power, it is not a simple yes/no or present/absent dichotomy as it is often portrayed in the literature. A state that has existing nuclear capacity can choose to: expand, maintain, or phase out nuclear power. It will implement one of these three policies towards nuclear power for a variety of political, social, and economic reasons; the challenge is to discern the criteria used in reaching these policy outcomes. Using Finland, Canada, and Germany, this project explores most similar cases with differing outcomes during the nuclear renaissance (2000-2015). Each case is illustrative of one of the three possible trajectories for a state already in possession of at least one commercial nuclear power plant. This dissertation sought to better understand why they choose such divergent policies around nuclear power during this period of study. Its findings confirm the literature's claim that nuclear expansions are most likely to take place within governance models that are centralized, technocratic, and involve limited public engagement. As electricity planning shifts away from centrally planned, technically-informed decisions among experts to a more democratic process, with an increased emphasis on social considerations, large-infrastructure projects like nuclear power plants will become that much more challenging to advance. Taken together with the rising costs of building new reactors, it will greatly limit where new construction will seriously be considered.
Nuclear power is a long--term, costly, and often controversial undertaking beset with challenges ... more Nuclear power is a long--term, costly, and often controversial undertaking beset with challenges whose costs have only gone up following accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima. However, some developing countries continue to go down the nuclear path, seeing it as critical to their future energy security. This paper explores the recent adoption of nuclear power in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia and contrasts it with the recent decisions to phase--out nuclear power in Germany and Switzerland. Assuming that all of these countries desire some semblance of energy security, while simultaneously seeking to reduce their carbon emissions, this paper asks: why do some states see nuclear as a necessary tool while others strongly object to its continued use? The debate surrounding nuclear power is often framed as an either/or debate that fails to seriously discuss the trade--offs of adopting or abandoning the technology. This paper argues that an informed debate about the benefits of nuclear power is needed to overcome the perceived risks of using the technology.
Thesis Chapters by David Ignatius Torre
A state has a plethora of options when it comes to electricity generation. In the case of nuclear... more A state has a plethora of options when it comes to electricity generation. In the case of nuclear power, it is not a simple yes/no or present/absent dichotomy as it is often portrayed in the literature. A state that has existing nuclear capacity can choose to: expand, maintain, or phase out nuclear power. It will implement one of these three policies towards nuclear power for a variety of political, social, and economic reasons; the challenge is to discern the criteria used in reaching these policy outcomes. Using Finland, Canada, and Germany, this project explores most similar cases with differing outcomes during the nuclear renaissance (2000-2015). Each case is illustrative of one of the three possible trajectories for a state already in possession of at least one commercial nuclear power plant. This dissertation sought to better understand why they choose such divergent policies around nuclear power during this period of study. Its findings confirm the literature’s claim that nuclear expansions are most likely to take place within governance models that are centralized, technocratic, and involve limited public engagement. As electricity planning shifts away from centrally planned, technically-informed decisions among experts to a more democratic process, with an increased emphasis on social considerations, large-infrastructure projects like nuclear power plants will become that much more challenging to advance. Taken together with the rising costs of building new reactors, it will greatly limit where new construction will seriously be considered.
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Papers by David Ignatius Torre
Thesis Chapters by David Ignatius Torre