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Energy Economics

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What is Value Stream Mapping?

Value Stream Mapping is a guide to a specific part of the operations, information, and procedures
required for converting raw material into a product. The flowchart illustrates, analyzes, and improves a
service or product using different symbols. As a part of lean methodology, it serves the primary
application of waste elimination. Based on the customer’s point of view, only the product or service’s
value holds significance, irrespective of efforts and cost of manufacturing. So, items in the flowchart are
categorized as adding or subtracting value. The Value Stream Mapping begins with the current state
map, which is further edited to eliminate waste by reviewing the complete information present.

Benefits of Value Stream Mapping (VSM)

The detailed view of the information flow provides easy insight into the value consumption. As the
customer cares only for the value, the same can be used as the basis to define the perfect product or
service. Thus, VSM facilitates eliminating waste, increasing the competitive value of products leading to
the success of projects and organizations. Furthermore, with both source and cause of waste being
clearly understood through the process, regular improvements, comparison with future state VSM and
future predictions can contribute to maximum efficiency. A few processes that can be monitored include
time consumption at different procedures, problems in raw material and storage, and quality
compromise.

Four Elements of a Value Stream Map (VSM)

VSM can be categorized into four components, as follows:

Product Flow

It indicates various stages of material that it has to pass through to convert into a product.

Information flow

Governing product flow, it indicates the management of the process.

Customer(s)

As they decide the product’s value, their demand frequency and requirements will be added to VSM.
The frequency is required for calculating Takt time.

Supplier(s)

Add only the important supplier and the geographical operation for better time estimation.

Nuclear Energy Factsheet


Nuclear power plants generate electricity by using controlled nuclear fission chain reactions (i.e.,
splitting atoms) to heat water and produce steam to power turbines. Nuclear is often labeled a “clean”
energy source because no greenhouse gases (GHGs) or other air emissions are released from the power
plant. As the U.S. and other nations search for low-emission energy sources, the benefits of nuclear
power must be weighed against the operational risks and the challenges of storing spent nuclear fuel
and radioactive waste.

World Energy Needs and Nuclear Power(Updated October 2022)

The world will need significantly increased energy supply in the future, especially cleanly-generated
electricity.

Electricity demand is increasing about twice as fast as overall energy use and is likely to rise by more
than half to 2040.

Nuclear power provides about 10% of the world’s electricity, and 18% of electricity in OECD countries.

Almost all reports on future energy supply from major organizations suggest an increasing role for
nuclear power as an environmentally benign way of producing reliable electricity on a large scale.

How much of the world’s energy demand is met by nuclear power?

10%

Nuclear power provides about 10% of the world’s electricity, and 18% of electricity in OECD countries.
Almost all reports on future energy supply from major organizations suggest an increasing role for
nuclear power as an environmentally benign way of producing reliable electricity on a large scale

Why demand of nuclear energy is increasing?

Momentum is building for nuclear power. As the drive to slow climate change intensifies, there is
growing recognition that the pathway to net-zero will be faster and easier if nuclear energy is part of the
solution. Net-zero pledges now cover 91% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 95% of global
GDP.

What is the global supply of nuclear energy?

Nuclear power accounts for about 10% of electricity generation globally, rising to almost 20% in
advanced economies. Yet it faces a contrasted future despite its ability to produce emissions-free
power.

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Home / Information Library / Current and Future Generation / Nuclear Power in the World Today

Nuclear Power in the World Today(Updated March 2023)

The first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s.

Nuclear energy now provides about 10% of the world’s electricity from about 440 power reactors.

Nuclear is the world’s second largest source of low-carbon power (26% of the total in 2020).

Over 50 countries utilize nuclear energy in about 220 research reactors. In addition to research, these
reactors are used for the production of medical and industrial isotopes, as well as for training.

Nuclear Energy Use and Potential

Economics of Nuclear Power(Updated August 2022)

Nuclear power is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generation, except where there is
direct access to low-cost fossil fuels.

Fuel costs for nuclear plants are a minor proportion of total generating costs, though capital costs are
greater than those for coal-fired plants and much greater than those for gas-fired plants.

System costs for nuclear power (as well as coal and gas-fired generation) are very much lower than for
intermittent renewables.

Providing incentives for long-term, high-capital investment in deregulated markets driven by short-term
price signals presents a challenge in securing a diversified and reliable electricity supply system.

In assessing the economics of nuclear power, decommissioning and waste disposal costs are fully taken
into account.

Nuclear power plant construction is typical of large infrastructure projects around the world, whose
costs and delivery challenges tend to be under-estimated

Operating at more than 95% capacity factor, it is a very reliable source of low-cost electricity.
Nuclear energy provides about 19% of U.S. electricity, and this share has remained stable since around
1990. Nuclear power plants had a capacity factor of 92.7% in 2021.1

The first U.S. nuclear power plant began commercial operations in 1958.2 During the 1970s, more than
50 nuclear reactors went online.1 Presently, 28 states have at least one nuclear plant and 32 plants have
two or more reactors.2

667 reactors have been built worldwide since the first was built in 1954 in Obninsk, Russia, though
currently, there are only 440 in operation, 93 of which are in the U.S.3,4 As of May 2022, 55 reactors
were under construction, including 2 in the U.S. and 18 in China.4

In 2020, the U.S. generated nearly a third of the world’s nuclear electricity. Countries generating the
next largest amounts of electricity using nuclear were France, China, and Russia.5

Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) includes the lifetime costs of building, operating, maintaining, and
fueling a power plant. Estimated LCOE for plants built in the near future are: combined cycle natural gas:
3.99 ¢/kWh; advanced nuclear: 8.17 ¢/kWh; and biomass: 9.02 ¢/kWh.6

Estimated LCOE for new nuclear plants built in the near future are about two times higher than
estimates for solar, wind, and combined cycle natural gas plants.6

Final construction costs for U.S. nuclear plants have typically been 2 to 3 times higher than original
estimates.7

As of 2022, nuclear power is provided by six commercial nuclear power plants in Pakistan.[1]

As of 2018, the electricity generated by commercial nuclear power plants constitutes roughly 7.5% of
electricity generated in Pakistan,[4] Pakistan is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but is
a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency.[5][6][7] Pakistan plans on constructing 32 nuclear
power plants by 2050 and envisions 40,000 MW of nuclear power generation.[8]

The Nuclear Power Programme 2050 is the official nuclear energy policy of the Government of Pakistan
to make usage of nuclear power to meet the existing electricity crises and to respond to the future
requirements of a growing population and national economy.[44][45] The program is envisaged to
increase energy production from nuclear sources by the year of 2050.[46][47] As part of the energy
security strategy, the enactment of the program is aim to expand the self-sustaining nuclear power
infrastructure all over the country by year 2050.[48] It came in a strong response to U.S-India nuclear
deal, as well as to counter the existing energy shortfalls and future requirements of a growing
population and national economy.[48] The primary focus of this program is to promote scientific and
socio-economic development of the people as a “foremost priority.”[48]

The policy was first stated by the former Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani during the meeting of
Nuclear Command Authority; at this meeting, the program was approved by Prime minister Gillani on 14
July 2011.[44] This includes to regulate the nuclear facilities, waste storage, along with an increase in
power plant building. Both legislative, military and bureaucratic regulations of nuclear energy in Pakistan
have been shaped by the scientific research and the public opinion.[44] The governmental nuclear
regulatory authorities in Pakistan has projected to produce 4345 MW electricity from nuclear sources in
2022; and 8800 MW electricity by 2030.[49]

Nuclear Power in Pakistan(Updated April 2022)

Pakistan has six operable reactors supplied by China.

Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capabilities have arisen independently of its civil nuclear fuel cycle, using
indigenous uranium.

Because Pakistan is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, due to its weapons programme, it is
largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which hinders its development of civil nuclear
energy. However, China is positive about nuclear cooperation with Pakistan, and a 2018 International
Atomic Energy Agency programme further supports civil nuclear power

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