This is a past event
Speaker: Dr Roy Partain
Abstract:
The world is in need of renewable energy resources, and the technology of nuclear fusion, not nuclear fission, has long been identified as a potential solution. Nuclear fusion converts forms of hydrogen into helium, with a by-product of heat, which can then be used to create steam to drive turbines to generate electricity. International public investment is substantial, e.g, the ITER project in France, and private investors are advancing projects as well.
The paper recognizes that (i) traditional nuclear energy regulatory frameworks focused on fission reactors would not foreseeably apply to nuclear fusion reactors and (ii) that research in fusion reactors has accelerated and may result in breakthroughs earlier than previously thought. Thus, it would be in the public interest to investigate potential governance of these new energy projects. This paper then identifies the potential risks and hazards of the fusion reactor technologies in development, with a particular focus on the new models of compact fusion reactors (CFRs).
As these reactors are expected to be small enough to find a range of uses from private industry to transportation, rules of civil liability are analyzed for fitness to the facts and circumstances of these CFRs. Further, the paper investigates where public regulations might be robustly implemented with regards to minimizing those risks and hazards. Similarly, the paper will provide analysis of when private regulatory mechanisms might be used to complement the effectiveness of public regulation. In conclusion, the paper argues that the potential governance of fusion reactors should be timely examined to ensure that efficient laws and regulations can be developed prior to the onset of their ignition.
- Hosted by
- School of Law
- Venue
- New King's NK3