Nuclear Power – Discuss
What Can We Do?
Nuclear Power – Discuss.
Part 1 – Forum member Glenys Stone sets out a problem
Energy prices are through the roof. ‘In the short- and long–term, which if any of the available power sources is most practicable, safest and least harmful for the planet’? Is a cheap, sustainable solution even possible?
I am of the generation for whom this sort of “discussion piece” was routinely set by teachers. The idea being that, limited by a set number of words, the subject was addressed from both sides of the argument. No conclusions drawn, just “Food for Thought”. The style was set by which subject was involved, either one of the Sciences or one of the Arts. This one could be addressed from many perspectives, but will probably be one of emotion, so, is this a Scientific or Emotional problem? Column inches are also a major consideration so I will try to limit this enormous subject to just two parts.
I abhor nuclear energy.
The radiation leaks caused by the Tsunami in Japan and at Three Mile Island in the USA (and the subsequent cover-up) were to me, a wake-up call. Then there’s the concern shown by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), (during the recent Russian occupation) over the continuing need for micro-managing the huge amount of radioactive contamination in the area surrounding the damaged Chernobyl Plant in Ukraine. The nuclear fallout from this explosion spread, literally, all over the globe, notably for us on our Brecon Beacons and the resident sheep. Welsh lamb dinners were off the menu for many years. There are several hugely informative documentaries on this subject. One was aired very recently on Channel Five. Then last but by no means least, Germany! They closed their nuclear power plants in the wake of Chernobyl and solved (or so they thought) the problem of the obsolete fuel rods by storing them in their disused salt mines. They then proceeded to store (at a price) nuclear waste from other countries. Unfortunately, the damp salty atmosphere is corrosive and is now destroying the nuclear containers well before their original life expectancy. No-one seems to have a solution to this urgent problem, which is a potential environmental disaster for Germany and, if not contained, for the rest of the world, costing millions to resolve.
I am not reassured by small amounts of fallout being neutralised in a comparatively short time. Some areas already are and will be “no go” places for humans and domestic animals for tens of thousands of years. Most of my apprehension is about the storage of spent nuclear fuel rods. No one has currently come up with an effective way to dispose of, or even store, this nuclear waste. I have heard comments such as “Well someone, at some point in the future will find a way”. But is this a morally defensible position? I’m afraid that, to me, this cannot be the case.
So, my concern over this form of power is not only for our immediate safety but for the sake of our children’s, children’s, children ad infinitum: – What mentality assumes that storing anything as dangerous as spent nuclear fuel rods – for a future generation to deal with – no matter how far into the future, is an acceptable thing to do? But the aims of the Anti-Nuclear movement would appear to have been largely swallowed-up and forgotten, in the very real concerns about the planet’s immediate welfare.
The UK Government British Energy Security Plan includes increasing the proportion of our energy generated by nuclear power to 25%, touted as the cheapest immediate option (kicking the can down the road again?). This includes some Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) that can be quickly built, have a relatively short lifespan, estimated to be around 10 years. At which point they will need replacing as they will no longer be guaranteed as safe or capable of delivering enough power for our needs. Therefore, this cannot possibly be considered a future-proof solution! This little nugget of information was dropped unsuspectingly during an early BBC Wales news report about Wylfa on Anglesey, I notice that no one has mentioned it since the UK government’s sudden and wholesale embracing of the nuclear option. But if this solution is not future proof from a physical safety perspective, how can it be future proof economically?
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Should nuclear energy be part of the picture in Britain? Is it just too hazardous or can we “not manage without it”? Please leave a comment on the Forum’s Blogsite – https://wenvoeforum.wordpress. com/
Next month the discussion continues.
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