Why I believe in nuclear

As an environmentalist I'm frequently asked why I support nuclear. Many people can't seem to get their head around me being both an environmentalist and a nuclear advocate.

I’ve developed my opinion after A LOT of review of all types of energy generation. I assessed a large number of factors, but here are the top considerations:

• Cost
• Safety
• Reliability
• Power Generation
• Environmental Impact
• Human Impact

In today’s post, I’m going to focus on the first two reasons, cost and safety. Let’s get started

Cost

We I review nuclear energy against other forms of energy, cost is both a positive and a negative. On the positive side, nuclear energy produces very cheap electricity in comparison of many of forms of energy generation. While hydroelectricity is cheaper, wind and solar are much more expensive when it comes to per kilowatt hour than nuclear.

On the negative side there is the capital cost of construction of a plant. This is an aspect of the nuclear industry where they haven’t done themselves any favours. Many (nearly all) nuclear construction tends to run over budget and over time. When looking at the reality of the situation, not all of that overrun is on the nuclear industry’s head. An exhaustive regulatory environment, delays due to licenses dealing with radical environmental group protests, and escalating physical construction costs and union/profession wages.

On balance I still see nuclear coming out ahead on this point because the energy produced by the plant once it’s in operation is cheap. In addition, other types of major energy infrastructure projects are experiencing their one overruns as well, in particular, large hydro electrical dams.

Safety

For many readers, this will be controversial for them, but with all my review of information, nuclear is amongst the safest forms of energy.

Why? First off, if I reach back to the cost issue, the exhaustive regulatory environment. Starting at the very beginning of the use of nuclear energy, potential issues with the use of nuclear energy to produce electricity were identified. Because of these potential issues, there is strict review of the nuclear cycle for cradle to grave to make it safe.

We all know that there have been well publicized accidents in the nuclear industry, but the reality of their toll and the perception of them vary wildly.

First, we have Three Mile Island, for years the name of the facility was a by word for disaster, but in reality there was no loss of life and the meltdown was contain.

Second, we have Chernobyl, this accident the most major incident that has faced the nuclear industry. The public perception of what happened at Chernobyl has by far exceeded the reality of the event. There was the loss of 56 lives as part of the accident, there was radiation released during the accident, and the World Health Organization suggests that potentially 4,000 people could die for cancer induced by this radiation.

Third, Fukushima Daiichi, this is the most recent accident in the nuclear industry, and the legends about the event have grown quickly. The accident has led to no deaths from radiation exposure and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) have found no evidence to support the idea the radiation released will increase cancer rates.

This means that with over 60 years of operation, and 15,000 cumulative reactor years of commercial operation in 33 countries are extremely low in comparison to other forms of energy generation. This is particularly turn in compared to fossil fuels and their massive impact on the health and well being.

When this is compared with the toll on health that fossil fuels place on the world, I think it’s clear why I believe nuclear is the better choice.

Estimates around the average number of deaths associated with coal alone are 300,000 per year. Yes that’s right, PER YEAR. Oil is around 40,000 per year. Natural Gas is 4,000 per year. Even Solar energy contributes 400 deaths per year.

These numbers should both shock you and really make you think what we’re really talking about when it comes to safety.

Get informed, and truly understand the reality of nuclear power and don’t believe all the myths about it. Remember, not all environmentalists are against nuclear. Follow us on Twitter @efncanada or on LinkedIn at https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/efn-canada

Robert Rock

President, Environmentalists for Nuclear, Canada

www.efncanada.com