If we can’t afford oil...

Andrew Kenny

Andrew Kenny debunks the myth that nuclear power is inherently dangerous or bad for the environment – and hails a surge of new nuclear construction around the world

The Chernobyl accident was caused primarily by bad design and secondarily by blatant violation of safety procedures. Chernobyl, unlike all Western power reactors and indeed unlike other reactor designs in the USSR, did have positive feedback under certain circumstances. A sudden increase in power at low levels caused steam bubbles (‘voids’) in the coolant water. In Western reactors, the voids would automatically slow down the reactor; in Chernobyl they speeded it up, and the resulting surge of heat blew it apart.

The worst-ever accident in a Western nuclear power station was at Three Mile Island in the USA in 1979. It was caused by overheating of the fuel in the core (against which there are now multiple defences). It drew headlines around the world. The total casualties of the Three Mile Island accident were as follows. Deaths: 0. Injuries: 0. Health effects afterwards: 0. So why is it still being cited by anti-nuclear groups? Because they have nothing else to cite.

Over 40 people have died in wind-power accidents since the 1970s. Given that nuclear power has produced vast amounts of electricity in this period and wind very little, this means that wind power is far more dangerous than nuclear power – but both are relatively safe.

Abundant and competitive

The fears over ‘peak oil’ are almost certainly exaggerated, but eventually – in a century, perhaps – there will be so little left that it will be too expensive to use. The same is true for natural gas. Coal will last much longer, but not indefinitely longer. Nuclear fuel will last indefinitely longer.

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Herbert Thornton

September 24th, 2008 1:24am Report this comment

What a pleasure it is to read common sense about nuclear power. The faster this resource is expanded the better and the sooner we will be rid both of the pollution caused by petrol powered vehicles and other burners of oil products - not to mention our consumption of oil being the source of huge funding for people like Osama bin Laden and their bloodthirsty, medieval ambitions.

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