By Prof Monish Gunawardana Environmental groups and some national dailies across the globe have begun to criticize the nuclear power plants. Questions have been raised about whether nuclear power industry should continue when the issues of how to deal with Chemobyl-type accidents. Most of these views are based on misinformation. Moreover, the equation of nuclear power industry with environmental and human disaster is fast revealing itself for the myth that it is. Climate Change International Energy Agency (lEA) recently cautioned that the world demand for energy is set to increase by more than 50 percent in the next 25 years and effective and sustainable actions on climatic change is likely to require a technological breakthrough. The rising temperatures and nations’ lethargic efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases have created an unfavourable socio-economic impact on sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, countries should choose cleaner and cost-effective energy sources to reduce the poverty and raise the economic growth. This is why the lEA promotes nuclear power as a safe and essential tool to meet national energy security and global climate change goals. Accidents In 1979, meltdown of the nuclear power plant at Three-mile Island in the US and that accident was confined to the plant. Anyhow, it created no public health or environmental impact. In 1986, the explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl in Soviet Russia killed 56 persons and created significant health, and environmental consequences. They are the only major accidents recorded in more than 12ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 cumulative nuclear-reactor-years of commercial operation spanning five decades in 32 countries. There were 10 minor accidents in experimental reactors and in one military plutonium-pile in Windscale, United Kingdom in 1957, but they did not lead to loss of life or environment hazards. The following table compares the statistics (1970-1992) in the energy industry Energy – Fatal Accidents 1. Coal 6ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 400 2. Hydro 4ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 3. Gas 1ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 200 4. Nuclear 56 Regulatory Measures International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acts as a quality controller and auditor for world nuclear energy safety and all manufacturers are supposed to adhere to its safety specifications. Moreover, developed nations pay much more attention to research and development in nuclear-safety. In addition, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECDINEA) is another European agency that works in collaboration with the IAEA to ensure the safety standard of nuclear energy industry. Any country that manufactures or operates nuclear power plants has a Nuclear Safety Inspectorate that work hand in hand with the IAEA. In addition, according the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) that was established in 1966, by the IAEA and OECD helps to standardize the reporting of nuclear accidents. This scale starts from “zero” event with no safety risk to “7” for a major accident such as Chernobyl. Nuclear Waste Radioactive waste is an inevitable by-product of nuclear reactors. These wastes are the main concern for nuclear energy. Most nuclear waste is regarded as Low Level Waste (LL W). They are ordinary debris, wiping cloths, tools, protective clothing that contain small amount of radioactive dust. These contaminated materials and equipment are subjected to special regulations that direct their disposal and storage to keep away from the outside environment. The spent nuclear fuel of nuclear reactors is classified as High Level Waste (HL W) and hazardous for tens of thousand years. International conventions define hazardous in terms of radiation dose that discharges ITom the nuclear waste. Hence, they should be stored in specially designed pools like large swimming pools or robust concrete and steel containers with air-cooling. The US Department of Energy has planned to store the nuclear waste in a geological- repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. These geological repositories are reliable barriers to prevent stop harmful radiation from spreading even with a severe earthquake or passage of time. After Chernoby After learning a lesson from the Chernobyl accident, Russia paid attention to research and development to minimize safety and adhere to the guidelines of the Nuclear Safety Convention, IAEA and ODCINEA for their nuclear reactors. Russia shares nuclear research information with other nuclear nations such as the US, France and Japan. It is a high-tech nation with enormous experience in space technology, floating nuclear reactors and atomic submarine manufacturing where safety plays a key role and it operates 31 nuclear reactors at 10 nuclear power plants. Russia is a member of six-party consortium (US, EU, Japan, South Korea and China). They signed a deal on 12 November 2006, for the International Thermonuclear Reactor (ITER) that will be the most expensive joint technological project after the International Space Station. AUTO-Shutdown Nuclear reactors are designed to shut down automatically against the mechanical malfunctions or natural disasters. In 1995 nuclear reactors 110 km ITom Kobe, Japan were unaffected by the massive earthquake (Richter Scale was 7.3) as it was designed to shut down automatically and re-started two days later. In 1999 three nuclear reactors were shut down during the earthquake and began to function after two days. In 2004 Tsunami affected the Kalpakkam reactor near Chennai, India. As it was built with a Seismic Detector, when the cooling water intake detected an abnormal water level, reactor was shut down automatically and restarted after six days. Even a nuclear power station situated at the seacoast, the very thick and robust containment structure is around the reactor strong enough to protect it. Hi-Tech Reactors Modern nuclear reactors are safer. Since 2003, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) and Tsinghua University (China) are developing the next generation Pebble-bed with meltdown-proof safety features. Furthermore, researchers plan to manufacture these reactors as blocks or modules that can be assembled at desired locations at a low cost. The Westinghouse (US) has developed the AP1OOO (1150 MW) Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) that utilises the forces of nature and introduced advanced safety measures. It is built in modules and can be transported and constructed easily and economically. America is the first nation to build a Floating Nuclear Power Plant – “Sturgis” (45 Megawatt) to provide power to Panama Canal during the Vietnam War. Russia’s Rosatom is a global leader in Floating Nuclear Power Plants and they have planned to export them to China, Taiwan and Indonesia. These plants are small (3-70 megawatt), safe and very suitable to power small towns and remote districts. Green Power The coal produces around 40 percent of electricity worldwide. A 1ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 Megawatt coal-fired power plant emits 7ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ million tons carbon dioxide and 200ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 tons of sulphur dioxide. Hence, increased mining and burning coal create environmental hazards. Read the following table to understand the heat value of key energy sources. According to it, we need relatively one kilogramme of Uranium, which can generate 500ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 Mega Joules (MJ), while one kilogramme of Coal and Crude Oil can generate 30, and 45 MJs respectively. Also, they generates massive amount of green house gases, putting the survival of humankind at a risk.