Nuclear Power
1. DEFINITION
Nuclear power is a type of nuclear technology involving the controlled use of nuclear fission to release energy for work including propulstion, heat and the generation of electricity. Nuclear energy is produced by a controlled nuclear chain reactor and creates hear – which is used to boil water, produce steam, and drive a steam turbine.
2. HISTORY
Origins – Nuclear fission was first experimentally achieved by Enrico Fermi in 1934 when his team bombarded uranium with neutrons. In 1938, German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, along with Austrian physicists Lise Meitner and Meitner’s nephew, Otto Robert Frisch, conducted experiments with the products of neutron-bombarded uranium. They determined that the relatively tiny neutron split the nucleus of the massive uranium atoms into two roughly equal pieces, which was a surprising result.
The science of atomic radiation, atomic change and nuclear fission was developed from 1895 to 1945, much of it in the last six of those years.
Over 1939-1945, most development was focused on the atomic bomb.
From 1945 attention was given to harnessing this energy in a controlled fasion for naval propulsion and for making electricity.
Since 1956 the prime focus has been on the technological evolution of reliable nuclear power plants.
3. WORLD WIDE USE
As of 2004, nuclear power provided 6.5% of the world’s energy and 15.7% of the world’s electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 57% of nuclear generated electricity. As of 2007, the IAEA reported there are 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 countries.
The United States produces the most nuclear energy, with nuclear power providing 20% of the electricity it consumes, while France produces the highest percentage of its electrical energy from nuclear reactors—80% as of 2006. In the European Union as a whole, nuclear energy provides 30% of the electricity.
4. NUCLEAR POWER MYTHS
It is important for all in the general community to understand the facts regarding the risks, issue and legacy from uranium mining, nuclear power generation and weapons. It is imperative that we be informed as participants in our democracy in order that we are able to make informed and considered choices on issues so important and with such long term consequences as occurs in nuclear power and uranium mining.
Myth 1: Nuclear Power is clean and green – WRONG!
Large amounts of electricity, petrol/diesel, and water are consumed in the mining and processing of uranium to generate nuclear fuel. Essentially, a nuclear reactor is a very expensive way to boil water.
The actual nuclear reactor may not produce any green house gases like carbon dioxide (C02), but there are significant amounts of C02 produced in the mining and transport of the ore to the reactor.
Large quantities of water are also consumed in mining, and in some cases these can exceed the amounts used for coal mining, e.g. Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs) uses 729,000,000 litres of water a day from the Artesian Basin. This water becomes radioactive and toxic.
The problem of waste disposal from mining and processing as well as from the reactor is very large and so far unsolved. After the current expansion of BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs), it is expected that 1 tonne of radioactive tailings will be produced every second, and 10 million tonnes of tailing are produced annually. It is stored at the mine but there are no-long term treatment and management plans for how to deal with this contaminated mining waste.
There are no solutions for dealing with spent fuel rods and other high-level radioactive waste generated from the nuclear cycle.
Myth 2: Nuclear Power is necessary to solve Climate Change – WRONG!
Nuclear power plants take a long time to set up. Report suggest 15-20 years before Australia would be ready to generate nuclear power. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power technologically are ready to be used now.
Investment in renewable technologies would create jobs and stimulate the economy. The newly appointed Federal Government must invest equivalent sums in renewable energy, and not preferentially fund coal research.
Nuclear and coal power generation appear cheap when the cost to the environment is not factored in and water use is ignored.
Myth 3: Nuclear Power is safe and there are safeguards in place – WRONG!
There is a broad belief that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a role in ensuring that nuclear material sold by Australia to other nations is not used for nuclear weapons. This is not true. There are no adequate safeguards in place to ensure this.
Myth 4: Nuclear Reactors are needed for nuclear medicine – WRONG!
The new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights (Sydney) is not required for medical purposes. This debunks one of the central myths about the reactor: that a nuclear reactor, which itself poses risks to human health and safety, is required to supply Australia’s medical sector with radioisotopes.
Harm from Nuclear Power
Where are the radioactive waste dumps proposed in Australia?
In the Northern Territory (NT) less than 20 kilometres away from Aboriginal settlements. The proposed sites are at Muckaty Station, Mt Everard, harts Range and Fisher’s Ridge. Recent Federal Government initiatives against Aboriginal people in the NT may mean that they lose the right to bargain about how their lands is used and who can have access to their land.
Where do we currently store radioactive waste?
At Lucas Heights in Sydney in a residential urban area, at the Beverley Uranium mine, and also at Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs) in South Australia where 10 million tonnes are produced annually and held underground causing risk of contamination to the groundwater.
Problems with waste
There is still no permanent repository anywhere in the world for the long-term disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Nuclear waste has enormous financial, environmental, medical, social, and environmental costs to life on earth, and will be a burden for many future generations.
How is waste transported?
Waste is transported by land and sea through populated and environmentally sensitive areas using ordinary road transport, goods trains and ordinary ships. There is no guarantee of safe transport.
How and why is nuclear power generation harmful?
All radiation has negative effects on life. It can cause changes to cell structure and result in cancer. There is no safe mechanism for waste disposal and there is no safe protocol for dealing with nuclear accidents. The nuclear accident at Chernobyl (1986) immediately exposed 8.4million people to radiation, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and will continue to claim victims for decades to come.
What can go wrong?
Leaks, spills, accidents, sabotage and terrorism can all occur at nuclear power plants. Traffic accidents and rail accidents or sabotage can cause leaks and spills. Terrorism can include theft of the waste for reprocessing into weapons of mass destruction. Only small amounts of several kilograms are needed for this. All safeguards are inadequate.
What is a nuclear incident / accident?
It is an uncontrolled release of radioactive gases, liquids and radiation from mines, power plants, transport journeys or waste dumps.
What are the generational effects of the Nuclear Cycle?
The nuclear cycle consists of uranium mining, enrichment of the ore into fuel for a nuclear reactor and / or weapons production, and reprocessing. All parts of the nuclear cycle produce radioactive waste and contamination. The nuclear industry, including uranium mining, creates enormous risks, costs and contaminations for future generations.
Reference:
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Nuclear Power factsheet, October 2007
