Nuclear power is good!

OK, OK, hear me out. As many of you know, or if not, have a look at my profie. Now, I live in Kashiwazaki. Bang next to the worlds biggest nuclear power station with a whopping 7 reactors. All of them are currently shut down. This was because of the 6.7 magnitude quake that struck Kashiwazaki nearly 2 years ago.

So, why is this good? After all, why stick a thumping big power plant in a quake-prone country? Or even in one of the more quake-prone regions in Japan! Simple. This plant actually supplies Tokyo. None of my electricity comes from the plant. All the juice heads over to the capital. TEPCO had a myriad of power plants running at full tilt to run the city, but it was not enough. So they wanted to build a massive power plant to try to give them some breathing space in terms of capacity. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant does just that. But why Kashiwazaki? Simple, Kashiwazaki is a small town, with a lot of land nearby, and the power plant promised to bring the local community a LOT of money.

Paul. Why is nuclear power good? Let me get on to that soon. After the quake, there was a small leak of radioactive water, and a small fire. Granted, it could have been worse. However, I do have reason to be cautiously optimistic. First. The quake was massive. I know, I was there. And the plant suffered a wide variety of damage, but the reactor cores where basically safe, as they had shut down as soon as sensors picked up on it. Second, the radioactive leak came from open water containers, nothing near the reactor. And the fire did not affect any critical systems.

But why is nuclear power good for the environment? Simple. The plant was closed for repair and inspection. And as we moved in to the summer, Tokyo began to fire up the air-con units sending demand for electricity soaring. TEPCO had to fire up emergency thermal, oil and coal power stations to try to cope with demand. This led to a 4% jump in Japans CO2 emissions. All from the fact that one plant was out of commission!

And this week, Japans CO2 emissions will begin to fall once more. Apart from the fact that the global economy is reducing output from factories and cutting CO2 that way. TEPCO have recieved permission to start the process of running reactor number 7, ready for commercial service. If all the tests go well, then reactor 7 will resume commercial service this summer.

The rest should slowly follow. Though it will most likely take a couple of years to get them all back up.

So, why is nuclear power good. Simple. If we are serious about global warming, then nuclear power supplies a LOT of power for little in terms of emissions. It is expensive. But what cost sorting out the planet once its all flooded? Yes, there is the "minor" drawback of the waste. But, thankfully, at the moment, by burying it in a lead and concrete box, and dropping it in a big hole, it will lie there, and not cause us any major headaches. Yes, I know, it is storing problems for the future. However, as a lot of environmentalists tell you, global warming is NOW. Nuclear waste, as long as it is carefully treated, will lie there for a long time and not do anything. So, at least, we can go back to it in the future and clear that up later.

But what about earthquakes? and other natural disasters? Well, KAshiwazaki was built for a 6.0 temblor, and was struck by a 6.7. Trust me, that 0.7 does make a HUGE difference! And it still survived. The box in which the reactor sits is REALLY THICK.

What about terrorism? Well, what about it? Terrorists can strike at the lines, and other stuff and disable a reactor. This they can do for pretty much any time of power plant. Not an issue. They can strike at the core! Erm, not really. I saw a truck rolling in with a shiny new lid for the reactor. It was REALLY THICK. They will nead a huge amount of stuff to crack that.

They could start a chain reaction! Well, they could. But that is not easy to start, and a lot of plants have automatic systems to shut the reaction down as soon as there is a hint of a wobble.

So, all in all, am I in favour of nuclear power? Yes. Just. It is an unpalatable answer, that is very expensive, stockpiles problems for the future, and is all-round icky. However, it does generate a LOT of power, and is potentially very useful in the fight against global warming. It is not a good tool. But a tool that HAS to be considered. A bit like foul tasting medicine. It tastes bad, gives you side effects, but can help with whatever ails you right now.