The rationale for nuclear power
Thursday, 28 June 2007
The prospects of power generation from nuclear power plants in Bangladesh have brightened with the recent announcement by the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) that Bangladesh would be among eight countries to enjoy its approval for the setting up of such plants. A team from the IAEA is now visiting Bangladesh with the aim of holding talks to this end with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC). Meanwhile, a giant South Korean industrial conglomerate -- Daewoo Engineering -- has expressed its willingness to provide funds and technological supports for the building of a nuclear power plant. A report to this effect was carried in this paper last Tuesday. Major donor agencies are also known to be agreeable to finance the establishment of nuclear power plants in Bangladesh considering its current power insufficiency, the fast growing demand for power and the soaring costs of power production with conventional fuels such as oil and gas. Neighbouring China, a giant in the nuclear field, has also offered its expertise and financial assistance for the building of nuclear power plants. It was also reported sometime ago that even some deposits of uranium have been found in Bangladesh.
All of these developments are, no doubt, very encouraging. The government needs to take a quick decision on the issue and set the stage firmly ready for the establishment of a nuclear power plant, at the operational stages sooner than later. The preparation of a plan to generate nuclear power--irreversibly--is very important. This is because one remembers in this context the nuclear power plant project taken up in the Pakistani era in the sixties that never materialised. Thus, a repeat of this experience must be avoided and any project plan drawn up in this respect, will have to pressed forward towards full implementation.
All the factors such as longer term costs and environmental safety point to the positive and gainful aspects of establishing nuclear power plants in this country. Such plants are capital intensive but the costs of producing power from these --once these are set up --are a fraction of the costs of producing power from conventional fuels. Thus, nuclear power plants are found to be more economical over the long haul. Power generation from coal, gas and fuel oils also creates many times more the pollution from the discharge of greenhouse gases and different toxins and pollutants compared to that of nuclear power plants. Possibilities of environmental pollution and degradation from nuclear power plants, specially from the new generation ones now being made, are almost nil or very negligible. It is for these reasons of their total or near total safety from the environmental perspectives, significantly cheaper production costs of power, much better or longer durability in the comparative sense, that makes nuclear energy the first option in the developed countries. The UK, for example, draws 28 per cent of its needs for power from nuclear power plants and the rate for France is 78 per cent. The world's most powerful country, economically, the USA, has embarked on a massive plan to meet the greater part of its energy needs from more nuclear power plants. The same trend in varying degrees is noted in many other countries. Bangladesh's neighbours, India and Pakistan, are fast progressing with their plans to set up more nuclear power plants to meet their rising demand for power. It would be only economically logical as also in other ways for Bangladesh to be a part of this worldwide trend.
Bangladesh may have to opt for building some conventional power plants to cope with its present power shortage. Conventional power plants have the advantage of being built over a notably shorter period of time than the nuclear ones. Thus, conventional power plant building remains an option for the short term. But for the longer term, nuclear power plants would prove to be more feasible. It was projected that the country's demand for power could be in the neighbourhood of nearly 10,000 mw by 2015 or double the present demand. For coping with this demand by 2015, plans must be immediately started for building the nuclear power plants at the fastest because these take at least four or five years to build and operate.
All of these developments are, no doubt, very encouraging. The government needs to take a quick decision on the issue and set the stage firmly ready for the establishment of a nuclear power plant, at the operational stages sooner than later. The preparation of a plan to generate nuclear power--irreversibly--is very important. This is because one remembers in this context the nuclear power plant project taken up in the Pakistani era in the sixties that never materialised. Thus, a repeat of this experience must be avoided and any project plan drawn up in this respect, will have to pressed forward towards full implementation.
All the factors such as longer term costs and environmental safety point to the positive and gainful aspects of establishing nuclear power plants in this country. Such plants are capital intensive but the costs of producing power from these --once these are set up --are a fraction of the costs of producing power from conventional fuels. Thus, nuclear power plants are found to be more economical over the long haul. Power generation from coal, gas and fuel oils also creates many times more the pollution from the discharge of greenhouse gases and different toxins and pollutants compared to that of nuclear power plants. Possibilities of environmental pollution and degradation from nuclear power plants, specially from the new generation ones now being made, are almost nil or very negligible. It is for these reasons of their total or near total safety from the environmental perspectives, significantly cheaper production costs of power, much better or longer durability in the comparative sense, that makes nuclear energy the first option in the developed countries. The UK, for example, draws 28 per cent of its needs for power from nuclear power plants and the rate for France is 78 per cent. The world's most powerful country, economically, the USA, has embarked on a massive plan to meet the greater part of its energy needs from more nuclear power plants. The same trend in varying degrees is noted in many other countries. Bangladesh's neighbours, India and Pakistan, are fast progressing with their plans to set up more nuclear power plants to meet their rising demand for power. It would be only economically logical as also in other ways for Bangladesh to be a part of this worldwide trend.
Bangladesh may have to opt for building some conventional power plants to cope with its present power shortage. Conventional power plants have the advantage of being built over a notably shorter period of time than the nuclear ones. Thus, conventional power plant building remains an option for the short term. But for the longer term, nuclear power plants would prove to be more feasible. It was projected that the country's demand for power could be in the neighbourhood of nearly 10,000 mw by 2015 or double the present demand. For coping with this demand by 2015, plans must be immediately started for building the nuclear power plants at the fastest because these take at least four or five years to build and operate.