Myth of Nuclear Power

The former Chairman of NFC Dr. N Saibaba is reported to have stated that “Nuclear Energy is not at all Expensive. It is Safe and Green Energy”, to dispel the view that Nuclear Energy is dangerous. This seems to be distortion of facts amounting to misleading  the Public. 

Not Safe

The fact that the process of fissioning uranium in Nuclear Power Reactors (NPRs) creates more than 200 new man-made radioactive elements, some of which remain radioactive for millions of years, is a well established scientific finding. It is also a well established fact that these diabolical elements, once created, will inevitably find their way into the environment and will eventually enter the reproductive organs of plants, animals and humans. They will mutate the genes in reproductive cells to cause disease and death in the immediate generation or pass a hidden genetic disease to distant offspring down the time track.

Nuclear Power Reactor accidents induced by human error/ fallibility or due to natural calamities cannot be ruled out, as evidenced by melt-down of Three Mile Island Reactor in the United States, a massive power excursion erupted at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in former Soviet Union  and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster due to Tsunami in Japan as recent as March 2011. The possible threat of terrorist attacks, similar to the one on WTC Towers in New York, on Nuclear Power Reactors cannot be ruled out, by any stretch of imagination.

Each stage of Uranium processing and use creates large amounts of radioactive waste/materials, some of which having half-life up to 4.5 billion years. The problem of permanent storage and safe-disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste / material is currently practically unresolved.

Not Cheap

The Nuclear Industry way back, proclaimed that nuclear power would provide an endless supply of electricity that would be good for environment and “too cheap to meter” which is no where near the present day reality. Taking into account the economic costs of Nuclear Power -all costs incurred by the Society during the entire Nuclear Fuel life-cycle- the Solar Power may prove to be cheaper even today.

The cost of the Six Westinghouse AP 1000 Reactors, now under consideration for Kovvada Nuclear Power Project in Srikakulam District of AP State, is estimated to be in the region of a whopping Rs. 2.8 lakh Crore! The cost of such nuclear power would be about Rs.12-14 per unit (KWh), or about three to four times that from coal fired plants, and far higher than the Wind and Solar power costs.

Not Green / Clean

In fact, the vast hidden infrastructure necessary to cater for the entire nuclear fuel life-cycle-- from uranium mining to decommissioning of NPRs & safe disposal/storage of nuclear waste-- is a prodigious user of fossil fuels, which actually releases a large amount of carbon dioxide and as well as other global warming gases, although nuclear power plant by itself releases no carbon dioxide.

         “Electricity is but the fleeting byproduct from Nuclear Power.

              The actual  product is forever deadly radioactive waste.”

            “Nuclear Power--A Very Expensive, Sophisticated and

                               Dangerous Way  to Boil Water”