Madam, - Your Editorial of July 23rd ("The energy challenge") calls for imaginative measures to protect the welfare of society. You mention a number of possibilities, but the word "nuclear" is absent. So, instead of the word "imaginative", might I suggest "realistic"?
In recent decades Ireland's economy has flourished and there has been nearly full employment. This boom has been underpinned by a plentiful supply of dependable energy at reasonable cost. Ireland now faces two major national challenges: energy security and cost. It must also play its part in addressing the global problem of climate change.
A reliable supply of electricity is vital to our economy. Ireland's base load of electricity is currently provided by coal and other fossil fuels. Supplies of oil are about to peak in the next few years. Although "peak gas" is still some time off, it will happen all too soon. As time goes on, oil and gas will become more costly and their supply less secure.
Efforts can and should be made to conserve energy generally and to maximise the generation of electricity from renewable sources of energy. However, renewables cannot contribute significantly in the near term.
There remains the option of using nuclear energy to produce a reliable supply of electricity. Currently there are over 400 nuclear power plants operating in more than 30 countries, supplying two-thirds of the world's population. These are producing some 16 per cent of global electricity.
Nuclear energy produces about 80 per cent of France's electricity, and some 18 per cent of the UK's. It accounts for more than 50 per cent of electricity production in Sweden, Belgium and Slovakia. Globally today there are 30 new reactors being built, with 74 on order or planned and 182 proposed. Reactor sizes vary: available plants range from 600MW, which is a suitable size for Ireland's grid. Some third-generation plants now becoming available are smaller and will also be capable of producing hydrogen - for transport applications and energy storage - and fresh water, by desalinating sea water.
A nuclear plant of the same size as the coal station at Moneypoint requires 20 tonnes of enriched uranium a year and produces one cubic metre of high-level radioactive waste. By contrast, Moneypoint needs 2 million tonnes of fuel each year and discharges into the atmosphere 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 26,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and 13,000 thousand tonnes of nitrogen oxide products. It also produces some 210,000 thousand tonnes of ash. From the point of view of greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear energy is the cleanest per unit of electricity produced over its life cycle, taking into account everything from mining ore to decommissioning and disposal of waste.
The figures have been broadly confirmed by the OECD; they are, in grams of carbon per kWh produced: nuclear, 4; wind, 8; hydro, 8; energy crops, 17; geothermal, 79; solar, 133; gas, 430; oil, 828; coal, 955.
The estimated cost of generating electricity depends much on its source, but in recent times there has been general recognition that slightly pessimistic estimates for nuclear power equate with gas and coal plants, but if emission trading is taken into account then nuclear energy is less costly.
It seems obvious that the time has come seriously to consider nuclear power for our electrical needs. It is apparent to the BENE group, which calls for a better environment with nuclear energy, and with which I am associated, that a decision on the nuclear option needs to be taken urgently.
We envisage nuclear power as a near-term source of reliable base-load electricity on which industry, the economy and job-creation can rely. It can also help in the longer term to provide a carbon-free means of fuelling transport, thus reducing fossil fuel consumption and reducing green house gas emissions.
There is now a window of opportunity for Ireland to secure its future energy needs. Nuclear power can have a vital role to play in this. The opportunity must not be missed. The new Government must commission an expert group to examine the nuclear option for Ireland. Additional information can be found at the website www.nucleardebate.ie. - Yours, etc,
DAVID SOWBY,
Knocksinna Crescent,
Dublin 18.