I have blogged before about the thrust of nations which export nuclear technology to sell nuclear reactors to developing nations. I recently read about that the United States has offered to help Malaysia build a nuclear power plant. In 2009, the Malaysian government presented its plan for nuclear power claiming that nuclear power was inexpensive, clean and safe.
The Malaysian Physicians for Social Responsibility (MPSR) are not happy about the project. "We have been working to convince the government that such a project is not a wise or viable energy option since it carries inherent risks and is not affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound."
The MPSR believe that "the cost of electricity generated by a nuclear power plant is far higher than electricity from fossil fuels or renewable energy." They quote Moody's Corporate Finances that rates the relative risk of investments about the cost of electricity from nuclear power. Moody's estimated that the when nuclear power generates a kilowatt, the cost of that kilowatt is almost three hundred percent higher than a kilowatt generated by wind power and about one hundred and fifty percent higher than a solar energy kilowatt. (Both wind and solar power keep getting cheaper as nuclear power keeps getting more expensive.)
The MPSR also cite a 2014 World Nuclear Industry Status Report that projects that the adoption of renewable energy sources will increase at a rapid pace as the investment in renewables far surpasses the future investment in nuclear power plants and fossil fuel plants.
The MPSR mentions that Greenpeace has identified almost a hundred minor nuclear accidents across the globe between 1952 and 2009. Greenpeace claims that any of those accidents could have easily escalated into a major accident that would threaten the environment and human health. The horrible nuclear disaster at Fukushima vividly displays just what can happen when a conjunction of factors destroys a nuclear power plant.
The MPSR says that the "most dangerous and unacceptable" feature of the use of nuclear reactors to generate electricity is the production of radioactive waste, some of which can remain radioactive and dangerous for thousands of years. While there has been some effort to create underground repositories where such waste could be safely stored, there is no global solution to disposing of the hundreds of thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel that have been generated by nuclear power plants.
The MPSR complains that there is no compelling evidence that nuclear power is safe, clean or cheap. They say that there is little public support for the project, that there has not been a genuine dialog, debate or consultation with the Malaysian public about the project. The MPSR points out that other nations are phasing out nuclear power and calls on the Malaysian government to take into account the dangers of nuclear power and cancel the project.
I sincerely hope that other developing nations can mount serious opposition to the current hard marketing push of the nations that export nuclear technology.
