The 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami double disaster that
destroyed Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s six reactor complex at Fukushima
Daiichi was a startling reminder to the global community of the inherent
risks associated with nuclear power plants (NPPs).
Eighteen months later however, for a number of reasons, proponents of nuclear energy have not only survived what many at the time believed to be a knockout blow, but a number of countries have cautiously announced plans to build NPPs, all of which of course will incorporate the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi debacle.
Advocates of NPPs rightly point out that, in a world increasingly concerned about greenhouse gases and CO2 emissions, nuclear power plants are essentially emissions-free.
Opponents counter that the nuclear power industry’s dolorous safety record, beginning with Three Mile Island through Chernobyl to Fukushima Daiichi indicates the folly of believing that a NPP to withstand all risks, from human error to Mother Nature, 100 percent of the time.
And then there remains the as yet unresolved problem of what to do with NPP waste.
But China, which in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe imposed a nationwide ban on the construction of new NPPs, has concluded that the nation needs new nuclear power installations.
Why would Beijing take such a seemingly retrograde step, especially as nuclear power currently contributes only 1.8 percent of China’s electrical output? Coal still accounts for about 70 percent of China's energy consumption and about 80 percent of its electricity production.
Read more: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Despite-Fukushima-China-Embraces-Nuclear-Power.html
Eighteen months later however, for a number of reasons, proponents of nuclear energy have not only survived what many at the time believed to be a knockout blow, but a number of countries have cautiously announced plans to build NPPs, all of which of course will incorporate the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi debacle.
Advocates of NPPs rightly point out that, in a world increasingly concerned about greenhouse gases and CO2 emissions, nuclear power plants are essentially emissions-free.
Opponents counter that the nuclear power industry’s dolorous safety record, beginning with Three Mile Island through Chernobyl to Fukushima Daiichi indicates the folly of believing that a NPP to withstand all risks, from human error to Mother Nature, 100 percent of the time.
And then there remains the as yet unresolved problem of what to do with NPP waste.
But China, which in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe imposed a nationwide ban on the construction of new NPPs, has concluded that the nation needs new nuclear power installations.
Why would Beijing take such a seemingly retrograde step, especially as nuclear power currently contributes only 1.8 percent of China’s electrical output? Coal still accounts for about 70 percent of China's energy consumption and about 80 percent of its electricity production.
Read more: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Despite-Fukushima-China-Embraces-Nuclear-Power.html
No comments:
Post a Comment