Small Nuclear Power Plants No Use in Climate Crisis
Small Nuclear Power Plants No Use in Climate Crisis
https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/small-nuclear-power-plants-no-use-in-climate-crisis/
Governments are investing in a new range of small nuclear power plants, with little chance they’ll ease the climate crisis.
July 20, 2021 by Climate News Network By Paul Brown
Claims that a new generation of so-called advanced, safe and easier-to-build nuclear reactors − small nuclear power plants − will be vital to combat climate change are an illusion, and the idea should be abandoned, says a group of scientists.
Their report, “Advanced” is not always better, published by the US Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), examines all the proposed new types of reactor under development in the US and fails to find any that could be developed in time to help deal with the urgent need to cut carbon emissions. The US government is spending $600 million on supporting these prototypes.
While the report goes into details only about the many designs of small and medium-sized reactors being developed by US companies, it is a serious blow to the worldwide nuclear industry because the technologies are all similar to those also being underwritten by taxpayers in Canada, the UK, Russia and China. This is a market the World Economic Forum claimed in January could be worth $300 billion by 2040.
Edwin Lyman, who wrote the report, and is the director of nuclear power safety in the UCS Climate and Energy Program, thinks the WEF estimate is extremely unlikely. He comments on nuclear power in general: “The technology has fundamental safety and security disadvantages compared with other low-carbon sources.
“Nuclear reactors and their associated facilities for fuel production and waste handling are vulnerable to catastrophic accidents and sabotage, and they can be misused to produce materials for nuclear weapons. The nuclear industry, policymakers, and regulators must address these shortcomings fully if the global use of nuclear power is to increase without posing unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and international peace and security.”
Cheaper options
Lyman says none of the new reactors appears to solve any of these problems. Also, he says, the industry’s claims that their designs could cost less, be built quickly, reduce the production of nuclear waste, use uranium more efficiently and reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation have yet to be proved. The developers have also yet to demonstrate that the new generation of reactors has improved safety features enabling them to shut down quickly in the event of attack or accident.
Lyman examines the idea that reactors can be placed near cities or industry so that the waste heat from their electricity generation can be used in district heating or for industrial processes.
He says there is no evidence that the public would be keen on the idea of having nuclear power stations planted in their neighbourhoods.
Another of the industry’s ideas for using the power of the new nuclear stations to produce “green hydrogen” for use in transport or back-up energy production is technically feasible, but it seems likely that renewable energies like wind and solar could produce the hydrogen far more cheaply, the report says.
In reality the nuclear industry is shrinking in international importance and is likely to continue to do so, Lyman says. According to the International Energy Agency, at the end of 2010, there were 441 operating nuclear power reactors worldwide, with a total electrical power capacity of 375 gigawatts of electricity (GWe).
At the end of 2019, there were 443 operating reactors − only two more than in 2010 − with a total generating capacity of 392 GWe. This represented a decrease of over 20% in the share of global electricity demand met by nuclear energy compared with 2010.
Lyman says the US Department of Energy would be more sensible trying to address the outstanding safety, security and cost issues of existing light water reactors in the US, rather than attempting to commercialise new and unproven designs. If the idea is to tackle climate change, improving existing designs is a better bet.
The report notes that it is not just the US that is having trouble with nuclear technology: Europe is also suffering severe delays and cost overruns with new plants at Olkiluoto in Finland, Flamanville in France and Hinkley Point C in the UK.
Lyman’s comments might be of interest to the British government, which has just published its integrated review of defence and foreign policy.
Military link declared
In it the government linked the future of the civil and defence nuclear capabilities of the country, showing that a healthy civil sector was important for propping up the military. This is controversial because of the government’s decision announced in the same review to increase the number of nuclear warheads from 180 to 260, threatening an escalation of the international arms race.
Although Lyman does not mention it, there is a clear crossover between civil and nuclear industries in the US, the UK, China, Russia and France. This is made more obvious because of the few countries that have renounced nuclear weapons − for example only Germany, Italy and Spain have shown no interest in building any kind of nuclear station. This is simply because renewables are cheaper and produce low carbon power far more quickly.
But the link between civil and defence nuclear industries does explain why in the UK the government is spending £215m ($298m) on research and development into the civil use of the small medium reactors championed by a consortium headed by Rolls-Royce, which is also one of the country’s major defence contractors. Rolls-Royce wants to build 16 of these reactors in a factory and assemble them in various parts of the country. It is also looking to sell them into Europe to gain economies of scale.
Judging by the UCS analysis, this deployment of as yet unproven new nuclear technologies is unlikely to be in time to help the climate crisis – one of the claims that both the US and UK governments and Rolls-Royce itself are making. − Climate News Network
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Despite having some of the world’s best offshore wind resources, Australia is letting an untapped abundance of clean energy go to waste, new research says. The post Australia has massive offshore wind opportunity, if only government would get out of the way appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Australia lifted fossil fuel subsidies more than any G20 nation, says BNEF — RenewEconomy
Australia had biggest increase in fossil fuel support of any G20 nation over last five years, at nearly $300 per person in 2019. The post Australia lifted fossil fuel subsidies more than any G20 nation, says BNEF appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia lifted fossil fuel subsidies more than any G20 nation, says BNEF — RenewEconomy
Plans unveiled for biggest battery storage system in Victoria — RenewEconomy
A two-hour battery storage system on the Mornington Peninsula will be the biggest in the state if built on schedule by the end of 2022. The post Plans unveiled for biggest battery storage system in Victoria appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Gas generation slumps in first half of 2021, as wind and solar continue to shine — RenewEconomy
Gas generation declined again in the first half of 2021, including in NSW where renewables now supply 17 times more electricity than gas. The post Gas generation slumps in first half of 2021, as wind and solar continue to shine appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Flow Power starts production at its first two solar farms in South Australia — RenewEconomy
Retailer Flow Power has begun construction at two small solar farms in South Australia, the first it owns and operates directly. The post Flow Power starts production at its first two solar farms in South Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Australian wind output record smashed after big boost from South Australia — RenewEconomy
Record wind output on Australia’s main grid on Tuesday afternoon, with a big boost from South Australia. The post Australian wind output record smashed after big boost from South Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Queensland grid needs to double in size for zero emissions, CleanCo says — RenewEconomy
CleanCo CEO says time to seize the huge decarbonisation opportunities available through solar – “the lowest cost energy” ever seen. The post Queensland grid needs to double in size for zero emissions, CleanCo says appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Queensland to produce 10-year plan for renewables to bring back industry — RenewEconomy
Cheap renewables and a focus on renewable hydrogen production could revitalise Australia’s manufacturing industries, Queensland minister says. The post Queensland to produce 10-year plan for renewables to bring back industry appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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The Olympic & Nuke Villages: Humiliating People, Ignoring Life — limitless life
Dear Friend, I am almost daily sending out BCC messages to have the Tokyo Olympic Games cancelled. President Thomas Bach is increasingly criticized for ignoring the Japanese public opinion. The Japanese have the impression that the infamous “nuclear village” is little different from the current “Olympic village”. The Japanese are not happy to see Japan thus […]
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A record $US501 billion ($A683 billion) was invested in the clean energy sector in the last financial year. The post Global investors pump hundreds of billions into renewables in shift from fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Battery storage faces two year wait for new rules that optimise its use — RenewEconomy
Battery storage industry happy with new rules that recognise some of their multiple tools, but not pleased with another two-year wait. The post Battery storage faces two year wait for new rules that optimise its use appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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Too Much
Too much rain, to much drought, too much fire, too much waste, too much news. The problem is that I went hiking yesterday and, though I had a good time, got behind on some of my projects. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem–there are certainly things I can say about climate change that don’t take very long to write–but this week doing less than a fully-researched piece seems wrong.
I have seen a photograph of a street in Europe piled with flood debris almost up to the second windows. I have seen a photograph of a pasture in Montana where the grass has died from drought, grass that was meant to be the winter forage of a herd of cattle–a family’s livelihood, gone. It seems important to weave all this together, to understand how it fits, and I am discombobulated by busyness, by mild but real sleep deprivation, by the…
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July 21 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “Scientists Are Worried By How Fast The Climate Crisis Has Amplified Extreme Weather” • Until recently, climate change had been talked about as a future threat. Its frontlines were portrayed as remote places like the Arctic, where polar bears are running out of sea ice to hunt from. But in the past month, […]
July 21 Energy News — geoharvey
Showdown over millions in mining royalties to Indigenous trust
Showdown over millions in mining royalties to Indigenous trust https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/showdown-over-millions-in-mining-royalties-to-indigenous-trust-20210719-p58b31.html, By Adele Ferguson and Deborah Snow, July 20, 2021
A battle for control of millions of dollars in mining revenues that belong to the Adnyamathanha people of South Australia has erupted in the courts, as a trust company fights off efforts by a Commonwealth-appointed administrator to find out where the money has gone.
The revenues derive from two uranium mines operated by US-owned Heathgate Resources on the ancestral lands of the Adnyamathanha, in and around the Flinders Ranges.Adnyamathanha elder Tiger McKenzie says, “All we want is to see the finances.
For nearly two decades the mining company has paid the moneys into an Indigenous-run trust called Rangelea Holdings Pty Ltd, which is meant to hold and distribute the funds to all Adnyamathanha people based on their native title rights.
But Rangelea has refused to open the books to the broader Adnyamathanha community and is also refusing to open them to a special administrator appointed by the federal government regulator, the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations.
Instead the trust company has mounted a challenge in the courts.
Adnyamathanha man and community advocate Malcolm “Tiger” McKenzie said he was upset and angry at the latest legal developments.
“All we want is to see the finances. Why won’t Rangelea let us see them?” he said.
The case is being closely watched by the mining industry, with implications for Indigenous corporations around the country, which are also in receipt of mining funds.
Special administrator Peter McQuoid told the Herald he’d asked the mining companies, Heathgate and its affiliate Quasar Resources, to stop all payments to Rangelea until such time as Rangelea gave him access to the trust’s financial records.
An estimated $40 million has been paid to Rangelea by the miners since 2003, but many Adnyamathanha say they have seen very little benefit either to themselves or for the community.
Mr McQuoid has been pursuing the matter on behalf of the official native title holder to the lands, the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association (ATLA), which has been under special administration since March last year.
Rangelea last week hit back in the Supreme Court of South Australia, seeking an injunction to force the mining companies to resume their payments to Rangelea.
Mr McQuoid told the Herald that “it’s a fundamental right of a trustee to keep beneficiaries informed as to how their money [royalties] have been spent or distributed”
“I would imagine there will be other trustees around Australia watching this case unfold,” he said.
He said the legal action brought by Rangelea had caused a lot of anxiety in the Adnyamathanha community but he wanted to assure everyone the mining payments were safe.
He described ATLA as “treading water” until such time as the Rangelea issues were resolved. “It is not going to get any easier over the next few months but it is important to get this sorted out,” he said.
Mr McQuoid said the suspension of payments came after several requests to meet Rangelea. But last week Rangelea rejected an offer for the National Native Title Tribunal to facilitate a mediation between ATLA, Rangelea, the regulator and the administrator. Instead, it rushed off to court.
Mr McKenzie said there was a lot of mistrust among Adnyamathanha people about how Rangelea was being run. “We don’t trust Rangelea,” he said.
He said the state of Native Title in Australia was disturbing. “With the resources that have come through over the years, we should be one of the strongest financial and political groups, and we aren’t,” he said.
He said ATLA was the tip of the iceberg and a royal commission was needed to be held to clean up the sector after years of abuse, including some entrenched native title hierarchies that have created a system where benefits get disproportionately directed to “certain families”.
The regulator issued a statement last month saying that, in 2020, Rangelea collected $4 million in royalties between January last year and March this year. “That is a lot of money, I couldn’t believe it,” Mr McKenzie said.
He said Rangelea needed to be wound up and begin again as a more transparent entity that the Adnyamathanha people could trust. No comment was available on Monday from Rangelea.
1 This month
17 October, Free Public Talk on Nuclear Issues in South Australia
David Noonan will speak on public interest concerns over the new Roxby Downs Indenture Act 2026 on BHP copper-uranium mining and ore processing in SA, and on how AUKUS may face SA with a High-Level nuclear waste agenda.
Dr Jim Green will discuss international developments in the field of nuclear power including ‘small modular reactors’ and Generation 4 ‘advanced’ nuclear reactor concepts.
Help Aunty Sue Protect Her Land and Sacred Sites From Destructive Rocket Testing.
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AUKUS – https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
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