http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2009/04/01/news0567.htm
Bangladesh should implement its nuclear dream
ABM Nurul Islam
The recent announcement by the Prime Minister that the donor countries are showing interest for implementing the nuclear power station in Bangladesh is welcome news.
The reason that the world is taking a fresh look at nuclear power is driven by the common concern about our planet.
Concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG’s) in the atmosphere, currently at 385 ppm, is rising rapidly. We need to stabilize the GHG’s at 450 ppm by the end of the 21st century to stabilize earth’s climate at 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial level to avoid worst consequences.
Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts an increase in atmospheric CO2 to 750 ppm by end of 21st century with consequent global temperature rise of 2-5 degree Celsius, less at the equator, more at the poles, if business as usual is continued.
Latest computer models predict the arctic to be free of ice during the summer in the next few years. For how long can the magnificent Polar Bears swim and survive? Consequent sea level rise would cause places like Bangladesh and Maldives to drown gradually.
There are only a few realistic ways to reduce carbon dioxide emission from electricity generation:
Increasing efficiency of electricity generation and use
Expanded use of renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) of emissions from fossil-fuelled (particularly coal) stations and
Increasing use of nuclear power.
It is predicted that by 2030, the developing countries will overtake the industrialized countries in primary energy use; by 2050, global energy demand will double. Contribution from carbon-free energy sources will have to increase 7 times to keep CO2 levels below 450 ppm or 5 times to keep the same below 550 ppm.
It is obvious that the contribution from nuclear energy on a large scale, which will be a major contributor to reduce the GHGs, will need to come not just from the developed countries but also increasingly from the developing countries if we are to save this planet from environmental disaster.
To date only two major power reactor accidents have occurred: Three Mile Island reactor #2 on March 28, 1979 and at the Chernobyl reactor #4 on April 26, 1986. In both these cases the accidents would not have occurred had the operators not disabled the reactors’ safety systems. Following the accidents, improvements have been made in the design and operational procedures of both reactor types to prevent its recurrence. Concern for nuclear reactor safety is therefore more of a perception problem for the general public.
What to do with the spent reactor fuel is the million-dollar question. It is not “spent” in the sense that it is useless. In fact more than 98% of the energy is still contained in the so-called spent fuel. The French, who are currently the most advanced in the nuclear power field, are reprocessing the spent fuel to recover the useful uranium and plutonium and to concentrate and vitrify the waste products. When the Fast Reactors will come along, they will not only burn the plutonium and the higher actinides but transmute the long-lived radioactive wastes so that their isolation times will need to be of the order of 1000 years or so. That is not so long a period considering that the pyramids have been around for about 5,000 years. We should be able to build better. Bangladesh perspective
Bangladesh as a front-line victim of climate change should be a model of GHG reduction by making nuclear energy a part of its energy mix. The high initial cost (approximately $ 1 billion for a 600 MWe nuclear station) is offset by its low fuelling cost and numerous spin-off benefits. For example, the spin-off benefits to the South Korean economy from its nuclear power programme are estimated at 2% of its GDP. By improving its high technology sector through its nuclear power programme, South Korea has moved from a developing to a developed country and has become a member of the prestigious Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Our nearest neighbours, India and Pakistan, are currently operating 17 and 2 nuclear power stations with total capacity of 3782 MW(e) and 425 MW(e) respectively with their own manpower since the beginning. As a former shift engineer of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), I can testify that running a nuclear power plant is not any more demanding than flying a jumbo jet that our pilots are doing regularly. BAEC’s research reactor at Savar will provide an excellent platform for training of nuclear power plant operators with assistance from the reactor supplier.
Nuclear technology because of its possible scope for misuse in making nuclear bombs is also a political issue and its import requires clearance by the 45 Member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Bangladesh has signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Full-Scope Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA that allows inspection of all our nuclear facilities by IAEA inspectors and the Additional Protocol that allows IAEA access to additional information and short-notice inspection. There should therefore be no reason to deny Bangladesh access to the fruits of this technology.
We are grateful to late President Ziaur Rahman for having put Bangladesh on the nuclear map of the world by bringing into reality the Savar Research Reactor with our own money.
Let us hope that the current Government with the strong mandate it has received from the electorate will have the political will to end the endless talk on Rooppur Nuclear Power Project and bring it to fruition. The benefits will go way beyond the energy it will generate.
