IS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY REALLY SAFE?

By Syed Azwan Syed Ali

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 (Bernama) -- About 24 years ago Ukraine, which was part
of the Soviet Union then, was jolted by an explosion at the fourth generator of
the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The incident that occurred on April 26, 1986 sent a plume of radioactive
fallout into the atmosphere covering an extensive geographical area, including
the nearby town of Pripyat.

The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern
Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe. Large areas in Ukraine, Belarus,
and Russia had to be evacuated with over 336,000 people resettled.

It was reported that thousands were killed in the incident due to direct
exposure to radiation and many more died much later due to cancer or other
complications.

Hitherto, Chernobyl has been considered the worst tragedy in human history
and is classified as the seventh level incident in the "International Nuclear
Event Scale".

This is what happens when there is an accident at a nuclear power plant.

Looking at this dark chapter, is not surprising why a big number of
Malaysians, individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGO), have
misgivings on the proposal to build the nation's first nuclear power plant by
2021.

ENERGY CRISIS

The underlying question for the proponents and opponents is whether the
proposed nuclear power plant is safe and how are we to manage the radioactive
waste?

Several scientists are of the opinion that nuclear is the way to go in
generating electricity beyond 2020 as the nation is anticipated to face energy
crises due to depleting fossil fuel resources.

The fact remains, the nuclear technology is not something strange to
Malaysia as many may not be aware that there is already a small nuclear reactor
- Reaktor Triga Puspati (RTP) - that has been in operation since 1982 for
research and development purposes.

Malaysia too can boast for the highest number of nuclear experts in
Southeast Asia with most of them attached to the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, that
was previously known as the Malaysia Institute of Nuclear Technology Research
(MINT).

The national energy utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), foresees
the need for alternative energy resources reaching the critical level by 2019
because by then the unsustainable fossil fuel will be exhausted to a large
extent.

The Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Peter Chin on May 4
announced that the government has plans to continue with the nuclear power plant
programme that was first proposed in the 1970s.

The reason being there is a need to seek new energy sources and ensure the
nation has an energy security programme especially when looking at the
increasing population and the rapid economic growth.

TIGHT INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS

The nuclear power plant proposed to be built in 2021 at a cost up to RM9.75
billion (US$2.95 billion) will have a lifespan between 50 and 70 years.

A scientist from the Nuclear Science Department in Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM) Prof Dr Sukiman Sarmani noted that the nuclear power plant
is subjected to the tight regulations set by the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) to ensure the plant is built according to the required safety
specifications.

He noted that getting ready a nuclear power plant takes a long time too.

The nuclear power plant calls for early preparation, at least 10 years in
advance, to ensure its safety aspects, human resources and its location.

"The reactor that we are going to build is the third generation reactor...
It is unlike the first generation reactor in the 1970s, like the Chernobyl
one.

"The third generation reactor is very safe and involves very less human
intervention," said Prof Sukiman to Bernama adding that the Chernobyl disaster
is more due to human error than technical.

In a nutshell, the nuclear generator will utilise the uranium in isotope
form that will undergo a serious of reaction to unleash heat that is used
to produce steam to rotate the turbines to generate electricity.

AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE

Currently, more than 80 per cent of the electricity generated depend on
conventional fossil fuel especially natural gas that accounts for 60 per cent in
generating electricity and coal (24 per cent) and the rest through hydro and
biomass means. Fossil fuel has its own drawback as it is not sustainable and
contributes to global warming.

This goes against Malaysia's aspiration to move towards low-carbon economy
to help save the world's climate, by burning less fossil fuel.

Malaysia has also set its target to reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent
and the commitment was personally relayed by Prime Minister Najib Razak during
the United Nations' Summit on Climatic Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end
of last year.

The Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water was reported saying if a
nuclear power plant was finalised, Malaysia would adopt the nuclear technology
from South Korea, China, France or Japan.

COMPETITIVE COST

If the nuclear project option is to be pursued, Dr Mohamad Yusof Sulaiman a
nuclear energy expert from the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI)
proposed that the government opts for the "Pressurised Water Reactor" (PWR) and
not the "Boiling Water Reactor".

"Both are third generation reactors but the PWR is a much more safer
option," noted Yusof who previously proposed that the "offshore" wind technology
should be taken into consideration as an alternative energy source before
considering the nuclear option.

Prof Dr Hamdani Saidi from a chemical engineering background noted that
among the advantages of the nuclear energy is that it does not produce green
house gasses, it provides high energy output compared with any other energy
source meaning more electricity can be generated.

"The cost is also competitive compared with fossil fuel," said Hamdani who
is also the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur International
Campus Director.

Comparative figures provided in the media in June 2008 indicated there were
good reasons to consider nuclear energy because it only costs US$1.72 to
generate per kilo watt of electricity using nuclear energy compared with US$9.63
using fuel and US$6.75 using natural gas.

However, Hamdani added that the initial cost to set up a nuclear power
plant is very high.

DISPOSING RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Other than the safety aspect of the nuclear power plant, among the things
that may distress the general public is managing and disposing the radioactive
waste.

The same issue is a cause of concern for several NGOs, among other the
Centre for Environment, Technology and Development that had stated the nuclear
reactor poses high risk because of the radioactive waste.

Nonetheless, one should also take into consideration the developments in
disposing radioactive waste, yet the parties concerned for example the Malaysia
Nuclear Agency has to be transparent on this.

This is to ensure dangerous dumping of radioactive waste like what once
happened in Bukit Merah, in the northern state of Perak, is not repeated again.

In the incident, the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) company that extracted itrium
(an inert element) from monazite was closed down in January 1994 after it was
alleged that the company had failed to meet the radioactive waste storage
standards.

In this respect, those involved including the government must realise in
fulfilling the demand for electricity to propel the nation's economy, the
people's safety aspect and the survival of the environment should be paramount
and an in-depth study should be carried out beforehand.

Also, Malaysia is not the place to dump outdated technologies like what we
are seeing in the solid waste management sector where the suitability and the
efficiency were not studied beforehand.

What is important is that, the consideration to continue with the nuclear
option must be done based on numerous factors by ensuring that the nation is
really capable of managing a efficient and safe nuclear reactor to prevent a
similar incident like in Chernobyl from happening here.
-- BERNAMA


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