Nuclear power too costly, too risky

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Arjun Makhijani believes nuclear power too costly, risky

Program #5809 of the Earth & Sky Radio Series
with hosts Deborah Byrd, Joel Block,
Lindsay Patterson and Jorge Salazar. Download

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Arjun Makhijani: The technical case for nuclear power, just like the technical case for wind energy, and solar energy, is partly built on the idea that it’s a low CO2 technology. But it’s a high cost, high-risk technology, and that’s why I think we shouldn’t be doing it.

That’s electrical and nuclear engineer Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.

Arjun Makhijani: Nuclear power is very expensive. Today, wind energy, for instance, is cheaper than nuclear power. If you use a combination of efficiency, wind, and solar energy, it would cost less.

Makhijani said that there’s still no long-term plan for storing radioactive nuclear waste, which some fear could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Arjun Makhijani: Plutonium is generated in every nuclear power plant in its operation – about 40 bombs worth every year.

Makhijani has done studies to show how the US could have low-carbon energy without nuclear power.

Arjun Makhijani: We have the technology today to say, we can do this completely with wind and solar energy. We don’t have a shortage of low carbon dioxide energy sources. We have a shortage of two things — we have a shortage of time in which to solve the problem, and we have a shortage of money.

Dr. Makhijani told EarthSky that cost is the number one reason why he argues against developing nuclear power. He explained, “Since a very large amount of heat and fission products are generated in a relatively small volume, it is essential to control the chain reaction to a very close degree. A mishap could result in a meltdown. So the construction has to be of extraordinary quality, the materials are expensive, the labor is expensive – highly skilled welders, inspectors of welds, etc. Precautions against severe accidents require back-up systems that will function with very high probability.”

He added that delays in nuclear construction often extend for years and are very costly.

Makhijani estimates that the earliest we will see a new nuclear plant in the United States will be in about 6-7 years.

Thanks to:
Arjun Makhijani is the president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, a non-profit organization which provides the public with scientific and technical information on energy and environmental issues. He worked in the nuclear industry before becoming concerned about the environmental impacts and costs of nuclear power. He recently wrote a book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy.