Nuclear power, dubbed by some as a ‘zero emission clean energy source’, has a somewhat dirty reputation in Ireland.
The state is one of the few in the world that bans nuclear power for generating electricity, and Ireland’s plans to tackle the climate crisis make little mention of the source of energy.
However, Ireland is currently not on track to meet its climate targets – energy use is responsible for the lion’s share of the country’s emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned that, at best, Ireland’s emissions will be 24 percent lower than 2018 levels when implementing the government’s 2019 climate action plan – rather than the targeted 51 percent reduction.
The tough environmental stance of the anti-nuclear stance is outdated and a holdover from another debate
In the midst of this battle for climate change goals, a group of professionals working in the nuclear and related industries say the technology is Ireland’s “fastest, cheapest and guaranteed route” to net zero emissions – but it’s an option no one is considering .
“I feel like the tough environmental stance of anti-nuclear power is out of date and a holdover from another debate,” said Sarah Cullen, co-founder of group 18for0.
“Nuclear power is not ideal. It’s not my ideal technology, I’m not a nuclear weapons lobbyist … I don’t get paid by them to say anything.
“They still have related emissions from construction … it doesn’t go up and down as fast as certain fossil fuels … but right now I can’t help but look at it and go, we have a massive problem now. We now have a climate emergency. “
18% nuclear power
The 18for0 group says there is currently “no credible plan” to get Ireland to its net zero emissions climate target by 2050, and there is no clear path to wean the country off fossil fuels.
In view of the warnings from the national grid operator EirGrid of impending electricity bottlenecks, it is proposed to keep coal and oil generators open beyond their planned closure dates in 2023 and 2025 or, alternatively, to build modern gas-fired generators that can be used at times with wind-generated renewable energy Electricity is not available.
“A network that consists of 100 percent renewable energies is currently not economically feasible or feasible. That’s because you can’t turn the wind on and off, you can’t turn the sun on and off, ”says Ms. Cullen, who was interested in nuclear energy during her master’s degree in energy systems technology.
“We think there are alternatives [to fossil fuels]and the government didn’t even investigate. “
With the state planning to generate 70 percent of electricity from renewables by 2030, 18for0 says adding 18 percent nuclear energy to that energy mix – with the rest a mix of technologies such as interconnection and storage – will eliminate fossil fuels and completely decarbonise electricity would sector by 2037.
The group says the introduction of nuclear energy could be part of the “just transition” in Ireland which, according to its own research, directly creates 1,300 high-quality long-term jobs in addition to another 4,000 “ancillary” jobs.
Gamble
Ms. Cullen estimates that Ireland could not have an operational nuclear power plant until 2037 at the earliest if a law legalizing the technology is passed, a public debate is held and development begins immediately.
In the meantime, could there be advances in renewables and storage technologies that should discourage investments in nuclear power? “It would be a gamble to say that maybe in 15 years someone will have a breakthrough,” replies Ms. Cullen.
It also rejects the notion that the introduction of nuclear energy could be tantamount to investing in a “twin evil” over fossil fuels. The crucial difference lies in the fact that the generation of nuclear energy does not cause any CO2 emissions.
“Much of the dialogue about nuclear energy in Ireland is negative, while when you look at it it is really positive and could really help us,” says Ms. Cullen.
“At least we should look at that. 18for0 only advocates that the government do its own studies and convince itself …
“Irish people suffer from health problems and die from burning more fossil fuels, we pay higher electricity prices because the price of gas is so unstable, and we risk power blackouts in politics.”
nuclear waste
On the subject of nuclear waste, Ms. Cullen says that countries around the world have “safely managed” waste for decades.
“When a nuclear power plant is built, it has to have precise plans of exactly how it is disposed of and what happens to each individual component in it. I wish every energy system was like this, ”she says.
“If 18 percent of our electricity came from nuclear power, its waste would fit into an area the size of a basketball arena over the life of these nuclear reactors.”
Ms. Cullen says that following nuclear accidents, like the widely publicized Chernobyl disaster, “such strict laws have been passed for the nuclear industry that the nuclear industry now actually has … one of the best safety records in any energy sector”. . “
If we want to tackle the climate crisis with it, it will simply not get us to our destination in time
However, Friends of the Earth spokeswoman Deirdre Duff says the technology “is just not going to get us there in time.”
The anti-nuclear environmental group says Ireland needs to cut its emissions sooner than the introduction of nuclear power will allow, leaving aside the “risks, medical problems, waste disposal”.
“Even if nuclear were to work as a backup, we wouldn’t put it online in time at the earliest. In the meantime, we would need another backup, ”says Ms. Duff.
“The decisive period is the next five years, the next 10 years. How can we cut our emissions fast enough to avoid the tipping points?
“If we want to tackle the climate crisis with this, it will not get us to our destination in time, and we are much better positioned with renewable energies and energy efficiency measures.”
Where do we store the rubbish, who wants to have it in their garden voluntarily?
Ms. Duff says it is “much shorter term” – and less controversial – solutions like focusing on energy efficiency and retrofitting houses “that will get us out of this problem quickly enough”.
world
Climate change is the greatest health threat …
“At the moment [nuclear power is] illegal in Ireland and you’d have to change the law so just the political capital you’d need … I just couldn’t imagine three successive governments staying in power to get nuclear power through, ”says.
“And where do we store the rubbish then, who wants that voluntarily in their garden?”
Ms. Duff says that “technology is advancing in leaps and bounds” when it comes to storing renewable energy and connecting to other networks in Europe.
For the future, Friends of the Earth envisages “a much more flexible” energy system, “so that when the wind is strong in Ireland we can sell energy to Europe and then vice versa,” she says.
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