Nuclear Technology Vs Renewable Energy

Nuclear Technology for power generation has been used around the world since 1950s and as matter of fact, renewable energy also has been used widely since 1950s but most people doesn’t aware of it. It’s due to the price to commence it very expensive and some good efficiency material during that era like for example, solar energy material like high purity crystalline silicon is very pricy to produce.

 

The main advantages for nuclear technology are that it produces very high energy and as the result it can be used to power turbine and produce massive electricity. Secondly the input which is uranium won’t be run out compare to fossil fuel because if the uranium is getting weak, it can be

For renewable energy, it’s currently one of the best in the world because the main advantages of this energy are that it will last forever and it doesn’t pollute the environment. Energy like solar, wind, thermal and tides are free and they can be constant throughout the year in some countries.

The disadvantages of nuclear technology are that, it’s really dangerous because it can cause mass destruction and the costs like decommissioning can be very expensive. The disadvantages of renewable energy are it’s expensive to commence, it cannot produce mass electricity compare to nuclear energy and it only can be practice in some countries that has constant supply of these energies through out the year.

As the conclusion, both energy has pros and cons but still practical to use. It's a choice for any country to use whichever they think is the best.

Does Malaysia ready to for NPP technology?

          Touching on the fear of the people for nuclear, there was a lack of information about nuclear power and the authorities needed to keep the people informed of its advantages. Countries in Europe like Switzerland and Britain which had stopped using Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) at one time are now using it again. Nuclear power is clean but the people have the wrong perception which in part is also due to the misuse of nuclear weapons in the second world war. People talked about safety but remember there had only been two accidents involving NPP. But these are due to human errors and the lack of safety devices.

        Safety is an important consideration in having a NPP and will not be ignored according to Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Noramly Muslim, Chairman of Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board. Malaysia is ready to operate its own NPP and will not face any problems as it has enough qualified manpower to oversee the implementation and operation of a nuclear powered electricity generating plant. In fact, Malaysia has been sending its officers to Australia for training in nuclear science since 1985. Today’s second and third generation NPPs are safer and Malaysia will build NPP incorporating these new safety measures and sophisticated technology.

Datuk Dr Noramly Muslim giving his speech

          Malaysia will follow Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh which will be using their first NPP in 2020. Bangladesh even though not as industrialised as Malaysia will have its NPP in 2020. It can also tap into the thousands of its experts and staff trained in nuclear science now working in advanced countries.

          Even though the cost of buildidng a NPP is very high up to US$ 6billion, depending on its size and where it is sited, it can be in operation for about 60 years and will benefit up to two or three generations.

Challenges to implement NPP in Malaysia

             In the 1970s, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) had actually examined nuclear power as an option after oil prices surged when the main producing countries decided to turn off the tap. But Malaysia found gas in Terengganu and the government decided to use that as the main source of fuel for the power sector. That was about 20 years ago and in another 10 years or so, we would have used up all of that gas. Now, TNB is actively pushing for the government to use nuclear energy and it wants a decision around 2013 to comfortably head off a power crunch sometime in 2025. SHAHRIMAN JOHARI takes a look at the nuclear issue and the concerns Malaysians have over the energy source. This was taken from The New Straits Times. However there are some challenges that being faced by the country in realizing the project. These challenges has to be solve first before we could benefit the green energy of nuclear power.

          One of the key challenges that government has been facing is the people acceptance on nuclear. It is the norm of not only Malaysian, probably most of the world would be imagining the picture of mushroom smoke cloud when they hear the word nuclear. This are one of the misconception that the people have. Few also directly translate nuclear as bomb. A bomb which can cause big explosion and mass destruction. Then there’s also radiation, the thing that people think could end our lives. These are all typical answer from everywhere in the world if we questioned on their understanding about nuclear. But the fact disagrees. As we could see, many countries have been implementing nuclear power plant. Same as ours, the people also have been opposing the project initially. However after they learn about nuclear energy, and being convinced that the plant construction is safe, the project was carried through. 

First Atomic Bombing over Japan occured in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

          Having an approval for the plant site is quite a challenging task. People are aware about nuclear radiation, but they do not aware about the safety precaution that has been utilized to manage the nuclear radiation. They also does not aware on the protective shield that could prevent the nuclear radiation from affecting the surroundings. What they do know is if a nuclear power plant is to be constructed, the site should be located hundreds of kilometers from the nearest living habitat, as if in the middle of the desert would be the best idea. It is true that a nuclear power plant could potentially emits radiation but how about the workers? Do they expose themselves with the radiation? Yes, but in a safe amount that a human body can take. So, can a power plant be located near a town or a village? Of course no because of the safety precaution. But because of this, we will be assured that placing a nuclear power plant is just like approving a site for a hydro-power plant, provided that the safety precaution and safety standard are being kept by the nuclear agency.

             It is hard to implement nuclear power plant without having public support from the localities. Current progress of the implementation of nuclear power plant in Malaysia is to wait for the government permission. The things that are holding the government from giving the permission to proceed is because of the public support. A support from the people could indicate that the people are accepting use of nuclear energy in Malaysia. Apart from that, the technology consultation from the host country also plays a big role in realizing the implementation of nuclear power plant. Without this public support, the permission to proceed with the project are yet to be assured.

             Government has tried to come up with several potential solution for the problems. One of it is to conduct a public opinion survey to identify priority segments and concerns. Then an awareness project will be beneficial to expose the people with nuclear power energy by organizing a public awareness campaign. Also the government will keep its transparency through the project implementation. Other than that to obtain the local support, a public information program would be the best solution. Also there are some option for localities to bid to host nuclear plant as in Japan and Republic of Korea

Impact of Nuclear Power Plant to Malaysia

          Nuclear Power Plant Impact to Malaysia can be considered towards economics, environment and social perspective. It gives impact to this aspects due to the large influence made to them. Before starting to plant this idea, Malaysia’s government already created Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and MOSTI has assemble a team to create Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) to do the specific planning.

               

Initially, let’s discuss towards economics. It’s confirmed that to maintain a good economy of a country, we need to establish our industrial sector because it will attract the investors. To become an industrial country we need to have sufficient energy to support the factories for example. That’s why Nuclear Power Plant must be implemented because Nuclear Power Plant can generate the most energy compare to any other type of power plant.

               

Secondly, let’s discuss the impact to environment. In Malaysia, the most popular power plant is hydroelectric and the biggest problem of the power plant is that it takes so much place in a forest due to most of the river in Malaysia is inside forest. For example in Temenggor Power Plant, so much deforest until it destroy a lot of animals habitat.

                 

                Lastly, let’s discuss from social perspective. We always heard Nuclear Power Plant in other developed countries, but it’s good to educate Malaysians that even our country can manage to implement it. It can give the younger generation to think more out of the box in the future.

                As a conclusion, Nuclear Power Plant in Malaysia gives many benefits and we should not just see it from bad perspective only. If the Malaysians only see a new technology from the bad perspective, maybe until now even gadget like mobile phone will not be used.

Introduction of Nuclear Power Plant Technology in Malaysia

          The main key organizations that in charge of implementing the Malaysia Nuclear Power Plant are TNB, Nuklear Malaysia,  Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), and Suruhanjaya Tenaga (EC). Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia) has a role to introduce and promote the application of nuclear science and technology for national development. Established in 19 September 1972, Malaysian Nuclear Agency was then known as Centre for Application of Nuclear Malaysia (CRANE) before it was formally named as Tun Ismail Atomic Research Centre (PUSPATI).

  

          In February 2008, the Nuclear Power Planning Division was launched within the government, and started studies for the energy master plan. Taking such moves by the government into consideration, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the leading electricity utility, is developing a plan for long-term power supply and demand on the balance on the assumption that nuclear power generation will be introduced after 2020. Their plan includes a preliminary survey, site selection and human resource development (including 30 to 40 nuclear engineers) to start in 2008, environmental impact assessment and design work to start around 2011, international tender in 2012, conclusion of agreements in 2013, commencement of construction work around 2015, and commissioning of the first plant in 2020. The second and subsequent plants are planned to follow the first until the share of nuclear power reaches 8% or about 2000 MW around 2025.

           The investment environment in Malaysia is generally favourable. Although its economic growth rate in terms of GDP fell into a negative figure during the 1997 Asian currency crisis, it quickly headed toward recovery, achieving a level between 5% and 7% in recent years. Also, a current account surplus in international balance of payments is firmly in place and the deficits in the fiscal balance have been reduced, indicating the government’s sound management of economy. Supported by a strong electricity demand, business performance of the leading power company, TNB, as a promising candidate for the owner of the nuclear power projects has been robust as well.