Nuclear power after the quake
Soon after a massive arthquake hit Japan on Friday, an explosion occurred at a 40-year-old nuclear reactor in the country’s Fuku- shima prefecture. On Sunday, there were reports of a partial meltdown in a second reactor in the same nuclear complex.There are a total of seven nu- clear reactors located close by in that area.
The explosion in the first re- actor occurred due to a power loss that lead to a breakdown in the cooling system of the reac- tor. In a desperate bid to keep the core of the reactor from heating to dangerous propor- tions, authorities began pump- ing seawater in the container structure that houses the nucle- ar fuel. It was also reported that briefly the radiation level at the site went up beyond the nor- mal level. Data that can en- able a reasonable analysis of what has happened is yet to emerge.
Soon enough, comparisons with what happened at Cherno byl began floating. And almost on cue, from Australia to Ger- many protests erupted: con- cerned individuals and non- governmental organizations questioned the use of nuclear power. At a protest in south- western Germany on Saturday, an estimated 60,000 persons railed against plans of the Ger- man government to extend the life of 17 nuclear plants for an average 12 additional years.
These are early days and more events may or may not happen in Japan. In any case, these must be seen in the light of the massive dislocation due to earthquake on Friday (8.9 on the Richter scale). Fukushima lies in the zone that witnessed severe intensity shocks from the quake. With an earthquake of such high intensity, it is un- fair to begin questioning design flaws, operational weaknesses and other factors involved in these reactors.
It is still less reasonable, from a scientific point of view, to question the entire nuclear industry across the world as be- ing danger-prone or beset with ethical problems. That, howev- er, is what the opponents of nuclear power will make it look like.
There is always room for de- bate on the safety aspects of the subject and it has never ceased even when there have been no earthquakes around. What, however, is not evaluated dis- passionately are the costs in- volved in giving up nuclear power in an age when hydro- carbon supplies are volatile and their prices even more so.
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