There
was a report in TOI dated 21st may 2017 indicating that solar power
is replacing nuclear power world-wide. Apparently, it may look like that, since
widest possible negative publicity is given in the media for nuclear-related
incidents and accidents highlighting trivial risk to the population by these
occurrences. The risks are only on paper and there are hardly any fatalities related
directly to the nuclear incidents/accidents, in real time.
Countries
are spending disproportionately large amount of money on safety systems because
mathematically some deaths can be predicted that too after two or three decades
of exposures to radiation. This makes nuclear power a little more expensive
than other modes of electricity generation. But things are changing fast! It is
being proved that there are no observable health effects which can be directly
attributed to exposure to low level radiation dose.
India
should go for indigenous standardized nuclear power plants. Buy uranium from
friendly countries. Reprocess spent uranium fuel to get fissile plutonium, a
better nuclear fuel than uranium. Separate Cs-137 radionuclide which is the
major part of the nuclear waste. Use this Cs-137 as radiation source for industrial
applications, such as food irradiation or blood irradiator. The radiation safety
scenario is creditable.
Nuclear power is far
less polluting than burning coal or oil in thermal power plants.
