Nuclear energy clean, safe and reliable

I WISH to respond to Dr Philip Michael (Letters, June 11) and his statement that “nuclear energy is the most malignant form of electricity production”.

He might not know that there are 442 nuclear power reactors producing 16% of the world’s electricity and that there have only been about 50 deaths (Chernobyl) attributable to radiation.

About 5,000 coalminers die each year, as well as the untold injury and deaths due to emissions from coal-fired and other fossil-fuelled power stations.

Our own Moneypoint plant emits six million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 50,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide, 20,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides and 170,000 tonnes of ash.

Also the radiation dose from a coal station is about 100 times that from a nuclear station. We face major energy problems and global warming, with oil production peaking about now and gas peaking some decades hence. There is coal for hundreds of years, but its use is obviously very polluting.

I am all in favour of renewable energy sources and strict conservation measures, but these alone will not make up the huge deficiencies we will face.

I believe we should be conserving, not burning, our limited oil and gas reserves as they are so valuable a resource for the petrochemical industry.

It is obvious we should be considering the clean, safe and reliable source that is nuclear energy.

The current resurgence in nuclear power confirms this.

It should be noted also that the famous environmentalist James Lovelock, guru of the UK Green party and father of the Gaia concept, now thinks nuclear is ... “the only practical way we have to solve the greenhouse gas problem”.

Also Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace, now considers nuclear power to be environmentally “sound and safe”.

In Ireland we must have a balanced debate without preconceived misconceptions.

Philip W Walton

Emeritus Professor of Applied Physics

NUI Galway