Nuclear power cannot cope with climate change

nuclear cannot take the heat… rather than being a solution to climate change, nuclear is actually significantly undermined by climate change. .

Australian Parliament, Senate speech, Senator Christine Milne, 21 Sept 11“……..On climate change, there is this ridiculous assertion that nuclear energy is required to address climate change. It is actually the opposite. In this report [UN Report on Nuclear safety ] it states that the assumptions that need to be reviewed are regarding the types of accidents that are possible. The report says that an assessment of those accidents was way too modest and that they need to look at the possible effects of climate change in relation to nuclear energy.

That is because nuclear cannot take the heat. We have seen right around the world in the last decade several occasions where nuclear reactors have had to be closed down because of extreme heat conditions, which will be increasing as the rate of climate change accelerates.

Let me give you a few examples. In July 2010 in Alabama we saw the shutdown of nuclear facilities to the point where it cost that energy agency or energy department $50 million, all of which had to be paid for by customers in Tennessee, when they had to close down the reactors because they could not cool them, there was no water to be able to do it, and also they could not dispose of the hot water into river systems which were already depleted.

At about the same time we had exactly the same situation in Europe. For example, in the summer of 2003 during those record-breaking heatwaves millions of people across France and Italy suffered through extended power shortages after the French network of 19 nuclear power plants had to reduce their operations. Seventy per cent of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power. Italy also purchases about a third of its electricity from French nuclear providers. During the heatwave those countries had to basically cut down on use and promote energy conservation. There were blackouts and the result was that many aged people, hospitals and so on experienced those blackouts, and it was appalling. That is why France is now one of the countries in Europe most rapidly embracing renewable energy technology, because they recognise that in extreme weather events nuclear is no good, the reactor has to be shut down.

So let us get this very straight: rather than being a solution to climate change, nuclear is actually significantly undermined by climate change. …. http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/latesthansard/shansard.pdf