2023-04-23 10:35:58
But these environmentalists dream of something else: a world where nuclear power stations would multiply and where atomic energy would be available at will.
If they met here, on January 31, 2023, it is because reactor number 2 of the Tihange nuclear power plant must cease its activities this evening, at midnight. Myrto Tripathi, president of the French association Voices of Nuclear, came from Paris to express her disagreement. It’s a huge mistake to shut down a functioning reactor.
she says.
After the accidents in Chernobyl, Ukraine, and Fukushima, Japan, nuclear energy raised fears of the worst. Several countries have chosen to close their power plants. Belgium took the decision twenty years ago.
But in the context of climate change, many environmentalists in Europe and Canada want to backtrack. Here are three.
Myrto Tripathi, France
Unlike burning fossil fuels, atomic fission does not emit greenhouse gases
underlines Myrto Tripathi, found in the suburbs of Paris, a few days after the demonstration of Tihange.
An engineer by training, she worked for ten years for the nuclear industry, before becoming an activist. She says she no longer receives money from the industry and conducts her activities out of pure conviction. For me, it didn’t make sense to continue earning my living, if that life didn’t contribute to the future of others, to that of my children.
she says.
To support her remarks, she cites figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC. In its 2014 report, the Group compared the greenhouse gas emissions of different sources of electricity production.
Coal comes far ahead. For every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity, it sends 820 grams of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere (median value). Gas is second, with 490g per kWh. Solar emits ten times less, or 48 g of CO2 per kWh. But nuclear does even better, with 12 g per kWh. It almost equals with wind power.
If we don’t want to burn coal or gas, we have to turn to nuclear power, even if it means accepting its disadvantages and controlling them.
insists the militant.
She adds that, contrary to popular belief, nuclear causes fewer deaths than coal or gas plants. According to researchers at Columbia University, coal kills, on average, 29 people for every terawatt hour of electricity produced. Gas, 3. And nuclear, 0.07.
Coal and gas-fired power plants release fine particles and other pollutants into the atmosphere. They cause cardiovascular diseases, cancers and respiratory disorders. It’s less spectacular than a nuclear accident, but it’s more deadly.
Chris Keefer, doctor
Photo : Radio-Canada
Chris Keefer, Canada
In Canada, Chris Keefer leads a double life. At night, he is an emergency doctor in a Toronto hospital. During the day, he campaigns for nuclear energy.
As a doctor, he worked in an indigenous community, then in a clinic for migrant workers. Since he had a child, 4 years ago, he worries about the future of the planet. Climate change has become his hobbyhorse.
In emergency medicine, we often talk about triage
he says as he leaves the hospital. We want to know what is the most urgent problem, the sickest patient, to put our efforts in the right place. But for my generation, the most pressing issue is climate change.
Solar and wind power will play a central role in shutting down coal and gas-fired power plants, but, according to Chris Keefer, they can’t do it on their own. Look at Germany, he said. The country has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in solar and wind projects, but it is burning more coal than ever.
Pro-nuclear activists like to point out that wind and solar power plants produce electricity only when it’s windy or sunny. This is why they must be combined with controllable energy sources capable of producing continuously, such as hydroelectricity… or nuclear fission.
Germany had relied on gas to meet its energy needs during off-peak periods. Half of this gas came from Russia. But during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the tap was turned off. Germany was forced to reopen coal-fired power plants.
Chris Keefer believes Ontario could serve as a model for other provinces and countries that still rely on fossil fuels. We got rid of coal in Ontario, he says. We did it thanks to nuclear power. It’s proven technology.
In Ontario, more than 90% of electricity comes from low-carbon sources: about 59% is produced by nuclear fission; 24% by hydroelectricity; 8% from wind power and 1% from solar energy.
Tea Törmänen, biologist
Photo : Radio-Canada
Tea Törmänen, Finland
Tea Törmänen fights to save winter. A lover of cross-country skiing, she had to practice her sport on artificial snow this winter in Helsinki. It’s sad, she says. In Finland, winter is part of our culture.
A trained biologist, she works for the environmental organization RePlanet. It is an NGO that seeks to preserve nature and stabilize the climate, without compromising human development. She has also been active in politics since her youth. She is involved in the Green League, the Finnish green party.
Like all green parties in Europe, the Green League has built its identity around nuclear resistance. But in 2022, the party changed its tune.
When the IPCC reports started coming out, people realized there was urgency, says Tea Törmänen. Many members of the green party felt that they should use all the tools at their disposal.
In Finland, support for nuclear energy reaches 60%. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine accelerated popular acceptance. The Finns realized they could not depend on Russian gas
reports the activist.
Finland is also the first country in the world to agree on a storage location for burying spent fuel bundles from its nuclear power plants, highly radioactive waste. Onkalo, a Finnish word meaning cave
, was dug on the west coast of the country, 450 meters deep, in the rock. It is supposed to protect the waste for 100,000 years, the time to let the radioactivity fade. The opening is scheduled for 2025.
Finns are pragmatic people, believes Tea Törmänen. We trust technology.
Costs, delays and anxiety
The battle of pro-nuclear militants is far from won. Despite their enthusiasm, the nuclear industry is experiencing bitter failures. In Finland, the next-generation Olkiluoto-3 reactor came into operation on April 16, after a 13-year delay. Initially, the bill was estimated at 3 billion euros. The reactor will have finally cost… 11 billion euros. Other projects in Europe and the United States are experiencing similar delays and cost overruns.
The other big obstacle for pro-nuclear activists is fear. Even though nuclear energy kills fewer people than fossil fuels, according to the figures, it inspires dread. If there is a new accident like we saw in Fukushima, it will be the end of the industry
predicts Matthew Bunn, an energy policy specialist at Harvard University in Boston.
The report by Dominique Forget and Yanic Lapointe, Nuclear promises, will be aired on the show Discovery, Sunday at 6:30 p.m., on ICI Radio-Canada Télé.
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