Tarragona, Guadalajara, Burgos, Valencia and Cáceres. Map nuclear‘There are only five states in Spain’. However, in reality it would be more accurate to say four today, because the Santa María de Garoña power plant in Burgos, which has been inactive since December 2012, is in the process of being dismantled. The reactors that have been a part of the Tobalina Valley landscape for decades will be just a memory in a few years. Although the total number is relatively low, the country ranks second (along with Belgium) on the list of regions in Europe with the most reactors in operation. much higher France (59 reactors in service)He emerged as a great advocate of an energy source that was always shrouded in an aura of fear. So much so that the Government has already planned the construction of eight more factories.
Although some of its disadvantages outweigh, the international community accepts without hesitation that nuclear energy also has its advantages. This does not mean that there is unanimity in approving that these compensate for the risks. The most important advantage is that greenhouse gas emissions are low.. A dossier published in 2013 by researchers at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies found that in just four decades, this use prevented 64 billion tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. This helped prevent 1.8 million deaths due to pollution.
The most important advantage is that greenhouse gas emissions are low.
Despite its disadvantages (the most important of which are waste and serious accidents), this discourse is gaining more and more followers every day. According to Michael Shellenberger, president and founder of the NGO Environmental Progress, It is the cleanest and fastest alternative towards decarbonization. It is also stated that the closure of facilities means an increase in the burning of fossil fuels. To support his thesis, Shellenberger goes a step further and confronts the method of generating electricity from renewable sources: For example, he claims that much more toxic waste is created during the installation of solar panels.
Nuclear becomes a more stable energy source as it does not depend on external factors such as solar hours and wind energy. This explains why Spain has a significant weight in the electricity mix: According to the latest data, In 2021 it represented 22.2% of the total (second only to wind energy) with only 7% of the installed capacity. In 2020, amid the coronavirus crisis, this rate exceeded 33%. In terms of employment, it is estimated that it employs approximately 30,000 people.
A ‘green’ energy?
Although there is no consensus among the parties, supranational institutions are tipping the balance in favor of nuclear weapons. Despite the resistance of countries such as Spain in July 2022, The European Parliament classified it (along with gas) as green energy. This allowed private schemes to build power plants on equal terms with solar or wind projects, opting for state aid. The UN also took a favorable position. However, an independent panel of experts advising the European Commission later published a scathing report opposing this decision. To this end, he listed the risks of this technology as follows: “For the protection of water and marine resources, the transition to a circular economy or the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems.”
These are not the only ‘buts’ that scientists oppose this sector. Many point to other links in the chain, ones that go beyond what’s happening in plants: Extraction of uranium from underground, manufacture of fuel, construction of reactors (and their dismantling) or transportation They are still under the spotlight. Ecologytas en Acción explains it this way: «If we analyze the entire life cycle, we will notice that the mining of uranium ensures that the necessary amount of cement or elements of nuclear power plants has it. much larger carbon impact than renewable energies».
Waste: A problem without a solution
As stated in the World Nuclear Waste Report, the scientific community has not yet reached a solution that will convince everyone about waste treatment. Despite this, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that “significant progress” had been made in the management of these wastes (until they were dumped into the sea until the 1980s), and in particular, They bet on the application of deep geological deposits.
They put forward the model built in Finland on the island of Olkiluoto, where the country’s largest nuclear power plant is located, as a model to follow. So much so that one-third of the electricity consumed by Finns comes from their intestines. These tunnels with a depth of over 400 meters were built with a budget of 2,000 million euros. We guarantee the proper containment of this radioactive waste for the next 100,000 years.
And this is precisely another of its main disadvantages: its danger does not disappear until centuries pass. Greenpeace bases its opposition on this. «Their tracks are extremely polluting and very durable over time and Risks to the health of people and surrounding ecosystems leading to catastrophic accidents“It makes nuclear energy a clean and sustainable alternative,” the organization emphasizes. Moreover, those responsible for them confirm that there is no evidence that burying them in this way guarantees that they will not leak.
No one wants a nuclear ‘mega graveyard’
In Spain, an attempt was made to launch a similar initiative in Villar de Cañas (Cuenca), but the initiative failed due to public resistance and government refusal. Nobody wanted their name associated with that ‘nuclear mega-cemetery’. Instead, at the last Cabinet in 2023, the Government approved the VII General Plan on Radioactive Waste and with it the construction of seven decentralized repositories that will be located on the same site as each facility. The Nuclear Forum condemns that this decision will make the reuse of these lands impossible.
“The danger of waste will not disappear until centuries pass,” reminds Greenpeace
Technical considerations aside, in the collective imagination, if anything is linked to power plants, it is an accident. Two in particular: Chernobyl and Fukushima. Almost 38 years have passed since the first and 13 years since the second, but the destruction they caused is still vivid in our memories. In the case of Fukushima, when the plant was devastated by a tsunami, this event demonstrated yet another risk for this type of energy arising directly from climate change. And this Two in five properties are coastal and therefore more exposed to extreme weather events. They may also be affected by rising sea levels. It is yet another shadow of an activity that divides governments, pits scientists against each other, and does not accept neutral positions.
……………………
REPORT. Alfredo García, Telecommunications engineer and broadcaster
«Spain’s high activity waste fits into a 13 meter cube»
Disseminate the advantages of nuclear energy in the fight against global warming on social networks
-Can nuclear energy be part of the solution to the climate crisis?
-It has proven to be an excellent tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear energy has a significant share in the electricity mix of larger countries with lower emissions. It also provides stability and supply guarantee to consumers. And, as recent reports show, all this in a sustainable way. It was included at COP28 as a necessary tool to reduce these.
-One of the opposing arguments is the problem of waste management. Can it be done sustainably?
-It is a technologically resolved issue, complies with accepted standards and is inspected by national and international organizations. The first thing to know is that it is a relatively small volume. All high-level waste produced in Spain fits inside a cube 13.5 meters on a side. Moreover, it is a water-insoluble ceramic solid, which is physically impossible to explode and does not reach temperatures that would melt it when stored in armored and airtight containers. These containers are cooled by natural air circulation without the need for electrical energy and are resistant to seismic, missile and aircraft impacts.
-Finland built a large geological nuclear repository. Can it be copied in Spain?
-After surface container storage comes deep geological storage. Finland is finishing its own construction at a depth of 500 meters in a location that has remained geologically stable for a billion years. It is designed with materials that can withstand the time it takes for waste to stop being radioactive. And they do this without human intervention, inspection or maintenance. This means there will be no administration costs once sealed. Spain’s General Radioactive Waste Plan calls for one to be built around 2070. Currently this is the scientific consensus solution.
-Should the government review its facility closure program?
-Various organizations warn that the closure of nuclear power plants will lead to the installation of combined cycle power plants burning natural gas. This will mean higher greenhouse gas emissions, higher payment costs, higher electricity prices and greater dependence on unreliable economic partners. Red Eléctrica warned of the risk of power outages. Spain should continue to invest in renewable energy sources, but remember that they are variable and need others to fill their shortcomings, pending large amounts of storage in batteries.
………….
Contact address of the environmental department:[email protected]