Sir, – Seán Keyes correctly states that Ireland’s nuclear energy ban stops the technology from being considered properly. (“Debate: Should Ireland start getting ready to go nuclear? Opinion,” June 9th).
His belief that nuclear energy is perfectly compatible with our values is a moot point, however, based on three reasons.
The first and most serious negative is that, historically and currently, societal rejection of nuclear is widespread in Ireland. Politically, securing sites across the country would be hazardous if not impossible, due to local opposition, judicial reviews and planning issues.
Secondly, the much-vaunted small modular reactors (SMRs) are still at prototype stage and will not, if proven, be commercially available until the mid-2030s.
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Thirdly, the cost would be prohibitive. The current estimated cost of a single 0.350GW SMR would be of the order of $1 billion
These reasons should not preclude the lifting of the legal ban to allow public discourse on all aspects of Ireland’s precarious energy security.
By comparison, Paul Dorfman and Steve Thomas make a strong case against nuclear, stating that Ireland’s priority should be to meet climate objectives, reliability and affordability through focusing on renewables and energy efficiency.
They claim that the long-standing argument that renewables lack reliability no longer holds, as renewables can deliver reliable, round-the-clock power.
Studies, however, over the last five years (smartgriddashboard.com and windeurope.org) clearly demonstrate that renewables are not reliable and wind electricity generation fluctuates wildly from day to day and even hour to hour.
There is abundant scientific data showing that wind generation in Ireland varies from as little as 1.5 GWh per day to a maximum of 57.5 GWh per day depending on the strength of the wind.
The data shows that increasingly prolonged fallow periods of low winds lasting up to four weeks can occur across the EU and Ireland, usually associated with high barometric pressure.
Wind power daily figures show that combined EU onshore and offshore wind generation varies substantially, from as low as 8 per cent to an average of 20 per cent, requiring mainly fossil fuel and nuclear backup for the bulk of electricity generation.
Clearly wind and solar generation are the way forward, but any realistic discussion must refer to the need for 100 per cent backup to cover frequent fallow periods.
For Ireland, nuclear is not an option. For decades to come, natural gas will continue to provide the main backup fuel. Pragmatism and common sense should require not alone the rescinding of the nuclear ban but, crucially, the ban on offshore exploration for native oil and natural gas. – Yours, etc
JOHN LEAHY,
Wilton Road,
Cork.
