Madam, – Opening or reopening a debate on nuclear power in Ireland, as you recommend (Editorial, March 11th), would be a largely pointless distraction. While there may be a case to be made for nuclear power in European countries that have limited or dwindling domestic energy resources, the same cannot be said for Ireland, a country that is blessed with – as yet largely untapped – clean and sustainable energy sources.
You mention the long lead-time but you neglect to mention the prohibitive costs of nuclear power to a state the size of Ireland. The construction costs at the new EPR nuclear reactor, under construction in Olkiluoto (Finland), are currently running at close to €6 billion and rising, around double the original cost estimate. However, much like Irish banks, the upfront cost would be only one part of the picture, as the taxpayer is always left to pick up the tab for both the liability insurance and the eventual costly decommissioning.
On top of this, a country like Ireland would not only have to import the fuel source and export the waste (for which there remains no long-term solution), it would also have to import all the technology and expertise. In short, we would be taking a step backwards from energy independence. As the tragic events of this weekend have underlined, 25 years on from Chernobyl, the debate on nuclear safety is far from over.
You suggest a lead-time of 15 years for building a nuclear plant in Ireland, although with Ireland’s protracted planning process and likely local opposition (Poolbeg anyone?), this could easily be longer. So, if the new Government were to decide tomorrow that Ireland should “go nuclear”, it could be 2030 before we had an operational reactor. Alternatively, if this and subsequent governments push ahead with the development of renewables and invest in the necessary grid upgrades to this end, Ireland could be closing in on energy independence from a clean, safe, climate-friendly energy source by 2030.
Surely there are more important things to be debated in Ireland at present than the nuclear straw man? – Yours, etc,