Issues that still face nuclear power

Your very wise and balanced leader on nuclear power (October 1) did not mention the following issues:

Unpopularity: A recent Institute of Civil Engineers survey indicated that 25% of the population support nuclear power v 77% supporting wind power. This is typical of recent surveys.

Waste storage: Still unresolved after years of deliberation.

Security: More nuclear sites and more transported nuclear waste will increase the probability of terrorist attacks.

Proliferation: A new vigorous nuclear programme in the UK and US will stimulate the construction of more such power stations in other countries, with increased probability of WMD development. Insulating nuclear power from nuclear weapons is just fanciful.

Financing: The private sector will never risk financing nuclear plants unless there are cast-iron government guarantees in terms of massive subsidies. Nuclear plants are uninsurable.

Climate change: A new nuclear programme will have no effect on CO2 emissions until 2015-20.

Resource depletion: A global expansion of nuclear power may be sustained only for a limited number of decades from known uranium reserves.

Errors: Confidence and transparency in the industry is being continuously eroded by such incidents as the recent massive leak at Thorpe picked up by instrumentation but ignored by staff.

Ethics: What gives one generation the right to leave future generations with waste that could be active for thousands of years. The urgent and vigorous deployment and development of diverse renewables is much the wiser option.
Prof Leon Freris
Loughborough University

Would it be stupid to ask if the amount of electricity generated by new nuclear power stations could be saved by investing in proper insulation of housing. Were the money for building and decommissioning nuclear plants to be invested in insulation, solar panels and small wind turbines on the roof of each home, the benefits would be huge.

If there were no nuclear plants, terrorists could not fly planes into them; future generations would not be charged for caring for nuclear waste; and huge numbers of people could be employed in installing and maintaining domestic generating and solar power equipment.
Adrian Kendon
Bognor Regis, W Sussex

Nuclear power is an excellent solution - 93m miles away! Why is the debate about using one technology to fix our problems? The actual problem is energy use and energy waste. The reality is that for a small village in Africa, the only logical sources of energy are solar, water, wind and bio fuels, with intermediate technologies such as combined heat and power. And in Britain, the repair and maintenance of solar, wind, wave and tidal facilities will create local wealth and expertise in the long term, for a sustainable future.
Clive Durdle
Ilford, Essex

I hope the discussion of further nuclear power generation will be fair, but I am sceptical. There are two areas of concern: first, although it is stated that the assessment will include the costs for decommissioning, what happens if the private firm running the system goes bust? Who picks up the pieces? Yes, us the taxpayers. Second, if new plants are built and/or owned by companies based abroad, we lose control of pricing and the right of access to the technology for future developments.

Investment in nuclear power will be hugely expensive. A major defect is that it has little chance to develop new export opportunities. On the other hand, investment in new approaches for wind and wave power could, and should, give the UK an opportunity to lead in a significant area of engineering. A simple assessment of costs is not a satisfactory basis for making value judgments.
John Chubb
Cheltenham, Glos

Wouldn't it be prudent to seek the opinion of the people of Bhopal on the wisdom of inviting a foreign company to buy and operate our most dangerous industry from a safe distance?
Eddie Dougall
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk