is cooled enthusiasm for nuclear energy
Release Date: 24/03/2011
Source: IPS
Country / Region : Latin America
The nuclear disaster in Japan in Latin America reopened the debate on whether to move in plant expansion plans of this type. That way will Argentina and Brazil, who made the strongest bid, but other countries had only frozen projects now.
The region has five nuclear power plants in operation. Two of them are in Argentina, which provide more than seven percent of the electricity consumed by this country, two in Brazil, totaling 2.5 percent to the national energy matrix, and the other in Mexico, with two reactors meet 2.3 percent of demand.
Argentina and Brazil build a third nuclear power plant each and authorities expressed determined to maintain these plans despite the weaknesses displayed by central Fukushima, severely damaged by the tsunami triggered by the earthquake that struck north-eastern areas of Japan on Mar. 11.
nuclear crisis Fukushima complex is still in development and can not yet know the extent of the damage they cause to human health and the environment from radiation leaks.
Atucha I operates in Argentina, located in the eastern province of Buenos Aires 100 kilometers from the capital, operating since 1974 with a capacity of 370 megawatts. Dam is also in the central Córdoba province, in office since 1984 and generating over 600 megawatts.
Argentine nuclear program, frozen in the mid 90's, was retaken in 2004 by the government of Nestor Kirchner, the husband of current President Cristina Fernandez who died last year.
In this context, is expected this year, the completion of construction of Atucha II, located adjacent to I and with twice the power. Is also in process to extend the life of the two oldest reactors, with huge investments to increase their security.
"I find no technical reasons Argentina to postpone its nuclear projects in Japan for what happened, "he told IPS the engineer Jorge Baron, a professor at National University of Cuyo." Yes I think there are lessons to improve our emergency management plans, "he said.
"Our plants have high standards in safety, with inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority residents own complexes and tested contingency plans for an accident to have no significant impact on the surrounding population," explained. "But this does not mean that accidents can not happen, "he said.
Argentina participates in the Convention Nuclear Security, an agreement by which countries with this type of plant reported events and monitor each other. "The last time this country revised Nuclear Safety of Germany and then played in reverse. It is an excellent method to detect weaknesses," he said.
"Again, we are not exempt from accidents, but it works to maintain a very low risk and to be prepared in the event of an accident," said Baron.
"The project to extend the life of reservoir will increase their security levels and will place the center of the crest of the wave," said the expert, using inappropriate metaphor these days.
For its part, the engineer Rodolfo Touzet, the National Atomic Energy Commission, told IPS that central Argentina have a containment system "much better" than those in Japan, double glass-steel and cement - although they are not subjected to risk of natural disasters such as the Asian country.
Meanwhile in Brazil, the plants are in Angra dos Reis, 170 kilometers south of Rio de Janeiro.
Angra I, opened in 1985 and extended its life and has an output of 657 megawatts, while Angra II operates since 2001 and produce 1,350 megawatts. In 2010 it resumed the construction of Angra III, which will produce another 1,350 megawatt by 2015.
"So far no country explicitly stated that it will discontinue its program of thermonuclear generation for what happened in Japan, which itself is stated to be verified security systems running power plants," he told IPS Francisco Rondinelli, the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Association.
For his part, Carlos Figueiredo, engineer of the state enterprise Nuclebrás Heavy Equipment, which manufactures equipment for power stations, stressed that the Brazilian atomic structure is very different from Fukushima.
"Safety is our total because it relies on natural mechanisms. The cool water in a tank reactors is high and will fall by gravity, requiring no energy," he commented.
further explained, the pressurized water reactors are safer than those of boiling water were used in the complex Japanese.
both Argentina and Brazil, the reactors are operated by state companies and regulatory agencies, although they are part of the public are composed of independent experts, the sources consulted experts.
Unlike the two South American countries, Mexico, in recent years had flirted with the increase of atomic park, is now less determined. The director of the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, Juan Eibenschutz, said this month that there is no plan for expansion at home.
"Mexico should abandon nuclear energy as soon as possible because it is dirty, expensive and inefficient, they depend on foreign technology," he told IPS Eduardo Rincon, expert energy of the Autonomous University of Mexico City.
Laguna Verde complex, operated by state-run Federal Electricity Commission and located in the southeastern state of Veracruz, started its first reactor in 1989 and added another in 1995. Between them they account for almost 1,400 megawatts.
The Commission's strategic plan contemplated building between two and 10 reactors by 2028, but no steps were taken in that direction yet. Laguna Verde uses a technology similar to that of Fukushima, as occurs with boiling water.
In all three countries were forced to adjust events security measures, and accidents involving radioactive material but not of great magnitude.
a result of economic growth in Latin America, countries that had never ventured into this area began to analyze the alternative in recent years. Venezuela was one of them, but the accident in Japan led to President Hugo Chávez undertook to freeze the plans were at a preliminary level.
also Chile, which was more determined to progress in this direction, now decided to postpone it. "For our government will not build or plan to be any nuclear power plant" Sebastián Piñera said the president this week after a visit from his pair of Barack Obama.
While these two countries signed a nuclear cooperation in science, the idea is to be prepared and aware of that option, nothing more, justified Piñera. Is that just a year ago Chile suffered an earthquake of magnitude almost equal to Japan followed by a tsunami that left 600 people dead.
nuclear physicist Roberto Morales, University of Chile, told IPS that his country "is still not ready for a nuclear plant, but did not rule out the option.
"The safety of the reactors can operate anywhere in the world," he said, but this requires a larger core of human resources, he added.
Release Date: 24/03/2011
Source: IPS
Country / Region : Latin America
The nuclear disaster in Japan in Latin America reopened the debate on whether to move in plant expansion plans of this type. That way will Argentina and Brazil, who made the strongest bid, but other countries had only frozen projects now.
The region has five nuclear power plants in operation. Two of them are in Argentina, which provide more than seven percent of the electricity consumed by this country, two in Brazil, totaling 2.5 percent to the national energy matrix, and the other in Mexico, with two reactors meet 2.3 percent of demand.
Argentina and Brazil build a third nuclear power plant each and authorities expressed determined to maintain these plans despite the weaknesses displayed by central Fukushima, severely damaged by the tsunami triggered by the earthquake that struck north-eastern areas of Japan on Mar. 11.
nuclear crisis Fukushima complex is still in development and can not yet know the extent of the damage they cause to human health and the environment from radiation leaks.
Atucha I operates in Argentina, located in the eastern province of Buenos Aires 100 kilometers from the capital, operating since 1974 with a capacity of 370 megawatts. Dam is also in the central Córdoba province, in office since 1984 and generating over 600 megawatts.
Argentine nuclear program, frozen in the mid 90's, was retaken in 2004 by the government of Nestor Kirchner, the husband of current President Cristina Fernandez who died last year.
In this context, is expected this year, the completion of construction of Atucha II, located adjacent to I and with twice the power. Is also in process to extend the life of the two oldest reactors, with huge investments to increase their security.
"I find no technical reasons Argentina to postpone its nuclear projects in Japan for what happened, "he told IPS the engineer Jorge Baron, a professor at National University of Cuyo." Yes I think there are lessons to improve our emergency management plans, "he said.
"Our plants have high standards in safety, with inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority residents own complexes and tested contingency plans for an accident to have no significant impact on the surrounding population," explained. "But this does not mean that accidents can not happen, "he said.
Argentina participates in the Convention Nuclear Security, an agreement by which countries with this type of plant reported events and monitor each other. "The last time this country revised Nuclear Safety of Germany and then played in reverse. It is an excellent method to detect weaknesses," he said.
"Again, we are not exempt from accidents, but it works to maintain a very low risk and to be prepared in the event of an accident," said Baron.
"The project to extend the life of reservoir will increase their security levels and will place the center of the crest of the wave," said the expert, using inappropriate metaphor these days.
For its part, the engineer Rodolfo Touzet, the National Atomic Energy Commission, told IPS that central Argentina have a containment system "much better" than those in Japan, double glass-steel and cement - although they are not subjected to risk of natural disasters such as the Asian country.
Meanwhile in Brazil, the plants are in Angra dos Reis, 170 kilometers south of Rio de Janeiro.
Angra I, opened in 1985 and extended its life and has an output of 657 megawatts, while Angra II operates since 2001 and produce 1,350 megawatts. In 2010 it resumed the construction of Angra III, which will produce another 1,350 megawatt by 2015.
"So far no country explicitly stated that it will discontinue its program of thermonuclear generation for what happened in Japan, which itself is stated to be verified security systems running power plants," he told IPS Francisco Rondinelli, the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Association.
For his part, Carlos Figueiredo, engineer of the state enterprise Nuclebrás Heavy Equipment, which manufactures equipment for power stations, stressed that the Brazilian atomic structure is very different from Fukushima.
"Safety is our total because it relies on natural mechanisms. The cool water in a tank reactors is high and will fall by gravity, requiring no energy," he commented.
further explained, the pressurized water reactors are safer than those of boiling water were used in the complex Japanese.
both Argentina and Brazil, the reactors are operated by state companies and regulatory agencies, although they are part of the public are composed of independent experts, the sources consulted experts.
Unlike the two South American countries, Mexico, in recent years had flirted with the increase of atomic park, is now less determined. The director of the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, Juan Eibenschutz, said this month that there is no plan for expansion at home.
"Mexico should abandon nuclear energy as soon as possible because it is dirty, expensive and inefficient, they depend on foreign technology," he told IPS Eduardo Rincon, expert energy of the Autonomous University of Mexico City.
Laguna Verde complex, operated by state-run Federal Electricity Commission and located in the southeastern state of Veracruz, started its first reactor in 1989 and added another in 1995. Between them they account for almost 1,400 megawatts.
The Commission's strategic plan contemplated building between two and 10 reactors by 2028, but no steps were taken in that direction yet. Laguna Verde uses a technology similar to that of Fukushima, as occurs with boiling water.
In all three countries were forced to adjust events security measures, and accidents involving radioactive material but not of great magnitude.
a result of economic growth in Latin America, countries that had never ventured into this area began to analyze the alternative in recent years. Venezuela was one of them, but the accident in Japan led to President Hugo Chávez undertook to freeze the plans were at a preliminary level.
also Chile, which was more determined to progress in this direction, now decided to postpone it. "For our government will not build or plan to be any nuclear power plant" Sebastián Piñera said the president this week after a visit from his pair of Barack Obama.
While these two countries signed a nuclear cooperation in science, the idea is to be prepared and aware of that option, nothing more, justified Piñera. Is that just a year ago Chile suffered an earthquake of magnitude almost equal to Japan followed by a tsunami that left 600 people dead.
nuclear physicist Roberto Morales, University of Chile, told IPS that his country "is still not ready for a nuclear plant, but did not rule out the option.
"The safety of the reactors can operate anywhere in the world," he said, but this requires a larger core of human resources, he added.
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