Aside from all the other reasons, two more news stories today remind us that nuclear power still is an unwise and dangerous investment.
In Germany, the BBC reports:
German Mishaps Put Nuclear Power under Scrutiny
The company at first said it was just a small fire. But the blaze at Vattenfall’s Krümmel reactor has since become a political wildfire. Now, Germany’s pro-nuclear energy politicians have gone into hiding.
And in Japan:
Officials at the world’s biggest nuclear power plant said on Tuesday there had been more minor radiation leaks after an earthquake in Japan that killed nine people and forced thousands from their homes.
The latest admissions by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) have reignited fears about nuclear safety in a country that relies on atomic power for one-third of its electricity but has faced repeated cover-ups of past accidents by atomic power utilities…
…TEPCO had initially said the earthquake had not caused any leaks, but it revealed on Monday night that 1,200 liters of radioactive water had sloshed into the sea from its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata…
…Then on Tuesday, TEPCO officials confirmed a media report that said about 100 drums containing nuclear waste at a warehouse had fallen over and “several” lost their lids.
TEPCO restated figures in the report. Its was actually 400 drums (or barrels), or four times the amount initially stated. Now the public is worried.
I don’t understand the logic in building nuclear reactors in places where there is potential for huge seismic activity and erratic weather. This is pure arrogance.
Steve