Sir, – Jon-Ivar Skullerud (Letters, August 1st) is sceptical about nuclear power’s use in Ireland on several fronts.
First, it is claimed that nuclear is inflexible and constrained to operating at full power. This is not true: the French and Belgian (and formerly German) nuclear fleets, for example, frequently ramp their reactors. Several French reactors ramp up to 70 per cent of power over the course of 30 minutes.
All energy sources increase our dependence upon foreign nations. One of the advantages of nuclear is that uranium fuel is compact and years’ worth can be procured and stored in advance. Uranium is very widely distributed, greatly decreasing the reliance upon any one fuel supplier. There is already enough known uranium resources in stable nations to satisfy our energy needs for many hundreds of years using nuclear fission.
Additionally, extraction technology is increasingly sophisticated to the extent that uranium extraction from sea water is becoming a viable fuel supply, making nuclear a virtually renewable resource.
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Finally, Irish nuclear expertise is not to be underestimated. While not many of us work in Ireland, I know a few who would like to take their reactor physics courses back home. – Yours, etc,
PAUL COSGROVE,
Department of Engineering,
University of Cambridge, UK.
Sir, – Regarding sustainable energy solutions for Ireland, Jon-Ivar Skullerud (Letters, August 1st) writes of Ireland’s supposed lack of nuclear engineering expertise.
After starting a mechanical engineering career at an Irish gas-fired power station, I have lived in East Lothian, Scotland, for the past 18 years working as a nuclear power operations engineer. In that time I have had the opportunity to take part in in international benchmarking and peer reviews, and have met or communicated with many of the Irish diaspora who are involved in the nuclear industry both in the UK and further afield.
A nuclear power station requires all trades of engineer: mechanical, electrical, civil, control and instrumentation, heating and ventilation, environmental, power systems, chemical and so on.
Additionally, skilled tradespeople are required to operate and maintain the plant. These include engineering technicians, electricians, mechanics, and plumbers, to list a few.
There are roles in human resources, facilities management, security, financial accountancy, supply chain procurement, occupational health, industrial safety, chemistry, fire safety, health physics, technical and leadership training, secretarial and administration, work management planning, quality management, to name a selection.
These are all easily transferable roles from conventional fossil power generation (a just transition) or other industry, and Ireland could readily provide a highly competent workforce.
The nuclear expertise and support provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency and WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators) is easily accessible to Ireland.
I am certain Ireland could operate and maintain a nuclear power station to world-class standards. – Yours, etc,
DERMOT O’LOUGHLIN,
East Lothian,
Scotland.
Sir, – Your correspondent on this topic in today’s paper (Letters, August 1st) criticises the points made in a previous letter on this topic (July 26th) but fails to see the point. Nuclear power would indeed supply a baseload for unreliable wind and solar, and it is unthinkable that anyone would consider starting a plant up and shutting it down to meet fluctuating demand. Second, he is also misinformed about the supply of uranium fuel. Canada is the third largest exporter of nuclear fuel. Australia has one third of the world’s uranium reserves and exports mainly to the United States, and there are other reliable sources.
So there is no world-wide reliance on “unsavoury” countries. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN MARTEN,
Skibbereen,
Co Cork.
Sir, – France recently announced that it has regained its front-runner status as the largest exporter of electricity in Europe, most of that output going to the UK. The majority of French power production comes from its extensive network of nuclear reactors, recently overhauled.
Since we import a significant amount of our electric energy needs into the national grid from the UK via Northern Ireland, does this make us a major user of nuclear-generated energy? – Yours, etc,
DÓNAL DENHAM,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.