Madam, - As a young engineer I worked for a supplier of hardware for the nuclear industry and was involved in the design of equipment for use in nuclear reactors. As a result I would have few worries about the safe operation and maintenance of nuclear power stations - and they do seem like a good solution to ever growing power needs.
However, now retired, I worry about the legacy I am leaving my grandchildren in the form of spent fuel and other nuclear waste.
Rev Prof Gerard McGreevy (May 24th) regards the case against nuclear power as quite weak, but I think we have not been sufficiently reassured about how nuclear waste and decommissioned stations - radioactive for many, many more generations - can be safely stored or disposed of. Also, the cost of decommissioning needs to be factored into the cost of construction and maintenance.
I would rather see more expenditure on research and development of other renewable energy sources, especially tidal and wave energy, an option sorely ignored. - Yours, etc,
DAVID J. WALSH, Delgany, Co Wicklow.