Madam, - While I agree with some of the points raised by Philip Walton (November 11th) I cannot agree with him that nuclear power should contribute significantly to the world's future energy needs.
It is certainly true that we will have to find other sources of power to when oil production starts to fall. But too often when energy policy is discussed we talk only about energy supply. Energy policy should start with an analysis of energy demand and ways of reducing it. Only then should we consider the supply.
In the future, the more environmentally acceptable forms of energy will come from various renewable sources, leading ultimately to a solar and hydrogen future. It is very difficult to a role for nuclear energy in this mix.
Nuclear power supplies only about 6.5 per cent of the world's total energy supply. A massive increase in this capacity would take many years to achieve and would put a great strain on uranium resources. Investment in nuclear power would take investment away from other sources of energy. There would be a huge increase in nuclear waste, which is still a major problem.
There is also the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear power stations are a potential terrorist target. - Yours, etc,
NICK ARMSTRONG, Pine Copse Road, Dundrum, Dublin 16.