DEAR News Of The Area,

I WAS interested to read that in 2023 Finland and France each commissioned a nuclear power station.

Building work started in 2005 and 2007 respectively, so it took about eighteen years and cost $A12 billion each.

Both countries have well established nuclear programs.

Finland started building nuclear in 1971 and is spending billions of dollars developing the world’s first permanent waste storage facility.

France started their nuclear journey earlier, with three nuclear reactors commissioned in late 1950 and 1960.

The more I read about nuclear, the more complex the nuclear world is.

For example, the French Civaux Nuclear Power station build started in 1988 and was commissioned in 2002.

Recent safety checks found four reactors with stress corrosion in piping and Civaux was closed for several years while undergoing repairs.

Tests in August 2021 detected a radioactive leak that was not part of the corrosion repairs, and the issues were repaired and units reactivated in 2024.

A shortage of specialist welders meant recruiting from other European countries and North America to undertake the repairs.

France has also experienced unnatural heating of some of its rivers when in summer water shortages have required power stations to reduce output rather than further damaging river ecosystems.

Australia has encountered a similar issue at the Liddell Power Station, which used Lake Liddell as a water source and cooling pond.

The unnaturally heated water with some unsafe elements allowed the development of a brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri).

AGL, the power station’s owner, closed the lake permanently in 2016 and it remains closed as no fix has been found. An ABC in June 2023 raised hopes that the lake may be reopened now the power station has closed.

I wonder who would take the risk?

It is interesting to consider an Australian journey into nuclear power stations when we do not have enrichment facilities, operational experience, regulations, staff, training, experience in design and build, knowledge of safety requirements, waste storage to name a couple of things.

We do have plenty of sun and wind.

Regards,
Colin HUTTON,
Thora.