Business, Thought, and Management Articles --- Nuclear Power --- Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plant
The nuclear power plant will be gradually aging by continuous long-term operation. Outdated nuclear power plants will have to stop the operation, and must be decommissioned. The nuclear power will also have a big issue for this "decommissioning".
The nuclear power plant will be gradually aging by continuous long-term operation. Outdated nuclear power plants will have to stop the operation, and must be decommissioned. The nuclear power will also have a big issue for this "decommissioning".
In order to decommission the nuclear power plants, all the radioactive substance in the power plant must be processed. By decommissioning, not only spent nuclear fuel and waste and clothing of the worker, but the entire reactor, turbine, piping, and the many facilities such as equipment become radioactive waste.
Cost of decommissioning is very huge. Decommissioning of nuclear power plants is said to be a "negative legacy" that imposes a huge burden for the future. When the decommissioning cost is added, the cost of nuclear power generation is said to become expensive that the power companies etc. have suggested to be cheap.
Power companies would like to extend the period until decommissioning as long as possible. This is because they want to keep the low power cost by delaying cost addition of the decommissioning.
Even they want to reduce power cost as much as possible, they have to do decommissioning someday.
When to do decommissioning nuclear power plants, is not just a cost problem. Continuing operation more than supposed operating years of initial design will increase the safety risk.
Decommissioning process will take a long time. Even after decommissioning, the nuclear power plant will not be able to be teared down immediately. Even after many years after decommissioning, the land is difficult to be used for other purposes. It also remains the risk of radiation leakage.
Employment of power plant surrounding area will be lost since after decommissioning.
Many of the industries have declined other than nuclear power related businesses at the power plant surrounding area. There, economic dependence on nuclear power plants is high, and other industries are difficult to grow. Under such situation, when the area loses nuclear power plant related employment by decommissioning, the regional economy could crush.
Decommissioning gives big burden not only to power company, but also to local residents.
Fission Energy
Nuclear power is basically the power generated by the nuclear reaction. Nuclear reaction has mainly nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear power generation that is operating currently in commercial takes advantage of the fission energy of uranium-plutonium.
Atmic Reactor
Atomic reactor is the equipment to make continuously stable nuclear reaction. Fission will generate a large amount of radioactive substance with explosive energy. Nuclear power generation is to generate electricity using the heat energy by controlling the nuclear reaction in the reactor.
Power Generating Plant
Power generation plant will generate the power by the generator. In order to move the generator, you need the power. In the case of nuclear power plant, it creates the steam that was heated by the nuclear reaction energy, thereby turns the turbine.
Radioactive Waste
When operating nuclear power plant, radioactive waste will be made. Radioactive waste is waste that contains radioactive substances. Processing of radioactive waste has concerns of its risk and the impact to the environment, it has become a major issue of nuclear power.
Workers and Their Health
Those who supports the operation of nuclear power plant are the workers who work there. Workers sometimes have to work side-by-side with danger at high radiation area. And their health management is a big issue.
Safety Design and Quality Management
Fission energy is explosively large, nuclear reaction is dangerous accompanied by radioactivity. So, variety of safety design shall be applied to nuclear power so that any accidents or failures shall never occur.
Correspondence in Case of Accident
If the accident occurs in a nuclear power plant, it will have a significant impact on a wide range of people. Depending on the correspondence in case of accident, it can harm many people's lives and health, cause pollution in wide area and ocean, and will be criticized from the international community.
Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plant
The nuclear power plant will be gradually aging by continuous long-term operation. Outdated nuclear power plants will have to stop the operation, and must be decommissioned. The nuclear power will also have a big issue for this "decommissioning".
The Future of Nuclear Power
How the future of nuclear power will be that have variety of issues? How the nuclear power should be? Let's think about he future of nuclear power here.
Should the Nuclear Power Be Eliminated?
There are opinions that we should be without nuclear power. That says, we should abolish the nuclear power plants because nuclear power is dangerous, has concerns like accidents and radioactive waste, and it is not promising as an energy source.
Future of Energy Policy
How our energy policy will be in future? What should we consider the use of energy from now? Let's think about the future of energy policy here.
