History grim for nuclear world
In light of the recent disaster in Japan, it seems that we may have a few things working against us in South Carolina when it comes to the possibility of a nuclear power plant leak. We have more nuclear power plants per capita than any state in the country, and we have a record-breaking history of earthquakes.
It is certainly not time to call for an end to nuclear power in the Palmetto State, but perhaps the recent events in Japan can help us reflect on our energy portfolio options.
The earthquake that hit the coast of Japan last weekend occurred just 80 miles from two of the country’s nuclear power plants. The tsunami that soon followed crashed into both facilities and caused severe destruction. Luckily, Americans haven’t had to face a disaster like the one in Japan.
Nuclear power plant technology and safety practices have certainly increased over the last 20 years since the accident at Chernobyl. The causes of the breakdown have been identified and corrected. The problem with the power plant failures in Japan, however, is that they occurred as a result of a natural disaster. We can certainly learn from and fix technical issues that appear as a result of an incident like the one at Chernobyl. However, it is much harder to predict a natural disaster.
Would we be able to handle a nuclear accident with the panic and chaos that results from a natural disaster?
South Carolina has been friendly to the nuclear industry, and we don’t want to quickly cut ties with an energy source that produces a large percentage of our power, but perhaps this a chance to really begin to invest in safer alternatives like wind or solar energy.
Providing incentives for those types of alternative energies not only helps in job creation, but it also helps in the creation of a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.