We watched a very interesting documentary last night about whether NZ should consider having nuclear power. I was quite impressed: it was a reasonably balanced discussion, with representatives from the very-for as well as the very-against camps. Interviews were done with people in Scandinavia (mostly Sweden), the UK, and other European countries about their experiences, and there was the obligatory visit to Chernobyl. The only way the producers attempted to influence their audience was that they finished with a discussion on sustainable power (eg wind, water, solar etc) and had the discussion on what is being done with the high-level nuclear waste (the spent fuel) immediately prior to that, so a slightly negative feel was left in the mind.
My personal feeling is that it may be time to consider nuclear, but only after we have invested more in research on wind and solar. However, the political and legal structure is such that every time a major wind farm is proposed (eg Makara) people say "Not in my backyard, thanks!" and use the RMA to block it, which means that there would be no chance whatsoever that a nuclear power plant would be approved.... Until the RMA is revised to allow the public's opinion to be overridden for the good of the country, and until Transpower updates the national grid to actually support and carry the power without failing, we might as well invest in candle factories!
Pachyderm
No comments:
Post a Comment