Adriana Aralica - István Harkai - Michaela Mlynárová - Nadja Polzer reported in 2013 that nuclear energy generation continues to play a very important role in the 21st century. Although being described as clear energy, its main disadvantage is supposed to be safety of power generation. Nuclear generation began more than 50 years ago and now generates as much global electricity as was produced back then by all sources. Some two-thirds of world population lives in nations where nuclear power plants are an integral part of electricity production and industrial infrastructures. Half of the world's people live in countries where new nuclear power reactors are in planning or under construction.
The use of nuclear energy is related with serious safety issues, which are referred to as nuclear safety (see chapter 2.2 for details). The authors reviewed nuclear energy safety in 21st century in Central Europe. After conceptualizing the topic, this paper will present the situation and proportion of the use of energy sources in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia; followed by national opinions on the topic and presentation of energy dependence of each country. The authors compared situations in countries, analyze main advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, and comment on possible development based on countries’ energy dependence. All the technologies, which are used by the mankind, necessarily imply the risk and the chance of a disaster. With appropriate controls and precautionary measures the nuclear power plants are the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly electricity-producers. They pollute the environment less than the thermal power-plant, which uses fossil fuels and coals. NPP do not cause greenhouse gas emissions and therefore considerably contribute to the reduction of human impact on climate change. The hydropower-plant is also more dangerous than the nuclear power plant because the HPP destroys the biosphere of the river, where it is located.
The competitive position of NPP arises from the fact that nuclear power plant produce a great amount of electricity from little amount of fuel and that fuel price sums to small share (round 12%) of electricity production costs. Changes in uranium price at the world market affect the electricity production prices less than for example price changes of gas or oil. The price for electricity coming from nuclear power plants is stable and predictable and is lower than the price from thermal power plant on fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas). Nuclear power plant also does not have to cover costs for greenhouse gas emissions which increase price of electricity from thermal power plants.
In Central European countries, the renewable energy sources are not able to fully satisfy the electrical needs of the population and the factories. These technologies are only together suitable to reach the sustainable energy production. But to building up this structure is rather expensive but also necessary. Necessary, because the investing in the energy sector not only contents the electrical needs, but it is invaluable knowledge for the country as well. Despite many of its advantages, nuclear power plants are opposed on moral grounds as well as on environmental grounds. By many groups, they are opposed because of their close linkage with the development of nuclear weapons, they can also be seen as a target of terrorist attacks. We must not forget to mention that also aftermaths like the one of Chernobyl cannot be forgotten easily, not to mention that we still do not know how huge the impact of the Fukushima accident on the environment and the life of people in Japan is going to be in future.
As the main fuel for NPP is uranium- scarce metal mined from the ground in similar way as coal is mined, which is not a renewable source of energy so one day the supply of uranium will run out making all the nuclear power plants obsolete [FACT CHECK: uranium has sufficient world reserves to be considered sustainable in basic resources, but also becasue of the new 'fast breeder" reactors which will make greater use of the uranium fuel than before. Fusion power will likely be available within 100 years, hence the need to explore and develop Helium-3 resources on the Moon.] Yet the produced nuclear waste remains 'active' over many years and disposing it safely is an issue which needs to be addressed properly, [but the waste can be used up in the the new breeder reactors]. There still exists also the risk of accidental discharge of radioactivity, which can be harmful for the environment as well as for the human being. The mining itself represents a huge risk of water or soil contamination [Fact Check: This is misinformation and untrue: mining, by both open pit and in in-situ mining, are not harmful to groundwater or surface-water resources, or to the soil].
In summary, the authors concluded that nuclear power-plants demand high qualifications in the fields of engineering, physics and chemistry and they are able to produce electricity cheaply and safely and the safety can be reached by watchful usage, regular controls, increasing safety levels and executing stress tests which can tell us about preparedness of NPPs in case of certain types of accidents. Even though every NPP in Hungary, Slovakia as well as Slovenia passed the latest stress tests, with minor recommendations for improvements, experts agreed that nuclear accidents do not happen for reasons that we can expect. What caused the melting of the reactor core in a reactor at Bohunice A1 in Greisfelde in Germany, Three Miles Island in USA[was poor management], Chernobyl [very bad design by the Soviet Union at the time], and Fukushima and the earthquake, which was just something that was unexpected. Nevertheless, according to the positions of government of these four countries in Central Europe, it is obvious that those countries, which already have a nuclear power plant, have no intentions to shut them down and stop producing nuclear energy. They are even more willing to support the constructions of new sources of nuclear energy.
On the other hand, countries like Austria, which is a big opponent of nuclear power plants, have no intention to start to support them and remain to fight against the usage of nuclear power, [which is an unfortunate, misguided decision. The future high costs of electricity will likely change their minds, especially as soon as the new SMRs come to market. This will allow Australia to reap the benefits of the new nuclear technology].
[Note: Read complete paper for context. The above is only a summary]
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