Apologies for a very late report. This is my first report for October 2017.

As I mentioned earlier I am studying in Austria now and staying in a student hostel.

I am sharing a unique story that I came across here. It relates to the topic of Nuclear Power that we have all reported on, in the recent past. The information made me reconsider my take on nuclear power and I want to share it with the Ecogen family.

Four decades ago, Austria was all set to join the nuclear power club with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Zwentendorf, near Vienna.

Today, the concrete giant sits redundant, amidst grass and wild flowers by the Danube. The premise allows visits by the public. No safety uniforms are needed near the huge reactor vessel.

Austrian public on warpath against Nuclear Power

The Zwentendorf Nuclear Reactor in Austria bears testimony to the power of the common man and the strength of the opinion of people in a democracy. It is the only completely finished nuclear reactor that has never been put online. The radioactive nuclear fuel rods had already been stored at the facility. Only a button needed to be pressed in order for it to go into operation. Yet that never happened.

The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was the first commercial nuclear power plant built in Austria, of the 3 nuclear plants originally envisioned to supply electricity for six million households - nearly the country's entire population at the time. Construction of the plant was finished but the plant never entered service, because the start-up of the Zwentendorf plant, as well as construction of the other 2 plants, was prevented in 1978 by a public referendum. A narrow majority of 50.47% voted against the start-up and as a result the one billion euro ($1.1billion) project stayed offline.

Within a month of the vote, the government passed a bill prohibiting use of nuclear energy to produce electricity and the use of nuclear energy in Austria. Austria's nuclear age was over before it had even begun. Today, the Constitution of Austria prohibits nuclear power. The extent of Austria's anti-nuclear sentiment is indicated by the fact that it is included in their constitution.

Zwentendorf Plant today

Zwentendorf plant lay idle till 2005, when it was bought and restored by Austrian energy company EVN.

Today, the plant serves as a source of spare parts for three similar German power plants. EVN has established a security training centre for international nuclear engineers. The facility is also rented for film shooting, photography and other events. It also offers courses on how to dismantle nuclear plants- a real life sized model to teach how to deconstruct a reactor bit by bit in a safe environment, according to Stefan Zach of EVN. Demand should be great, he says, with big European nuclear producers like Germany phasing out atomic power.

Furthermore, a Solar Power Plant has been constructed on the premises, where 1000 solar panels installed on the facade, the roof, and on some of the surrounding area, provide approximately 180 MWh of clean and sustainable energy per year.

From radioactive beams to sunbeams, the Zwentendorf Nuclear Plant remains a global symbol for environmentally friendly and sustainable energy for the requirements of the future.

Just for records, theoretically, the nuclear power plant could have produced up to 5,455,728 MWh of electricity per year (assuming a 90% capacity factor).

Austria's stand against Nuclear Power

To quote Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management- Andrä Rupprechter, in an interview with AFP, "It (Nuclear Power) is an energy source from the last century. It is outdated because it's a non-sustainable, high-risk source that is only competitive with an unjustified subsidy. The future lies in renewable resources and we have to create a level playing field to give these resources the fairness to compete in the market."

Thanks to its location in the Alps, Austria gets most of its electricity from hydropower. More than three-quarters of Austrian electricity comes from renewable sources, which also make up 34% of its total energy production. It is already far beyond the EU target, which calls on renewables to meet 20% of energy needs by 2020.

Home to plenty of sun, wind and water, the nation hopes to increase that amount to 50% by 2030. All imports of nuclear power have also been banned.

Austria's Concerns about Nuclear Power

With the exception of Italy, Austria is surrounded by countries with nuclear power. Most of Austria's other neighbours, including Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic want to expand their nuclear facilities.

Notwithstanding the fact that nuclear power emissions are about 10-20 times lower than fossil fuel burning and nuclear power can substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions while meeting growing energy demands, Austria has warned that it will veto any nation attempting to obtain EU subsidies for nuclear programs.

The Austrian government has repeatedly highlighted what it stresses are nuclear energy's greatest problems.

Radioactivity is a grave concern. Accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima release radioactive materials into the environment, harming people and ecosystems. Management of radioactive nuclear waste is also a problem as it lingers in the environment for centuries.

Another danger is nuclear weapons. Because nuclear power and nuclear weapons use a lot of the same technology, widespread use of nuclear power could lead to nuclear weapons proliferation, and that could lead to nuclear war causing massive death toll.

However, the worst consequence of nuclear war is perhaps nuclear winter. Enormity of nuclear explosions would cause smoke from burning cities to reach the stratosphere, where it can remain for decades. It can spread across the globe, blocking sunlight, cooling the surface, and decreasing precipitation, causing reduced plant growth. These effects will not be localized. Wherever the nuclear war occurs, the whole world could face a huge struggle to feed its population.

Conclusion

I conclude by agreeing with Austria's tough stand against Nuclear power. Though many other countries find this high handed, I feel it is a firm step by Austria towards world peace. And the Austrians are not just preaching- they preach what they themselves practice. 

However, I also feel that nuclear power plants can be implemented, where solar power, wind mills and other renewable sources of energy are not feasible, and proliferation risk can be controlled. This will help control carbon emissions. Of course any nuclear power program needs to be carried out with due consideration to safety.

Sources & References

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/antinuclear-austria-should-lead-the-way-on-nuclear-power/

https://www.thelocal.at/20150707/green-austria-on-warpath-against-nuclear-power-in-europe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwentendorf_Nuclear_Power_Plant

http://www.nuclear-power-plant.net/index.php?item=history&lang=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwentendorf_Nuclear_Power_Plant

Image Source

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/KKW_Zwentendorf.jpg