SeekerBlog

Friends of the Earth have decried:

Nuclear power plants consume large amounts of water –35-65 million litres daily. Indeed nuclear power is the thirstiest of all energy sources. A December 2006 report by the Commonwealth Department of Parliamentary Services states: “Per megawatt existing nuclear power stations use and consume more water than power stations using other fuel sources. Depending on the cooling technology utilised, the water requirements for a nuclear power station can vary between 20 to 83 per cent more than for other power stations.” Global warming and water shortages are likely to exacerbate problems experienced by the nuclear power industry during heatwaves in recent years. Nuclear power plants in several countries, including France and the US, have had to operate at reduced capacity, or to shut down temporarily, because of reduced water supply or to avoid breaching regulations limiting the heat of expelled water.

What rubbish! Either FOE has nobody competent in thermodynamics or this is a willful distortion (commonly known as propaganda). It doesn’t matter — it is shameful to put out patently false information over the Friends of the Earth imprint. Fortunately, prof. Barry Brook has taken up the challenge to explain in lay terms what is really going on. In short any heat engine produces work in proportion to the input/output temperature differential. The greater the temperature differential the higher the efficiency of the engine. So cooling is required, most commonly water-cooling because it is more efficient than air cooling. But is cooling water “consumed”? Is nuclear power in any way disadvantaged in relation to other thermal generators such as solar thermal, coal or natural gas?
No. For the details please read the latest TCASE 6 post at BraveNewClimate.com and also – Barry recommends: Is the Cooling of Power Plants a Constraint on the Future of Nuclear Power? published by the World Nuclear Association (WNA).