Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: MoU with Russia on N-power plant signed

Ezaj bhai:

 

Here is where I disagree with the "mentality". But before I get into the details, I should declare my source. I got most of my preliminary information from a very good friend, Dr. Ian Miller, who was involved in the clean up and post-disaster research in the Three Mile Island in Middletown, Pennsylvania. From where I stand, it is not a difficult choice for Bangladesh. It's economics and a little bit of cost-benefit analysis.

 

1. A third generation reactor costs between $800million to $2billion just to construct, not considering the potential cost overruns, which is a common occurrence in nuclear plant construction. A power plant that costs about 1 billion and state of the art, see Westinghouse AP1000, can produce up to 1117 mw, far less than the 5000mw demand during peak hours in Bangladesh (see World Bank report by Xian Zhu, Country Director). In order for BD to fulfill the current capacity, meet growing demands, and potentially replace the old and costly coal/gas powered plants, the estimated construction cost is between $10 and $12 billion, just to pull us through 2020. Oh, did I mention that it takes between 3 to 7 years to build each plant with maximum safety features?

 

2. Great, now that we have built the plants, there is the operating costs. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute for a typical 1000 mw plant, the approximate cost of fuel for one reload (replacing one third of the core) is about $40 million (every 18 months).

 

3. Then there is the pesky "waste management" problem, that hardly anyone is talking about. I am sure the current government and future governments would be happy to dispose of the waste in our rivers or bury it under the soil, right next to our underground water sources. In the U.S., they have allocated over $31.9billion to clean up wastes going back 1983, and the cleaning continues. At any time, if a plant needs to be "decommissioned" (fancy word for abandoning the plant, and let the tall steam stack disrupt your view), it costs between $300 and $500 million per plant.

 

4. Now, in BD context, there are some hidden costs of operating these plants. Although Uranium is one of the most abundant minerals in nature, fusion grade Uranium is not. They are enormously expensive to buy, maintain, store, and dispose. Every 18 months, a standard 1000 mw nuclear plant must refuel at an average cost of $40m (see above). Now multiply that by the number of plants that are on the drawing board. That's a cost on our treasury, and I don't see how the govt. plans to keep up without hiking up cost of electricity at least 3 fold.

 

I know that many people think, building several nuclear power plants would put Bangladesh on the proverbial map of the modern industrialized nations, but I think that's the wrong and myopic approach. A country that is reluctantly dealing with (or has silently accepted) the greatest environmental disaster in recent history (i.e. Arsenic poisoning of ground water) that would kill over 20million people with the next two decades, a risky and costly venture like the nuclear plants is merely a fool's dream. When the whole world is slowly moving towards renewable and clean energy, it is almost criminal and stupid to go back to nuclear technology, which is neither clean, nor renewable.  People who say that nuclear energy is "clean and renewable", neither understand what those words mean, nor do they understand the meaning of "oxymoron". Nuclear plants are as clean as "clean coal".

 

The energy and electricity crisis that we have is not because we don't have the resources, but because we don't have the proper infrastructure and planning from the supply side. PDB and the governmental bodies lack vision and competence, nor are they interested in cost-effectiveness. Shamshul Haque Tuku isn't the kind of politician you want in developing the energy industry, do you?

 

So, it's not the approach that is the problem. The act of thinking for the future (beyond re-election) is lacking in our government, and no matter how many task forces or committees you set up, no matter how many power plants you build, the crisis is not going to go away.

 

Just my two cents,

 

Cyrus

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From: ezajur <ezajur.rahman@q8.com>
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2009 5:09:31 AM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: MoU with Russia on N-power plant signed

It's a difficult choice for Bangladesh. Nuclear power is, inspite of cost and risk, the 'easiest' solution. Within a predictable number of years, for a predictably high cost, with a nuclear power station we can get a reliable source of electricity. I think this government, or any other government, simply has no choice - given our 'mentality'.

The main problem with conventional power stations, based on my own enquiries is simply that we can have the equipment, technology, knowledge, plant and distribution networks - but we can't get the power to run the power station in the first place. That is to say - our problem is first of all with the energy inputs. Gas sources are underdeveloped, coal is an unknown.

Like so many other problems, Bangladesh need not import consultants and solutions. We need to be creative, imaginative, innovative. We need to identify and harness our own talents. It's the only way. But tragically - we are nowhere close to such a can do attitude. Frustrated, most of our talent leaves the country.

Instead of protecting, celebrating and harnessing our mighty rivers - all we can do is watch them shrink and die slowly. Oh yeah - and sing about them.

We need a task force approach to our problems. Result based, fully empowered, passionately motivated task forces.

Not a committee based approach.

And what's with the Army looking after Jamuna Bridge? What is that? A payoff? We need the Army cleaning the Buriganga!

Never mind. At least calling the Jamuna Bridget the Bongobondhu Bridge will help.

Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait


--- In alochona@yahoogroup s.com, Cyrus <thoughtocrat@ ...> wrote:
>
> This is by far the worst idea that this government has come up with. I am strange deja vu about Chernobyl, but I am sure Russia's nuclear tech has come along over the years. But that's not the point. When the entire globe is moving towards sustainable and clean energy, Bangladesh is going nuclear. Great! The abundance of solar, water and wind technology could have solved our current crisis with half the cost and in record time. But these morons had to think of something that is fiscally irresponsible and environmentally damaging for a country, already has no clue about arsenic poisoning.
>
>
>
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
> From: Isha Khan <bd_mailer@. ..>
> To: Dhaka Mails <dhakamails@yahoogro ups.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 6:40:19 AM
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] MoU with Russia on N-power plant signed
>
>
>
>
>
> MoU with Russia on N-power plant signed
>
> Bangladesh and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday on installation of a nuclear power plant. The chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and deputy director general, Russian State Atomic Energy Commission, signed the deal aimed at peaceful utilisation of nuclear energy, the first step towards the installation. State minister for science Yafes Osman and prime minister's energy affairs adviser Toufique-e-Elahi Chowdhury were present there.
>
> A high-powered delegation of Russia, a global leader in nuclear technology, arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday to sign the deal. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina provisionally approved the draft MoU, officials said last week. Science secretary Nazmul Huda Khan told bdnews24.com on Monday that they had made a lot of ground in the negotiations.
>
> The draft MoU was finalised in a three-day meeting last month in Dhaka where they had agreed on installation of the plant. Ministry officials said the capacity of the power plant would be finalised in the final deal but the government decided to set up two plants, each with 1000 megawatt capacity. Russia did not specify the financial terms which would be settled after the final agreement, said the officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
>
> Sources said Russia was interested to provide loan, probably on easy terms, rather than grant. The Economic Relation Division will settle the financial terms and conditions once the MoU is signed. Russia supplied 10 nuclear power plants last year and has supplied as many as 65 plants to Iran, India, China, Armenia, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Finland, Bulgaria and Germany. Currently it is constructing 11 power plants in countries.
>
> The first initiative to install nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in Rooppur, Pabna was taken in 1961. Currently 439 power plants are producing 16 percent of total electricity around the world.
>  
> China and South Korea also approached Bangladesh to set up new clear power plant.
>
> http://bdnews24. com/details. php?id=84118& cid=2
>

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