The report titled
Several environmental organizations today delivered a report to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet opposing the installation of nuclear power plants in the country.
The report, titled "Nuclear energy has no future," is parallel to the one being prepared by a commission appointed by Bachelet and headed by physicist Jorge Zanelli, which should be delivered in the coming days.
"We wanted to deliver this parallel report so that the president would have two reports at hand to guide the discussion," Sara Larraín, director of the Sustainable Chile Program, told reporters.
Among the arguments presented for not using nuclear energy is the dependence that would be implied by the use of uranium, a basic element for the generation of nuclear energy, which is currently scarce in the world and is in low-grade reserves.
Furthermore, they refuted the claim that nuclear energy is a clean alternative to combat global climate change, since, when adding up the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in a combustion cycle, the emissions are significant and can equal those of a gas-fired power plant.
The document also dismissed the claim that nuclear energy is cheaper and stated that there would be greater dependence on countries that produce this energy.
In conclusion, for environmentalists, opting for nuclear energy "would mean concentrating large-scale investments in a complex, risky technology rejected by the public."
In that context, it would distance Chile from the "global trend that points to the development of renewable, socially popular and environmentally sustainable energies," the document stated.
The text recommended that the government begin developing a master plan for energy development, including all technological alternatives.
The 56-page document was signed by the Environmental Prosecutor's Office, the Institute of Political Ecology, and the Terram Foundation, among other environmental organizations.
Last March, the authorities announced the creation of a commission of experts who, within six months, were to evaluate the feasibility of the nuclear option among the ways to expand and diversify Chile's energy matrix.
The energy matrix is affected by the excessive dependence on oil and gas, which must be imported at increasing costs and with supply problems.
The country generates 7.500 megawatts and studies indicate that another 5.000 megawatts must be added in the next ten years to meet the growing demand, which originates from economic growth.
Bachelet has indicated that when making a decision regarding the installation of a nuclear plant in the country, she will base it on scientific reasons to "accept or reject" a nuclear program, and will also assess the health risks to the population.
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