On Iran's Nuclear Energy Program

Very often when you read about nuclear energy, you also read about Iran and their nuclear energy program. In recent years the Iranian nuclear power program has become a controversial issue. There is extensive public fear about the use of nuclear energy in Iran. This is an issue which is becoming increasingly more important as Iranian scientists approach developing nuclear energy or maybe even nuclear weapons. Nuclear energy is extremely expensive to develop and produce. Furthermore, it is very dangerous and an important source of environmental problems. A very important element in the debate is also the potential international sanctions against Iran to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. These issues will be discussed here.

Producing nuclear energy can be hazardous. Historically, mining and purifying uranium has never been a clean process. Transporting nuclear fuel to and from plants poses a contamination risk. Despite a generally high security standard, accidents can happen. It is technically impossible to build a plant which is 100% secure. There is also a problem of nuclear waste and how to secure the waste after it has been used to produce energy. Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years, is deadly in high doses and it is very harmful to humans, animals and plants. Thus, nuclear waste must be stored for thousand of years away from water into which it can dissolve and far from any tectonic activity. The problem is to dispose it in a safe way so that it doesn't harm people. This is very expensive and in some geographical areas also impossible. We may end up having a large amount of waste buried unsafely underground because there is no other way to get rid of it.

When something goes wrong in the energy plant, the situation can turn into a calamity. The Chernobyl disaster is the most horrific example. In 1986, a melt-down process and fire started in the Ukrainian nuclear reactor, spewing 50 tons of radioactive material into the surrounding area, contaminating millions of acres of forest and huge areas of neighboring counties were exposed to radioactive downfalls. The disaster forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 individuals. Some rescue workers died immediately or later of radiation damages, however, the number of people dying indirectly from radiation causes (cancer and coronary heart diseases) in the years after the disaster has never been fully accounted for.

In In addition, the nuclear industry has another cost on the lives on those living around power plants. People usually do not want to live near a nuclear power plant. It is a statistically significant observation that the rate of certain types of cancer and diseases is much higher in the population around nuclear plants. In recent years, the number of people who suffer from MS has increased in Iran (MS is a virus disease but we do not know which virus!). Experts say since the rice farms was in neighborhood of Natanz nuclear power station, the rice is polluted to radioactive materials and those who eat this rice are more at risk of this disease.

Another very important argument is nuclear power plants are at the risk of terrorism and would also be major military target in a war. Furthermore, if Iran achieves nuclear energy, there would be a competition over gaining nuclear energy in other Middle Eastern countries. The more nuclear materials transports around the world, the easier it will be for terrorists to get hold of some, in order to terrorize. An atomic bomb might also one day be within the reach of some international terrorist group.

Since Iran started its nuclear program, the tension between Iran and west countries has increased. In 2008 President Bush threatened that if Iran doesn't stop its nuclear programs, the USA might bomb Iran's nuclear power station. A military attack is an option which cannot be ruled out. We know that from when the Israeli bombed the nuclear reactors in Iraq and Syria.

Even apart from the safety issues, there are a several other problems related to nuclear power. It is expensive. The cost of building reactors is enormous and the price of subsequently decommissioning them is also high. Without massive government subsidy, the nuclear industry cannot make money and building new plants is uneconomic compared to other methods of power generation. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, when all costs are factored in, nuclear power costs an estimated $59.30/MWH. This is expensive when compared to other means of generating electricity. For example, clean wind power is $55.60/MWH; coal $53.10/MWH; and natural gas $52.50/MWH ()these numbers look very similar to me). Another problem is that Uranium sources are just as finite as other fuel sources, such as oil, coal and natural gas. Uranium is expensive to mine, refine, and transport. Uranium is also a rare element in Iran and we must buy uranium from other countries. Iran has enough oil and gas source and there is no need at the moment to search for a new power source. That money would be better spent on other fields such as education.

The most frustrating issue is now that the U.N. Security Council has agreed on a statement demanding that Iran restrict its nuclear program, the United States and its allies are going to impose crippling and huger sanctions against Iran to prevent Iran from developing nuclear energy. According to a study by Akbar E. Torbat, "the sanctions' economic effect on Iran has been significant". Experience of sanctions imposed on Iran in last years has shown that it is costly to develop nuclear energy.

For instance, The U.S. forbids aircraft manufacturer Boeing to sell aircraft to Iranian aviation companies. A 2005 report, presented at the 36th session of the International Civil Aviation Organization, reported that the U.S. sanctions had endangered the safety of civil aviation in Iran because it prevented Iran from acquiring parts and support essential for aviation safety. According to an Iranian journalist, the effects of sanctions in Iran include expensive basic goods and an aging and increasingly unsafe aircraft fleet. "According to reports from Iranian news agencies, 17 planes have crashed over the past 25 years, killing approximately 1,500 people." As we see Iran has suffered several major air disasters over the past decade. Aviation safety affects human lives and human rights, and until Iran continues enriching uranium, the united state doesn't lift such sanctions. According to the U.S. National Foreign Trade Council, in the medium-term, lifting US sanctions and liberalizing Iran's economic regime would increase Iran's total trade annually by as much as $61 billion (at the 2005 world oil price of $50/bbl), adding 32 percent to Iran's GDP. In the oil-and-gas sector, output and exports would expand by 25-to-50 percent (adding 3 percent to world crude oil production). From the above mentioned problems of developing nuclear energy, it should be evident that Iran should stop their nuclear energy programs because the harms and all the problems it generates. We must no longer close our eyes to the consequences. Political, ethical and economical arguments all are in disfavor of developing nuclear energy in Iran. Instead we should use the energy we have, work to use the energy we have more efficient and develop renewable energy resource. The money we use on the nuclear energy program can be better used. It's time for change!

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