Should Malaysia build a nuclear power plant??

Allocate some time to read this and tell us what you think.

A nuclear power plant can be considered green as it emits very little carbon dioxide into the atmosphere unlike a coal or gas power plant. However we can say the same to solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants as there don't depend on the use of fossil fuels.


Now let us see what will happen if a nuclear power plant is build:


It basically generates radioactive waste. Power plants that depend on atomic energy operates almost the same as a typical coal-burning power plant. The only difference is wat method is use heating the water for both plant. Older plant burn fossil fuels but nuclear plants depends on the heat that occurs during nuclear fission which is when one atom splits into two. When the water is heated, it turns into steam which drives a turbine and which in turns spins a generator to produce power. A nuclear power plants can annually generates 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel on average. This fuel can be classified as high-level radioactive waste. However modern nuclear power plants are able to manage the waste well. If a high trained and responsible worker is hire, there is no danger of the waste leaking and affecting public health.


A nuclear power plant can also be used to build nuclear weapon as it works by enriching uranium. Uranium need to be enriched by 2-3 percent to generate electricity. If the uranium were to enrich to 90 percent, one can produce a highly rank nuclear weapons. However once a plant is operate, there will be an international group of people keeping an eye on you to prevent the uranium to be enriched to that level.


Our former Minister of Energy, Water & Communications said that Malaysia will soon use nuclear energy so it will be a possibility that one day we wake up and saw a nuclear power plant located somewhere in Malaysia.


So what do you think?

GLOBAL WARMING on the water supply

So, why NUCLEAR?

Global warming has become a hot issue around the world ,from the past decade until now,getting worse and worse day by day.It brings many environmental problem and it affects your daily life more than you know.

One of the biggest impacts that it brought upon us is the climate change , or you can call it the "global-werirding", "weather haywire"

Climate change will have a significant impact on the sustainability of water supplies in the coming decades new analysis, performed by consulting firm Tetra Tech for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), examined the effects of global warming on water supply and demand in the contiguous United States. The study found that more than 1,100 counties— one-third of all counties in the lower 48—will face higher risks of water shortages by mid-century as the result of global warming. More than 400 of these counties will face extremely high risks of water shortages

This analysis shows that climate change will have significant impacts on water supplies throughout the world in the coming decades facing greater risks of water shortages due to the effects of climate change.

 While water management and climate change adaptation plans will be essential to lessen the impacts, they cannot be expected to counter the effects of a warming climate. One reason is that the changes may simply outrun the potential for alternatives such as modifying withdrawals, increasing water use efficiency, increased water recycling, enhancing groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting and inter-basin or inter-county transfers to make up for water deficits. The widespread nature of the risk of water shortages may also limit the effectiveness of local solutions—such as acquiring more water from a neighboring county or basin—since many other localities will be trying to get control of the same resource. Further, the pressure on water supplies will not cease in 2050. If climate warming continues to increase, we can expect the risks of water shortages to increase with it. There is no way to truly manage the risks exposed by this report other than taking the steps necessary to slow down and reverse the warming trend. Doing so requires congressional action and global leadership.

Lynas

I have stumbled upon a infographic regarding the controversial refinery Lynas.Is this similar to nuclear power plants?Do take some time to check this out and leave your opinions in the comments section below :)

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia's Green Economy Forward

Recently we have attended a industrial talk by adjunt Professor,Dato'Ir.Dr.Lee Yee Cheong on "Rare Earth Industries:Moving Malaysia's Economy Forward".

Academician Dato' Ir. Dr. Lee Yee Cheong
Academy Sains Malaysia (ASM)
Adjunct Professor for Department of Electrical Power Engineering
Date: 9 March 2012 (Friday)
Time: 3-5pm
Venue: Main Lecture Theatre (DK1), College of IT
 Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Putrajaya Campus





This insightful talk by Dato’ Ir. Dr. Lee Yee Cheong, a spokes person from Akademi Sains Malaysia (ASM) gave us a rare glimpse into this topic in another angle.

Following is a review on the industrial talk written by our friend S.R Ashok:

As we all know lately,the controversial and debate over the “Lynas Corporation’s” project has heated up to another level which goes beyond environmental ethics to just plain politics.
But let’s take away the obvious politics and just focus on the moral and also environmental ethics that may just put a smile on mother natures’ face.
Of cause after the “Bukit Merah” incident, Can we ever trust Lynas? Surely we cannot dismiss the worry of the Malaysian citizens because they do not want history to repeat itself but if that is the basic mentality of the nation, will this country ever venture into bigger and better things which could be nuclear technology?
 Here comes the classic battle between “risk” and “profit” which both plays a major hole in this scenario.
The benefits of rare earth business and its value chain in very well documented over the last 20 years and China have rose to be the dominant figure in this market.
An emperor of China once quoted that if the Middle Eastern have oil, we have rare-earth.
In a business stand point of view, without rare earth products outside of China, it will mean that China will have to invest more and increasingly take charge of the key green technologies that will drive the economy.
With a plant so strategically located in Malaysia, it will put up on the map in this business.
 The biggie is with the extracting, separating and refining process which uses a large number of chemical materials mainly highly concentrated acids.
 This will in turn leads a huge amount of waste gas, waste water and solid waste.
A more detailed figures of the residues is discusses in the ASM’s report.
Based on experience, the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) has reported deteriorating health levels among the people living around the facility and there is a possibility of airborne radioactive contamination.
This is why some eye brows were raised in regards of the location chosen for this facility.  
Another major issue is with waste management which is suggested that the company conduct frequent health scans to the employers and also community nearby and to construct an interim low level storage facility for the first three years of operation.
As for my opinion, unless the government is willing to fork out another US 1 billion, Lynas is going to proceed as planned so the only thing left to do is to keep a very close eye in its operation and not cut corners.


What is you say on this issue?leave your comment in the comments section below!:)

Juz 2 Say Hi!

Hi,Everyone!

You guys might wonder what is the purpose of this blog?Basically what is it about you say?
This blog is created to fulfill the requirement of class MEHB513:Introduction To Nuclear Technology.
Students that are enrolled into this class have to form a group of three to write blog articles and informations regarding nuclear.
Besides that,this blog also serve as a purpose to create awareness among malaysian about the benefits nuclear energy from nuclear power plant can bring,its part in keeping the environment clean and its future perspective.
Some of you might not agree but we'll try our best to prove and bring justification.
Nevertheless,we hope that you guys will have a  delightful stay at our blog and if you like it,do stay subscribe and tune in!
We might post in some unnecessary but fun stuffs!You'll never know?!
And do spread words regarding this blog to your friends and family,keep the opinions and ideas flow in.
It doesn't matter whether agree or disagree,we just love to have a fair fight.:)