Ireland: Nuclear Power Must be Evaluated

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Ireland's Energy Minister, Alex White, said that nuclear power will have to be evaluated in any future debate on energy.

Minister White told media that although nuclear energy is banned in Ireland at present it cannot be ruled out in any future energy discussions. His controversial comments have stoked the country's strong anti-nuclear lobby and political rivals, who have also campaigned against nearby U.K. nuclear reactors located in Wales for decades.

"I have the view that if you're having a serious debate about energy, you cannot exclude nuclear," Minister White told the Irish Independent. "You can see people's historic concerns and understand them, and I would have shared them, but you have to look at the other side of the table. We have a dependence on damaging carbon-based energy sources which are effectively destroying the planet. You cannot preside over a full debate by excluding anything."

He admitted, however, that Ireland may be too small for a nuclear plant. Although "technically possible", Minister White said: "We're not at any stage near having a proposal for a nuclear power plant, but we may also be too small [a country for nuclear power]."

Last May, the Irish government launched a new Green Paper on Energy consultation process to kick-start changing the country's electricity mix. The purpose is to shift the balance from an over reliance on imported gas and coal to more renewables, interconnections and a smarter electricity grid.

The paper even highlighted how a small nuclear reactor could theoretically be built at the site of the Moneypoint coal-fired power plant in County Clare, which is set to be shut down in 2025. For additional information, see May 16, 2014, article - Ireland Plans Energy Transformation.

Statistics from grid operator, Eirgrid, show that Ireland relies on coal and gas-fired plants for over 52% of its electricity. Renewables -- mainly wind -- are growing steadily and currently supply almost 32% of total electricity demand.

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