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Economic and Political Weekly Editorial October 2, 2004 Fast Breeder Reactor: Questionable Decision The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is beginning the construction of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam. The DAE envisions this as the first of many such reactors. Even if one were to favour nuclear power, the desirability of such breeder reactors is highly questionable. Unlike the other power reactors operated by the DAE, fast breeder reactors are fuelled by plutonium. The plutonium is extracted by chemically treating the highly radioactive spent fuel at reprocessing plants. Reprocessing produces large amounts of radioactive waste. Radioactive discharges from the Sellafield reprocessing plant in the UK have been detected as far away as Ireland and Norway; Ireland, in fact, sued UK at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague, over discharges from Sellafield. As is well known, nuclear reactors in general have high capital costs. The capital costs of fast breeder reactors are even higher. The costs of some of the fast breeder power reactors already constructed range from $ 5,304/kW (Superphenix, France) to $ 20,000/kW (Monju, Japan), much greater than the typical $ 2,000/kW for thermal reactors. Some reasons for this higher cost are the necessity for an extra heat transport circuit, more stringent quality and safety requirements, and the use of molten sodium as coolant. To this one must add the significant costs of decommissioning these reactors and responsibly dealing with the immense quantities of highly radioactive materials contained therein. Decommissioning the Superphenix is estimated to cost upwards of $ 5 billion. What is often not considered when discussing the costs of breeder reactors is the economics of the fuel cycle that supports them, in particular the costs of reprocessing. The British THORP facility cost about $ 5.9 billion while the Rokkasho-Mura plant nearing completion in Japan is expected to cost over 2 trillion yen. The plutonium extracted from these, therefore, is extremely expensive. Fast breeder reactors require large amounts of plutonium, both to start operations and for periodic fuelling. Fuel fabrication for fast breeder reactors is another expensive item. Because plutonium is much more radioactive than uranium, more extensive safety measures are required. The price tag for the proposed MOX plants in Russia and the UK are of the order of $ 1 billion for construction; operations and maintenance is expected to cost something comparable. The DAE projects about Rs 3,500 crore for the PFBR. However, the DAE's track record with constructing reactors does not inspire confidence. All of its reactors, with the exception of the turnkey TAPS I and II reactors, took longer to construct and were significantly costlier than the DAE's initial estimates. The worldwide experience with breeder reactors also suggests that the PFBR will not be as cheap and will not be ready as projected. Also questionable is the process by which the construction of the PFBR has been approved. It is based on an environmental impact assessment that has been criticised as being incomplete and using data that is of poor quality. At the public hearing held on July 27, 2001, the overwhelming majority of participants opposed the project. The experiential basis for the DAE's PFBR plans is the experimental Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam. Though the FBTR was sanctioned by DAE in 1971, with an anticipated commissioning date of 1976, the reactor attained criticality only in October 1985. It has since suffered numerous accidents and component failures, and was strongly criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) in 1993. Even in 2000, the longest period for which the FBTR had operated continuously was a mere 53 days. The FBTR was originally envisioned as a 42.5 MWt reactor, but this has never been realised. As of January 2003, the power rating was still only 17.5 MWt (2.8 MWe). The PFBR has a power rating of 1,250 MWt, and therefore represents a scaling up of the FBTR by a factor of about 70. The PFBR will also use a different fuel. Thus, not only has the experience with the FBTR been patchy, but the applicability of this experience to the PFBR is also dubious. The PFBR will, therefore, be a risky project, to say the least. There is widespread consensus that we have an energy problem and that we need safe, reliable, and economic sources of electricity generation. The fast breeder will satisfy none of these conditions. _________________________________ SOUTH ASIANS AGAINST NUKES (SAAN): An informal information platform for activists and scholars concerned about Nuclearisation in South Asia South Asians Against Nukes Mailing List: archives are available @ two locations May 1998 - March 2002: <groups.yahoo.com/group/sap/messages/1> Feb. 2001 - to date: <groups.yahoo.com/group/SAAN_/messages/1> To subscribe send a blank message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> South Asians Against Nukes Website: www.s-asians-against-nukes.org SOUTH ASIANS AGAINST NUKES (SAAN): An informal information platform for activists &amp; scholars concerned about the dangers of Nuclearisation in South Asia SAAN Mailing List: To subscribe send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SAAN Website: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/sacw/saan [OLD URL: http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/NoNukes.html ] SAAN Mailing List Archive : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAAN_/ ________________________________ DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not necessarily reflect the views of SAAN compilers. aterials carried in the posts do not necessarily reflect the views of SAAN compilers. 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