Nuclear and Freshwater - Part 1

Energy and freshwater security are interdependent and therefore pressures on one will tend to transfer to the other also (Holland 2015).

Nuclear energy can be viewed as detrimental to freshwater security, for example in 2008 it was realised that nuclear power plants used more water per unit electricity than other forms of power plant (UCSUSA 2015). The water use varies depending on the cooling method used, the “once-through” technique uses 400 gallons/MWh, whereas if cooling towers are implemented then the consumption increases to 720 gallons/MWh. In comparison to other forms of energy generation, this is rather high:

•  Coal ranging from 300-714 gallons/MWh.
• Natural gas ranging from 100-370 gallons/MWh (NEI 2013).

However it is far more efficient than other renewable energy options:

• Hydropower consumption 4,500 gallons/MWh.
• Geothermal and solar consume 2 to 4x more water than nuclear power plants (NEI 2013).

Cooling towers in Nottinghamshire, UK (Carroll 2012).

The interdependence is highlighted by the 15% loss of French nuclear energy generation in 2003 as a result of a severe drought (Hightower 2008). Similar difficulties were found in Eastern Australia following the large drought of 2007. With the increased threat of freshwater security the energy sector will have to compete with other sectors – predominantly agriculture – for the dwindling resources (Hightower 2008). Therefore whether there is sufficient water available to provide for the nuclear future is a question that needs to be answered.

As seen from previous posts, nuclear disasters or waste leakage can detriment the quality of the freshwater resources. For example in SE Washington State there were wide reports of groundwater (GW) contamination (Hanson 2000). Liquid wastes were discharged directly into the ground in the mid-20^th century, as well as waste leakage from the underground pipe system (Hanson 2000). The risk of GW contamination reduces the amount of resource available for use. This will be of particular concern within semi-arid and arid environments where GW resources are gaining increasing importance as surface stores reduce with increasingly prolonged droughts.

Evidence of contamination was found in northern and western areas of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan (Mizuno 2013). Freshwater organisms such as the Ayu fish were contaminated. High caesium content was detected in areas up to 40km away from the plant. This spread is produced by the high density Japanese freshwater system with multiple irrigation canals, paddy fields and urban waterways. Therefore enabling the contamination of the water to spread large areas, bringing ecological and human health issues and impacting agricultural efficiency (Mizuno 2013).

However, these negatives do not tell the whole story! Absolute consumption may not be as great as quoted here in reality, with many benefits coming from the nuclear sector also. These will be detailed in the following post!