Letter from Rae Street in the Morning Star about Energy

—-—Forwarded Message --—- 

Dear Editor,

With reference to the letter (25/4)from Will Podmore on energy, it needs to be stated that studies have shown that genuine sustainable energy from wind, solar and tidal could provide all the UK’s energy needs. And these sources ae getting cheaper by the day. What are definitely not needed are the small modular reactors mentioned in his letter. SMRs produce dangerous, radioactive waste to which no solution has been found for the legacy waste let alone producing more. Moreover, there is potential danger to life from radioactivity around the plants. If, as Keir Starmer’s government has proposed, the SMRs are dotted around the UK, how are they to be protected from attacks? As it is the large scale nuclear reactors have to have policing and defence in place, but with numerous small reactors security will be an almost impossible job. They will also use uranium as a fuel which means, as we don’t mine uranium in the UK, it will have to be imported so not ‘home grown’. The uranium is mined mainly on the lands of indigenous peoples from Canada, Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, southern states of the USA, Kazakhstan and Australia where for years the miners and their families have suffered from severe illnesses. When thinking of nuclear power, we should remember these people who often work in disastrously dangerous conditions. For those who advocate nuclear power I suggest they visit the mines and meet the miners, say in the USA or Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Rae Street

The Editor

The Morning Star