Nuclear Power Stations

When I was in 7th grade, we have to do a research paper for our English class. My teacher asked us to find a topic about something you interested in and you want to search more about it! Well, that time, the news talked about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan that had made the nuclear power station in Fukuchima Daiichi to explode!
My thesis statement for the research is

"Should Indonesia have nuclear power stations?"

Indonesia doesn't have any nuclear power stations even though they have building it from 1972. Many accidents had happened because of the nuclear power, so they afraid of continuing it. Yeah, just keep reading my research that I got from many sources.

Nuclear Power Stations

Nuclear energy or sometimes called atomic energy is the energy produced by the changes that happen in the center of an atom called nucleus. It is the very powerful and useful energy because it doesn’t produce greenhouse gases in producing electricity and help not to contribute global warming. The World Nuclear Association estimates that by using coal power instead of nuclear to produce electric power adds 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Though, many scientists did not know how to release this energy in the early years and it was used only for other purposes like in scientific research and medical treatments. But for now, it can be used to produce electric power, nuclear weapons for explosion, and can be used by doctors in diagnosis and medical treatments.

Radioactivity occurs when there is a change in the nucleus. It is called spontaneous reaction because it happens without the force of the outside. After the reaction, some of the mass of the particle in nucleus is missing because it is converted already into energy.

To produce an electric power, the nuclei released energy that makes heat. The heat was made steam and the steam drive the turbines that generate electric power. The nuclear reactors are the one that control and produce the energy.

The first nuclear energy released in University of Chicago, USA, three years after the World War II began. It develops to atomic bomb. Once, USA airplanes dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The bombs largely destroyed the cities and helped to end the World War II.

Even though it is very useful and safe to the environments, it can bring a disastrous condition too! Radiation is harmful to animals and crops and many people died or got cancer because of the poison of the radioactive. It can contaminate the food and pollute water supplies that the effect lasts for years.

If the core overheats and there are no some things that cool it, it can be melted and the mass of molten fuel can enter the ground and contaminate the water supplies. However, it has never been happening yet.

At Three Mile Island in 1979, half of the fuel melted. Luckily, it was bring under control before the fuel broke the reactor vessel. The reactor was shut down permanently. The accident in Chernobyl in 1986 even produced radioactivity cloud until Europe and Scandinavian.

Actually the modern reactors now have an emergency cooling system that can automatically cool the core if it overheats by flooding it with cool water, so for modern reactors  there’s no the “meltdown” accident that happen.

Indonesia still can’t build nuclear power stations because the cost is really high, while other energy like geothermal energy and hydroelectric energy is still has to be developed in Indonesia. In other hand, Indonesia is not ready yet to build nuclear power stations by the side of technic, economic, environments, psychological social, and moral.  That is why it is better for us to develop first the other energy or develop the safety for the nuclear power stations.

Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia (PII) said that nuclear power is good for the long-term energy security of supply, because the they estimate that in the year 2025, we need more supply because the energy supply we need later will be increase twice as much as this year. But the PT PLN (persero) did not agree with this. They said that the supply of energy is still enough for the next ten years. PT PLN is still concentrating in expanding the uses of geothermal energy and hydroelectric energy, which is why they cannot release nuclear energy in this period of time.

Nuclear Power Plant at Fukuchima

But then actually Indonesia is suitable to build nuclear power stations in 2100, because the safety of the nuclear power can be secured on that year. Not only that, we still have to expand the safety of the nuclear power stations as what is said before. We also still lack of culture safety. Just like the Kilang in Cilacap, for example. There was until five burning accidents that happened there. Of course it is not a strategic place to build nuclear power stations. Think also about the place where Indonesia is. Indonesia is in the place where many earthquakes happen here. The nuclear power stations might be damaged like what happened in Fukuchima Daiichi, Japan. There are also many terrorist in Indonesia. One might send a book bomb to the nuclear power stations.

But then, we are not to leave and forget about the nuclear power. We still need it in the future, though. They said that it is just not a right time to have nuclear power stations in Indonesia. But in this time, we can learn from all the accidents and disasters that happened to other countries because of nuclear power. 


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How, how, how? Need more improvements or something? Please let me know! I won't bite. :p
Anyway, I got a 100% for this research paper! I can't believe it, because I just made the first draft at the day before the deadline. I finished this like until 1 AM! But I'm still so proud of myself. :)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Morel Benoit F. The New Book of Knowledge (Volume N).

       Danbury: Grolier Incorporated, 1993

R 503 NEW C13

“Nuclear Power’s Effects.” Apr. 2011. <http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/History/nuclear_power_s_effects.html> (accessed Apr. 26^th, 2011)

“Energy Resources: Nuclear Power” Feb. 23^rd, 2011. <http://www.darvill.clara.net/alterneg/nuclear.htm> (accessed Apr. 26^th, 2011)

Asaravala Amit “How Nuclear Power Works” May 7^th, 2005. <http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2005/07/68074> (accessed Apr. 26^th, 2011)

Michael. “Disadvantages of Nuclear Power” 2008-2010. <http://www.howtopowertheworld.com/disadvantages-of-nuclear-power> (accessed Apr. 26^th, 2011)

Wahyu Nurseffi Dwi. “Energi Nuklir Didorong Jadi Bahan Bakar Listrik Di Indonesia.” Detik Finance, Mar. 8^th, 2010, 1-2

Nurismarsyah Akhmad. “PLN Belum Lirik PLTN Hingga 2020.” Detik Finance, Apr. 19^th, 2011, 1.