Nuclear Debate Bubbles Up, Then Quiets Down
No sooner had the words left Panos Prevedouros‘ mouth than the controversy began.
Building a nuclear power plant anywhere in the United States is fraught with controversy and doing so in Hawaii is a particularly tough sell. But proposing a floating plant 15 miles offshore?
The mayoral candidate, an engineering professor, offered that out-of-the-box suggestion to reduce Honolulu’s dependence on oil for energy at a mayoral debate with Kirk Caldwell and Peter Carlisle last week.
“The nuclear plant can be an offshore floating platform. Other places have done it,” Prevedouros said.
The next day, and others for a report about the proposal. Nuclear safety expert Karl Stahlkopf told the TV station that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico showed that “high-risk, low-probability” events can happen, and warned that islands cannot be evacuated in the event of a nuclear disaster.
Before the week was up, Prevedouros had backed off his earlier advocacy, if only a little.
“I agree with President Barrack (sic) Obama and Bill Gates that nuclear power will be a vital component of our energy future,” Prevedouros said in . “I also agree with the Hawaii State Legislature, specifically House Bill 1, that we need a framework to study nuclear energy for possible application in Hawaii.”
Prevedouros may agree with the Legislature, but it seems the Legislature doesn’t agree with him. The , introduced in January 2009, stalled after a joint hearing of the committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water, Land and Ocean Resources.
Had it passed, it would have directed the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to develop rules and establish a permitting process to enable the construction and operation of nuclear energy generation facilities in Hawaii. The policy would have taken into account of the Hawaii Constitution, which requires a two-thirds super-majority vote for the construction of any nuclear fission power plant or the disposal of any radioactive material.
House Leader: Nuclear Power DOA in Hawaii
Rep. Hermina Morita, chair of the Energy and Environmental Protection Committee that voted 9-0 to kill HB1, said last week that the idea of nuclear power in Hawaii has never gotten a full analysis and has typically turned into a distraction.
“There are too many things stacked against nuclear to have any kind of real possibility to move forward,” she said, pointing to the high costs and potential dangers of the technology. She also said nuclear would not achieve the primary goal of the : moving away from imported fuel and reducing the risk of supply disruption.
“If you go nuclear, you’re still reliant on imported fuel, and if the rest of the world moves more toward nuclear, we’re going to be competing for fuel again,” she said.
That tone was echoed by DBEDT Director Ted Liu in one of [pdf] that raised concerns about HB1.
“As the demand for nuclear energy increases throughout the world, it is likely that the cost of uranium will also increase. For instance between 2004 and 2007, the spot price of uranium more than quadrupled, reaching more than $140/lb before falling sharply in the past several months to less than $80/lb,” Liu wrote. “Switching from one commodity, petroleum, subject to speculative swings to another, uranium, would not appear to effectively address Hawaii’s goal of energy independence.”
After House Bill 1 stalled in committee, Morita and Water, Land and Ocean Resources Committee Chair Ken Ito introduced , requesting that the study the benefits and risks of nuclear power. The resolution did not move forward.
Navy Already Uses Nuclear Power in Hawaii
There are currently in the United States, though no new ones have been constructed for more than 30 years, since the . In February, President Obama announced that the U.S. Department of Energy would for two new reactors at a plant in Georgia.
Prevedouros told KHON that there are hundreds more nuclear reactors throughout the rest of the world, and he also pointed out that Hawaii already has nuclear power in the form of Navy ships currently sitting just miles from downtown Honolulu in Pearl Harbor. But Executive Director Jeff Mikulina says there are big differences — technically, politically and economically — between the Navy’s nuclear power and land- or sea-based nuclear plants.
“We think we have cheaper, cleaner and safer ways to power our islands. What’s Hawaii’s strategic advantage in terms of putting resources to work?” Mikulina asks, pointing to renewable resources that, unlike uranium required for nuclear power, are already abundant in the islands. “Our best nuclear option is safely located 93 million miles away, and we should stay focused on that. … We’re the Saudi Arabia of sun, let’s put that work.”
Prevedouros’ stance is that the conversation shouldn’t be over before it really begins.
“I am not advocating that we start building reactors offshore or onshore in the near future,” Prevedouros wrote in the clarifying statement on his website. “I believe we should engage our community in a thoughtful discussion about the cost benefit of various types of energy including nuclear, solar, wind, and renewable. If, after a thoughtful analysis and public discussions of our options, the people make their voice clear that they do not want nuclear power regardless of its benefits, as mayor I will not insist on forcing my personal will upon the people.
“We have enough projects in progress that the people do not want,” Prevedouros said, likely alluding to opposition to the rail project that has served as the calling card issue for his candidacy. “I will not add to that list.”
Asked if nuclear power in Hawaii is an off-limits discussion, Mikulina says the idea is very much on the table and that Prevedouros simply “did his homework” and concluded that it’s not right for Hawaii at this time.
“We appreciate out-of-the-box thinking. That’s to be encouraged as we wrestle with these problems,” Mikulina said. “‘I know this is off limits, so let’s talk about it.’ That’s refreshing.”
DISCUSSION Should Hawaii consider pursuing nuclear energy? Join the conversation and learn more about energy in Hawaii.
