Nuclear Power – The Gentle Three Eyed Giant

I think many of us have a negative perception of Nuclear power that is outdated.

The technology has come a long way since Chernobyl.

It’s now one of the safest methods of electricity generation. And the impact of the environment is minimal. The only problem is those damn drums of nuclear waste… If we can somehow slingshot them off the planet onto the moon… (or sun, but we’d need a bigger slingshot).

Do you even now how nuclear power works? The simple explanation is that the nuclear reaction (fission or fusion, I get them confused) heats rods of uranium (simply a metal that can handle such heat without melting). These rods are dipped into water which creates steam. The steam builds up pressure which spins turbines which generate the electricity.

But is it an option for New Zealand? Perhaps not. Our nuclear free image is engrained so deeply into our culture that I don’t think we could ever have nuclear here. But we are happy for Australia to build them and lay cables under the sea to supply us with cheap power.