DeepSummary
The episode discusses the issue of nuclear waste and Finland's solution of constructing a permanent underground storage facility called Onkalo for radioactive waste. Adrian Murray, a BBC journalist, shares his experience of visiting the facility, which is located half a kilometer underground and designed to store highly radioactive nuclear waste permanently. Graihagh Jackson provides insights into the nature of nuclear waste and its storage.
The episode also explores the growing interest in nuclear power as a means of reducing carbon emissions and improving energy security. While some environmentalists and organizations like Greenpeace remain skeptical about nuclear power due to concerns over waste handling and safety, others, including some Green parties, are becoming more open to it. The changing attitudes towards nuclear power are driven by the urgency of addressing climate change and the recent energy crisis.
The episode highlights the debates surrounding nuclear power, including its safety, cost, and the time required to build new facilities. It also touches on the potential of modular reactors and the role of countries like China and India in expanding nuclear power production. Overall, the episode presents a comprehensive discussion on the challenges and solutions related to nuclear waste and the resurgence of nuclear power as a viable energy source.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Finland has constructed the world's first permanent underground storage facility for highly radioactive nuclear waste, called Onkalo.
- There is a growing interest in nuclear power as a way to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy security, driven by concerns over climate change and the recent energy crisis.
- Attitudes towards nuclear power are shifting, with some environmentalists and Green parties becoming more open to it, while concerns over waste handling, safety, and costs persist.
- The management of nuclear waste, including the potential for recycling fuel to reduce radioactivity and waste volume, is a critical issue for the nuclear industry.
- The development of modular reactors, which can be produced quickly and cheaply, is seen as a promising solution for expanding nuclear power production.
- Countries like China, India, and Russia are leading the way in expanding nuclear power capacity, while some Western nations remain divided on the issue.
- The debates surrounding nuclear power focus on safety concerns, construction time, and costs, as well as the need for permanent waste storage solutions.
- The episode presents a nuanced and balanced discussion on the challenges and potential solutions related to nuclear waste and the future of nuclear power.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If you can imagine, we've got quite a stash of it that's accumulated over all these decades. It's now estimated there's about 260,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel sitting in these temporary storage facilities.“ by Adrian Murray
- “Finland's quite unusual. I mean, if you look at the political landscape, many green parties have certainly in the past been opposed to nuclear, and much of that is because of the perceived risks and this issue with how you handle the waste. You only need to go back ten years. Actually, in Finland, even the Greens have some opposition to nuclear, but that's really shifted.“ by Adrian Murray
- “So nuclear is considered one of the safest when you look at it in terms of units of energy.“ by Graihagh Jackson
- “China seems to be playing a leading role there, along with Rolls Royce.“ by Graihagh Jackson
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Episode Information
The Global Story
BBC World Service
6/19/24
As reactors and waste grow, Finland’s fix is a lone example. Sixty nuclear power plants are under construction worldwide, and a further 110 are planned. Yet no one really knows what to do with the lethal waste. It’s been piling up for decades. Now, in a giant network of tunnels 450m underground, the Finns say they have the world’s first permanent solution.
Lucy Hockings talks to the BBC’s Adrienne Murray, who has toured the tunnels, and Graihagh Jackson, from The Climate Question podcast.
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TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favorite podcast app.
This episode was made by Pete Ross and Neal Razzell. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas, and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.