[Reader-list] Fwd: Nuclear Power: An Open Letter to Indian Left Parties

[Partha Dasgupta]

Hi,

You may want to look at the following document:

www.ecolo.org/documents/documents_in_english/*BENEFITS-of-NUCLEAR*.pdf

A sub-section from the document:

"Conservation and renewables:

There are those who tell us we only need to conserve energy and rely upon
renewable
energies. Solar and wind are the major renewables.

I agree, of course, that conservation is highly commendable, even essential.
But in the
light of the world's growing population, widespread economic development and
enhanced life expectancy on the one hand (notably China and India which
account for
about 35% of the world's population) and finite fossil fuel resources on the
other,
conservation can only delay the crisis that will arise from the penury of
oil and gas.
Energy efficiency and alternate sources of energy can and must be developed.
Efficient light bulbs produce the same amount of light with 3 to 8 times
less energy.
Heat pumps can provide the same amount of heat with 2 to 5 times less
energy. Solar
heat and geothermal energy can and should be developed to a much greater
extent
than they are today.

Some environmentalists are enchanted by the simplicity of solar cells and
the pristine
elegance of wind turbines, and they refuse to accept the fact that they are
quantitatively incapable of supplying the energy required by an industrial
civilization

I do not mean to say that these renewable energies should be excluded; they
are useful
and have important niche roles to play – in remote locations and under
special
circumstances. But they can make only a marginal contribution to the energy
needs of
a growing industrial civilization.

Let me give an example. To replace just one nuclear reactor, such as the new
EPR
reactor which France is now building in Normandy, with the most modern wind
turbines (twice as high as Notre-Dame, the Cathedral of Paris), they would
have to be
lined up all the way from Genoa in Italy to Barcelona in Spain (about 700
kilometers/400miles). And, even so, they generate electricity only when the
wind
blows (their average yield is about 25% of their rated capacity).

There is much talk about biofuels, ethanol from sugar cane, for example. The
entire
arable surface of the Earth could not produce enough biofuel to replace
present oil
consumption."

Rgds, Partha
..................................
On Mon, Oct 6, 2008 at 7:06 PM, Anivar Aravind <anivar.aravind at gmail.com>wrote:

> --------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: S. P. Udayakumar <koodankulam at yahoo.com>
>
>
> People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
>          October 2, 2008
> 42/27 Esankai Mani Veethy
> Parakkai Road Junction
> Nagercoil 629 002
> Tamil Nadu
>
>
>
>
>
> To
>
> The National Executive Members
> Communist Party of India
> Ajoy Bhavan
> 15, Kotla Marg
> New Delhi 110 002
>
> The Central Committee Members
> Communist Party of India (Marxist) A.K. Gopalan Bhawan 27-29, Bhai Vir
> Singh Marg New Delhi 110 001
>
>
>
> The Central Committee Members
> All India Forward Bloc
> 28, Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Road
> New Delhi 110 001
>
>
> The Central Committee Members
> Revolutionary Socialist Party
> 17, Firoz Shah Road
> New Delhi 110 001
>
> The Central Committee Members
> Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
> U-90, Shakarpur
> Delhi 110 092
>
> Dear Comrades:
>
>
> We, the members of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, would
> like to congratulate the Leftist parties and leaders in India on your
> principled opposition to American imperialism that seeks to dominate
> our national life. We would also like to thank you for problematizing
> the India-US nuclear deal and popularizing the issue across the
> country among all sections of our society. The Leftist parties and
> leaders are the only hope of India to create awareness on
> people-friendly development paradigm; alternative energy generation;
> elimination of war and weapons of mass destruction; and transparency,
> accountability and popular participation in our national affairs.
>
> It is our humble submission that only the Leftist parties and leaders
> can shift the course of our national economy, politics and history in
> India and pave a new way for our collective salvation and freedom.
> After all, human society is based on "production of products" and
> "production of life." Humans act on Nature with the help of
> instruments to get products. Such a production of products must be
> based on needs; but now it is all done with greed damaging the Nature
> irreparably. Should humanity continue on the Earth, Nature should be
> protected! For the "production of life," Nature should be pristine so
> that future generations could thrive on our planet.
>
> However, the contemporary world operates with a wrong understanding of
> "development" that has its focus on indiscriminate industrialization,
> liberalization, privatization, globalization, monetization [and
> Americanization] with complete disregard for Nature, future, the
> interests of the labor, the safety and well-being of unborn
> generations, and other such externalities.
>
> India's ruling class says that if India has to achieve and sustain the
> desired growth level of 9-10 percent, the country has to have energy
> security, or as some nationalist leaders put it, energy independence.
> In India, electricity has always been considered to be a development
> input but now it has come to be regarded as a tradable commodity. Of
> the 593,732 villages in India (1991 census) 474,982 have been
> electrified with the remarkable 80 percent electrification. But if we
> look at the electrification of rural households, we see a different
> picture. There are some 138.3 million rural households (2001 census)
> in India but only 60.2 million of them have access to electricity and
> the electrification percentage is only 44 percent. So it is not that
> electricity is not available in their villages for these rural
> households but they simply cannot afford it. It is poverty that
> prevents them from accessing electricity.
>
>  Although India has more or less sufficient quantity of electricity
> today, a considerable portion of our electricity is said to be wasted
> because of technical and commercial factors. Some 40% of electricity
> is lost in transmission because of energy dissipation in conductors
> and equipment used for Transmission and Distribution (T&D). Pilferage,
> defective meters, error in meter reading, error in estimating
> unmetered supply are other reasons for this huge wastage of
> electricity. So the challenges India faces today include reducing and
> eliminating T&D loss, improving the quality of supply and delivery
> systems, providing electricity for all at affordable price, and
> improving the economic lot of all the people across the country.
>
> Ignoring all these socioeconomic-political intricacies and
> complexities, India's ruling class seeks a scientific-technical
> solution for the energy issue and keeps chanting the nuclear mantra.
> They completely overlook the facts that there have been no new nuclear
> power stations built in the United States for the past 35 years and in
> Russia for almost 22 years, and that many European countries are
> phasing out their nuclear power program. There is hardly any debate
> about the enormous amount of dangerous nuclear waste we will
> accumulate from the nuclear power plants, the need to safeguard this
> "hazmat treasure" for 48,000 years, huge amounts of heavy metals
> discharged by light and heavy water reactors, radiation blues, shoving
> around fissile material, nuclear weapons proliferation, and Armageddon
> on the Earth.
>
> In fact, American, Russian and French capitalists try to dump their
> nuclear technology on India for their own survival and profit. Global
> capitalism turns any calamity to its advantage, and it puts forward
> nuclear power as the answer for climate change. If we look closely,
> mining and processing of uranium, building nuclear power stations with
> so much cement and steel, the long construction process, the
> decommissioning of the plants, and handling the radioactive waste -
> all cause considerable climate-changing pollution.
>
> Just as nuclear power is not an answer for climate change, it is not a
> panacea for our energy needs. As the People's Democracy and many of
> the Leftist leaders have pointed out, the contribution of nuclear
> power to the national grid has been so small and will continue to be
> so even after the India-US nuclear deal comes into effect. Nuclear
> power is also more expensive than any other mode of electricity
> generation.
>
> Global capitalism promotes nuclear power as the single solution for
> all the world's energy woes and its economic development. In India, so
> much money has already been wasted on nuclear power projects that are
> expensive, inefficient and troublesome. Since the current cash crunch
> is mainly due to nuclear power being very expensive and capital
> intensive, Indian nuclear establishment has expressed interest in
> inviting private investments and amending nuclear laws to facilitate
> privatization. What all this means is that while private companies
> make money with no responsibilities whatsoever, Indian taxpayers and
> the "ordinary citizens" will bear the cost of dealing with all the
> liabilities such as nuclear waste, possible accidents, public health
> issues and other dangerous consequences.
>
>  The international and Indian capitalists will thrive at the cost of
> India's poor. National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized
> Sector reveals that 320 million Indian workers live on less than 20
> rupees a day. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has recorded
> 1,66,304 farmers' suicides in a decade since 1997. There were 17,060
> farmers' suicides in 2006 alone across India. All these mean that
> there has been one farmer's suicide every 30 minutes since 2002 (The
> Hindu, January 31, 2008). When our people lack basic food security,
> water security, sanitation security, job security, and human security,
> energy security is bandied about to promote the interests of the rich
> and powerful.
>
>  Nobody except the Leftists dares to challenge any nuclear activity in
> the country. In fact, the present
> pro-military-industrial-academic-complex-thinking considers uranium
> mining, nuclear power plants, nuclear weaponization, nuclear deals
> with Americans, Russians and the French, and strategic partnerships
> with them as integral parts of being a patriotic Indian. Nuclearism
> has been part and parcel of the Northern capitalist development
> paradigm and the UPA government is underscoring this aspect to gain an
> upper hand in the national political game. An unequivocal
> problematization of this mainstream understanding of "development" has
> become the need of the hour.
>
> A highly populated country like India does have an increasing need for
> energy.  But that energy has to be economical, sustainable and
> environment-friendly for the same reason of having over- and dense-
> population.  The country needs to spend less on energy because there
> are other pressing needs such as health, education, housing,
> transportation and so forth.  India cannot afford the "use and
> discord" strategy as in nuclear power projects for obvious reasons of
> limited land availability, reliance on the sea and sea food, future
> generation's interests and so forth.  Its energy projects have to be
> environmentally-friendly because even a small incident can harm, hurt
> or kill a huge number of people.
>
>  Nuclear power is beset with threats and dangers that can encompass
> the most improbable meteorite fall to the commonplace terrorist
> attack. For instance, The Hindu newspaper (September 6, 2006) reported
> that a meteorite fell at Kanvarpura village near Rawatbhata, where
> Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant is situated, on August 29, 2006. The
> [Geological Survey of India Deputy Director-General (western region)
> R. S. Goyal] said the meteorite could have caused devastation on an
> 'unimaginable scale' if it had fallen on the Rawatbhata Atomic Power
> Plant. Presiding over a crucial day-long meeting of the Chief
> Ministers on Internal Security, the Indian Prime Minister said
> terrorist outfits planned possible terrorist attacks on vital
> installations including nuclear establishments (The Hindu, September
> 6, 2006). In fact, two armed men were reportedly seen moving in the
> inner fencing area around the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in Gujarat
> (The Hindu, August 23, 2006). The plant was declared safe later
> without much elaboration.
>
> Most importantly, nuclearism is a global political ideology that
> cannot stomach any transparency, accountability or popular
> participation. It snubs dissent, denounces opponents and creates a
> political climate of fear and retribution. With the India-US nuclear
> deal, and the deals with Russia and France and the private
> participation in nuclear energy generation, the situation is going to
> get out of hand. The combination of profiteering companies, secretive
> state apparatus and repressive nuclear department will be ruthless and
> this nexus of capitalism, statism, nuclearism and communalism does not
> augur well for the country. These forces gaining an upper hand in our
> national polity will mean a death knell for the country's democracy,
> openness, futures and sustainable development.
>
> When the beginning of the 21st century provides India a historic
> opportunity to be a world-leader by building on our traditional
> strengths such as sustainable development and appropriate technology,
> our elites are forcing us to be American stooges with war-based values
> and wasteful lifestyle.
>
> The way out of this capitalistic and imperialistic quandary is to be
> progressive and being progressive does not necessarily mean going back
> to the days of pastoral simplicity. We need to strive for Green
> alternatives for our modern needs. The Leftists with Green values
> would be a boon for the country at this hour of crisis.
>
> We would like to present you with a concrete example. We are sure you
> have heard about the Koodankulam nuclear power plant that is being
> constructed in the Koodankulam village on the Gulf of Mannar in
> Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. The Government of India is
> constructing two 1000 MW light water VVER nuclear power plants with
> Russian technology and loans. They have not released any Environmental
> Impact Assessment (EIA) report, or the safety analysis report or the
> site evaluation study for the first two plants they are constructing.
> Nor have they conducted any public hearing to hear what the people of
> southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala have to say about the construction of
> these two nuclear power plants. We in southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala
> are very concerned about this undemocratic and anti-people
> multimillion dollar project that is thrust down our throats in the
> name of "development" and "energy security."
>
> Neither the Government of India nor the Department of Atomic Energy
> (DAE) has shared any information about the Koodankulam plants or
> anything about the overall nuclear energy plans with any kind of
> transparency, democratic spirit or civic responsibility. They spread
> rumors and gossips about their plans and intentions and when these
> "unconfirmed reports" circulate among the public for sometime and gain
> some negative acceptance, they confirm the hearsays. The Nuclear Power
> Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has decided to increase the
> number of reactors at Koodankulam to eight (The Hindu, September 25,
> 2006). The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) also has proposed
> to establish nuclear power plants in or near Koodankulam with the
> generating capacity of 2000 MW power (The Hindu, September 6, 2006).
> So, as a recent newspaper report confirms (The Hindu, September 11,
> 2008) Koodankulam will be the largest mega nuclear complex with almost
> 10,000 MW generation capacity.
>
> Some of the RTI enquiries to the district collectors of a few southern
> Tamil Nadu and southern Kerala districts reveal how woefully
> inadequate they are about the nuclear safety arrangements and
> emergency preparedness. The India-Russia agreement on Koodankulam
> stipulated first that Russia would take the nuclear waste but now it
> has been decided that the waste will remain in India. There is hardly
> any discussion or consciousness among the political or bureaucratic
> circles about the nuclear waste issues, decommissioning questions,
> radiation hazards, future impact on our seas, fish and so forth.
> Nuclear waste management is going to be a major headache for our
> people. That is why D. D. Kosambi branded nuclear power as a "menace
> that even the unborn generations have to deal with." He further said,
> "only opportunists and third rate scientists spend their time and
> energies on nuclear power."
>
> Our people in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are
> taking a clear and bold stand that these nuclear power plants are not
> in the best interests of us and these projects should be stopped for
> ever. The Koodankulam mega nuclear complex will have disastrous
> consequences for all of us, the Tamils, the Malayalees, and even the
> Sinhalese and the Maldivians in the neighboring countries.
>
> Friends in Kerala have had such a fine record of fighting for the
> Silent Valley, against the soft-drink companies' stealing their water
> resources etc. They took such a courageous stand in not having any
> nuclear power plants in Kerala because of the over and
> dense-population in the state. But the Government of India has pushed
> the plant just a little outside their state boundary and set up the
> plant right across their front door.
>
> When 10 nuclear power plants release the coolant effluents into the
> sea on daily basis for the next four to five decades, one can think of
> the impact and repercussions that will have on all our air, our land,
> our water, our sea, our fish, our cattle, our children, our fathers
> and mothers, our health, and our future. The vested interests are
> trying to set our common home on fire in the name of energy security
> and national security. How about our human security? Our food
> security? Our air security? The security of our children who speak and
> sing in Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhalese and Divehi? Their songs and dances
> and their dreamy futures?
>
> This corner may be the "End of India" for the rest of India! But for
> us, this has been the beginning of India, the beginning of life, the
> beginning of everything! This place, this little corner of hills and
> high seas, rivers and forests, and ponds and paddy fields, is full of
> beginnings for us. This is where our life began, our history began,
> our culture began, our speech, our memories, our meanings, our dreams
> and desires – all began. But what will come off this beautiful place?
>
> Almost all our political parties, politicians, bureaucrats, religious
> leaders, and many NGOs have turned a blind eye to the nuclear issue.
> When people ask some uncomfortable questions about the nuclear
> project, we are often branded as unpatriotic, anti-national, and even
> CIA agents. It is quite ironic that the Indian elites call the people
> who oppose the nuclear program CIA agents when they themselves are
> selling the country to the Americans.
>
> Only the Leftists can and may tell us that we, the working class of
> India and the neighboring countries, are all human beings, that we all
> have a common home, the south of South Asia, that the sea is part and
> parcel of our home, and that fish is the most important food for us
> all. In short, the people of the south of South Asia share the same
> destiny of nuclear agony and only the Leftists can see this at the
> larger international picture and offer us a way out. Some Leftists
> tend to think that it is only the United States we should oppose and
> not nuclear energy per se or nuclear cooperation with Russia or
> France. Russia, like America, is also a capitalistic country and is
> interested in selling their nuclear technology to India in order to
> make some quick bucks.
>
> It is high time the Left all over India took an unambiguous stand
> against expensive, inefficient, dangerous waste-producing,
> weapons-proliferating, Nature-harming, future-hurting,
> children-killing, colonizing and enslaving nuclear energy without
> riders and exceptions and ifs and buts! Nuclearism is no more an
> energy issue or a scientific matter but a life-threatening political
> issue. The Left parties and leaders can and must make a difference in
> the nuclear issue just as you have done in the ongoing global
> financial crisis. Hoping that you would take this appeal seriously and
> lead us to better futures, we send you our best personal regards and
> all peaceful wishes.
>
>
> Cordially,
>
> S. P. Udayakumar, George Gomez, C. Boaz
> Coordinators
> People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
> Ph: 04652-240657; 9865683735
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-- 
Partha Dasgupta
+919811047132