The main advantage of using nuclear power is the opportunity to lower
energy cost, Yelena Martishchenkova, a researcher at the Department of
Sociology at the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of
Sciences of Belarus (NASB), said during an online press conference
hosted by BelTA when commenting on the results of an opinion survey on
nuclear energy in Belarus.
The survey has shown that the opinions about the pros and cons of
using nuclear energy are very diverse. Respondents most often mentioned
that they see advantages in the following: lower energy costs for
households – 45.5%, new jobs – 28.8%, stronger energy independence –
23%, reduction of energy imports – 21.1%, improved energy security –
18.2%, export of surplus energy – 11.5%. Some 17% of respondents said
they do not see any pros.
When assessing the disadvantages of nuclear power, people named three
types of concerns: the risk of an accident – 56.3%, radioactive waste
disposal – 49.9%, environmental degradation – 31.3%.
“To get a better understanding of the motives and the specifics of
the positive or negative attitude of respondents towards Belarus' own
nuclear power plant, we included a question “Will the launch of the
Belarusian nuclear power plant improve the environmental situation?”.
The data obtained shows that, unfortunately, most people do not know the
environmental advantages of using nuclear power plants over other types
of electricity generating facilities,” Yelena Martishchenkova said.
For instance, around a half of those surveyed believe that the launch
of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will improve the environment in
the country. The majority of those supporting this viewpoint are
residents of Minsk (69%). Most of the respondents who agreed that energy
generated by nuclear power plants is more environmentally-friendly
compared to other kinds of energy live in Mogilev Oblast (33.8% against
the national average of 21.8%).
Lilia Dulinets, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department at
the Belarusian Energy Ministry, commented on the results of the survey
and said that it is necessary to raise public awareness of the
environmental advantages of nuclear power plants over other power
generating facilities. “We need to convey to people that man-made impact
on people and the environment in the production of electric power and
other types of energy is unavoidable, and the task is to reduce this
impact as much as possible. From this point of view, nuclear power is
the most environmentally-friendly kind of energy available today,” she
stressed.
“We should demonstrate to people, based on facts, that thermal power
stations which use fuel oil, coal or natural gas emit pollutants into
the air: carbon dioxide that is the major contributor to the greenhouse
effect and cause of global warming, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide
that causes acid rains, and nitrogen oxides. Nuclear power plants do not
emit such pollutants, and we should talk more about this,” Lilia
Dulinets said.
Written by belta.by
