Nowadays, Turkish government has decided to establish two nuclear power plants, which have been one of the biggest current discussion topics in the country. Some people agree with the decision, some people do not. In order to discuss nuclear energy, there is some background information that needs to be known very well. The industrial revolution played a crucial role in humans` lives and substantially changed our lifestyles. Since the revolution, thermal, mechanical and electrical energy have had great importance in people`s lives. And as the time goes by, the energy need has been increasing rapidly all over the world and people will need more energy in the future. There are certain sources used in countries in order to generate energy which are oil, fuel-oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydraulic energy and renewable energy sources. The most common ways to generate energy are by fossil sources, which are oil, coal, natural gas. But the problem is that the more energy is used, the more energy sources are consumed and fossil sources are not unlimited sources and will be consumed away eventually. In addition to that, those fossil sources are not spread evenly around the globe, so not every country has reserve(s) of fossil source(s) in their land. Turkey is a country dependent on outside energy sources. Besides that, nuclear power plants generate energy by atomic fission and according to the article, Neden Nukleer Enerji?, Turkey has 54% of thorium sources in the world in its land, which are used in nuclear energy. Energy is the most important factor for economical and social development and productivenesses of countries. Nuclear power plants will not only help to solve the energy problems in Turkey, they will also help to the technology developments for many industrial fields and the national economy.
Increasing Energy Demand and Security
Turkey is a developing country, and its growth rate of energy demand has been increasing rapidly. According to the report by U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2014, “over the past three years, Turkey has experienced some of the fastest growth in energy demand of countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Unlike a number of other OECD countries in Europe, Turkey's economy has avoided the prolonged stagnation that has characterized much of the continent for the past few years”. In order to meet the energy demand in the future, Turkey needs to take smart steps and find solutions about the energy need to develop itself. In this regard, nuclear energy is an alternative solution that Turkey needs to use. Besides that, Turkey`s energy generation policies are mainly dependent on two energy sources. The International Energy Agency reports that “oil has been one of the main energy sources in Turkey, accounting for some 28% of the country’s total primary energy supply (TPES) in 2011… The share of natural gas in the country’s TPES significantly increased at 32% in 2011”. According to the report, the main two energy sources used in Turkey are oil and natural gas, almost the entire of which the government has been importing, accounting for 60% of the country`s energy consumption. Considering this state, Turkey needs to diversify its energy sources, especially with its own supplies, in order to provide energy security. Being dependent on two energy sources, especially outside sources, with such a share as 60% of the country`s total energy consumption is not reliable for Turkey. Also, “nuclear reactors provide base-load power and are available over 90% of the time; intervals between refuelings have been extended and down time for refueling has been reduced”. Considering that all fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal will be consumed away within the estimated time by scientists, the nuclear power plant is a good alternative choice to meet the base load power of the country, which is the base level of energy consumption required to be generated constantly 24 hours and 365 days a year and has been met by oil, coal and natural gas power plants. Due to these reasons, nuclear power plant is a necessity for the country that has a big solution potential for many energy problems of Turkey.
The import share of Turkey's Primary Energy Source and Consumption. (Ümit Akbulut)
Technological Developments and Economy
Nuclear technology is not only to generate electricity, but also to develop technology. There are many fields in industry, medicine, universities that are going to be developed with nuclear technology. Nuclear technology has been commonly used in the fields of scientific research, agriculture and stockbreeding, food security, medicine and industry such as electronic and space technologies. Nuclear technology is now an indispensable part of industry. Fractures and leakages in the products of industries have been determined with the help of nuclear technology. The industry sector has been benefiting from radioactive tracers on the purposes of monitoring machines in the industry, calculating their performances and improving their efficiencies. One of the most important fields in which nuclear technology is used is agriculture and stockbreeding. Nuclear techology has played a big part in the development of plants that have different genetic structure and stand up to diseases. In addition to this, a science was formed in the field of nuclear medicine using nuclear technology. Many diseases such as cancers might be identified and treated with the help of nuclear medicine. Besides that, the nuclear sector also provides new job markets, following that new job opportunities for people. Thus, it contributes to the solution of the unemployment problem in the country. Research by Cetiner & Sunal exemplifies that approximately four million people in the USA have been hired in businesses related to nuclear technology. If Turkey wants to be a developed country, it needs to use and develop nuclear technology by itself.
Besides all the advantages for technology developments and energy policies, nuclear power plants will also pave the way for Turkey to strenghten its economic freedom. Turkey is a country dependent on outside sources since there is not enough energy sources in its region. In order to meet the energy demand, Turkey has been spending a large amount of money to outside sources and the more Turkey develops itself, the more energy the country consumes. In the article, “The Global Energy Challenges and Turkey: Private Sector Perspective”, Hisarciklioglu emphasises that “In parallel to the increase in energy demand, Turkey’s energy dependence rate rose from 51 percent in 1990 to 72 percent in 2008. High energy import cost which was approximately 50 billion dollars in 2008 worsened the current account balance of Turkey”. Energy dependence has been costing Turkey the vast sum of money which account for a big part of the total import costs of Turkey and immediately need solutions. The national economy will be growing and less dependent on outside energy sources when nuclear power plants are established and used by the government.
Misperception on Environmental Concerns
When it comes to nuclear technology, some people rightfully worry about it since nuclear technology allows to be used for nuclear weapon purposes as well. But, Turkey is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose goal is to verify through its inspection system that States comply with their commitments, under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and other non-proliferation agreements, to use nuclear material and facilities only for peaceful purposes. Therefore, Turkey will use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, which are generating energy and technology developments, not for weapon purposes. Besides that, people have been discussing about how nuclear power plants are dangerous for the environment since they include radiation processes during energy generation. That situation is totally true. But if it is scrutinized, they will be seeing the fact that as long as nuclear power plants are protected while being used, they can be called ``environmentally friendly`` energy when they are compared with the fossil fuels-based power plants. Research by Javidkia, Hashemi-Tilehnoee & Zabihi specifies that “All nuclear power applications have resulted in an increase of at most only less than 1% in overall radiation exposure, over previous natural background radiation. And this is just for the small number of people living right next to nuclear power plants. For the great majority of people, there is no measurable radiation exposure from nuclear power.”. On the other hand, when the radiation exposures from coal and nuclear power plants are compared, the scientific truth shows that the exposure from the coal power plant is 100 times higher than the nuclear power plant due to isotope C14, which is radioactive isotope of carbon. Considering that the share of electricity generation from coal constitutes 26% of the total electricity generation in Turkey, using nuclear energy will reduce the environmental pollution in the country.
Nuclear Plants is green. (Generated by AI)
Before It is Too Late
The energy problem is maybe the biggest economical and strategical problem in Turkey since Turkey`s underground treasures are limited and there is not enough major sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas to meet energy demand by itself. By using nuclear energy and technology, Turkey will also take a step to save a huge amount of money that has been spent on outside sources, and develop its technology and research industry by itself. Therefore, nuclear energy is an inevitable source that Turkey needs to use if the country wants to be a developed country. Having looked at all the developed countries` use nuclear energy for decades, Turkey is already late to use the advantages of nuclear energy. We missed the first train, but now it is time to catch the second one before it is too late.