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February 29, 2012

[SSJ: 7234] Re: A couple of reasons why the electricity has keptflowing despite the nuclear shutdowns

From: Greg Johnson
Date: 2012/02/29

I agree with Fred. Japan's economy is enduring enormous costs that would have been avoided if the earthquake had destroyed several coal or natural gas burning electrical plants. Here's just one, an estimated 11 trillion yen ($137 billion) of the people's money to TEPCO.
(http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-24/tepco-bailout
-largest-in-japan-since-rescue-of-banking-industry.html
) And all they can do is pour water on it, while praying that another earthquake doesn't knock down whatever is still standing. The technology to solve this problem doesn't even exist yet. With a bit less luck, Tokai and Onagawa could also have resulted in much more radioactive emission from the same single earthquake, compounding the losses tremendously. The siting of a nuclear power plant costs the Japanese people so much more than the siting of a conventional power plant to begin with, even if it does nothing but
sit there, like Monju. Who is adding up even a
fraction of the costs of nuclear power to Japan, the displaced people, the stress of those who are financially compelled to return to areas they fear are too contaminated, the decline in property values near hotspots as far as Chiba, the drop in tourists in Nikko and Aizu Wakamatsu and Japan in general, the produce from half a dozen prefectures that shoppers are avoiding, the produce from Japan that consumers
worldwide are avoiding? Supporters of nuclear power
say much of these costs result from irrational consumers who simply don't understand that nuclear power and nuclear accidents are safe. But as much as Japan's government has adopted a policy of 買わなけれ
ば買わせてみせよ, I don't think that insulting the consumers is an appropriate response. The costs of nuclear power to Japan are real and astronomical.

Greg Johnson

Approved by ssjmod at 11:30 AM