Chile Forum

tombrad2 wrote:Most important is that nuclear do not solve the main problem, who is independence: Chile has not uranium mines, nor the plants to enrichment from mine, so we are as dependent from uranium supply as we are now from Argentinian gas.

Do countries that produce uranium have territorial disputes with Chile? Do they have braindead price controls on electricity leading to energy shortages? Are uranium producing countries known to blackmail their customers for political purposes? Are uranium producing countries known to be unstable both economically and institutionally?

Between Canada and Australia you're looking at 50% of world production. It's as good as it gets in terms of the kind countries playing nice with their foreign policy, don't you think? Being "dependent" on uranium supply would not nearly be in the same headache league as the current dependence on Argentinian gas. It's like comparing borrowing a bit of money from your best friend with borrowing a lot of money from the mob.

As long as I have heard the uranium shortage is not a crazy idea in the medium term, thanks to Chernobil and anti nuke activism there are still few countries going to nuclear plants, many countries has virtually stopped their plans but this does not mean that in case of a serious energy shortage they cannot start again. Uranium is a rare mineral and their process is not easy, in a global energetic emergency the small countries with plants would be the first to stop to receive it.

Pretty the same as Argentinian gas, when contracts was signed in an abundance situation nobody dreamed that Argentina will broke their treaty signed by state, but in an emergency people tend to become much less "friendly"

It may be worth noting that the price of production-grade uranium has risen tremendously (three-fold?) since the beginning of last year, thanks chiefly to huge Chinese purchases from Australia. And Tomás is probably right: in a crunch, small-country customers would be the first to suffer abatement of supply.

Now, if only we could replace the Peronist government of Argentina with an honest, sensible party . . . perhaps the UCR . . . .

hot off the wire

CALAMA, Chile, March 25 (Reuters) - French utility Suez (LYOE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it was studying building a thermoelectric complex in central Chile, at least six hydroelectric plants in the south and two windfarms.

Suez said it had already bought a 1,000-hectare plot near the central city of La Serena for its 'Barrancones' thermoelectric project, where it aims to build three units each with a capacity of 180 megawatts.

"The investment is similar to that in our other thermal power plant. Between $800 million and $1 billion," Manlio Alessi, president of Suez Energy Andino, said during a presentation in the northern city of Calama.

The environmental impact study was presented to authorities late last year, and the project is expected to come on line by 2012.

The firm is already building a thermoelectric project in northern Chile.

Chile imports nearly all of the fuel it consumes and higher energy costs have dampened industrial and mining growth, key to Chile's economic growth.

Compounding matters, hydroelectric output is down because of low reservoir water levels amid the worst drought in decades.

President Michelle Bachelet last week signed an energy law that requires electric utilities to invest in and supply nonconventional energy sources, seeking to diversify energy sources to counter a serious shortage as it tries to feed its lynchpin copper industry. (Reporting by Monica Vargas, Editing by Simon Gardner and Christian Wiessner)

if i got it correctly, today is no nuclear power in south america. i believe that is not good to be first country with nuclear energy in the continent, but very good being the second. if anybody wants that in chile let them build one or two between the santiago and vina del mar.

like it was said here before, the most important for efficient use of electricity is small distance from source to final user. maybe some big sources of any kind of energy should be near 5-7 biggest chilean cities. the rest of the country could live quite well with small hydroplants (you told a lot about it in other topic), small modern burners of wood or even better from leftovers of wood industry, or small solarplants. for 5 to 20 houses. using combinations of solutions.

i'm sure that government help like in some countries do help. but i'm also sure that reality is that we live in the world where everyone should know by himself what he/she/it want and start searching a way in that direction. if government helps by the way great and if not, there must be other way.

here around there is topic with prices of burning wood. with thermo insulation houses in chile had it means a great sum of money for many chilean families. it doesn't really change anything if they burn wood from their yard. when you pay a lot for something you are willing to think about it.

maybe average chilean family really can't buy modern high tech system for houses with no need for any external source of energy, but i believe that chilean architects and engineers are able to construct very efficient system of housing for all those persons who can afford.

if it is only about money...

well, i believe that living in clean environment is not a fact which will happen. nor something that "should" be. just something you can dream about. and than you just have to do something for your dream without waiting for someone to help.

not governments, we could do what we want.

you can buy a fancy car or for same money build plant which produces electricity you can even sell. chile had a lot of sun and rain. wind and tides.

small is beautiful. something that doesn't really sounds like chile. well, at least not at the first ball.

i like chile. not just that i believe that chile is a country with very good chances for very interesting future. and somehow become part of my dreams.

and of course, i need something.... if by any chance, any of you know of a rather young enthusiastic architects and constructing engineers in southern chile that would like to have fun?

if yes, for any hint thanks in advance.

Argentina has 3 nuclear power plants, Atocha 1 was build in the 70s, Brazil has -if I am not wrong- 2 nuclear plants operating. Anyway I think nuclear is not a good choice for a small country like Chile, not at least having own underdeveloped hydroelectric capacity. Provided they are built minimizing environmental damage I think Chile must start using all the available potential. Centrales de paso are also good choice where are technically and economically convenient.

Didn't know there was nuclear plants around.

Done right I have no problem with nuclear energy. I use microwaves.

One plant would likly go a long way to solving Chile's energy problems for many years.

The problem in the states is that the government corruption involved in maintaining and regulating them has been so bad that no one wants to build them anymore. We have a lot of old falling down nuclear plants operating, that are poorly regulated, and no one has a real plan for handling the nuclear waist even though the U.S. government was suppose to take care of it.

European countries and Russia has offered to build a nuclear plant in Chile, the location would be in Antofagasta where, besides the nearby with cooper mines would serve also for desalinize water from sea solving the big problem of potable water in the area. There has been also proposals to receive nuclear waste residues to be buried in Atacama desert, it is an ideal area in technical terms due the lack of rain, and the salt-rock soil, note that big quakes (6 to 8 Richter or more) cause relatively few damages in north of Chile due the exceptional quality of soil in desert. With good technical standards probably would be not bad idea to receive this waste material in exchange for energy, money of something so. I think it would be much safer compared with the actual circuit of nuclear waste to Japan and then to African countries with minimal safety standards (if any).

Argentina is very advanced in nuclear science since Peron in the 50s, when many ex nazi scientists was accepted as refugees, same as Brazil, many chilean nuclear physicists go to obtain its PHD to Campinas in Brazil.