It is not true that nuclear is cheaper

We cannot make our voices heard. The ears of this government do not hear the screams of the citizens of this country.

To prevent the murder of women, women’s organizations have been saying Turkey should implement the treaties it has signed to stop violence against women for years.

Leave alone implementing, the “Committee to Research Violence against Women,” which was formed by the parliament, excludes women’s organizations which have struggled for years for women’s rights. It is shunning the experiences and buildup of women’s organizations.

For months, there have been objections voiced about the bill known as the “Homeland security package” because it grants “disproportionate force” to the police and leaves the citizens stripped of their security and justice. Those who react saying this package is a blow to democracy, primarily the Istanbul Bar Association, cannot make their voices heard.

Ears are shut again.

On the night of the Shah Fırat operation, despite all the objections of the opposition deputies, the first 10 articles of the controversial homeland security package were approved.

Doctors in the Mediterranean city Mersin are also among those whose voices are not heard. Doctors in this city organized a march to draw attention to the damages to human health and to the environment of the planned nuclear power plant to be built at Akkuyu.

Head of the Mersin Chamber of Medicine, Galip Kırıcı, said it was their duty to draw attention to health issues which could stem from the Akkuyu plant. “It is expensive to cure health problems caused by nuclear plants. It is a shame to leave nuclear wastes for future generations,” he said.

Of course, this call from the doctors in Mersin also fell on deaf ears, even though the issue is important for Turkey’s future.

Greenpeace has issued information on “Nuclear Facts” telling us why it is important.  

According to Greenpeace, in 2013, there were 50 less nuclear plants operating in the world compared to 2002. The share of nuclear energy is decreasing in global energy consumption. In 1996, the share of nuclear energy was 17.6 percent; in 2013 it was 10.8 percent.

It is a strange situation; Turkey is engaged in nuclear energy at a time when the world is giving up on nuclear energy.

There are two important aspects that concern Turkey in this research. The economic loss from the Fukushima accident in Japan is $500 billion. This corresponds to approximately 75 percent of Turkey’s gross national product. In other words, a possible accident in Akkuyu means a disaster for the Turkish economy.

The second important aspect is that nuclear energy is not cheap. 

The setup cost for solar energy per kilowatt is $1570, while wind energy is $2070 and nuclear energy is $4166.

When the electricity purchase price is compared, the EPDK’s average price per kilowatt was 6.5 cents for 2014.

Akkuyu nuclear plant’s price is 12 cents per kilowatt. No matter how you measure it, nuclear power plants are not suitable solutions to meet Turkey’s energy deficit.

According to the survey “Turkey’s Changing Energy Consumer” conducted by Accenture consulting company, 72 percent of consumers in Turkey want solar panels set up on their roofs.

While the citizens are saying “solar energy” the state is saying “nuclear energy,” shutting its ears to all demands.