Last Friday the United States and Chile signed an accord with the hopes to help the country develop a nuclear energy program. Chile imports nearly all of their energy and with hopes of bridging a predicted energy gap in the decades to come, have been considering constructing their our nuclear reactors.
The accord calls for cooperation in areas that deal with operation and utilization of nuclear reactors, safety,radioactive waste management and scientific exchange; with specific focus on the training of nuclear engineers.
Although, things have become complicated following Japan's devastating earthquake and fears regarding the spread of radiation throughout the Asian country. The recent disaster has reopened Chilean concerns regarding last year's 8.8- magnitude earthquake that destroyed cities throughout the country.
Chile's mining and energy minister, Laurence Golborne, signed a similar accord with France last month, but recently stated that the Chilean government will need to study the situation in Japan prior to committing to a nuclear program. He stated that due to recent occurrences the country may decide against investing in this type of energy. More sustainable renewable sources of energy are being considered in place of nuclear energy, such as, solar, wind, and geothermal. Chile is looking at Japan's destruction as a warning sign. They are taking into consideration that their country is prone to earthquakes and the construction of nuclear reactors could ultimately lead to a catastrophe of epic proportions.
While concerns are understandable, officials are troubled about what impacts the country's limited imports of energy and an outdated power grid will have on the growth of the Chilean economy. Chile's electricity demands have been steadily increasing at 6% each year and the country will need to double their supplies over the next 12 years if this continues. More than half of this will have to come from fossil fuels if nuclear energy is not part of Chile's future.
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