Norris McDonald | Are nuclear talks an effort to bamboozle by a trust-deficit Gov’t?

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions!” – St Bernard of Clairvaux

Jamaican poor people and the middle class have been plagued by high light bills.

While the average price, comparative charges for electric services in America, is US$0.13 per kilowatt-hour, Jamaicans are paying as high as US$0.55 per kilowatt-hour.

The Jamaican consumer even pays more than twice the rate of the World Bank’s estimated US$0.25 per kilowatt-hour paid by the other Caribbean countries.

Why are Jamaican consumers paying higher light bills than Americans and the rest of the Caribbean, perhaps worse services?

Having electric light in your house is about spiritual well-being, health, and safety. But while JPS made over US$1 billion in 2022, it has been against the background of increased complaints of high light bills.

JAMAICA ‘GAAN’ NUCLEAR

Now suddenly, we hear the wonderful plans by Prime Minister Andrew Holness that Jamaica is to build a nuclear power plant to help solve these problems!

Fantastic!

One of the cheapest, small nuclear power plant the Holness government could get is the General Electric-Hitachi, 300-megawatt (MW) plant. It cost roughly US$1.5 billion to build.

But this is before we add money for environmental impact study; nuclear power plant design; licensing fees; potential cost overrun; continued maintenance charges; and charges for ongoing nuclear fuel imports.

Cost overruns are likely to occur in building a nuclear power plant, a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study says. Costs could therefore balloon by several billion dollars.

How will indebted, poverty-stricken Jamaica pay for all this? From more loans?

And even if a nuclear power plant was financially feasible, there are the grave risks of potential nuclear disaster, which would be extremely disastrous for Jamaica.

There have been several major nuclear plants disasters that, among other things, helped the move away from nuclear energy.

TERRIBLE DISASTERS

In 1979, America had one of “the worst commercial disaster” with the meltdown in reactor number two at Three Mile Island, Mid-Town, Pennsylvania. It had a devastating impact on humans and the environment. In fact, the area is regarded as radioactive even up to today.

And then there is the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in the former Soviet Union (in a region that is today’s Ukraine).

“An estimated five million people currently living in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are contaminated with radionuclides,” the United Nations said, in a June 9, 2005 analysis, because of the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion.

Radionuclides are cancer-causing nuclear elements. Chernobyl and surrounding areas are now considered a nuclear wasteland.

The environmental impacts of the Fukushima 2011 nuclear plant meltdown in Japan are still being felt. Nuclear-tainted wastewater is now being dumped into the sea, much to chagrin of Japan’s neighbours.

Are we willing to face such grave risks?

‘POPPYSHOW’ NUCLEAR PLANS

Tourism earnings has been a lifeblood sustaining the Jamaican economy. Is it worth the risk of having radioactive nuclear wastes seeping into Jamaican groundwater or the Caribbean Sea?

Even if there are some private-sector investments, which I think is unlikely, the Jamaican Government would have to borrow billions of dollars to fund this project.

Wouldn’t this drastically increase the national debt burden on poor people and the middle class? Also, where will the specialist come from to operate Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ nuclear power plant? Nuclear specialists don’t grow on Jamaican guango trees.

And let’s not forget that this Government, with a prime minister and its ministers, in my opinion, who benefited from the Michael Manley free education system, has undermined national education.

Let’s not forget, too, that they had a minister of education, Ruel Reid, who stands accused of reportedly scamming $50 million.

Maybe Mr Holness could have used this money to train nuclear specialist for his power plant! Word! What do you think?

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Public Service, which delivers light and power, is a post-colonial relic, in my opinion, that is clearly not up to the tasks.

JPS could have been pushing modernisation if they wanted to, and ought to have invested rapidly in quick-rate-of-return investment, such as solar energy.

TRUST-DEFICIT LEGACY

Now, here we are, with the political agenda being changed, talking about nuclear power plant.

Why has the Government not focused on a previous environmental disaster, the bauxite red mud lakes? What about the plans to process lithium from bauxite red mud? Is this plan still on the agenda?

Rio Cobre River chemical pollution is another major national disgrace that was not properly addressed by this Government. But here we are without the environmental experts, brain-dead, sleepwalking into a potential nuclear disaster.

Are they serious or, is this just political distractions by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his trust-deficit government?

My dear friends, with a general election upcoming, and they are trailing in the polls, do you really think this trust-deficit Holness government really want to talk about:

• Betraying Venezuela, who has been a great friend to Jamaica, and the massive Petrojam scandal?

• The huge Ruel Reid money scandal in which over $50 million was reportedly scammed from the education ministry?

• The alleged wicked scamming of Usain Bolt in the reported Stocks & Securities Ltd financial scandal?

• Picking a fight with Maroons to seize historical lands for Japanese and American companies to engage in mining, including for gold; with the risks of arsenic used in this process, seeping in the groundwater? and

• Giving themselves a massive pay raise, while Jamaicans ‘deh suffa’ increased poverty and economic hardships?

ENDEMIC PROBLEMS

Why is Prime Minister Andrew Holness talking about nuclear power and not Jamaica’s ‘the endemic water woes’ faced by people in Pondside, Cascade, Claremont, Walkerswood and Gimme-mi-bit residents are solved?

Having adequate and clean drinking water supply are national priorities. People don’t pay taxes to be told it went to pay a foreign debt they never created.

Responsible leader and government are what they want to solve their urgent daily needs, while competently managing the country’s affairs.

My friends, given the past experiences of untrustworthiness by this Government, it is extremely difficult, in my opinion,

This new talk about a Jamaican nuclear power plant, to me, therefore, may well be nothing more than a dazzling general election gimmick; just a Lance Gibbs-type of spin bowling, being done just to bamboozle people. At least that is what I think!

That is just ‘the bitta truth’!

Norris McDonald is a respiratory therapist, economic journalist, and political analyst. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.