April From The Manager

As I am writing this, the ultimate outcome of Japan’s nuclear plant disaster as result of the earthquake and tsunami, is still unknown. One thing that is for certain is: many people here in the United States will be questioning whether we should be utilizing nuclear energy as a source for our future electric energy needs. Access Energy Cooperative along with other electric cooperatives in Iowa and Missouri are supporting legislation in both Iowa and Missouri that would keep nuclear power as a viable option for our future energy needs. 
 
In light of the tragedy that is playing out in Japan, concerns about these pieces of legislation are understandable.  The major concern of both supporter and critic is the safety of nuclear power. One result of the accident in Japan will be a review of safety systems at existing plants and any new plants to be constructed.  One important thing to remember is the Japanese nuclear plants survived the earthquake which was more than 100 times more powerful than the plant was designed for. What actually caused the damage was the flooding caused by the tsunami. It destroyed the backup power which supplied cooling water for the plants. Some of the new designs for nuclear power plants do not require electric pumps for their cooling and some do not even use water for cooling.
 
As the graph attached shows, nuclear power costs compare favorably to our other alternatives for future base-load generation. Base-load generation plants are those facilities which can produce power anytime you need it. Examples from the chart would be natural gas, biomass, coal, nuclear and geothermal. Each has its strengths and weaknesses; but of all of these base-load options, only nuclear has no emissions.  While hydro, solar, and wind are valuable resources with no emissions, none of these can be counted on to be available when you need power. Regardless of which options we pursue for our future generation needs, safety and affordability will be our main considerations.
 
Again this month, I am wishing another employee a happy retirement. On April 1, Dave Harwood ended his over-thirty-four-year career at the cooperative. Dave began his career at the cooperative as our mechanic and finished as one of our staking technicians. Many of you who have built new services over the years have worked with Dave. 
 
In closing this month I want to remind you that April is Nation Donate a Life Month. It is a time to recognize the tremendous generosity of those people who are or have been organ donors. As some of you know, eight and a half years ago I was among the over 90,000 Americans waiting for a donor and probably wouldn’t be writing this article if it was not for the kindness of a donor. Becoming a donor is easy, you can sign up when you renew your driver’s license or you can register one line at www.iowadonorregistry.org. If you have signed up to be an organ donor I want to personally thank you. If you have not signed up yet, I want to encourage you to please become one.