Friday, May 8, 2020

Using the Concept of Cost Per Word For Essay Writing

Using the Concept of Cost Per Word For Essay WritingIf you are an English major, then you might be familiar with the concept of cost per word for essay writing. Though it might not have happened to you yet, you must know that this is one of the best tools available to English teachers that they can use in order to avoid plagiarism.English teachers do a lot of research on the internet and especially in libraries. They spend a great deal of time looking at every word that is used in an essay or dissertation because they want to ensure that all their essays and dissertations do not contain any plagiarized words.One way to ensure that these essays do not contain plagiarized content is by ensuring that the essay has a comprehensive compilation of research material in it. This would involve knowing how much a word cost, as well as how much research is needed to get one word.In order to be able to understand the actual cost of each word, you should look at the word as a whole. This means th at you should also look at the variations of the word. For example, if you are researching the word 'class', you will know that there are so many variations of this word, depending on how you want to put it.So you might need different articles about this one word. If you are going to use one of the common variations of the word, then you will only need to research a small portion of it. You might need to research three words to get the research material for that one word.On the other hand, if you were to do a complete article on the same word, then you will need to research more than seven or eight words. This means that you will need to know what research material is required for each word. The only way that you can actually make a straight comparison is to look at the cost of each word.One word might cost the same as another word. However, if you were to get all of the research material for every word, then you would know that all the words are worth the same amount. Since this is the case, then you would not need to consider these words as part of the research materials.It is important to know how much research is required to write an essay, which is why the concept of cost per word for essay writing is such a useful tool to teachers. In order to ensure that you are never caught plagiarizing, all you need to do is to look at how much each word costs and then figure out how much the research material is going to cost.

College English Composition Essay Samples - How To Choose The Right One

College English Composition Essay Samples - How To Choose The Right OneThe truth is that if you want to make use of college English composition essay samples, then you should give some thought before taking them. It is true that the essays written by these people can become very helpful to you if you want to write your own. However, you have to be careful about choosing the right ones.The main thing that you have to consider while deciding on the essay sample is its length. It is not possible for you to write an essay if it is not written properly. Therefore, you should take into consideration the length of the essay when choosing the essay. In addition, the title of the essay should also be short. For this reason, you should also keep the attention of the reader on the title of the essay.The second point that you have to consider while deciding on the college English composition essay samples is the topic. There are many topics that are considered as essays in today's world. You can choose between topics that relate to the subject that you want to teach at school.Other topics are the writing style and structure of the essay. If you plan to teach in a language class then the format of the essay may differ from the others. Therefore, you should choose the right essay.You can find many sites that provide the perfect essay sample. Therefore, you should always check for the sites and see whether they provide different formats to select the right one. However, there are some points that you need to consider before selecting the one that is suitable for you.One of the points that you should consider is the number of writers that are present in the site when you try to compare the perfect college English composition essay samples. Usually, if you look at the number of writers, you can get the idea whether it is a site which can help you in writing your own essay. If you are unable to do so, then you can avoid visiting such sites.If you are interested in using the coll ege English composition essay samples, then you should be careful about the ones that you choose. There are many sites that offer so many choices but it is necessary that you select one that will be useful to you. In addition, you should make sure that the sample is written by a native speaker of English.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Community Population Study Essay - 3072 Words

COMMUNITY POPULATION STUDY AND NEED For this essay, the chosen population are wards within the Tonbridge and Malling area. Tonbridge and Malling borough has a population of 117,1001 in an area of 24,013 hectares, and is divided into 26 electoral wards. According to the Tonbridge and Malling Local Authority Health Inequalities Profile April 2010 Tonbridge and Malling is an affluent borough that contains small pockets of deprivation, it has one of the widest gaps in life expectancy in Kent between the richest and poorest wards. The gap in life expectancy between the wards with the highest and lowest wards is of 8.7 years which is one of the widest gaps in Kent. Only 1400 people live in the most deprived national quintile. For this†¦show more content†¦The DOH (Healthy Lives, Healthy People 2011) states Public health has a clear priority ,and is seen as a core part of business across Government and is supported with the resources to ensure the focus on public health interventions is maintained; and the commitm ent to reduce health inequalities is a priority for all parts of the public health system, drawing on the Marmot review ( Marmot, M. (2010) Fair Society, Healthy Lives) to address the wider determinants of health and complementing the role of the NHS to reduce inequalities in access to and outcome from health services. Sarah Cowley (Community Public Health in Policy and Practice) 2nd edition (2008) p.4 states â€Å"The definition of health needs in respect of health improvement is more complex than its clinical counterparts, as it concerns whole populations and determinants of health.† http://www.nice.org.uk/niceMedia/documents/hna.pdf 2002 states that a Health needs assessment is a systematic review of the health issues facing a population leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities. Several definitions of health needs assessment are possible. In general terms, the purpose of a health needs assessment is to improve the health of a whole population and to target resources towards improving the health of those at specific risk or in under-served population subgroups. Mackintosh et al. (1998: 18)Show MoreRelatedDemographics And Overview Of Cities2183 Words   |  9 Pagesblossoming agricultural economy, led to the immigration of Mexican-American and Asian-American laborers to seek employment in this area (Singleton 49-50). The issue of homelessness grew hand in hand with the ever growing economy. The focus of the study of homelessness was on two cities in particular, El Monte and Baldwin Park, but an overview of the Service Planning Area 3 gives a better starting point in viewing the area. The physical location of the San Gabriel Valley (right) is east of the cityRead MoreReview of Ordinary Resurrections by Jonathan Kozol Essay2135 Words   |  9 PagesIn his book, Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope, Jonathan Kozol pulls back the veil and provides readers with a glimpse of the harsh conditions and unrelenting hope that exists in a community located in the South Bronx called Mott Haven. Mr. Kozol provides his own socially conscious and very informative view of the issues facing the children and educators in this poverty ravaged neighborhood. Just his commentary would paint a very bleak picture of the future. It is the wordsRead MoreEssay on Amazing Grace1770 Words   |  8 Pages In this book, the children speak openly and honestly about feeling abandoned, hidden or forgotten by our nation, one that is blind to their problems. Studying the people themselves would only get us so far in understanding what their community is really like and why they feel this way. Jonathan Kozol really got to know the people individually. We can take his knowledge and stories to try for a better understanding of the environment in which they live. By doing this, we can exploreRead MoreEssay on Review of Ordinary Resurrections by Jonathan Kozol2139 Words   |  9 PagesOrdinary Resurrections by Jonathan Kozol In his book, Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope, Jonathan Kozol pulls back the veil and provides readers with a glimpse of the harsh conditions and unrelenting hope that exists in a community located in the South Bronx called Mott Haven. Mr. Kozol provides his own socially conscious and very informative view of the issues facing the children and educators in this poverty ravaged neighborhood. Just his commentary would paint a very bleakRead MoreAnalysis And Synthesis Of Community Mental Health Services930 Words   |  4 PagesThere are several various community mental health services available through my research. 3 out of 3 study argued not enough study or research done with their strategies and their studied are in preliminary results. However, those projects can give us a good starting point to expand community mental health services and develop access for those suffer with mental illness. Bently, (1994) discusses â€Å"optimistic view† of community mental health services. Goal of community mental health services shouldRead MoreEcological Study Of The Honey Bees And The Flowers1479 Words   |  6 Pagesscientific study of the relationships between organisms, the interactions between organisms and their environment, and the processes involved in the distribution of organisms. Flowers pollinated by honey bees in the middle of a field can be studied ecologically. For instance: the species of honey bee inhabiting this field of flowers can be analyzed, the amount of honey bees of this particular species found on this field can be calculated, and the factors affecting the honey bee population can be investigatedRead MoreEssay On Sexually Transmitted Diseases1740 Words   |  7 Pagesexamines five peer reviewed studies that report on results from research conducted about sexually transmitted diseases. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between social disparities and sexually transmitted diseases in Dallas and Collin Counties. There are certain people who are predisposed to being at a greater risk for transmitting sexually transmitted diseases in the United States given their demographic and socioeconomic status. The studies have shown without access toRead MoreThe Impact of Sea Otters on Marine Ecology Essay1217 Words   |  5 Pagesimpact of predator-prey interaction on community ecology. Sea otters are keystone predators, whose presence has a far-reaching influence on the marine food web by affecting the population of sea urchins in particular, and kelp forests other marine organisms in general. There has been a steep decline in sea otter populations due to water pollution and exploitation for furs. This has affected marine ecology adversely. This study, therefore, focuses on the community ecology of sea otters and their impactRead MoreA Report From The Philippine Statistics Authority ( Psa )1471 Words   |  6 Pa gesPhilippine population is projected to increase to 142 million according to the latest 2010 Census-based population projections. Around 50 million people would be added in a span of 35 years. This increase in numbers would take place even if the average annual growth rate is projected to decline significantly, from 1.73 percent during 2010-2015 to 0.65 percent during 2040-2045. The Philippine population grew by 1.9 percent annually during the decade 2000-2010. Together with the population growth ofRead MoreMental Health Needs And The Process Of Cross Cultural Adaptation1175 Words   |  5 Pagesmiddle- income countries (LMIC), there are well-known mental health needs and treatments gaps. †¢ The current study identifies mental health needs and treatment gaps which are examined in the literatures. Also, the authors describe the process of an intervention selection to meet the particular population’s needs and the process of cross-cultural adaptation. †¢ In the current study, community-based participatory research (CBCR) principles which is a Multi-phased, Collaborative, Design, Implementation

They are our grandparents, our relatives, our frie Essay Example For Students

They are our grandparents, our relatives, our frie Essay nds. Theyare the immigrants. They came from all over the world for manyreasons, such as, religious persecution and racial tension, but thelargest reason for coming to America was for freedom. The freedom tolive where we want, to own property, to take part in the governmentand most importantly, the freedom to be treated like a human being. Coming over was extremely difficult. For some, there weregood, seaworthy boats, but most boats were overcrowded, dirty, anddisgusting. For Jews, the passage was extremely difficult because ofthe non-kosher ship food. People were pushed together like cattle. Most people became seasick. From one account came descriptions ofunsanitary bathrooms. This, surely, must have been torture, but,hopefully, most immigrants found the dreadful trip to be worth thefreedom at the other end. Ellis Island, also, was far from sanitary. The people wouldbreak down into lines, and walk by a doctor, trying to hide anyphysical problems. Children over two had to be able to walk bythemselves. If the doctor noticed anything wrong he would use a pieceof chalk to show the person required further inspection. If, this wasindeed the case, the person would be set aside in a cage. Another test was that of sanity. An interpreter would ask eachperson a few questions just to find a sensible answer to test mentalstability. The last and most feared doctor checked for disease bylifting the eyelid. He scared children, and probably spread moredisease than the people he checked. From an eyewitness account, hisgloves were not sterile, and he did not change or even wash thembetween examinations. I, myself, found this disgusting, and dangerous. Then, immigrants filed into lines by nationality to bequestioned. The questions scared many people. Should they tell thetruth or lie. Which answer would make sure that they could stay inAmerica. Later, for Jews, help came. A group called the HebrewImmigrant Aid Society, (HIAS) told them to tell the truth, and helpedthem through the period between leaving the boat and getting settledin the west. Some officials were corrupt, and allowed bribes. Thismakes me wonder, if this was the land of freedom and justice as it hadbeen claimed. Through the ordeal, one thing is certain. All of theimmigrants passing through Ellis Island were scared and confused. Itwas one feeling that most of these people would probably be exposed tofor the next few months. There were many restrictions. People with certain diseaseswould be sent back. Laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, would notlet certain nationalities into America. In the early twentieth centuryit was decided that Japanese people would not be allowed into America. This was surely not the land of liberty that had been promised by ourforefathers. One of the nationalities traveling to America were Jews. They were treated somewhat differently. This was probably becausemany of their countries would not accept them. The first Jews in the new world were Morranos from Spain. Theyfled their homeland because of the inquisition. They traveled fromSpain to South America, and then to New Amsterdam. They, at first wererejected by Peter Stuyvesant, but petitioned the Dutch West IndiaCompany of Amsterdam, Holland, and, eventually were let into thecolony. Stuyvesant was determined to make life hard for the Jews, andtherefore denied them the right to build a synagogue. Luckily, for theJews, the colony was soon to be taken over by the British. Undercertain British naturalization laws, the Jews were able to build asynagogue in the colony. .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db , .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .postImageUrl , .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db , .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:hover , .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:visited , .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:active { border:0!important; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:active , .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub198640d3dc66dd4348a36aaebeea3db:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Organizational behavior EssayJews in Savannah were accepted, but only to a degree. This wasbecause of Samuel Nunes, a Jewish doctor who helped to stop a diseasethat had already killed many people. Even then, Jews were given landaway from the main town. In the American Revolution Jews did not takeany specific sides. Some believed that the freedom that they hadgained under the English rule would be lost. Other felt that the taxeswere too high and joined the Patriots. Later, in the Civil War, Jews took sides as everyone else. Their location meant everything. Jews in the north sided with theUnion, and Jews in the south sided with the Confederacy. Unfortunately, a law was passed by Congress forbidding JewishChaplains in the Union army. Congress later passed a law stating thatchaplains had to be ministers of some religious denomination, whichincluded Christian ministers and Jewish rabbis. Then, more trouble came for the Jews. Ulysees S. Grant orderedthat all Jews in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee were to beremoved. Fortunately, Lincoln cancelled the order as soon as he foundout. Later, between 1880 and 1925, many Jews came to America to escapeanti semitism. One of the acts of anti-semitism was church supportedviolence against Jews in Eastern Europe (before World War I), whichwas legal. There were also laws which discriminated against Jews. InRussia, a czar had been assassinated, and Jews were blamed out of fearof a revolution. This caused a flood of immigrants into the UnitedStates. Most of Americas famous people are descended from immigrantsif they are not immigrants themselves. People, like Albert Einstein, afamous physicist, and Henry Kissinger, who was Secretary of State, andhelped to open up negotiations with China, were Jewish immigrants. People like Bob Hope, who was born in England, have contributed richlyto our culture. Charlie Chaplin, also from England, was a silent moviestar. America is made of many different cultures, all of which havecontributed to the American way of life. Jews contributed doctors andlawyers. Japanese are computer and business contributors. Koreans arewell educated and have been involved in many professional, technical,and managerial careers. African Americans have contributed music,science, literature, entertainment, and many other things to ourculture. Our culture is derived from many different ones, and cannotbe broken down into which group contributes what because each grouphas done so much. All this proves that Americans are not just one people. We areindividuals from different cultures. We are different, but we are allAmericans. BibliographyAsian Americans Groliers Online Encyclopedia. 1991 ed. Chinese Exclusion Act Groliers Online Encyclopedia. 1991 ed. Ellis Island Funk Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. 1986 ed. Fallows, James. The Mind of Japan U.S. News and World Report 2December 1983: 36Howe, Irving. World of Our Fathers. New York and London: HarcourtBrace Jovanovich, 1976Interview with Mollie Greenblatt, Brooklyn, New York 1991Interview with Nathan Laks, Elizabeth, New Jersey 1991Kenvin, Helen Schwartz. This Land of Liberty A History of AmericasJews. West Orange, New Jersey: Behrman House Publishers, 1986.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Title The Contenders For The Presidential Election Of 1856, The Democ

Title: The Contenders For the presidential election of 1856, the Democrats nominated James Buchanan and John Breckenridge, the newly formed Republican party nominated John Fremont and William Drayton, the American [or Know-Nothing] party nominated former president Millard Fillmore and Andrew Donelson, and the Abolition Party nominated Gerrit Smith and Samuel McFarland. Buchanan started his political career as a state representative in Pennsylvania, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1821, appointed minister to Russia in 1832, and elected US Senator in 1834. He was appointed Secretary of State in 1845 by President Polk and in that capacity helped forge the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican War. He was appointed by President Polk as minister to Great Britain in 1853. As such, he, along with the American ministers to Spain and France, issued the Ostend Manifesto, which recommended the annexation of Cuba to the United States. This endeared him to southerners, who assumed Cuba would be a slave state. He was one of several northerners supported over the years by southern Democrats for being amenable to slaveholders' interests, a situation originating with Martin van Buren. Buchanan's two major rivals for the nomination, Franklin Pierce and Stephen Douglas, were both politically tainted by the bloodshed in Kansas. Buchanan was untainted, since he had been abroad during most of the controversy. Even so, he did not secure the nomination until the seventeenth ballot. Fremont was best known as an explorer and a war hero. He surveyed the land between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, explored the Oregon Trail territories and crossed the Sierra Madres into the Sacramento Valley. As a captain in the Army, he returned to California and helped the settlers overthrow Mexican rule in what became known as the Bear Flag Revolution, a sidebar to the Mexican War. He was elected as one of California's first two Senators. The infant Republican party was born from the ashes of the Whig party, which had suffered spontaneous combustion as a result of the slavery issue. The party's convention was a farce; only northern states and a few border slave states sent delegates. Sticking to their Whig roots, they nominated a war hero, albeit a minor one. William Drayton's runner-up for the VP slot was Abraham Lincoln. Fillmore, having been the thirteenth president following the death of Zachary Taylor, found himself representing the American party after many northern delegates left the convention over a rift caused by the slavery issue. Their objection was that the party platform was not strong enough against the spread of slavery. The party's vice presidential nominee was a nephew of Andrew Jackson and the editor of the Washington Union. The party, also known as the Know-Nothings, was extremely antagonistic towards immigrants, Catholics and other assorted minorities. The party was born in 1850, when several covert "N ative American" societies joined together, their secret password being "I know nothing." Smith was nominated by the Abolition party in New York, which had nominated Frederick Douglass for New York secretary of state the year before under the label New York Liberty Party. The Campaign: Neither Buchanan nor Fremont campaigned themselves. Republicans declared Buchanan dead of lockjaw. Fremont, however, had a splendid campaign substitute, his beautiful wife Jessie, prompting "Oh Jessie!" campaign buttons. The Democrats tried desperately to avoid the slavery issue altogether, opting instead to pursue the conservative effort to preserve the Union. The Republicans, on the other hand, actively attacked slavery. Their campaign slogan was "Free Soil, Free Men, Freedom, Fremont". [Shields-West, pgs 78 The self-serving efforts of Stephen Douglas did more to mold the campaign of 1856 than did any other single event. Although he did not intentionally destroy the North-South balance create d by the Compromise of 1850, his focused quest for the White House caused him to make some foolish choices. Douglas coveted a rail head in Chicago for the new transcontinental railroad. This would make Chicago a major trade center for the country, not unlike New York City when the Erie Canal was completed. He knew increased economic power for his home state would translate as increased political power for him. The South, on the other hand, wanted the rail head located in

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The use and importance of official crime statistics Research Paper Example

The use and importance of official crime statistics Research Paper Example The use and importance of official crime statistics Paper The use and importance of official crime statistics Paper This paper will consider which activities are officially counted as crime and feature in the official crime statistics, opening with a view as to why some activities do, whilst others, quite clearly and equally criminal, do not figure amongst these official statistics. This approach acknowledges that not all crimes, for whatever reasons, are reported to or acted upon by the police. We will consider serious and dangerous activities that some may deem equally criminal but which never find their way into the official statistics as a result of what Steven Box identifies as ideological mystification. Having examined this paradoxical situation, we will consider the futility of using crime statistics in the tracking of crimes, and in the implementation of measures against them. Before addressing this question, it would be helpful to be aware of what official criminal statistics represent in reality, and what they can actually tell us. Given this understanding, it seems that we can never be completely sure that the data, which represent certain activities as crime, fully reflects the true extent to which crime is being committed. There are many variables that need to be taken account of, such as the number of pursuits legally counted as crimes that are actually being reported to, and recorded by, the police. The most important issue here is the requirement for consistency in recording; yet the discretion that we know to be open to, and exercised by, the police affords them the freedom to manipulate the records in order to suit some hidden agenda or ulterior motive (e. g. he need for the police to meet Key Performance Indicators; or attempts to show crime as being higher or lower than the figures would in actual fact suggest), thus allowing the statistics to be constructed in such a way as to mislead and misinform politicians and the general public about the level of crime in our society. Therefore, if we do not have a clear picture from true and accurate statistics, it would appear to be futile to rely on these for the purposes of tracking crime or, indeed, in applying the measures taken against it. The dark figure of crime (unrecorded crimes) is not represented within the official criminal statistics. These unrecorded crimes can include anything from the pilfering of property in the workplace, to vandalism and the violent abuse of women and children within the home, (Muncie, J. 1998). These are crimes more usually picked up in self-reports or victimisation studies conducted by the British Crime Study (BCS) and which can be said to illustrate something of the disparity existent between the official statistics and peoples life experience of crimes. In 1982 and 1984, the BCS suggested that only about half of known crime is reported to the police. Since this is the case, and given the fact that very little is known about the bulk of criminal activity in Britain, the official crime statistics are far from representative of the reality of crime in Britain and so are of very little use in informing policy measures taken against it; although it could be argued that they may be of some use to certain politicians wishing to embark upon a law and order campaign. It could also be argued that these statistics may be used to point the finger at certain sections of the populace for purely political reasons. Steven Box (1981), poses the powerful argument, for example, that criminal laws are little more than ideological constructions representing the interests of an influential ruling elite. Box argues that laws tend to focus on those victimizing behaviours that are considered more serious and given greater prominence in the public perception, as constituting the most serious of social problems and deserving of no less serious responses. Crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and burglary are clearly reflected within the official crime statistics as perpetrated by predominantly young men of low socio-economic status. Amongst these, the uneducated, unemployed and ethnic minorities are over-represented and form the bulk of the prison population. This apparently tells us that particular sections of the populace are the most likely perpetrators of crime and criminal activity within society. However, statistics such as these do not tell us that, as Box indicates, far more serious crimes and criminality occur on a regular basis yet go unnoticed. A large number of these offences are crimes committed by the rich and powerful, which are carried out on the relatively powerless; real people who suffer avoidable death and serious injury for want of the proper implementation of current health and safety regulations at work and elsewhere. Criminal law also excludes from protection consumers who have been sold faulty products through the malpractices of manufacturers, or shareholders that incur losses resulting from the deliberate mismanagement of a company by its directors or senior management. (Box, 1981). Thus, the official criminal statistics would appear actually to hide the crimes of the more powerful, wealthy and privileged individuals within society whilst simultaneously serving to overemphasize and overstate those criminal activities of the weak. This effectively distorts and renders unreliable the official picture of crime as portrayed by the state. In relation to our question, it would appear then that the official crime statistics are far from representative of the true extent and reality of crime in our society, and although the vast majority of people wish to be protected from the very real crimes featured in the official statistics, they are notoriously unreliable indicators of the incidence of crime or, indeed, of the types of crime being committed in contemporary Britain. Therefore, the remainder of the question seems to be a fruitless pursuit unless we wish to advocate various conspiracy theories and speak in terms of the official crime statistics serving purposes such as controlling targeted sections of the populace by tracking their particular activities and informing the measures taken in combating these, whilst simultaneously serving to cover up the crimes of the rich and powerful elite and distract attention from their activities. In point of fact, that line of argument would result in the assertion that the official crime statistics actually serve to help maintain this particular, current, status quo.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

A Study of the Conversion Options for the Bataan

T. S. undertook a study of the options for converting the Bataan Nuclear Power Station to fossil fuel (coal or natural gas) combustion. One aim of the study was to find another market for Philippine and Australian coal or natural gas (LNG). The essential question regarding the Bataan Reactor is: how to obtain a financial return from a very expensive power station that * has never produced electricity; * is costing the Philippinec State a sizeable sum in interest; and * has environmental, safety and social concerns over its use as a nuclear power station. The retrofitting of the turbine generator with a fossil fuel fired steam raising system was suggested as a means of utilising part of the plant, and obtaining some return for past and future expenditure. The report/proposal examined some options for fossil fuel firing, and compared those options with nuclear operation. Background The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1984, whilst construction commenced in 1976. It is a Westinghouse light water reactor, that uses pressurised water as it heat exchange medium between the reactor and the steam generators. Its design thermal capacity is 1876MW(t), whilst its rated power output is 621MW(e)1. The technology that is incorporated into the plant is essentially early seventies, but has been modified to incorporate more recent safety devices, such as those recommended by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after evaluation of the Three Mile Island incident. The plant, which was in the process of commissioning at the time of the EDSA revolution, has not been fired, although nuclear fuel was delivered to it storage facilities. Maintenance has continued, with the integrity of the plant and ancillaries being ensured. Conclusion of Study The Philippine Government has previously stated that the Philippines will have nuclear power, but that power will come from new plant and not the Bataan reactor. President Ramos announced on the 8th October 1994 that the Reactor would be converted to a 1000MW combined cycle gas plant. (Although an announcement for a specific conversion scheme has been made, it is still considered that there is time for other options to be considered. ) We found that conversion is technically possible, but economically unwise. New and dedicated coal or natural gas fired power plants would give much higher efficiencies, and thus would give the Philippines much better value per peso spent on fuel consumed. The M. E. T. T. S. ‘s study concluded that the only way of obtaining a reasonable return from the Bataan ‘machine’ is to use it as a nuclear power plant. Our report specifically came to the following conclusions: * That the use of the present ‘nuclear’ turbine/generator in a fossil fired system would be highly wasteful of energy (fuel), A new pulverised coal power station and/or combined cycle natural gas power stations at other site(s), would be a better investment in terms of fuel efficiency and levellised power costs, * The Bataan site is inappropriate for coal fired plant, due to environmental constraints and materials (coal and ash) handling problems, * More assessable sites could be found for co mbined cycle natural gas fired plants around Manila Bay, and Batangas, * The Bataan reactor has been maintained in a good condition since mothballing, and The reactor is of basically sound design and construction, and could with modest expenditure become one of the most modern and safest light water reactors in East Asia. To fire the plant as a nuclear facility, the sea water intakes to the condensers would need to be cleaned (with some equipment being replaced), some of the reactor monitoring systems would need to be further upgraded, whilst the second power transmission system would need to be reconstructed. Staff would need to be retrained and re-licenced. A description of the study is presented in the attached article by Clarke, Ebeling and Cordero. The article was presenred at The First Philippine International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management, Manila, January 1995. Options for the Conversion of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to Fossil Fuel Firing Dr. Michael C. Clarke, Director, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Mr. Douglas R. Ebeling, Associate, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Eng. Donato L. Cordero, Engineering Manager, Bataan Nuclear Power Plant The following Executive Summary of a major report formed the basis of a paper presented at the 1st Philippine Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand-side Management, Manila, January 1995. ) Capital costs and power generation costs are summarised in Table 1, for one coal conversion option, and the conversion of the plant to natural gas fired, combined cycle operation. For comparison purposes figures are also presented for the refurbishm ent, commissioning and running the plant as a nuclear power station. Electricity costs from nuclear operation are considerably cheaper than for ither the two conversion options. If power costs was the only criteria for operating the plant then nuclear firing would clearly win. Both coal and natural gas conversions will have environmental consequences for the region. By the installation of best available technology and the application of best available practice, the impact will be minimised. The cost of technology and practice however will increase the cost of electricity produced by the plant. Table 1. SUMMARY TABLE, FOSSIL FUEL CONVERSION OPTIONS, BNPP – Revision, March 1995 CONVERSION TO COALCONVERSION TO N. GASNUCLEAR COMPARISON POWER OUTPUT MW(e)8001700 620 ENERGY OUTPUT GWH5,600 (With FGD – 5400)12,2004,613 CAPITAL COST $USm750 (With FGD – 1070)1385380 (UPGRADE) Electricity Cost ? US/kWH4. 82 (With FGD – 5. 94) 5. 24, 4. 34 (FP $230/170)3. 50 Electricity Cost P/kWH1. 21 (With FGD – 1. 49)1. 31, 1. 09 (FP $230/170)0. 88 CAP. COST/POWER OUT0. 94 (With FGD – 1. 34)0. 810. 61 CONSTRUCTION TIME42 MONTHS4218. 24 FGD Flue Gas Desulphurisation (+ Selective Catalytic Reduction) FP Fuel Price, Natural Gas ($US230 /tonne for LNG, $US170 /tonne piped gas) – (Coal $US 55 / tonne) Notes on Table 1 For comparison purposes, the two fossil fuel conversion options and the nuclear comparison have each had the electricity cost based on a pay-back period of twenty years. In each case (for the table) it has been assumed that the full capital cost has been borrowed. When financing packages are being considered, different pay-back periods are likely to be used. The periods are likely to increase with increasing debt. With the natural gas conversion option, an equity contribution would probably be included, since a BOT financing scheme may be used, that ties gas production, reticulation and use into one commercial package. The electricity costs for coal and natural gas conversion are based on a reasonably optimistic scenarios, where no excessive ancillary capital works are charged against the plant. If environmental or other factors require such works, then increase in the electricity cost would occur. It is further considered that the plant required for conversion would be sourced from low cost countries; China, India, Australia, the Philippines etc, as far as possible. The costings for conversion are further premised on the use of the site allocated for construction of PNPP 2, in that it is supplied at no cost, and is geologically stable. If the time required for the construction and commissioning is crucial, then the upgrading of the plant as a nuclear station is clearly the preferred choice. Further, the financial analyses indicate that the nuclear firing of the plant offers the cheapest electricity. Given that the nuclear fuel price is likely to remain stable over the foreseeable future (as against likely rises for coal and natural gas), the nuclear upgrading# and operation offers greater financial certainty to investors. # M. E. T. T. S. ‘s estimate for upgrading the nuclear plant to 1997/8 standards is $US380m. It is backed by further external assessment, and includes new safety features. $US300m is the cost of a basic upgrading based on calculations carried out by the National Power Corporation. SUMMARY – COAL FIRING The conversion of the PNPP I plant to coal firing has some advantages. Coal technology is well proven, and only a small variation in the normal use of that technology is required to convert the plant. The power station will have a capacity similar to the design capacity for the nuclear plant, and will not be the largest plant in the new echelon of Luzon’s power facilities. The plant of 800 MW(e) capacity will be relatively inexpensive at a capital cost of $US505m – without Flue Gas Desulphurisation, Selective Catalytic Reduction, or excessive expenditure on coal or ash handling and ignoring the previous expenditure on the nuclear system. A construction and commissioning period of 42 months is envisaged. The coal option however offers unique co-economic opportunities. The ash waste product would be valuable if used in ancillary industry. By using the Lahar produced by the Pinatubo eruption as an aggregate, with the ash, iron oxide and cement, valuable building materials could be produced. The disadvantages include designing and fitting an environmentally acceptable coal fired power station into the Bataan region. The materials handling alone will create many environmental, management and operational difficulties. The infrastructure requirements for materials handling will also raise engineering and environmental questions that will need to be solved before construction begins. Other environmental questions concerning emission reduction and control must also be answered before work can commence. Another major disadvantage is the requirement for premium fuel, that is expensive in 1994, and in all probability will become relatively more expensive as the demand for ‘clean’ coal increases in the future. SUMMARY – NATURAL GAS FIRING (COMBINED CYCLE, GAS TURBINE) Natural gas provides the cleanest option for the conversion of the Bataan power station to fossil fuel firing. It further offers the most flexible power output to the grid. Options exist for running a part (or whole) of the plant as a single cycle peak load provider, or running the whole plant as a base load facility. The environmental hazard that would be created by such a plant is low compared to coal. Thermal pollution to the sea would be greater than the nuclear option, in that if a 1700MW(e) plant was built with 46% efficiency, the waste heat would be 2000MW(t). This heat would be partially dissipated into the atmosphere (250MW) as against to the sea (1750MW). The additional heat discharge to the sea would be about 500MW(t). NOx emissions can be successfully controlled by modern technology. Steam or water injection, ammonia addition or innovative combustion designs will produce acceptable (but not zero) NOx emissions. At 1700MW(e), the power station would be the largest in the Philippines, and would certainly require a review of the Luzon energy plan. The total consumption of natural gas over a twenty five year period would be 2. 5 TCF; over half the entire Philippine projected resource from Palawan. Over a billion dollars in capital would be needed to build the plant, plus an additional substantial sum to supply the fuel; either as LNG or pipeline gas. The security of a large gas holding area would need to be addressed. Such a holding area and power station would make a relatively easy target when compared to a coal fired plant with coal yards or nuclear facilities. The installation of the gas turbines could be achieved in eighteen months, but the construction of the steam generators and carrying out modifications to the existing plant would take a further twenty four months. From the preliminary financial analysis, the construction of a new combined cycle power station makes better financial sense. A NUCLEAR COMPARISON Under the four headings (Technology, The Environment, Social and Political Concerns, and Economy) that were used to examine the coal-conversion option, a brief summary has been made of the nuclear option for comparison purposes. Technology Light water reactors are a very common type of nuclear reactor. They have good safety records, and most have high capacity factors. There development has been continuous, with technology now being available from Japan, Korea, France, the United Kingdom as well as the United States. They are used in close proximity to the Philippines (Japan, Korea and Taiwan) and have been armarked for use in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Bataan unit is 1970/80’s technology. It is however essentially the same as new units, and could be readily upgraded to 1990’s standards. The Environment The reactor will produce thermal pollution (waste heat) that will be disposed of, off Napot Point to the South China Sea. An environmental impact assessment cleared the plant for its designed heat disposal, and found that localised heating of the sea would not be excessive, given the strong currents that would ensure dispersion of the hot water. No other polluting emissions could be expected from the nuclear power plant. (Accidental emissions of radioactive material, are most unlikely. Once the plant was upgraded to 1997 standards, one accident in a million years could be expected. ) Social and Political Concerns The perceived problems at the Bataan power plant are its greatest liability. These problems include seismic instability, claims of faulty workmanship and the lack of experience of the operators. Many geological and seismic inspections have been carried out on the site, with the result being that no significant risk is apparent. To convince Philippine Society of the seismic safety of the plant, an educational programme would need to be carried out that emphasised the sites stability, and the high seismic safety factor of the plant (0. 4g). Part of the process of refurbishment and upgrading, would be quality assurance on all systems and components of the plant. Modern QA techniques would need to be used to provide the certainty that all significant parts of the plant meet the highest safety and operational standards. Initially foreign experts would be needed to run the plant. The retraining of Philippine staff would take considerable time and money, with the retrained staff spending a number of years assisting in operating similar plants in neighbouring countries. Economics By comparison with the costs of conversion to coal or natural gas, the refurbishment and upgrading of the plant for nuclear operation would be significantly cheaper. A maximum price of $US300m (including staff training) is a fair limit, compared to fossil fuel conversion alternatives. The nuclear option should have the shortest lag time in terms of upgrading and commissioning. If foreign staff were used to initially man the plant then a period of eighteen to twenty months would be needed for full operation. This relatively short period, may be valuable in that the some of the expensive, old or temporary oil fired power plant could be retired early. Fuel costs, plus operation and management costs for LWRs should cost no more than ? US 2/kWH (0. 54 Centavos/kWH). If the interest on the $US 300m was 12%, with a pay-back period of twenty years for the capital, then a further 0. 9? US/kWH would be added to the power cost. The total power cost would be 2. 9? US/kWH (0. 78 Centavos/kWH). If consideration was given to running the Bataan power station as a nuclear plant, then the environmental and economic benefits (as well as safety) should be emphasised, to overcome social and political opposition. THE PHILIPPINES AND THE NUCLEAR CYCLE The Philippines would be an importer of nuclear fuel and an exporter of spent fuel. The fuel that the reactor would use would be lightly enriched. As the uranium 235 is consumed, some plutonium is formed, part of which is also used up as fuel. The spent fuel rods contain a depleted amount of uranium 235, a little plutonium but mostly non-fissile uranium 238. These fuel rods can be reused in heavy water type reactors (CANDU) that are running in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, as primary fuel. All the wastes would be processed by those countries, whilst the Philippines would receive a financial return for its used nuclear fuel. This is a win-win situation. The sale of the used fuel rods could bring the net production cost of electricity (fuel plus operations and management) to under ? US 1. 5/kWH. PLANT SECURITY AND THE NUCLEAR OPTION Unfortunately there is an ongoing insurgency situation in the Philippines. The insurgency problems are no longer major, and in all probability will recede. All major plant however does need a security system. The Bataan plant was constructed with good external, perimeter and internal security systems. There are commonly perceived notions that Nuclear Plants are susceptible to terrorist attack. These notions are based on a lack of understanding of the compact nature of nuclear plants, and the presence of very considerable containment structures for the reactor and fuel stores – especially American designed LWRs. The plant is easy to guard, and would be able to resist attack with light weapons, including rocket propelled grenades etc. The damage from such an attack would be limited to the knocking out of ancillary plant and structures, including the transformer yard, the auxiliary fuel tanks and administration building. Notes 1. The above power cost figures are based on 1997 projected fuel prices, 12% interest, 85% availability, and 20 years amortisation.. The price of coal and natural gas are considered to be more liable for major increases, than nuclear fuel. The Asian demand for both coal and gas is expected to outstrip supply in the coming decade. 2. The estimated construction time includes planning and design, equipment construction, site modification, plant erection and commissioning, and staff training (coal and natural gas conversion). If major ancillary works are required (eg. major wharves, ash and coal pipelines, shipping channels etc), then both an increase in the construction time and costs could be expected. A Study of the Conversion Options for the Bataan T. S. undertook a study of the options for converting the Bataan Nuclear Power Station to fossil fuel (coal or natural gas) combustion. One aim of the study was to find another market for Philippine and Australian coal or natural gas (LNG). The essential question regarding the Bataan Reactor is: how to obtain a financial return from a very expensive power station that * has never produced electricity; * is costing the Philippinec State a sizeable sum in interest; and * has environmental, safety and social concerns over its use as a nuclear power station. The retrofitting of the turbine generator with a fossil fuel fired steam raising system was suggested as a means of utilising part of the plant, and obtaining some return for past and future expenditure. The report/proposal examined some options for fossil fuel firing, and compared those options with nuclear operation. Background The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1984, whilst construction commenced in 1976. It is a Westinghouse light water reactor, that uses pressurised water as it heat exchange medium between the reactor and the steam generators. Its design thermal capacity is 1876MW(t), whilst its rated power output is 621MW(e)1. The technology that is incorporated into the plant is essentially early seventies, but has been modified to incorporate more recent safety devices, such as those recommended by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after evaluation of the Three Mile Island incident. The plant, which was in the process of commissioning at the time of the EDSA revolution, has not been fired, although nuclear fuel was delivered to it storage facilities. Maintenance has continued, with the integrity of the plant and ancillaries being ensured. Conclusion of Study The Philippine Government has previously stated that the Philippines will have nuclear power, but that power will come from new plant and not the Bataan reactor. President Ramos announced on the 8th October 1994 that the Reactor would be converted to a 1000MW combined cycle gas plant. (Although an announcement for a specific conversion scheme has been made, it is still considered that there is time for other options to be considered. ) We found that conversion is technically possible, but economically unwise. New and dedicated coal or natural gas fired power plants would give much higher efficiencies, and thus would give the Philippines much better value per peso spent on fuel consumed. The M. E. T. T. S. ‘s study concluded that the only way of obtaining a reasonable return from the Bataan ‘machine’ is to use it as a nuclear power plant. Our report specifically came to the following conclusions: * That the use of the present ‘nuclear’ turbine/generator in a fossil fired system would be highly wasteful of energy (fuel), A new pulverised coal power station and/or combined cycle natural gas power stations at other site(s), would be a better investment in terms of fuel efficiency and levellised power costs, * The Bataan site is inappropriate for coal fired plant, due to environmental constraints and materials (coal and ash) handling problems, * More assessable sites could be found for co mbined cycle natural gas fired plants around Manila Bay, and Batangas, * The Bataan reactor has been maintained in a good condition since mothballing, and The reactor is of basically sound design and construction, and could with modest expenditure become one of the most modern and safest light water reactors in East Asia. To fire the plant as a nuclear facility, the sea water intakes to the condensers would need to be cleaned (with some equipment being replaced), some of the reactor monitoring systems would need to be further upgraded, whilst the second power transmission system would need to be reconstructed. Staff would need to be retrained and re-licenced. A description of the study is presented in the attached article by Clarke, Ebeling and Cordero. The article was presenred at The First Philippine International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management, Manila, January 1995. Options for the Conversion of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to Fossil Fuel Firing Dr. Michael C. Clarke, Director, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Mr. Douglas R. Ebeling, Associate, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Eng. Donato L. Cordero, Engineering Manager, Bataan Nuclear Power Plant The following Executive Summary of a major report formed the basis of a paper presented at the 1st Philippine Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand-side Management, Manila, January 1995. ) Capital costs and power generation costs are summarised in Table 1, for one coal conversion option, and the conversion of the plant to natural gas fired, combined cycle operation. For comparison purposes figures are also presented for the refurbishm ent, commissioning and running the plant as a nuclear power station. Electricity costs from nuclear operation are considerably cheaper than for ither the two conversion options. If power costs was the only criteria for operating the plant then nuclear firing would clearly win. Both coal and natural gas conversions will have environmental consequences for the region. By the installation of best available technology and the application of best available practice, the impact will be minimised. The cost of technology and practice however will increase the cost of electricity produced by the plant. Table 1. SUMMARY TABLE, FOSSIL FUEL CONVERSION OPTIONS, BNPP – Revision, March 1995 CONVERSION TO COALCONVERSION TO N. GASNUCLEAR COMPARISON POWER OUTPUT MW(e)8001700 620 ENERGY OUTPUT GWH5,600 (With FGD – 5400)12,2004,613 CAPITAL COST $USm750 (With FGD – 1070)1385380 (UPGRADE) Electricity Cost ? US/kWH4. 82 (With FGD – 5. 94) 5. 24, 4. 34 (FP $230/170)3. 50 Electricity Cost P/kWH1. 21 (With FGD – 1. 49)1. 31, 1. 09 (FP $230/170)0. 88 CAP. COST/POWER OUT0. 94 (With FGD – 1. 34)0. 810. 61 CONSTRUCTION TIME42 MONTHS4218. 24 FGD Flue Gas Desulphurisation (+ Selective Catalytic Reduction) FP Fuel Price, Natural Gas ($US230 /tonne for LNG, $US170 /tonne piped gas) – (Coal $US 55 / tonne) Notes on Table 1 For comparison purposes, the two fossil fuel conversion options and the nuclear comparison have each had the electricity cost based on a pay-back period of twenty years. In each case (for the table) it has been assumed that the full capital cost has been borrowed. When financing packages are being considered, different pay-back periods are likely to be used. The periods are likely to increase with increasing debt. With the natural gas conversion option, an equity contribution would probably be included, since a BOT financing scheme may be used, that ties gas production, reticulation and use into one commercial package. The electricity costs for coal and natural gas conversion are based on a reasonably optimistic scenarios, where no excessive ancillary capital works are charged against the plant. If environmental or other factors require such works, then increase in the electricity cost would occur. It is further considered that the plant required for conversion would be sourced from low cost countries; China, India, Australia, the Philippines etc, as far as possible. The costings for conversion are further premised on the use of the site allocated for construction of PNPP 2, in that it is supplied at no cost, and is geologically stable. If the time required for the construction and commissioning is crucial, then the upgrading of the plant as a nuclear station is clearly the preferred choice. Further, the financial analyses indicate that the nuclear firing of the plant offers the cheapest electricity. Given that the nuclear fuel price is likely to remain stable over the foreseeable future (as against likely rises for coal and natural gas), the nuclear upgrading# and operation offers greater financial certainty to investors. # M. E. T. T. S. ‘s estimate for upgrading the nuclear plant to 1997/8 standards is $US380m. It is backed by further external assessment, and includes new safety features. $US300m is the cost of a basic upgrading based on calculations carried out by the National Power Corporation. SUMMARY – COAL FIRING The conversion of the PNPP I plant to coal firing has some advantages. Coal technology is well proven, and only a small variation in the normal use of that technology is required to convert the plant. The power station will have a capacity similar to the design capacity for the nuclear plant, and will not be the largest plant in the new echelon of Luzon’s power facilities. The plant of 800 MW(e) capacity will be relatively inexpensive at a capital cost of $US505m – without Flue Gas Desulphurisation, Selective Catalytic Reduction, or excessive expenditure on coal or ash handling and ignoring the previous expenditure on the nuclear system. A construction and commissioning period of 42 months is envisaged. The coal option however offers unique co-economic opportunities. The ash waste product would be valuable if used in ancillary industry. By using the Lahar produced by the Pinatubo eruption as an aggregate, with the ash, iron oxide and cement, valuable building materials could be produced. The disadvantages include designing and fitting an environmentally acceptable coal fired power station into the Bataan region. The materials handling alone will create many environmental, management and operational difficulties. The infrastructure requirements for materials handling will also raise engineering and environmental questions that will need to be solved before construction begins. Other environmental questions concerning emission reduction and control must also be answered before work can commence. Another major disadvantage is the requirement for premium fuel, that is expensive in 1994, and in all probability will become relatively more expensive as the demand for ‘clean’ coal increases in the future. SUMMARY – NATURAL GAS FIRING (COMBINED CYCLE, GAS TURBINE) Natural gas provides the cleanest option for the conversion of the Bataan power station to fossil fuel firing. It further offers the most flexible power output to the grid. Options exist for running a part (or whole) of the plant as a single cycle peak load provider, or running the whole plant as a base load facility. The environmental hazard that would be created by such a plant is low compared to coal. Thermal pollution to the sea would be greater than the nuclear option, in that if a 1700MW(e) plant was built with 46% efficiency, the waste heat would be 2000MW(t). This heat would be partially dissipated into the atmosphere (250MW) as against to the sea (1750MW). The additional heat discharge to the sea would be about 500MW(t). NOx emissions can be successfully controlled by modern technology. Steam or water injection, ammonia addition or innovative combustion designs will produce acceptable (but not zero) NOx emissions. At 1700MW(e), the power station would be the largest in the Philippines, and would certainly require a review of the Luzon energy plan. The total consumption of natural gas over a twenty five year period would be 2. 5 TCF; over half the entire Philippine projected resource from Palawan. Over a billion dollars in capital would be needed to build the plant, plus an additional substantial sum to supply the fuel; either as LNG or pipeline gas. The security of a large gas holding area would need to be addressed. Such a holding area and power station would make a relatively easy target when compared to a coal fired plant with coal yards or nuclear facilities. The installation of the gas turbines could be achieved in eighteen months, but the construction of the steam generators and carrying out modifications to the existing plant would take a further twenty four months. From the preliminary financial analysis, the construction of a new combined cycle power station makes better financial sense. A NUCLEAR COMPARISON Under the four headings (Technology, The Environment, Social and Political Concerns, and Economy) that were used to examine the coal-conversion option, a brief summary has been made of the nuclear option for comparison purposes. Technology Light water reactors are a very common type of nuclear reactor. They have good safety records, and most have high capacity factors. There development has been continuous, with technology now being available from Japan, Korea, France, the United Kingdom as well as the United States. They are used in close proximity to the Philippines (Japan, Korea and Taiwan) and have been armarked for use in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Bataan unit is 1970/80’s technology. It is however essentially the same as new units, and could be readily upgraded to 1990’s standards. The Environment The reactor will produce thermal pollution (waste heat) that will be disposed of, off Napot Point to the South China Sea. An environmental impact assessment cleared the plant for its designed heat disposal, and found that localised heating of the sea would not be excessive, given the strong currents that would ensure dispersion of the hot water. No other polluting emissions could be expected from the nuclear power plant. (Accidental emissions of radioactive material, are most unlikely. Once the plant was upgraded to 1997 standards, one accident in a million years could be expected. ) Social and Political Concerns The perceived problems at the Bataan power plant are its greatest liability. These problems include seismic instability, claims of faulty workmanship and the lack of experience of the operators. Many geological and seismic inspections have been carried out on the site, with the result being that no significant risk is apparent. To convince Philippine Society of the seismic safety of the plant, an educational programme would need to be carried out that emphasised the sites stability, and the high seismic safety factor of the plant (0. 4g). Part of the process of refurbishment and upgrading, would be quality assurance on all systems and components of the plant. Modern QA techniques would need to be used to provide the certainty that all significant parts of the plant meet the highest safety and operational standards. Initially foreign experts would be needed to run the plant. The retraining of Philippine staff would take considerable time and money, with the retrained staff spending a number of years assisting in operating similar plants in neighbouring countries. Economics By comparison with the costs of conversion to coal or natural gas, the refurbishment and upgrading of the plant for nuclear operation would be significantly cheaper. A maximum price of $US300m (including staff training) is a fair limit, compared to fossil fuel conversion alternatives. The nuclear option should have the shortest lag time in terms of upgrading and commissioning. If foreign staff were used to initially man the plant then a period of eighteen to twenty months would be needed for full operation. This relatively short period, may be valuable in that the some of the expensive, old or temporary oil fired power plant could be retired early. Fuel costs, plus operation and management costs for LWRs should cost no more than ? US 2/kWH (0. 54 Centavos/kWH). If the interest on the $US 300m was 12%, with a pay-back period of twenty years for the capital, then a further 0. 9? US/kWH would be added to the power cost. The total power cost would be 2. 9? US/kWH (0. 78 Centavos/kWH). If consideration was given to running the Bataan power station as a nuclear plant, then the environmental and economic benefits (as well as safety) should be emphasised, to overcome social and political opposition. THE PHILIPPINES AND THE NUCLEAR CYCLE The Philippines would be an importer of nuclear fuel and an exporter of spent fuel. The fuel that the reactor would use would be lightly enriched. As the uranium 235 is consumed, some plutonium is formed, part of which is also used up as fuel. The spent fuel rods contain a depleted amount of uranium 235, a little plutonium but mostly non-fissile uranium 238. These fuel rods can be reused in heavy water type reactors (CANDU) that are running in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, as primary fuel. All the wastes would be processed by those countries, whilst the Philippines would receive a financial return for its used nuclear fuel. This is a win-win situation. The sale of the used fuel rods could bring the net production cost of electricity (fuel plus operations and management) to under ? US 1. 5/kWH. PLANT SECURITY AND THE NUCLEAR OPTION Unfortunately there is an ongoing insurgency situation in the Philippines. The insurgency problems are no longer major, and in all probability will recede. All major plant however does need a security system. The Bataan plant was constructed with good external, perimeter and internal security systems. There are commonly perceived notions that Nuclear Plants are susceptible to terrorist attack. These notions are based on a lack of understanding of the compact nature of nuclear plants, and the presence of very considerable containment structures for the reactor and fuel stores – especially American designed LWRs. The plant is easy to guard, and would be able to resist attack with light weapons, including rocket propelled grenades etc. The damage from such an attack would be limited to the knocking out of ancillary plant and structures, including the transformer yard, the auxiliary fuel tanks and administration building. Notes 1. The above power cost figures are based on 1997 projected fuel prices, 12% interest, 85% availability, and 20 years amortisation.. The price of coal and natural gas are considered to be more liable for major increases, than nuclear fuel. The Asian demand for both coal and gas is expected to outstrip supply in the coming decade. 2. The estimated construction time includes planning and design, equipment construction, site modification, plant erection and commissioning, and staff training (coal and natural gas conversion). If major ancillary works are required (eg. major wharves, ash and coal pipelines, shipping channels etc), then both an increase in the construction time and costs could be expected.