2nd Foxall Road, North Kellyville, The Hills Shire, NSW, 2155

Dear Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne,

I am Maryam Farhan, a student at the Australian International Academy, Kellyville Campus.

The reason for my writing is to inform you about my views on the new nuclear power plant
that is to be built in the area. I also hope to give a recommendation for which type of energy
source would be best.

At this point in time, even though Australia holds 33% of the world’s uranium, which powers
Nuclear Power Points, Australia does not currently have said power plants. And for good
reason too.

Personally, I don’t believe that a nuclear power plant being built in the area is the solution to
the increasing demand for electricity. While the needs of the current generation must be met,
matters of the Earth cannot be trodden upon on the way.

A Nuclear Power Plant does have its advantages. Nuclear Power Plants cost less and are more
reliable. They also have a promising future supply of electricity, appearing to be a very
convenient solution to electricity demands, especially as these demands continue to increase
dramatically. I will say this for Nuclear Power Plants; the facts remain, and cancer rates have
shown to be lower in areas around Nuclear Power Plants, if the emission of radioactive waste
is low.

But this low waste rarely seems to be the case. A potential Nuclear Power Plant puts us at
risk of many dangers and disadvantages, too broad, and entirely too tragic to be approached
or tested.

In 1986, there was an incident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor #4 was
involved in a nuclear accident, and there was a steam explosion and many fires. The cause of
the reactor explosion remains; there was a flaw in the reactor design and there were many
breaches during the power outage safety testing. 31 people were killed that day.

Reactor #4 will remain highly radioactive and unstable for 20, 000 years. In 2005, the UN
estimated that 4000 deaths were to be expected in the future due to radiation exposure. About
5000 people were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which resulted in several deaths.

At the minimum, 5% of the radioactive reactor core was released into the atmosphere. This is
the result of an explosion, and radioactive waste doesn’t need an explosion to do damage.
Radioactive waste in intact nuclear power plants is still incredibly harmful. The U.S. is
known to have many nuclear power plants; thus, the U.S. produces up to 160, 000 cubic feet
of radioactive material, annually, from the nuclear power plants alone.
And they are all very intact.

As well as being bad for the environment, radioactive waste is terrible for us humans. It can
linger around the atmosphere and harm humans’ health for thousands of years, as it cannot be
permanently stored anywhere.

As you can see, a nuclear power plant proposes risks that, as well as having a harsh
immediate result, go well into the future, and cause many problems there, created by us, for
future generations to deal with.
2nd Foxall Road, North Kellyville, The Hills Shire, NSW, 2155

So, this is the path that Australia will inevitably head down. We are really willing to let this
happen, in the name of “convenient” solutions to rising electricity demands?

But there is a solution. Nuclear power plants don’t seem like the perfect option, so we want
something safer. Due to these reasons, I present the logical approach. With the best interests
of current and future generations at heart, I propose a Solar Power Plant to be built in the
Hills Shire. A solar-powered power plant eliminates most of the risks that nuclear power
plants produce. There are many reasons as to why a solar power plant should instead be built
in the Hills Shire.

Relating back to the rising electivity demands, a convenient solution would be rather fast. It
does not take a long amount of time to build a solar power plant, ranging in a matter of
months, whereas a nuclear power plant takes up to five years.

We must also take in the residential factors. The Hills Shire is a residential area, and a
nuclear power plant has proven to cause many more fatal accidents than solar power plants
ever have. For all these factors, I do believe that a nuclear power plant is not the right option,
and rather we should plan towards a solar power plant.

I do hope you take this letter into consideration.

Sincerely,

Maryam Farhan

1300 975 711

The Hills Shire Council

3 Columbia Court, Norwest, 2153
2nd Foxall Road, North Kellyville, The Hills Shire, NSW, 2155

References:

 Enec.gov.ae. How Nuclear Energy Works. [online] Available at:

< https://www.enec.gov.ae/discover/how-nuclear-energy-works/%3e/>
[Accessed 20 May 2021].

 Minerals.org.au. [online] Available at:

<https://minerals.org.au/sites/default/files/180605%20Removing%20the%20prohibition%20on
%20nuclear%20power.pdf> [Accessed 20 May 2021].

 En.wikipedia.org. List of Power Stations in New South Wales. [online] Available at:

< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_New_South_Wales>
[Accessed 20 May 2021].

 Greenmatch.co.uk. Advantages & Disadvantages Of Solar Energy. [online]

Available at: <https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/08/5-advantages-and-5-
disadvantages-of-solar-energy> [Accessed 21 May 2021].

 Earth911.com. Solar Vs. Nuclear: Battle For The Best Carbon-Free Power [online]
Available at: <https://earth911.com/business-policy/solar-vs-nuclear-best-carbon-free-power/>
[Accessed 22 May 2021].

 Jacobs, H. The 17 Countries Generating The Most Nuclear Power. [online]

Available at: <https://www.businessinsider.com.au/countries-generating-the-most-nuclear-
energy-2014-3?r=US&IR=T#4-south-korea-14> [Accessed 22 May 2021].

 Energy, D. Importance Of Water At Nuclear Plants. [online]

Available at: <https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2014/01/22/importance-of-water-at-nuclear-
plants> [Accessed 22 May 2021].

 World-nuclear.org. Fukushima Daiichi Accident - World Nuclear Association. [online]

Available at: <https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-
plants/fukushima-daiichi-accident.aspx> [Accessed 20 May 2021].