National Energy Policy - Final Draft - 14 Nov 2013

6.2.5 Nuclear Energy1. The global, traditional challenge of nuclear energy remains the management of radioactivewaste. However, as a result of continued research in the area, radioactive waste managementis now well within manageable levels. Spent fuel rods can either be safely stored until theradioactive levels reduce to non-toxic levels or be reprocessed and reused in generation ofnuclear energy. The waste also requires special handling and storage facilities to reduce therisk of exposure to employees, the public and the environment.2. A nuclear meltdown may cause release of radioactive materials which can have a negativeimpact to environment, health and safety of persons. However, further research has led todevelopment of advanced reactors with enhanced security and safety mechanisms that greatlydiminish the possibility of a nuclear accident.6.3 DEMAND SIDE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS1. Solid fuels or biomass fuels are less efficient than oil, natural gas or propane. It takes largerquantities of peat, wood, or coal to do the job and they will produce larger quantities of smokewhen they are burned. Solid fuels produce less heat for the amount of fuel consumed andproduce more pollution. This is described as the energy ladder.Figure: 6.1 - The Energy Pyramid 2 - Efficiency of Solid Fuel compared to other fuels2. The solid fuels lead to increased indoor air pollution which leads to Upper Respiratory TractInfections (URTI). The challenge is to move consumers up the energy ladder recognising thatbiomass, which is at the bottom of energy ladder provides 60% of cooking energy needs inKenya.3. Kerosene is widely used in households for lighting and cooking. In 2008 about 300 thousandcubic metres were used, up from 200 thousand cubic metres consumed in 2003. However, this2 http://www.burningissues.org/car-www/science/Energy-ladder.html98 NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY FINAL DRAFT NOVEMBER 2013