Gary Sandquist, Ph.D.
University Professor

Dr. Gary Sandquist in a nuclear engineer and a member of the faculty of the University of Utah where he has been actively involved with student training and operation of a small scale nuclear reactor as an education tool. Dr. Sandquist is a strong supporter of nuclear powered energy, and is on the list of recommended speakers offered by Private Fuel Storage.

Dr. Sandquist agreed to sit for the interview as an engineer, but clearly stated this his views were not designed to represent the opinion or policy of the University of Utah.

Ken Verdoia: Dr. Sandquist, can you help the general public understand what is the role of nuclear power in generating the nation's electrical capacity?

Dr. Gary Sandquist: Many people don't realize it but there are about 103 nuclear power plants that operate, not always on, all of them, let's say, on line at the same time, but they provide about a fifth, about 20 percent of our electrical energy. Now, some areas are more dependent then others.

For example, Chicago gets over 60 percent to 70 percent of its electrical power from nuclear. But Utah also receives energy generated by nuclear means through the interstate and the national grid that we have. That's one of the reasons I noticed that California is hoping to find that electrical power can be provided by its neighbors to help them over this situation. Some of that power will be nuclear power generated up in Washington State and down in Texas.

Verdoia: You speak of the California energy crisis that is playing out as we meet on this day in February. I'm wondering from your learned position, do you believe that this California energy crisis will diminish the need for a role of nuclear power?

Dr. Sandquist: No, to the contrary. In fact, nuclear power has been admittedly on the downsizing for the last few years. It has not grown. There have been no nuclear plant orders since 1978 after the Three Mile Island accident. Most of them have been canceled. We've been able to compensate for the growth in electrical power needs and such by conservation, by energy cost and other things, and the fact that natural gas has now come in line and been available.

Interesting enough though, people don't realize that we think that we're quite self sufficient in natural gas and that is not true. We import almost 20 percent of our natural gas from Canada, so we're dependent on the Canadians to supply us this fuel. Oil, domestic oil has been peaking since 1970, and it's declined significantly. So if we're going to continue to burn natural gas, we're going to be subject to the price control by areas outside of this country, namely Canada and Mexico and other imports.

Verdoia: Nuclear power has been saddled with a reputation of being lethal, dangerous and environmentally unfriendly.

Dr. Sandquist: You know, and that's what surprises me. Admittedly I'm a nuclear engineer. I've worked in the field now for almost 40 years. Of all of the means of generating electrical energy, in my mind, nuclear is the most environmentally benign. Let me just give you feeling for it. We want to produce a gigawatt, 1,000 megawatts of electric power which is adequate for a million people. If I'm going to use coal to produce that power, I require 10,000 tons per day of coal or 100 railroad cars going in and out of the plant. I can produce that same amount of power with ten pounds of the uranium 235.

Now this ten pounds of uranium 235 becomes fission products after the reaction but at the end of a year, I have a certain volume of fission products and other spent fuel to dispose of but the volume is extremely small. It's measured in cubic meters. Whereas for the coal fired plant, I've released cubic miles of greenhouse gases. I have other waste. And interesting enough the EPA finds that under normal operation, routine operation, coal fired plants release more radiation to the environment then do nuclear plants. Now people don't realize that. But they say well nuclear plants still produce some radiation. They do. They produce about, actually a little less radiation exposure to the American public then does television. Television actually exposes us, as a member of the public, to more radiation then does all of nuclear power in the United States.

Verdoia: Let me ask you about this notion of a national policy, a national energy policy. . .because I can't find one. Is there a cost associated with our station not having a clearly stated energy policy?

Dr. Sanquist: No question about it. I think that since we have not planned, for example, California hasn't built a new generating plant for ten years. There's been no direction. Very little funding goes into this area. Why? Because oil has been cheap. Up until the last year or so, oil had been under $18 a barrel. And as long as gasoline is cheap enough and oil and the other products that we need, Congress views that we don't have a problem. It's not until we get into a crisis mode and often that's the way, unfortunately, our Legislature functions. They function, Utah could have responded to energy issues.

What concerns me particularly though, Ken, about this one is in a sense, back in 1973 when we had the oil embargo, this was because a few countries decided to control the flow of oil and by gently twisting their arms, getting the Saudis to open up the valve and provide more oil, we got over it. This one is not going to go away soon. We're going to see this at least for a decade because we can not sight, even gas fired plants within a few years, it's going to take, in my mind, at least five to ten years, a decade, before California and much of the country corrects this problem. And I'm of the strong opinion that the American public will not go without electrical power. That's something that's absolutely essential to our standard of living.Now, admittedly, some other countries have brownouts and blackouts and they live with it but I don't think the American public will and I think it will be unacceptable to them. And if, if the politicians and the Legislatures don't come about and do something to correct it, we'll vote in new politicians who will look at it.

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