Energy

Cavan’s independence was won in great part to its infrastructure and ability to be energy independent from Dacca. The Power Syndicate within Cavan currently has our nation’s only power generator which is owned by the private corporation SolarCorp. This entirely centralized power structure is a threat to Cavan’s national security and could pose a threat to personal liberty. Because SolarCorp is the sole energy provider, it creates a national reliance on the company and its policies. In order to preserve the citizens of Cavan’s right to power and free enterprise, the government is proposing a policy to allow citizens and organized groups to apply for small modular reactor (SMRs). Small modular reactors are small, prefabricated, nuclear reactors that can be installed for private citizens, corporations, townships, or organized groups of people. By aiding our citizens in the installation of these SMRs we empower ever citizen of Cavan to be energy independent. This will safeguard or citizens liberties because it ensures that their energy usage cannot be managed or curtailed by another. The only way to ensure the freedom of energy consumption is to enable out citizens to have their own energy sources for, “In Liberty We Trust”.

In such and energy dependent world, energy independence is critical to upholding freedom. According to the Cavan fact sheet, SolarCorp is the only entity that can generate power to Cavan. This could pose a potential threat to our citezen’s liberties because they will be subject to the will and policies of SolarCorp. Because we believe in free enterprise, the government will not intervene and regulate SolarCorp. However, we acknowledge the threat that this could impose on our citizens. Additionally, Cavan’s ability to be an energy producer is one of the things that helped us liberate ourselves from Dacca. The ability to maintain such energy independence is critical to protect our long term sovereignty from our neighbors. Because all of the nation’s energy is only produced in one location by one company, it makes this a weak point in our national security goals. Clearly, we will not force SolarCorp to diversify its energy resources, but rather we must find a way to empower our citezens to have independent access to long term energy, even in our nation’s most rural locales.

The answer to Cavan’s energy independence problem is small module reactors, also known as SMRs. SMRs are small nuclear reactors that have about one third the generating power of a traditional nuclear reactor, with a maximum eneergy output of 300 MW(e) (2021). SMRs can be fabricated at a factory and then transported to a cite for installation. They provide long term power solutions for even the most rural locations and only require refueling on average once every 30 years (2021). This is essential for cultivating Cavan’s energy independence because it would allow for citizens in all parts of the nation to secure their own long term access to energy. This would allow for the diversification of Cavan’s energy sector that would be led by its citizens, opposed to government regulation of SolarCorp. If private citizens chose to have a SMR installed at their town, place of residence, or business they would apply for a permit from the government to have and transport the nuclear material needed for the SMR. Although citizens of Cavan believe in the lowest amount of government regulation possible, it is still essential that the government manage and watch the flow of nuclear material to protect the rights and safety of all citizens in Cavan. Furthermore, SMRs can be fabricated and transported to cities, towns, or corporations on demand. There are currently more then 70 commercial SMRs designs available for implementation (2021). The technology is available from private corporations and is ready to be implemented. The accessibility of SMRs for private citizens in Cavan empowers private citizens to produce their own energy. This will liberate citizens from the control of SolarCorps if they so choose. If citizens or communities decide that they do not want to be energy independent and want to continue to use SolarCorps they will face no penalty. Energy is an industry that previously required public sector intervention or coorprate monopolies due to the expansive infrastructure required to both transport and produce large amounts of power. A full scale nuclear reactor would be a project far to large for most communities and citizens to finance without government subsidies. SMRs significantly change the way that energy is managed and empowers communities to be energy self reliant. This liberates them from corporate control and give the consumer back that ability to choose how they want to power their homes and businesses. Lastly, by having power generating capabilities all over Cavan, there is no longer an energy chokepoint. If a neighboring country such as Dacca was to infringe on Cavan’s sovereignty and attack SolarCorp, our nation would no longer run the risk of going dark.

The free flow of energy is the keystone for free markets and unencumbered daily life. Currently, all of Cavan’s energy is monopolized by SolarCorp, the only entity with power generating capabilities. In order to protect our citizens liberties and livelihoods from the will of SolarCorp, our government ought to grant the ability to have and transport small module nuclear reactors. SMRs are a feasible, long term, and low carbon option for energy. Citizens could choose if they want their own energy generating capabilities. This would provide a bottom up approach to energy diversification wich would have two fold benefits. First, it would allow citizens to have more freedom, and second, it would make our energy sector far more secure. For these reasons I highly urge my fellow law makers to approve a process to allow the construction, transportation, and installation of SMRs and the nuclear material required to power them for the private citizen. We must liberate our citizens from energy dependency!

Reference:

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). (2021, November 4). What are small modular reactors (smrs)?International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Retrieved April 6, 2022, from https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs

Created by: [Allison Lakis]