Can you say Nuclear? An Energy Option Worth Considering

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘nuclear’? For many of us the term conjures images of three eyed fish at best - and apocalyptic destruction at worst.

But did you ever think that nuclear energy could also be part of the solution to the growing energy crisis in this country - including skyrocketing prices at the pump and for heating and cooling our homes and offices?

Congress does: in 2005, it passed an energy bill that promised federal loan guarantees and $165 million in tax breaks for the development of new nuclear power plants. Congress also approved a new regulatory process that will make it easier to authorize construction of nuclear facilities.

Energy is a complicated topic because it crisscrosses so many issues, including the environment, jobs, taxes, security, foreign relations, and health -- just to name a few.

Advocates on both sides of debate would like us to see the issue in black and white. But the reality is that in this country we already have both nuclear bombs and nuclear power and it’s becoming more difficult to talk about weapons and energy separately - or to prevent other countries from following our lead. Click here to read more about nuclear and Iran.

Plus, there is no "best" energy source. All sources of energy, from fossil fuels to wind power, have their pros and cons. Nuclear power is no exception. That’s why it’s important to know something about nuclear technology - so we can see past the black-and-white arguments, and judge the facts and the trade-offs for ourselves.

What is nuclear power?

Nuclear energy is produced when a fissile material, such as uranium, is concentrated, resulting in a chain reaction that creates heat that is then used to boil water, produce steam, and drive a steam engine that can be used for mechanical work and to generate electricity.

Who uses nuclear power?

Nuclear power provides 7 percent of the world's energy and 15.7 percent of the world's electricity.

The United States produces more nuclear energy than any other country, with 20 percent of our electricity coming from nuclear power plants. There are 93 plants in the U.S.

North Korea and Iran both want to develop nuclear power but have refused International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight. Further, Korea admits to developing nuclear weapons, while the Iranian government vehemently denies the claims.

For more on a nuclear Iran, click here.

What’s Good

1. Less pollution

Unlike power plants that burn fossil fuels, nuclear plants do not emit harmful gases such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide. Further, water discharged from nuclear power plants, used for cooling, does not come into contact with radioactive materials. The Nuclear Energy Institute claims that water emissions contain no harmful pollutants and meet regulatory standards for temperature designed to protect aquatic life.

2. Reliability

Nuclear power plants need little fuel, so they are less vulnerable to shortages from strikes or natural disasters. International relations have little effect on the supply of uranium since it is evenly deposited around the globe. One disadvantage of uranium mining is that it leaves the residues from the chemical processing of the ore, and this can lead to radon exposure.

3. Safety

The results of a compromised reactor core can be disastrous, but the precautions that prevent this from happening prevent it well. When you consider that each year, 10,000 to 50,000 Americans die from respiratory diseases due to the burning of coal, a strong argument can be made that nuclear power is one the safest methods of producing energy.

Safety precautions for nuclear energy

A series of barriers separates the radiation and heat of the reactor core from the outside. The reactor core is contained within a 9-inch thick steel pressure vessel, which is surrounded by a thick concrete wall. The wall is sealed inside a steel containment structure, which itself is inside a steel-reinforced concrete dome four feet thick. The dome is designed to withstand extremes such as earthquakes or a direct hit by a crashing airliner.

What’s not so good

1. Safety - Look familiar? Like we said, the nuclear issue is a complicated one. Safety is both a pro and con, depending on which way you see it.

As you probably know, nuclear power plants can have meltdowns.

Two of the most famous are Three Mile Island, in Pennsylvania, and Chernobyl, a nuclear facility in the Ukraine, in which thirty-one people died as an immediate result, and an estimated 15,000 more died in the surrounding area after exposure to the radiation.

For more on this, click here.

In the case of Three Mile Island, a partial meltdown was caused by failure to supply coolant to the core. Although the core was completely destroyed, the radioactive mass never penetrated the steel lining of the containment structure. Several feet of special concrete, a standard precaution, was capable of preventing leakage for several hours, giving operators enough time to fix the flooding system of the reactor core.

The worst nuclear disaster was Chernobyl in 1986. A fire ripped apart the casing of the core, releasing radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere.

2. Waste Disposal

Nuclear power creates the problem of storing radioactive waste for indefinite periods, and thus the potential for possibly severe radioactive contamination by accident or sabotage.

Proponents believe that the risks are small and can be further reduced by new technologies. They claim that nuclear plants release less radioactive waste than coal power. Critics, including most major environmental groups, claim nuclear power is a potentially dangerous energy source with a limited fuel supply, especially compared to renewable energy, like wind and solar. Further, they dispute whether the costs and risks can be reduced through new technology.

Nuclear In My Back Yard?

The 2005 Energy Bill (that one that provides incentives for making nuclear power) includes regulations that require less public input - only two public discussions instead of multiple public comment periods. Thirty-three new plants are in the planning stages, most next to existing reactors. After all, would you want a new power plant in your back yard?

One of the biggest obstacles for nuclear is public resistance. People deeply fear a plant meltdown and associate nuclear energy with nuclear weapons. Perhaps one of the reasons for this association is that Iran has claimed to be enriching uranium for nuclear power, when it may be trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Nuclear power and Iran 

The long-term disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program heated up in 2006. It became almost too-hot-to-handle when the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Iran’s research on new ways to enrich uranium. He also declared that Iran had successfully enriched uranium for nuclear power.

Iran claimed that it wanted to develop nuclear energy only -- not nuclear bombs -- although Ahmadinejad says he reserves the right to develop nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council has ordered Iran to halt its nuclear development, and unanimously approved sanctions over Tehran's refusal to stop enriching uranium.

For more on this, listen to a WomenMatter radio show!

What do you think

Should nuclear power be further developed? How concerned are you about a nuclear disaster? Do you think the risk is worth fewer emissions and greater energy security?

Discuss your views with other WomenMatter readers on our blog.

Talk to your representatives! Weigh in with what you now know:

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Article Posted on: 4/16/2007