The Basics
How It Works
- Nuclear fissionⓘ
- This heat boils water to create steam
- Steam drives turbines to generate electricity
- No CO2 is produced during operation
Scale of Energy
- Nuclear provides about 10% of world electricityⓘ
- France gets about 70% of its electricity from nuclearⓘ
- A single plant can power millions of homes
- Runs continuously regardless of weather (unlike solar/wind)
Safety
Deaths Per Unit of Energy
- Nuclear is one of the safest energy sources per unit of electricity produced[4]
- Global nuclear power has prevented approximately 1.84 million air pollution-related deaths that would have occurred from burning fossil fuels instead[5]
- Coal kills through air pollution, mining accidents, respiratory disease
- Even accounting for Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear causes far fewer deaths than fossil fuels
Major Accidents
### Chernobyl (1986)
- Worst nuclear accident in history
- Caused by design flaws and operator error during a safety test
- Direct deaths were relatively limitedⓘ
- Modern reactors have fundamentally different designs that prevent this failure mode
### Fukushima (2011)
- Caused by earthquake and tsunami, not reactor failure
- No confirmed deaths from radiation exposure—but the hasty evacuation itself caused approximately 2,000 deaths among elderly residents[7]
- Led to safety improvements worldwide
### Three Mile Island (1979)
- Partial meltdown in Pennsylvania
- Zero deaths or injuries
- Containment worked as designed
- Led to significant safety improvements
Radiation Context
- Background radiationⓘ
- Living near a nuclear plant adds negligible radiation exposure
- Coal plants actually release more radiation than nuclear plants (from naturally occurring uranium in coal)
Waste
The Problem
- Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years
- Must be stored safely for extremely long periods
- Public opposition to storage facilities is intense
- No country has opened a permanent deep repository yet (Finland is closest)
The Scale
- Nuclear produces far less waste by volume than other energy sourcesⓘ
- Most waste is low-level (clothing, tools) and decays quickly
- High-level waste is the real challenge
Current Handling
- Spent fuel stored in pools at reactor sites
- Later moved to dry cask storage
- Dry casksⓘ
- Reprocessing can recycle some fuel but creates proliferation concerns
Climate Change
Low-Carbon Energy
- Lifecycle emissions similar to wind power
- Much lower than natural gas, far lower than coalⓘ
- Provides reliable baseload power
- Can complement variable renewables
Capacity Factor
- Capacity factorⓘ
- Nuclear plants run almost continuously
- Renewables need backup or storage for when sun isn't shining or wind isn't blowing
Economics
The Challenge
- Nuclear plants are extremely expensive to build
- Construction often goes over budget and over time
- Levelized costⓘ
- New nuclear is currently more expensive than solar and wind in many places
Why So Expensive
- Complex engineering and safety requirements
- Long construction times (often 10+ years)
- High upfront capital costs
- Regulatory requirements add time and cost
Potential Solutions
- Small modular reactors (SMRs)ⓘ
- Standardized designs reduce costs
- Streamlined (but still rigorous) regulation
- Government financing can reduce capital costs
Common Misconceptions
Myth: Nuclear plants can explode like atomic bombs
Reality: Reactor fuel is enriched to 3-5%; bombs need 90%+. The physics of a nuclear explosion are completely different.
Reality: Reactor fuel is enriched to 3-5%; bombs need 90%+. The physics of a nuclear explosion are completely different.
Myth: Living near a nuclear plant causes cancer
Reality: Large meta-analysis found no significant increase in thyroid cancer risk among residents living near nuclear power plants[15]. Radiation exposure from living nearby is less than a dental X-ray annually.
Reality: Large meta-analysis found no significant increase in thyroid cancer risk among residents living near nuclear power plants[15]. Radiation exposure from living nearby is less than a dental X-ray annually.
Myth: Nuclear waste will poison the environment forever
Reality: Properly stored waste has caused zero environmental contamination. The volume is small and containable. The challenge is political and social, not technical.
Reality: Properly stored waste has caused zero environmental contamination. The volume is small and containable. The challenge is political and social, not technical.
Myth: Renewables make nuclear unnecessary
Reality: Both have roles in a low-carbon grid. Nuclear provides reliable baseload; renewables provide cheap variable power.
Reality: Both have roles in a low-carbon grid. Nuclear provides reliable baseload; renewables provide cheap variable power.
Proliferation Concerns
The Link to Weapons
- Nuclear technology can be used for both energy and weapons
- Enrichment and reprocessing are dual-use technologies
- International safeguards aim to prevent diversion
- IAEAⓘ
Reality Check
- Most countries with nuclear power don't have weapons
- Countries determined to get weapons will pursue them regardless
- Modern reactor designs can reduce proliferation risks
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References
- Markandya A, Wilkinson P (2009). Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: low-carbon electricity generation. Lancet. [DOI]
- Kharecha PA, Hansen JE (2013). Prevented mortality and greenhouse gas emissions from historical and projected nuclear power. Environmental Science & Technology. [DOI]
- Murakami M et al. (2015). Was the Risk from Nursing-Home Evacuation after the Fukushima Accident Higher than the Radiation Risk?. PLOS ONE. [DOI]
- Kim J et al. (2016). Living near nuclear power plants and thyroid cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environment International. [DOI]