PRO
• THE AUDITED ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT STATEMENT OF
THE VATTENFALL ENERGY UTILITY SHOWS THAT THEIR
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS EMIT LESS THE GREENHOUSE
GASES OF COAL.
•
IF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, THE TOTAL LEVELISED
COST OF NUCLEAR POWER INCLUDING CONTRUCTION,
OPERATIONAL, WASTE DISPOSAL AND DECOMMISSIONING
COSTS IS IN THE RANGE 3 - 5 CENTS PER KILOWATT-HOUR.
• NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS PAY BACK THE ENERGY
REQUIRED TO BUILD THEM IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS OF
OPERATION.
CONS
1. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES IS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
IN RELATION TO URANIUM. THE PROCESS OF MINING AND REFINING URANIUM HASN’T
BEEN A CLEAN PROCESS. ACTUALLY TRANSPORTING NUCLEAR FUEL TO AND FROM
PLANTS REPRESENTS A POLLUTION HAZARD. ALSO, ONCE THE FUEL IS USED, YOU CAN’T
SIMPLY TAKE IT TO THE LANDFILL – IT’S RADIOACTIVE AND DANGEROUS.
2. RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL: AS A RULE, A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT CREATES 20 METRIC
TONS OF NUCLEAR FUEL PER YEAR, AND WITH THAT COMES A LOT OF NUCLEAR WASTE. WHEN
YOU CONSIDER EACH NUCLEAR PLANT ON EARTH, YOU WILL FIND THAT THAT NUMBER JUMPS
TO APPROXIMATELY 2,000 METRIC TONS A YEAR. THE GREATER PART OF THIS WASTE TRANSMITS
RADIATION AND HIGH TEMPERATURE, IMPLYING THAT IT WILL INEVITABLY CONSUME ANY
COMPARTMENT THAT HOLDS IT. IT CAN ALSO CAUSE DAMAGE TO LIVING THINGS
4. HIGH COST: AT PRESENT, THE NUCLEAR BUSINESS LET WASTE COOL FOR A
CONSIDERABLE LENGTH OF TIME BEFORE BLENDING IT WITH GLASS AND PUTTING
AWAY IT IN ENORMOUS COOLED, SOLID STRUCTURES. THIS WASTE MUST BE KEPT UP,
OBSERVED AND WATCHED TO KEEP THE MATERIALS FROM FALLING INTO THE WRONG
HANDS AND CAUSING PROBLEMS. THESE ADMINISTRATIONS AND INCLUDED
MATERIALS COST CASH – ON TOP OF THE HIGH EXPENSES NEEDED TO PUT TOGETHER
A PLANT, WHICH MAY MAKE IT LESS DESIRABLE TO INVEST IN. IT REQUIRES
PERMISSION FROM SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITIES AND IT IS NORMALLY
OPPOSED BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT REGION
WHY(COUNTRIES)
• RUSSIA, THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES MUST COOPERATE TO ENABLE LARGE-SCALE GROWTH OF
NUCLEAR ENERGY AROUND THE WORLD WHILE ACHIEVING EVEN HIGHER STANDARDS OF SAFETY, SECURITY,
AND NONPROLIFERATION THAN ARE IN PLACE TODAY. THIS WILL REQUIRE BUILDING A NEW GLOBAL FRAMEWORK
FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY, INCLUDING NEW OR STRENGTHENED GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS. THE BELFER CENTER'S
MANAGING THE ATOM (MTA) PROJECT AND THE RUSSIAN RESEARCH CENTER'S KURCHATOV INSTITUTE
DEVELOPED THESE AND ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN A NEW COLLABORATIVE REPORT, PUBLISHED THIS
MONTH. THE REPORT'S AUTHORS AND PROJECT CO-DIRECTORS, MATTHEW BUNN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
PUBLIC POLICY AT THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL AND CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OF MTA AND
VYACHEVSLAV P. KUZNETSOV, SCIENTIFIC SECRETARY OF THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL AT THE KURCHATOV INSTITUTE
LED A MULTI-NATIONAL TEAM OF MORE THAN A DOZEN EXPERTS IN DEVELOPING THE REPORT AND ITS
RECOMMENDATIONS.
• THE BASIS OF THE REPORT IS THE APRIL 2009 MEETING OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRI MEDVEDEV AND U.S.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. FOLLOWING THE SUMMIT, MEDVEDEV AND OBAMA SAID: "TOGETHER, WE SEEK TO
SECURE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND MATERIALS, WHILE PROMOTING THE SAFE USE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR
PEACEFUL PURPOSES." THE TWO PRESIDENTS AGREED THAT THEY SOUGHT "TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION IN THE PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY WHILE STRENGTHENING THE NUCLEAR
