Does the UK need new nuclear power plants?

GCSE Science

The nuclear industry believes that nuclear power would work financially in future if the government was prepared to:

• Speed up the planning process for new nuclear power stations

• Pay to license new reactor designs

• Allow the construction of multiple, identical reactors simultaneously

• Subsidize electricity generated from nuclear power by guaranteeing a minimum price for it over many decades

• Decide where and how to store the most dangerous radioactive waste.

British energy has urged the government to consider streamlining the planning process if they decide to go ahead with new power stations.

But could we live with out nuclear power?

As the industry itself points out, nuclear power is almost carbon neutral. Nuclear generation currently reduces national carbon emissions by between 7 and 14%. With rising fuel costs worries about global warming and the growing demand from the developing world do we really need nuclear power. Without energy, we would not be able to heat our homes or cook our food. Long-distance travel and communication would become impossible, and our factories could no longer produce the goods that we need.

Advantages

Nuclear power costs about the same as coal, so it’s not expensive to make.
Does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide. So it does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Produce huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel.
Produce small amounts of waste.
Nuclear power is reliable.

Disadvantage

Although not much waste is produced, it is very dangerous. It must be sealed up and buried for many years to allow the radioactivity to die away.
Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety ...

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Advantages

Nuclear power costs about the same as coal, so it’s not expensive to make.
Does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide. So it does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Produce huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel.
Produce small amounts of waste.
Nuclear power is reliable.

Disadvantage

Although not much waste is produced, it is very dangerous. It must be sealed up and buried for many years to allow the radioactivity to die away.
Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety – if it does go wrong, a nuclear accident can be a major disaster. People are increasingly concerned about this, in 1990’s nuclear power was the fastest growing source of power in much of the world. In 2005 it was the second slowest-growing.

Is it renewable?

Nuclear energy from uranium is not renewable. Once we’ve dug up all the earths’ uranium and used it, there isn’t any more.
We can use Fast Breeder reactors to convert uranium into other nuclear fuels whilst also getting the energy from it. There are two types of breeder reactors – ones that make weapons – grade plutonium and ones that are for energy production.

Nuclear power is generated using uranium, which is a metal mined in various parts of the world. The first large scale nuclear power stations opened at Calder hall in Cumbria England 1956. Some military ships and submarines have nuclear power plants for engines.

Nuclear power produces around 11% of the worlds energy needs. And produces huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel, without the pollution that you’d get from burning fossil fuels.

At present, less than 3% of the UK’s electricity supply comes from renewable sources. The government has set a target that, by 2010, 10% of electricity should come from renewable sources- but there are some in the industry who doubt we will hit the target. Renewable experts say that the sector could provide a significant amount of Britain’s energy requirements – but admit the take up is slow.

Some environmental campaigners say the sooner the better; the nuclear industry, they say, produces toxic waste that we are leaving as a burden to future generations and that the risk of accidents make it an unacceptable form of energy.

But, as the industry itself points out, nuclear power is almost carbon neutral.

Cost to provide 20% UK electricity (over 30 years)

Money down the drain

If the government gives the go-ahead to more nuclear power stations, every household will have to pay an estimated £150 per year "nuclear tax" (slapped onto electricity bills) to pay for them.
But every man, woman, and child in Britain is already going to have to pay £800 to cover the £56 billion cost of cleaning up our existing nuclear power stations.
By contrast, if the government embraced simpler, cheaper measures like energy efficiency and renewable energy, our household and business electricity bills could fall significantly.