Nuclear power accounts for about 19 percent of the total electricity generated in the United States, an amount comparable to all the electricity used in California,Texas and New
York, our three most populous (having the most people) states. A nuclear power plant operates basically the same way as a fossil fuel plant, with one difference: the source of heat. The process that produces the heat in a nuclear plant is the fissioning or splitting of uranium atoms. That heat boils water to make the steam that turns the turbine-generator, just as in a fossil fuel plant. The part of the plant where the heat is produced is called the reactor core.
Compared to electricity generated by burning fossil fuels, nuclear energy is clean. Nuclear power plants produce no air pollution or carbon dioxide but a small amount of emissions result from processing the uranium that is used in nuclear reactors.
Like all industrial processes, nuclear power generation has by-product wastes: spent (used) fuels, other radioactive waste, and heat. Spent fuels and other radioactive wastes are the principal environmental concern for nuclear power. Most nuclear waste is low-level radioactive waste. It consists of ordinary tools, protective clothing, wiping cloths and disposable items that have been contaminated with small amounts of radioactive dust or particles. These materials are subject to special regulation that govern their disposal so they will not come in contact with the outside environment.
On the other hand, the spent fuel assemblies are highly radioactive and must initially be stored in specially designed pools resembling large swimming pools (water cools the fuel and acts as a radiation shield) or in specially designed dry storage containers. An increasing number of reactor operators now store their older and less spent fuel in dry storage facilities using special outdoor concrete or steel containers with air cooling. The United States Department of Energy's long range plan is for this spent fuel to be stored deep in the earth in a geologic repository, at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
Top 10 Facts About Nuclear Energy
1. There are 104 commercial nuclear power plants producing 20 percent of the emission-free electricity in the United States. They are located at 64 sites in 31 states.
2. More than 400 nuclear power plants worldwide produce 16 percent of the world's electricity-while reducing CO2 emissions by more than 2 billion metric tons per year.
3. Nuclear energy supplies electricity each year to serve 60 million homes.
4. Nuclear energy has one of the lowest environmental impacts of any electricity source. For example, a wind farm would need 235 square miles to produce the same amount of electricity as a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant.
5. Nuclear energy is by far the nation's largest source of electricity that does not emit any controlled air pollutants, providing 73 percent of the electricity from all carbon-free sources, including hydroelectric, wind and solar.
6. Nuclear power plants provide low-cost, predictable power at stable prices and are essential in maintaining the reliability of the U.S. electric power system.
7. Nuclear power plants are able to produce abundant and low cost energy source because they use an enriched form of uranium for fuel. One uranium fuel pellet - the size of the tip of your little finger - is equivalent to 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil.
8. The economic activity of a U.S. nuclear plant generates on average around $20 million in state and local tax revenues.
9. You would have to live near a nuclear power plant for over 2,000 years to get the same amount of radiation exposure that you get from a single diagnostic medical x-ray.
10. There are nearly 100 different nuclear medicine imaging procedures available today. An estimated 10 to 12 million nuclear medicine imaging and therapeutic procedures are performed each year in the United States.
In South Carolina:
South Carolina ranks high among U.S. states for electricity generation and consumption. It is also a major nuclear power generator: each of South Carolina's nuclear power plants in Clover, Hartsville, Seneca and Jenkinsville operate at 91.1% capacity and in 2006 were responsible for generating 50,797,372 Megawatt Hours (MWh) of electricity - more than half of South Carolina's total electricity generation for the year. By 2030, the South Atlantic Grid (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) will require 22.530 quadrillion Btu's of electricity per year, a 26% increase from 2006.
Ozone and other air pollutants like soot and smog have can have major effects on human health, including respiratory impairment in young children and the elderly, but South Carolina's nuclear power plants supply emission free power and help improve the air quality.
Nuclear energy produces no harmful greenhouse gases or any gases that produce ground-level ozone formation, smog or acid rain.
South Carolina's Catawba, Oconee, Robinson and Summer nuclear power plants avoided the emission of 283,700 tons of SO2; 79,700 tons of NOx; and 50.2 million metric tons of CO2 in 2006.
The Department of Energy estimates that uprates in South Carolina's existing plants could supply 5% more electricity, and avoid annual emissions of 7.200 tons of SO2, 1,700 tons of NOx and 1.9 million metric tons of CO2.
If a new nuclear plant were built, it would provide:
1,400 to 1,800 construction jobs, with the majority at the plant site; 400-500 full-time, skilled professional worker jobs; and 400-500 jobs for the surrounding communities.
Employees at U.S. nuclear plants earn salaries approximately 40% more than average earnings in communities near the plants. The average annual salary for nuclear engineers was $80,000 in 2003.
Information taken directly from the Energy Information Administration and the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition.
