Advantages of Nuclear Power

By: Want To Know It

Everyone knows that nuclear power plants are, potentially, very dangerous. But what are some of the advantages of nuclear power? That is what this post will cover.

Advantages (Pros):

  • Nuclear power plants are more efficient than ever before. New technology has made them more reliable (they break down less often) and safer. People for nuclear power argue that this is evidenced by more and more nations (such as China) building nuclear power plants.
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is a contentious issue. Proponents of nuclear power argue that, as no coal or fossil fuels are burnt, no carbon dioxide is released into the air. However, uranium has to be mined and transported to the nuclear plant. Both these activities require burning of fuels, so carbon dioxide is released. Also, producing nuclear fuel from the uranium requires a lot of energy, which also contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases.
  • Although the initial cost of building nuclear plants is high, the running costs are relatively low.
  • One reason the costs are low is that nuclear plants need only a small amount of uranium to produce a lot of energy. In fact, if the cost of uranium doubled, costs would only be increased by 7%. 1 truck of uranium produces as much energy as 1000 trucks of coal!
  • Reduces dependence on foreign oils and natural gas (like biofuels). America, for instance, imports a lot of oil and natural gas from other countries. The price of these products is volatile, and change very quickly. If the price increases quickly, consumers have to pay more for their electricity (which they may not be able to afford). Building more nuclear power plants means that Americans will not be susceptible to price rises in oil and gas. President Barack Obama supports this idea of ‘energy independence’.
  • Nuclear wastes can be safely stored underground (another debated issue).

Other Environmental Topics:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Power

True Facts about Global Warming

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37 Comments for Advantages of Nuclear Power

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  • 9. dave  |  June 12th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    is it true that 1 truck of uranium is equal to 1000 trucks of coal or is it just a misprint?

  • 10. Want to know it  |  June 12th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    Yes it’s true. 1 truck of uranium will produce the same amount of power as 1000 trucks of coal.

  • 11. Dean. B  |  June 21st, 2009 at 9:10 pm

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  • 16. rachel (L) !  |  September 28th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    i think this site is okay, but it says it’s the advantages and it talks about how the mining and transportation of the uranium produces carbon dioxide, which is a disadvantage?
    overall, good though :D !

  • 17. Want to know it  |  September 29th, 2009 at 11:03 am

    Thanks for the nice comment Rachel. I talked about the mining/transport leading to CO2 emissions as many people forget this and think that nuclear power leads to no carbon dioxide emissions at all!

  • 18. John  |  October 13th, 2009 at 9:58 pm

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  • 19. Sparrow James  |  October 15th, 2009 at 1:45 pm

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  • 21. Ollie Willis  |  November 1st, 2009 at 10:24 pm

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  • 24. Georgina  |  November 15th, 2009 at 12:14 am

    ahhhhh, thankyou!! amazing for my science homework :) everyone else is like ra ra ra , nuclear is bad, but these are good points that my teachers is going to be impressed by! :D cheers xx

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  • 29. Bob Peterson  |  February 3rd, 2010 at 5:42 am

    great site!! direct and to the point…keep it up!!! :)

  • 30. Jada J.  |  February 9th, 2010 at 11:02 pm

    Wow! This helped for my science essay– thanks. :D Oh and– those were some real good points on, what nuclear power “is good for” so to speak.

  • 31. katy  |  February 21st, 2010 at 7:10 pm

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  • 32. liam  |  February 22nd, 2010 at 5:20 pm

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  • 33. chris  |  February 23rd, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    who is it that wrote this document
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    and his/her job

  • 34. Want to know it  |  February 24th, 2010 at 12:03 am

    Writer- Timothy Johns
    Job- Article writer

  • 35. calum howell  |  February 25th, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    hi this was great for science homework!!!!

  • 36. Holly Wong  |  February 25th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

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  • 37. Karlee  |  March 2nd, 2010 at 11:54 am

    :D this is great!
    this has helped me loads for my gcse coursework!
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    but I don’t know about nuclear half-life?
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