Kimberly Jarman

Period 2
Biology 1010/1015

Nuclear Power
In the United States nuclear power plants provide one-fifth of the electricity we use and is
the second largest source of energy in our country. Like every topic in the world, nuclear power
has its pros and cons. On one hand, nuclear power plants, once built, are inexpensive to run and
they do not release carbon dioxide and other harmful substances into the atmosphere. On the
other hand, nuclear power plants are very expensive to build, they produce nuclear waste that
takes thousands of years to decompose, and there is always the threat of a meltdown.
As mentioned before, nuclear power plants have many advantages. Firstly, nuclear power
plants use nuclear fission to produce the energy we use for electricity. During nuclear fission
atoms are split apart producing free neutrons and photons that release large amounts of energy.
This process does not involve carbon dioxide or any other pollutants. Although people will see
what appears to be white smoke rising from the cooling towers of nuclear power plants it is only
steam that will dissipate into the atmosphere naturally and will not cause any damage to the
environment. Other forms of producing energy such as burning fossil fuels however, do release
harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other gases into
the air we breathe. Secondly, nuclear power plants are very inexpensive to operate. According to
the Nuclear Energy Institute, in 2012 the average fuel cost at a nuclear power plant was .75 cents
/kWh or .75 cents per kilowatt hour. And the average non fuel related costs in 2012, things like
maintenance, operation, and support, was 1.65 cents / kWh. Altogether it only costs 2.40 cents
per kilowatt hour to run a nuclear power plant. When compared to the cost of buying oils and
petroleum and other fossil fuels to burn for energy, nuclear power plants are very inexpensive.
Therefore, nuclear power plants are energy efficient, inexpensive, and contribute to a clean
atmosphere.
On the other hand, nuclear power plants also have many disadvantages. Nuclear power
plants are very expensive to build. The average power plant with two reactors for nuclear fission
costs about 2 to 2.5 billion dollars, much more expensive than a 650 million dollar fossil fuel
plant. Secondly, nuclear power plants produce tons of nuclear waste that cannot be stored
entirely on the grounds of the plant. Although nuclear power plants can reprocess some of its
nuclear waste, it does not reduce its volume or toxicity. It takes thousands of years for nuclear
waste to decompose, and even with reprocessing which reduces the half-life of nuclear waste, it
would still take hundreds of years to break down nuclear waste. The United States has tried to
find places to store excess nuclear waste but they cannot find a location where the nuclear waste
would not cause damage to the environment and those living there. Thirdly, when there is a
nuclear power plant, there is always the threat of something going amiss and causing atomic
destruction and radiation. There is always the possibility of a meltdown or contaminated water
seeping into the ground and contaminating our drinking water. If the workers are not careful
enough or fail to realize that something is not right there could be an anatomic explosion causing
radiation in a very large area and killing hundreds of people. Radiation is not something we can
Kimberly Jarman
Period 2
Biology 1010/1015

simply remove. If anything were to go wrong that area would have radiation problems for who
knows how long. Therefore, nuclear power plants are not only dangerous, they are expensive to
build, and they produce toxic waste that damages the environment.
In my opinion, I think the United States should utilize nuclear power plants more than
fossil fuel plants. The United States currently has 62 nuclear power plants already built and
capable of producing energy. We are always being told about air pollution and how its causing
global warming and we need to buy environment friendly cars and heating systems but most of
the pollution comes from fossil fuel plants. If we take advantage of our nuclear power plants and
the technology we have to produce energy without causing damage to the environment and the
places we call home, we can spend less time worrying about air pollution and more time finding
even more efficient and environment friendly ways to produce energy. Secondly, even with the
possibility of a meltdown in a nuclear power plant it is extremely unlikely anything like that will
occur. I have no doubt that engineers and other workers take every precaution and do everything
possible to make sure the plant is stable and safe and do everything they can to prevent a
catastrophe. Now that we know what can happen if something goes wrong we can prevent them
and make sure the people working at the plant are capable of running the plant safely and ensure
the safety of everyone working in the plant and everyone living or working nearby. Our
technology is advanced enough that we can produce a whole lot of energy in very little time and
still be environmentally safe. Therefore, I conclude that nuclear power plants are a tremendous
source of energy that does not pollute our air like fossil fuel plants, and is a safe and natural way
to produce energy. I think nuclear power plants are much more useful to our country than many
other means of producing energy for our everyday activities.

Kimberly Jarman
Period 2
Biology 1010/1015

Nuclear Energy Institute: web, May 2014
http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/Costs-Fuel,-Operation,-Waste-
Disposal-Life-Cycle
Paul R. Portney, Nuclear: web, May 2014
http://www.rff.org/rff/Documents/RFF_Resources_156_nuclear.pdf
Discovery.com: web, May 2014
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-pros-cons-nuclear-power.htm