Advantages of Nuclear Power

A single nuclear reactor can produce a substantial amount of power. A nuclear reactor produces
much more power per unit weight of nuclear fuel than conventional energy sources like coal and oil.
The production of nuclear power does not release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence
does not contribute to global warming.

The biggest plus for nuclear energy is the sheer amount of energy one plant can generate. A
single nuclear plant can produce the same energy as four oil or coal powered plants in the
same lifetime. In addition to this, CO2 emissions are much lower, though they are present.

The operating costs of a nuclear reactor are relatively low. It decreases dependence on pollution-
causing fossil fuels. It results in a nation's reduced dependence on the costly foreign fuel.

Disadvantages of Nuclear Power

The technology used for generating nuclear power can also be used for producing nuclear weapons.
The country of North Korea is a classic example of this. The technology still does not exist to use
nuclear power in relatively smaller devices like automobiles.

Nuclear waste is extremely dangerous and must be handled with care for nearly 10,000 years
before it loses all radioactivity. In addition to this danger, it is near impossible to build a plant
which is 100% safe. There will always be a small chance for failure, and the consequences of
this failure will be felt all over the world. The nuclear failure at the Chernobyl power plant is
still being felt in the world today, and the accident occurred over 25 years ago.
The waste products which are produced after generation of nuclear power and last for thousands of
years, This is a significant polluting factor and there is the problem of safely disposing it. Accidents in
nuclear reactors are much more devastating than the conventional energy plants. An instance of this
is the 1986 Chernobyl incident. The water in the nuclear plant overheated and subsequently pressure
built in one of the pipes, out of which one exploded. The accident was caused by low quality safety
infrastructure.

Nuclear reactors are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Because nuclear energy is so volatile, if a nation relies purely on nuclear power, it could be
come the target of terrorist attacks. There is no plant in the world today which could
withstand a terrorist attack similar to what happened in New York on September 11th, 2001.
Such a terrorist attack would not only be catastrophic for the nation involved, but everyone
else in the world as well.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage aside from the risks associated with nuclear power is the
fact that uranium, the main ingredient in producing nuclear power, has a very finite supply.
Current estimates put the uranium supply as enough to last the world for 30 to 60 years,
depending on how many new nuclear power plants are built over the next several decades.
The construction cost of a nuclear reactor is high. It takes a significantly long time to construct
nuclear plants. At present, the reserves of uranium, a critical nuclear fuel, are limited in the world.
Nuclear plant workers may be exposed to high levels of radiation, which can cause cancer and other
ailments.

Conclusion
Developing nations like India and China are likely to use cheap and polluting substances like coal for
their future energy needs. This will definitely aggravate the problem of global warming. Countries rich
in nuclear fuel should supply them with it and countries possessing advanced nuclear technology
should give it to them. I hope nuclear power becomes a safe and useful energy source in the future.
Let countries invest money and time to improve upon this technology.

Since there are quite a few disadvantages which outweigh the advantages gained from
nuclear energy, many politicians are hoping to rely on other truly renewable energy sources
like wind and water energy so the world’s supply of energy will not have to be relegated to
nuclear energy. While there are many plants active in the world today, working to keep this
number at a relative minimum will mean not having to worry about the results of a nuclear
disaster or attack.