DeBetta, a 2nd-Year college student majoring in English and Philosophy opined that in 2016, Gallup published a poll finding that, for the first time ever, a majority of Americans opposed nuclear energy. Similar polls taken immediately before and shortly after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan did not even see this result. Three years later — and 40 after the Three Mile Island disaster — Americans were split evenly on the topic.[, which reflects the Far Left against, and the Middle and Right for nuclear power]
Between horrific accidents and its inextricable connection to Cold War tensions, nuclear power has some baggage [DeBetta blasting "honorific accidents,", which can only mean Chernobyl and the Soviet Union's bad design. But no other "horrific accidents", for Three Mile and Fukushima incidents, wherein no one died, no one was irradiated, scared? Yes!]. There are some legitimate concerns, as have been published in The Red & Black recently, but nuclear is anything if not misunderstood, and underrated in fighting the climate crisis. Nuclear power is one of the cheapest forms of energy to operate once fully constructed, as the operating costs are lower than most fossil fuel alternatives and can run for up to six decades. There is also a low chance of cost inflation, or fluctuation at all, as you see regularly with gas prices.
Solar and wind power are heavily dependent on weather and climate conditions in a way that nuclear is not. Nuclear energy operates consistently throughout the year and in almost any environment, making it a reliable and consistent source of clean power in areas where solar and wind power aren’t viable. This stability means nuclear power can also be used in tandem with solar and wind generators. If its a particularly windy day, then the nuclear plant’s energy level could be temporarily lowered. No wind? The nuclear plant can adjust to compensate, too.
These benefits are not theoretical, either — nuclear energy already generates around 20% of all power in the United States already. In Georgia in 2019, it was as much as 26% of net electricity generation, meaning you have most likely at one point in time already used nuclear power, disaster-free. Nuclear energy also fights pollution at an impressive rate. The current use of nuclear energy in America already reduces hundreds of millions of metric tons of emissions annually.
Our supply of nuclear resources is vast, with our uranium supply alone estimated to last another hundred years at the very least, not factoring in finding or producing more uranium. Compare this to the expected 50 or so years before oil and gas run out, if current rates of production persist. Like solar, Georgia is among the top ten states in terms of nuclear power production, according to the Energy Information Administration, and we have plans for expansion as well.
The recent expansion of Plant Vogtle has drawn criticism, and has been used as an example of what goes wrong with nuclear energy in the construction and startup process. However, despite the ballooning price tag, the two proposed reactors will almost double the plant’s generating capacity. “Vogtle Units 3 & 4 are expected to generate more than 17 million megawatt-hours of clean and reliable electricity,” according to a report on Plant Vogtle by the United States Office of Nuclear Energy. “That’s enough to power more than 1.6 million average American homes.” Indeed, the costs of the project are much alleviated by loans granted by the Department of Energy in 2019 to assist with finalizing the project. The plant is expected to provide more than 9000 jobs for Georgians at peak construction times, and will create 800 permanent jobs, as well.
Nuclear energy is not nearly as scary as it sounds. Fluke disasters from foregone eras scar its image in America, but it is one of, if not the best, clean energy alternative to fossil fuels — for burning, a thoroughly modern disaster that needs a solution. A nuclear-powered future may just be the safest future we can have. [Well stated!]
[More details (here) and (here) and we could use coal, but not for burning].
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