The Case for Nuclear - Despite the Risks

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Date posted: 05/19/15

Gary Was, a Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at University of Michigan, reports that his article is part of The Conversation worldwide series on the Future of Nuclear. You can read the rest of the series here, and a counterpoint to the views expressed in this article here. Nuclear power is likely the least well-understood energy source in the U.S. Just 99 nuclear power plants spread over 30 states provide one-fifth of the U.S. electricity. These plants have provided reliable, affordable and clean energy for decades. They also carry risk - to the public, to the environment and to the financial solvency of utilities. Risk is the product of the probability of an occurrence and its consequence. The probability of dying in a car accident is actually quite high compared to other daily events, but such accidents usually claim few individuals at a time, and so the risk is low. The reason nuclear energy attracts so much attention is that while the probability of a catastrophic event is extremely low, the consequence is often perceived to be extremely high. In the U.S., commercial nuclear plants have been operating since the late 1960s. If you add up the plant years in operation, they average about 30 years each, totaling about 3,000 reactor years of operating experience. There have been no fatalities or radiation sickness to any member of the public due to the operation of a commercial nuclear power plant in the U.S.. Our risk in human terms is vanishingly low. The Nuclear power safety record is laudable, considering that some of the nuclear plants are running full-tilt. The average capacity factor of these plants exceeds 90%; that means 99 plants are generating full power over 90% of the time. If you compare that to any other energy form, there is a huge gap. Coal is a mainstay of electricity generation in this country and has a capacity factor of around 65%. Gas is about the same, wind capacity factor is around is 30%, and