![]() Several countries have put the brakes on further development of the nuclear power industry since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. So why are so many Australians against it? Nuclear power can prevent millions of tons of emissions from entering the atmosphere each year, compared to fossil fuels. For coal, it’s around 40 percent, and wind is around 35 percent. In the US, they run at high capacity 92.5 percent of the time, government data shows. It is widely regarded as an efficient way of producing electricity, and depending on the energy used to mine and enrich the uranium, it could potentially be a zero-emissions power source.īeyond its low-carbon credentials, nuclear power is considered to have the highest capacity factor of any energy source, which means nuclear plants run at maximum power for more of the time than other types. Governments in many parts of the world are relying on nuclear energy to help decarbonize their economies. Many groups that oppose nuclear power, however, do so because of the environmental destruction caused by uranium mining. GLENN CAMPBELL/The AGE/Fairfax Media/Getty Images But there is an argument that it can be used sustainably the uranium resources across the world are so large that energy experts don’t foresee it running out.Ī grass fire burns at a uranium mine near Mt Brockman in the Kakadu National Park, Australia on September 1, 2004. ![]() ![]() The materials used in its production, however, are not renewable – the metal is technically finite. The simple answer is “no.” The energy produced by nuclear power plants is in itself renewable, and the steam produced in nuclear reactors can be recycled and turned back into water to be used again in the nuclear fission process. ![]() While the process itself generates no emissions, greenhouse gases are generally emitted during the mining of uranium, and the enrichment process can be carbon intensive. One pellet of enriched uranium – about the size of an eraser on the end of pencil – contains the same energy as a ton of coal or three barrels of oil, according to GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Uranium is a heavy metal found in rocks and seabeds, and it’s a powerful element. Uranium pellets cool after passing through a furnace inside a nuclear plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. This steam is used to spin turbines, which in turn produce electricity. The power comes from a process known as nuclear fission, which involves the splitting of uranium atoms in a reactor that heats water to produce steam. It accounts for around 10 percent of the world’s electricity, generated by just over 440 power reactors. Nuclear power is the world’s second-largest contributor of low-carbon electricity after hydropower, according to the International Energy Agency. So what’s all the fuss about? Here’s why some Australians are bothered by this deal. In France, 70% of the country’s electricity is nuclear. Six countries – the UK, US, China, Russia, India and France – already have nuclear-powered subs in their fleet, and many major developed economies, including the US and UK, use nuclear in their energy mix. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke personally to her Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, to tell him the vessels would not be welcome in the waters of her country, which has been a no-nuclear zone since 1984. Anti-nuclear groups in Australia, and many citizens, are expressing anger over the deal, worried it may be a Trojan Horse for a nuclear power industry, which the nation has resisted for decades. The move has sparked fury in France, which has lost a long-standing agreement to supply Australia with diesel-powered subs.īut it’s not only the French who are furious. The US and UK will be sharing technology and expertise with Australia to help it build nuclear-powered submarines as part of a newly-announced defense pact between the three countries.
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