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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

948 Words4 Pages

Ever since nuclear power became a legitimate source of electricity, its use has polarized into 2 main positions. The proponents of nuclear power talk about the financial and environmental benefits while the opponents talk about plant meltdowns like Fukushima, Chernobyl, or Three Mile Island. While the opposition is correct in saying that nuclear meltdowns pose a danger to society, there are many important and details left out in their argument like the consequences of current conventional forms of electricity generation and the tight regulation on nuclear plants. Currently in the US, many regulations and procedures are conducted by individual states. In Michigan in 2016, Gov. Snyder released a proposal to close the Palisades Nuclear power plant. …show more content…

For example, 1 uranium pellet, about the size of a dime, can produce the same amount of electricity as 3 barrels of oil, 1 ton of coal, and 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.(Nuclear, 2014) This is the case because during the fission process, an atom of uranium-235 is struck with a neutron, releasing a great amount of energy and a new element. That element can be used again as fuel. In other words, nuclear fission can produce fuel as it is being used up, unlike conventional coal and natural gas, which constantly need more fuel as it gets used up. Another explanation for the high efficiency of nuclear power is because “energy in uranium is extremely concentrated. ”(Nuclear, 2014). The average uranium pellet weighs about 14 grams. Comparatively, that is the approximate weight of an empty soda can. Nuclear plants replace about one-third of their fuel every two years as the uranium fuel gets used up (Nuclear, 2014). This gives them a distinct advantage over conventional modes of electricity generation which require a greater amount of fuel in constant supply. On top of that nuclear power also provides a slew of environmental

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