Today, there are 440 operating nuclear reactors around the world, plus 65 more under construction, according the World Nuclear Association. With its rising popularity, concerns regarding nuclear power are also rising. The arguments of opponents who perceive nuclear power as “unstable” and “unsafe” seem to be overpowering, but the bright side of nuclear power actually overweighs its dark side.
Opponents of nuclear power say: “Nuclear reactors are too dangerous because of the radiation exposure”. According to a study, a majority stated that they think of the word: “disaster” or “bad” when thinking about nuclear power, and try to prevent living or working near a nuclear power reactor due to the radiation exposure. Such a fear has been created
…show more content…
It has a high initial cost, but the operating cost is low compared to major energy sources like coal, oil, and gas because the energy output of nuclear reactors is greater for the same amount of resources used and the operating efficiency is greatest at 91% compared to 63% for coal, 45% for natural gas, 28% for wind, and 24% for solar. In fact, energy generated from 1 gram of Uranium-235 is equal to the amount of energy generated from 3 tons of coal. Also, the cost of processed Uranium is one fifth of the cost of using coal to fuel a power plant and one third of a gas powered plant. So, the energy production cost, which includes all the costs of using an energy source, of nuclear power is only 2.4 cents/kWh, while for coal, gas, and oil it’s 3.27 cents/kWh, 3.4 cents/kWh, and 23 cents/kWh respectively. With low production costs, nuclear power contributes to the economy positively: nuclear reactors in the United States makes a revenue of 40- 50 billion every year also contribute $67 million of tax each year. It must be acknowledged that it’s only fair that developing countries considering the construction of nuclear reactors, like Egypt, Bangladesh, and Vietnam get access to equal opportunities of using a nuclear reactor which could provide economic benefits and be the key to developing the country in