labor divided on nuclear debate, page-27

nuclear power Nuclear Power
Nuclear power is possibly the most contentious and emotive of all methods of energy production, due to the nature of the material involved and long term consequences of accidents. Nuclear power stations currently produce about a quarter of Britain's electricity. Many are now too old to continue to operate efficiently and safely and are being closed down. By 2023 only 4% of Britain's electricity will come from nuclear power.

Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element, left over from Earth's formation. It can be used in nuclear power production because if a free neutron collides with the nucleus of a Uranium atom, the nucleus splits (fission) into two smaller atoms plus one free neutron.

This free neutron can then cause another fission to occur (a chain reaction). As the two new atoms weigh less than the original Uranium atom, an enormous amount of energy is also released.

How it works
The energy produced by the splitting of the Uranium nucleus in the power plant (the reactor) is used as a heat source. This turns water into steam, which drives a turbine. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity. The reactor is sealed inside concrete and steel to prevent radioactive gases and fluids leaking from the plant.

The past
Calder Hall, Cumbria, was the world's first nuclear power station to produce electricity. It opened in 1956. There have been a few serious incidents at nuclear power plants world-wide. The most well known happened in 1986 when a reactor exploded in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The effects of the fallout are still affecting 16 million people.

The advantages of nuclear power
Well-constructed power plants are extremely clean, and coal-fired power plants can actually release more radioactivity into the atmosphere. Radioactive material produces vastly more energy than the equivalent amount of fossil fuel.

To give an example of how much energy is produced, one nuclear fuel pellet about two centimetres long produces the same amount of electricity as one and a half tonnes of coal. Nuclear power stations produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-fuelled power stations.

The disadvantages
Mining uranium has not traditionally been very clean. Waste from the power plants is toxic for many centuries and there is no safe way to store it permanently or dispose of it. Transporting nuclear fuel can be risky.

Power plants that are not constructed or maintained properly can create major disasters (Chernobyl, Three Mile Island).

The future
There are currently 16 nuclear power plants in Britain half operated by British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) and the other half by British Energy. All power stations runs by BNFL will close by 2010 and by British Energy by 2023. The power stations have long outlived their 20-25 year life expectancy.

There has not been any building of nuclear power stations in Britain in over 10 years and most reactors are scheduled to close in the next 20 years. This will leave one power plant in Suffolk running until 2035. The idea is that other renewable energy sources will replace nuclear power production and relieve Britain's reliance on fossil-fuels.

However, the government is currently being advised that this will not be the case and Britain needs to build further nuclear power stations if they are to meet greenhouse gas emission targets. In 2004, the government stated that research, design and development of nuclear power, which emits very little CO2, is ongoing.

Examples abroad
Finland's parliament has recently approved the construction of a new nuclear power station. This will be the first to be built in western Europe since 1991 and it is hoped that this will help Finland meet its greenhouse gas emission targets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/adaptation/nuclear_power.shtml