Since the 1950’s, nuclear power has held the promise of delivering clean sources of inexpensive electricity. Today, new designs of modular and commercial-sized reactors have made this promise possible and have given rise to a nuclear power renaissance.
This nuclear power renaissance offers significant benefits:
- Reduction of carbon emissions
- Improvement of air quality by lowering other emissions
- Reliable, inexpensive electricity
- Improved energy security by relying less on uranium from questionable international sources
Clean, Sustainable, and Reliable
Nuclear energy protects air quality and is a zero-emission energy source. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the U.S. avoided more than 470 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 through the use of nuclear power. This is equivalent to removing 100 million cars from the road.
Nuclear energy produces more reliable electricity on less land than other clean air sources. And, nuclear power is always on. A typical 1,000 mega-watt nuclear facility needs little more than one square mile to operate. In contrast, wind energy would require 360 times more land area, and solar plants would require 70 times more land to produce the same amount of electricity.
Just how much better is nuclear energy?
Nuclear energy has high energy density. The amount of energy contained in a one-inch-tall pellet of uranium fuel would power a home for two and a half months. By contrast, it would require 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 120 gallons of oil, or 2,000 pounds of coal¹.
-
1
Uranium Pellet
-
2,000
Pounds of coal
-
120
Gallons of oil
-
17,000
of natural gas
A New Era of Domestic Uranium Mining
Historic mining of uranium was done during the Cold War Arms Race. Some of the uranium was mined with little regard to the safety of workers, the community, and the environment.
Today, we have an opportunity to learn from the past. We can mine safely, protect the environment, and do the reclamation at sites that have only been partially done.
By mining uranium through the safe, proven, and innovative technique of in-situ mining, ground waste piles are avoided. Additionally, conventional mining of uranium at existing disturbed sites can provide an opportunity to address environmental issues associated with abandoned or neglected uranium mining sites.
Strategically, domestically, and environmentally, uranium is the future.
1. U.S. Department of Energy. “3 Reasons Why Nuclear is Clean and Sustainable.” Energy.gov, U.S. Department of Energy, [Accessed on March 4, 2024], https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-nuclear-clean-and-sustainable.
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