Nearly three decades after the most recent order was placed for a new nuclear power plant in the United States, several utilities are now expressing interest in building a total of up to 20 new reactors. The renewed interest in nuclear power has resulted primarily from sharply rising prices for natural gas, improved operation of existing reactors, and uncertainty about future restrictions on coal emissions. (more…)

Abstract . The Design Reference Mission for NASA’s human mission to Mars indicates the desire for in-situ propellant production and bio-regenerative life systems to ease Earth launch requirements. These operations, combined with crew habitation and science, result in surface power requirements approaching 160 kilowatts. The power system, delivered on an early cargo mission, must be deployed and operational (more…)

Viability of New Nu clear PowerPlants * New nuclear power plant wouldbeusedas base-loadcapacity * Demand forb a se-loadelectricityhasgrownsteadilywith the economy * Nuclear will compete with other base -loadtechnologies to provide additional capacity orb egintoreplaceexistingcapacity – Conventional fossil fuel technologies – Fossil fuel tech nolo gies that capture andstorecarbon dioxide emissions Relevant Policies (more…)

WASHINGTON — The renewed push for legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions could falter over an old debate: whether nuclear power should play a role in any federal attack on climate change. Congress, with added impetus from a Supreme Court ruling last week, appears more likely to pass comprehensive energy legislation. But nuclear power sharply divides lawmakers who agree on mandatory caps on carbon dioxide emissions. (more…)

Why nuclear energy to produce hydrogen? Hydrogen is not a primary energy resource and must be generated from other forms. One method of producing hydrogen is to extract it from water through electrolysis— using nuclear energy to separate water molecules into their constituent hydrogen and oxygen. Using nuclear energy to produce green hydrogen as a fuel is also the most environmentally (more…)

Introduction Currently the Government is undertaking a feasibility study into the possibility of establishing a nuclear power industry in Australia.1 Among the concerns raised about the development of a nuclear power industry in Australia is the amount of water consumed by nuclear power plants compared with other power stations. Water’s role in power production Electricity power stations can use (more…)

The purpose of a nuclear power plant is not to produce or release “Nuclear Power.” The purpose of a nuclear power plant is to produce electricity. It should not be surprising, then, that a nuclear power plant has many similarities to other electrical generating facilities. It should also be obvious that nuclear power plants have some significant differences from other plants. Reactor Concepts Manual Nuclear (more…)

AWARENESS MESSAGES Why talk about nuclear power plants? Nuclear power plants operate in most states in the country and produce about 20 percent of the nation’s power. Nearly three million people live within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of an operating nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plants use the heat generated from nuclear fission in a contained environment to convert water to steam, which (more…)

Summary and Introduction By the end of the next decade, demand for electricity in the United States is expected to increase by about 20 percent, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). That projected increase—coupled with concerns about the effects of greenhouse-gas emissions on the environment—has encouraged policymakers to reassess the role that nuclear power might play both (more…)

This White Paper sets out the decision we have taken in response to the consultation on nuclear power. It also examines the key concerns that emerged through the different strands of our consultation: we identify these in the analysis of responses to our consultation1. Further, it explains how we have addressed these issues in reaching our conclusion on nuclear power. In Section 1 of this White Paper (more…)