Nuclear Power Effect on the Environment

Nuclear Power Effect on the Environment
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Table of Contents
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc434713971 \h
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The Overview of World’s Nuclear Power  PAGEREF _Toc434713972 \h
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The Global Trend  PAGEREF _Toc434713973 \h
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Factors Weighing on the Global Growth of Nuclear Power  PAGEREF _Toc434713974 \h
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Regional Breakdown  PAGEREF _Toc434713975 \h
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The International Attitude  PAGEREF _Toc434713976 \h
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Why Nuclear Power  PAGEREF _Toc434713977 \h
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Nuclear Power Effect on the Environment  PAGEREF _Toc434713978 \h
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Carbon Dioxide Emissions  PAGEREF _Toc434713979 \h
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Radioactive Wastes  PAGEREF _Toc434713980 \h
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Nuclear Waste on Land  PAGEREF _Toc434713981 \h
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Nuclear Waste on Water  PAGEREF _Toc434713982 \h
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Nuclear Plant Explosions  PAGEREF _Toc434713983 \h
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General Effect on the Environment  PAGEREF _Toc434713984 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc434713985 \h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc434713986 \h
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Introduction
Generation of the nuclear power entails the intermediary phase between the front-end and the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle (Sovacool, 2010). Radionuclides are released to regularly to the surrounding during this intermediate phase, and they get to the environment inform of liquid or gas or both. In regards to the environmental effects, public exposure to the radiations is controlled through a system of dose limitation that is mostly adopted in all cases (BBC, 2 August 2014). The system dose limitation in question is based on a tripod that entails optimization of protection of the public exposure, practice justification, and dose limit of public exposure. Generally, the collective effective dose per practice unit concept is applied in the justification of a practice and protection optimization. The site for construction of a nuclear power plant is always chosen carefully in anticipation of the effects of a likely accident. Construction of any nuclear power plant is preceded by data collection on the population density in the area, meteorology, orography and even the existing crops (Sovacool, 2010). The obtained data will then be used in making a site specific analyses regarding the real-time assessment of the consequences of an accident. The likelihood of an accident in a nuclear power plant, according to design reactor engineers, is extremely low because multiple protection levels against containment or reactor failures have been put in place (World Nuclear Association, 2013). Models have however been also selected for the calculation of doses, the health effects, and the economic costs as a result of inadvertent nuclear power plant releases. This essay discusses at length, the various effects of nuclear power plant on the environment.
The Overview of World’s Nuclear Power
Nuclear power production has had its ups and downs throughout its history. Humans have immensely benefited in various parts of the globe and also suffered the various dangers related to radioactive wastes emanating from the power production plants. The first ever recorded use of nuclear power by man for energy production was back on December 20, 1951, in Arco, Idaho, USA when an Experimental Breeder Reactor EBR-I produced electricity that lit four bulbs using nuclear energy (Sovacool, 2010). The initial plan when designing the EBR-I was to validate the concept of breeder reactor and not to produce electricity and, therefore, this discovery came by chance. The first ever constructed nuclear power plant in the world for the generation of electricity for commercial use was the APS-1 located in Obninsk, Russia, and was connected to the national grid on June 26, 1954 (World Nuclear Association, 2013). The net electrical output of APS-1 as of that time was 5 MW (Warner & Heath, 2012). England connected its first ever commercial nuclear power plant to the national grid on August 27, 1956. The Calder Hall 1 nuclear power plant had 50 MW as its net electrical output. By June 2015, 31 countries had a total of 438 operational nuclear power plants used for commercial production of electricity with a net capacity of nearly 379 GW. The good and bad sides of nuclear power plants have shaped people’s attitudes towards nuclear power production the world over. This section looks into the global trend of nuclear power production and the international attitude towards the production of electricity from nuclear power.
The Global Trend
The nuclear technology applies the energy released when the atoms of specific elements are split. The technology first came to use in the 1940s where research basically focused on the production of bombs through splitting of the isotopes of plutonium of uranium. The 1950s saw the research being refocused to peaceful purposes for power generation through nuclear fission. The electricity produced today in the world is almost equal to the total electricity produced from all the other sources of electricity in the whole world as of the early years of nuclear technology. A total of 441 nuclear power reactors were operational around the world by June 2006 (Tollefson, 2014). This generated 369 GW of electric power accounting for nearly 16 percent of the total world electricity. In essence, this percentage has been more or less the same right from 1986 pointing out that nuclear power did have the same rate of growth for the 20 years.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear power is expected to expand continuously in the future, although at a slower pace amid a myriad of challenges some of which include a sluggish economy, fall in the prices of fossil fuels and the legacy left behind by the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan (Steven, 2015). Nuclear energy will most likely take the centre stage in the global energy mix as will be determined by various factors. Some of these factors entail the role of nuclear power in the reduction of greenhouse gases, volatility of the prices of fossil fuels, population growth, electricity demand in the emerging economies and the energy supply security. The latest projections show that there has been a significant decrease in growth of nuclear power since the Fukushima Daiichi 2011 accident (Steven, 2015). It is expected that the capacity of nuclear power generation will grow by between 2.4-68 percent by 2030 and not between 7.7-88 per cent as was earlier on projected (World Nuclear Association, 2013). This decrease in the expected percentages is brought about by the uncertainties regarding license renewals, energy policy, the future constructions and shutdowns.


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: People demonstrating against the potential nuclear power negative effects. Source: (Wauchope, 2013).
Factors Weighing on the Global Growth of Nuclear Power
On a short term basis, quite a lot of issues are weighing on the development projections on nuclear power, bringing about temporary interruptions in the deployment of various plants. Some of these issues revolve around subsidized sources of renewable energy, global economic crisis, and decreased prices for natural gas, all of which present impediments for investment-intensive projects (World Nuclear Association, 2013). The delays have also been massively influenced by the intensified safety requirements following the results of the stress tests that were introduced following the Fukushima accident (Steven, 2015). Deployment of sophisticated technologies is also a major contributing factor.
Regional Breakdown
The policies in place and the development rates of over 30 countries planning their first nuclear power generation projects are also contributory factors to the nuclear power projections (World Nuclear Association, 2013). The United Arab Emirates, which has just recently began constructing its very first nuclear reactor, for example, is greatly contributing to the estimated growth in the Middle East and the South Asia, a region that has been dominated by India over time and is even in the process of constructing six other nuclear reactors. The 2015 IAEA projections puts the growth capacity in this region at 25.9 GW(e) by 2030 on the lower end from the 6.9 GW(e) which is the current capacity and a rise to 43.8 GW(e) on the higher end. The Eastern Europe that covers Russia with nine ongoing constructions of reactors and Belarus that is building its very first one reactor also has its own expected values by 2030. On the lower limit, this region is expected to have facility growth to 64.1 GW(e) from the present 49.7 GW(e) or to increase to 93.5(e) on the upper limit (Warner & Heath, 2012). The Far East region is expected to experience the biggest expansion, particularly the Republic of South Korea and China, which are currently putting up four and 24 reactors in that order. This region is expected to grow to about 131.8 GW(e) by 2030 up from the present 87.1 GW(e) in the lower limit and 219 GW(e) on the upper side. The Western Europe is, however, eying the largest decline by 2030. Germany, which is the biggest economy in Western Europe, has announced its plan to cut on the nuclear power following the Fukushima accident. Currently, this region stands at 113.7 GW(e). This capacity is projected to reduce to 62.7 GW(e) on the lower end or reduce to 112 GW(e) in the upper end. It is also expected that the North American nuclear capacity will have reduced by 2030 from its current standing of 112.1 GW(e) or alternatively increase significantly. In the low case, this capacity is expected to be 92 GW(e) or increase to 139.7 GW(e) (Warner & Heath, 2012).
The International Attitude
There have occurred a number of occurrences in regards to nuclear power since its invention. Some of these incidences have been negative others have been positive, all of which have shaped the general attitude that the public has in regards to the production and use of nuclear power in their respective countries. This form of energy seemed more reliable and welcomed by many until two major incidences occurred that has seen a decline in the pace at which this source of energy was gaining root in various countries. A 9 magnitude quake that sparked off a tsunami brought down four nuclear reactors in Fukushima Daiichi plant causing a shock to the world (Steven, 2015). Japan, a country at the helm of industrialization with the highest level of safety measures put in place, was experiencing a nuclear disaster whose extent was equal to the deadly Chernobyl accident in 1986 in the Soviet Ukraine. Various countries reviewed their energy policies as a result of the accident.
Before the Fukushima disaster, 442 nuclear reactors were operational in 30 countries and produced up to 14 percent of the world's total electricity output. In 2012, this number dropped to 11 percent following the exit of 15 reactors both in Japan and Germany. The world total operational nuclear reactors stand at 435 in 31 countries with the construction of 68 more reactors underway in various parts of the world. Following the Fukushima accident, Japan cut back on its quest for more nuclear power, organized an extensive inspection and put in place new safety regulations (Steven, 2015). Germany moved with haste to close eight its old nuclear reactors after the disaster and opted for renewable sources of energy. It plans to do away with all its nuclear power by 2022. Switzerland, despite a national referendum that supported the construction of more nuclear reactors, took up similar approaches to Germany and decided not to construct any more nuclear plants, and instead phase out all its nuclear production by the year 2034.
Not all countries got scared after the Fukushima disaster to develop a negative attitude towards the use of nuclear power for the commercial production of electricity. Both France, with the world's highest portion of nuclear power for its commercial electricity generation, and the United States, the world's leading producer of nuclear power, continue to pump more money into improvements of the safety of nuclear power Noel, 2013). All the four BRIC countries have also augmented their production of the nuclear power, with India having its target at 25 per cent supply and Russia 45 percent of their total electricity from the nuclear power by the year 2050. Brazil has a plan of building five other reactors by 2030. The current nuclear capacity of China is 20 reactors, but it aims to triple this capacity by 2020. The following figure shows the international attitude towards the use of nuclear power as the source of electricity as was reflected by an opinion poll conducted in June 2011.


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: Attitudes to nuclear power June 2011
Why Nuclear Power
The world has numerous sources of energy ranging from hydropower to fossil fuels and natural gas among others. These energy sources have been used for a long time now even before the discovery of the nuclear power. The cost of production of some of these energy sources is even cheaper than the initial installation cost of the nuclear power plants. The nuclear reactors are also associated with major risks in case of leakage of the radionuclides involved in the power production as has been observed in the cases of accidents as that of Fukushima (Steven, 2015). One is then left wondering why people should opt to invest heavily in the nuclear power production when there are various other energy sources. Below are some of the major reasons for the use of nuclear power for the commercial production of electricity.
Essentially, the rate of Global Warming is rising at alarming levels as observed by the rise of global temperatures. Temperature rise is caused by the greenhouse gases that are trapped in the earth’s atmosphere which has caused an increase of up to 1.3±0.3°C for the last 100 years (Harold, Zia, Ramana & von Hippel, 2011). The societal, economic and environmental threats posed by global warming to planet earth are immense and cannot be overlooked. The potential consequences of global warming include among others, enlargement of desserts, more severe storms, displacement of populations as a result of the rise in sea levels, increased flooding, changing of the agricultural patterns, and conflicts among other things (Harold, Zia, Ramana & von Hippel, 2011). Nuclear power is known to be a clean source of energy as it does not produce the greenhouse gases as illustrated in the figure below. Adopting nuclear power as a source of energy implies a decrease in one of the sources of global warming hence a better environment.


Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3: Source: (Greenhouse Gas Emissions, n.d).
The increased industrialization, especially in the emerging economies, calls for increased supply of energy. The developed countries have also increased their dependency on electrical power with the ever increasing use of technology in all the spheres of life (Tollefson, 2014). Nuclear fuels are known to contain a lot more energy than an equal mass of fossil fuels and coal. Its potential to produce more electricity per unit mass makes it a better alternative to the carbon-based energy sources. Apart from producing more electricity per unit much in comparison to the same amount of carbo...