THE BIG NUCLEAR PROBLEM BY MUHAMMAD ALAM

The Big Nuclear Problem. 

By: Muhammad Alam |for Ms. Walling’s blogger post| January 23rd, 2023 12:07 AM CST

Original Image by Muhammad Alam

Saskatchewan’s future for nuclear energy is bright, but nuclear power has been seen as a very expensive solution to the climate change crisis. With the negative repercussions of danger due to the long life span of radioactive waste, the uninsurable costs of a nuclear meltdown have led to negative opinions on the public, enormous costs of construction, and the decades it takes to build a single nuclear power plant. 

But nuclear power can and should be used in the future, with the new solutions and benefits that help it triumph over conventional fossil fuels.

There are many benefits to nuclear power, especially since it reduces the reliance on fossil fuels, as 81% of energy is produced by them to supply Saskatchewan’s energy needs, which releases tons of carbon into the atmosphere, while nuclear power does not. 

The enormous amount of cost creating a power plant can be solved by standardizing the structural design of nuclear reactors, and modernizing regulations to help decrease the costs of construction. This can also help reduce the amount of time it takes to build a power plant.

There is a potential for a breakthrough with nuclear fusion, which is a type of nuclear power that fuses atoms together and could replace nuclear fission which rips them apart. Fusion is much more environmentally friendly with an inexhaustible amount of energy, with elements from readily available resources here on Earth.

“For the rest of my life, all the fuel I’d need is the water that would fit in a bathtub and the lithium that would fit in two laptop batteries”

- Professor Ian Chapman, National Geographic

The nuclear fuel disposal methods are hazardous and the nuclear waste takes a long time to decompose, the solutions could be accident-tolerant fuels that last longer in the reactors. These newer fuels would have a longer lifespan in usefulness and significantly reduce the number of accidents in the nuclear power plant.

Nuclear energy is also a very effective producer of electricity, “This basically means nuclear power plants are producing maximum power more than 92% of the time during the year.” (Office of Nuclear Energy, 2021). 

As they are twice as much better than coal or gas stations, as an average nuclear plant produces 1 gigawatt of electricity, meaning if one were to close, it would require two or three coal plants to replace it.

In the grand scheme of things, nuclear power is a renewable energy that is extremely valuable, and reliable, powering the civilizations of tomorrow if the chance is given for it to be used, and many solutions are out there or being developed to counteract its negative effects on the environment. 

                                                           Works Cited:

“Saskatchewan Environmental Society position on nuclear power” Saskatchewan Environmental Society, June 2021, https://environmentalsociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Nuclear-Energy-Position-June-2021.pdf.

“Safety of Nuclear Power Reactors.” Safety of Nuclear Reactors - World Nuclear Association, World Nuclear Association , Mar. 2022, https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/safety-of-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx#:~:text=There%20have%20been%20two%20major,allowing%20some%20release%20of%20radioactivity.

Rincon, Paul. “NIF: US Lab Takes Further Step towards Nuclear Fusion Goal.” BBC News, BBC, 26 Jan. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60148105.

“Nuclear Power from Small Modular Reactors .” Nuclear Power from Small Modular Reactors, SaskPower, unknown date published,

https://www.saskpower.com/Our-Power-Future/Our-Electricity/Electrical-System/Balancing-Supply-Options/Nuclear-Power-from-Small-Modular-Reactors#:~:text=Right%20now%2C%20we%20don't,a%20process%20known%20as%20fission).

“Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles- Canada”. Government of Canada, C. E. R. Canada energy regulator / Régie de l'énergie du Canada. CER. July 2022, https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles-canada.html

Iurshina, Daria, et al. “Why nuclear power plants cost so much and what can be done about it”. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, June 20, 2019, https://thebulletin.org/2019/06/why-nuclear-power-plants-cost-so-much-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/#:~:text=Standardization%20reduces%20design%20and%20construction,than%20constructing%20them%20on%20site.

Bliss, Dominic. “Many scientists see fusion as the future of energy - and they’re betting big”. National Geographic, Nat Geo. October 4, 2022, Many scientists see fusion as the future of energy – and they're betting big. | National Geographic

“These Accident Tolerant Fuels Could Boost the Performance of Today’s Reactors”. Office of Nuclear Energy. January 28, 2020, These Accident Tolerant Fuels Could Boost the Performance of Today’s Reactors | Department of Energy

“Nuclear Power is the Most Reliable Energy Source and It’s Not Even Close”. Office of Nuclear Energy. March 24, 2021, Nuclear Power is the Most Reliable Energy Source and It's Not Even Close | Department of Energy