Why is nuclear energy the best energy?

Answer 1

Because they are reliable, they produce enormous amounts of energy at a time, and they help the economy by creating more jobs. New technology has made them safer and safer, which makes the Chernobyl incident look like a pinch.

Answer 2

Oil crunch 'looming'

first and more immediate problem is that Australia, like the rest of the world, is coming up against an oil crunch.

"The rate at which oil can be produced and extracted from the ground is likely to reach some maximum to peak, some time within the next ten years

"When that happens and as that happens the price of petrol will substantially increase and we've seen that this year. In the process we'll need to find some other form of energy to drive our personal transport"

Other options 'not enough'

the problem with other options, especially within an Australian context is that they can't scale to the demand for energy that we've placed upon ourselves and upon our resources.

"Wind power can perhaps provide up to 10 or 15 per cent of our total electricity consumption. Solar power maybe in 20 years time could do something similar".

"But for the sort of large scale electricity production that we are likely to need over the next 5, 10, 20 years, nuclear seems to be the best option, the most mature option

Nuclear power 'is clean'

The whole problem of greenhouse gases is enormous. The challenge is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent, by 2050.

"To do that we'll have to introduce a whole range of new technologies and a new way of doing business, and using nuclear power is one way to address that. It won't be the only means".

"But for the amount of electricity that is produced greenhouse gas emissions resulting from nuclear power will be one per cent that of, say, coal. So that's a huge contribution to greenhouse gas reduction,

Technology to store nuclear waste 'safe'

Our society produces large amounts of waste of all different types.

Actually, the handling of nuclear waste has been generally far better than many other kinds of wastes that we've produced in our industrial society.

"It can be and has been isolated from the environment and to date, except for Chernobyl, there have been no large scale contaminations of the general public. I don't think Chernobyl will ever happen again.

"It was a terrible design with terrible safety procedures, and the world has learnt the lessons from Chernobyl.

Australia 'needs to have nuclear power option'

Answer 3

its most definitely the best energy. The danger of nuclear energy has been blown way out of proportion by an ignorant public. More people die each year from coal burnning than from nuclear power plants. Coal is one of the leading causes of acid rain.

Answer 4

Nuclear energy is the only truly green energy available. France has used it to reduce its carbon footprint by 80%. Unlike wind and solar that have serious drawbacks and offer only a false reduction in CO2, nuclear is far cleaner.

Answer 5

It causes considerably less pollution than burning hydrocarbons (petroleum and coal)

Answer 6

It lasts much longer and is cleaner