What are the consequences of using nuclear energy?
(See also Poster 1) Cost of production Nuclear power stations currently in use in the UK are ageing and will need to be replaced within the next 20 – 40 years if Britain opts for nuclear energy as the main source of generating electricity. Existing reactors will need to be decommissioned, new ones will need to be built and maintained and nuclear waste disposed of. The combined cost of these processes will require massive public funding, although it is argued that building a large number of nuclear power stations will help to reduce costs. Environmental impact The main argument in favour of nuclear energy, and the reason why the UK government is thought to favour developing it, is that nuclear power stations produce few or no greenhouse gases in their operation and are in that respect ‘clean’ sources of energy. Greenhouse gases will be generated in the production and transport of the components of nuclear power stations but that is true in one way or another for all sources of energy. A
