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Benjamin K. Sovacool: An Analysis

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Benjamin K. Sovacool, a nuclear researcher, further explains why nuclear energy indeed induces the emission of carbon dioxide in his critical survey on nuclear power, he claims: "nuclear energy is in no way 'carbon free' or 'emissions free'" (Sovacool, 11). His survey details how these stages occur. Most importantly is the information Sovacool provides about the construction of nuclear power plant, operating the plant and the decommission process. According to Sovacool, 200 tons of enriched uranium is needed to supply a typical 1000 megawatt reactor, and there is a great deal of transportation involved (from the mines to the reprocessing and enriching facilities). Andseta, another nuclear researcher, found that in Canada, the uranium needed to create fuel rods usually travels more than …show more content…

As for the construction phase of the reactors, there is a great amount of fossil fuels required to build a typical reactor plant, White, an expert in nuclear energy, calculates that the typical nuclear plant needs 170,000 ton of concrete, 32,000 ton of steel, 1363 ton of copper, and a total of 205,464 ton of other materials (2010). Many of these materials are very carbon-intensive. Nuclear power is not directly associated with carbon emissions, however the construction of the power plants releases large quantities of pollutants. For example: 1 ton of aluminum has the carbon equivalent of more than 10,000 ton of C02; 1 ton of lithium, 44,000 ton; one ton of silver, 913,000 ton (the estimation came from an older 1000 megawatt pressurized water reactor). At the end of the nuclear cycle, the decommission process takes place. In this phase, more transportation is required. Basically, after the period of cooling off, the reactor is dismantled and cut into small pieces. It is packed into containers for final

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