Topic B for 7th October 2010

Hi!! Guest what? This is actually my first official duty. Well more specifically after I created this blog. Hmm I found that my teammates’ posts are very lengthy so I want to diversify my post (not to say that I am good enough). My writing/post may not be as good as Mr. Story Teller or too technical as others’. This time I would like to post in a simplified point form format. Even though today’s post is relatively general topic but I prefer to keep my facts straight.hah..mind u that, if my post cause u perplexity or complexity and tend to drive u crazy..plz..plz..plz..

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Nuclear Power in the World Today

• The first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s.
• There are now some 436 commercial nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries, with 372,000 MWe of total capacity.
• They provide about 15% of the world's electricity as continuous, reliable base-load power, and their efficiency is increasing.
• 56 countries operate a total of about 250 research reactors and a further 220 nuclear reactors power ships and submarines.

The Economics of Nuclear Power

• Nuclear power is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generation, except where there is direct access to low-cost fossil fuels.
• Fuel costs for nuclear plants are a minor proportion of total generating costs, though capital costs are greater than those for coal-fired plants and much greater than those for gas-fired plants.
• In assessing the economics of nuclear power, decommissioning and waste disposal costs are taken into account.

Radiation and Nuclear Energy

• Natural sources account for most of the radiation we all receive each year. Up to a quarter of that received is due to human activity and originates mainly from medical procedures. 
• The nuclear fuel cycle does not give rise to significant radiation exposure for members of the public.
• Radiation protection standards assume that any dose of radiation, no matter how small, involves a possible risk to human health. This deliberately conservative assumption is increasingly being questioned.

World Energy Needs and Nuclear Power

• The world will need greatly increased energy supply in the next 20 years, especially cleanly-generated electricity.
• Electricity demand is increasing much more rapidly than overall energy use and is likely to almost double from 2004 to 2030.
• Nuclear power provides about 15% of the world's electricity, almost 24% of electricity in OECD countries, and 34% in the EU. Its usage is increasing.
• Nuclear power is the most environmentally benign way of producing electricity on a large scale. Without it most of the world would have to rely almost entirely on fossil fuels for continuous, reliable supply of electricity.
• Renewable energy sources other than hydro have high generating costs but are helpful at the margin in providing clean power.

AGAIN....

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