Key Issues
Nuclear Energy and the Environment
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Protecting Resources for Future Generations
Nuclear energy has the smallest environmental impact of any clean-air electricity source. As a result, nuclear energy is well suited to meet the growing energy demands of the world’s urban centers. A 1,000-megawatt power plant can meet the needs of a city the size of Boston or Seattle.
Life-cycle analysis is a mechanism for measuring the total environmental impact of various energy sources. Environmental researchers have evaluated total emissions from various energy sources. This includes emissions resulting from all aspects of each energy source—construction, operation, dismantling and disposal. According to a University of Wisconsin study, the life-cycle impact of nuclear energy is among the lowest of any form of electricity generation, comparable with renewable technologies such as wind and geothermal power.
Clean Water and Safe Haven for Wildlife
Protecting the environment extends to safely managing used fuel, protecting water quality, and preserving and improving habitat for plants and wildlife, including endangered species such as the American crocodile and pallid sturgeon. Nuclear plants also provide safe havens for nesting sea turtles and manatees.
The companies that operate nuclear power plants honor and protect the environment in all these ways, under strict regulations and through many voluntary programs. Cooling water discharged from a nuclear plant contains no harmful pollutants, and it meets federal Clean Water Act requirements and state standards
for temperature and mineral content.
All companies that operate nuclear power plants have extensive environmental programs. Many augment these programs with voluntary initiatives to enhance natural habitats at nuclear reactor sites. For example, some companies have developed environmentally rich wetlands, providing better nesting areas for waterfowl and other birds, new habitats for fish, and sanctuaries for other wildlife, flowers and grasses.
The environmental activities conducted by companies that operate nuclear power plants have been recognized by the nation’s best-known environmental organizations, including the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation, the Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Habitat Council.
Protecting Resources for Future Generations
Nuclear energy has the smallest environmental impact of any clean-air electricity source. As a result, nuclear energy is well suited to meet the growing energy demands of the world’s urban centers. A 1,000-megawatt power plant can meet the needs of a city the size of Boston or Seattle.
Life-cycle analysis is a mechanism for measuring the total environmental impact of various energy sources. Environmental researchers have evaluated total emissions from various energy sources. This includes emissions resulting from all aspects of each energy source—construction, operation, dismantling and disposal. According to a University of Wisconsin study, the life-cycle impact of nuclear energy is among the lowest of any form of electricity generation, comparable with renewable technologies such as wind and geothermal power.
Clean Water and Safe Haven for Wildlife
Protecting the environment extends to safely managing used fuel, protecting water quality, and preserving and improving habitat for plants and wildlife, including endangered species such as the American crocodile and pallid sturgeon. Nuclear plants also provide safe havens for nesting sea turtles and manatees.
The companies that operate nuclear power plants honor and protect the environment in all these ways, under strict regulations and through many voluntary programs. Cooling water discharged from a nuclear plant contains no harmful pollutants, and it meets federal Clean Water Act requirements and state standards
for temperature and mineral content.
All companies that operate nuclear power plants have extensive environmental programs. Many augment these programs with voluntary initiatives to enhance natural habitats at nuclear reactor sites. For example, some companies have developed environmentally rich wetlands, providing better nesting areas for waterfowl and other birds, new habitats for fish, and sanctuaries for other wildlife, flowers and grasses.
The environmental activities conducted by companies that operate nuclear power plants have been recognized by the nation’s best-known environmental organizations, including the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation, the Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Habitat Council.
