The UN Economic Commission for Europe: UNECE (2021) has calculated the total negative life cycle environmental impact in points per hour of electricity produced [1]. The overall score for the negative environmental consequences of producing the same amount of electricity depends on the source. The higher the score, the more harmful. As shown in the figure below. Here we see nuclear power at the bottom of the scale, around the same order of magnitude as wind and solar, when it comes to being the least harmful to the environment. Not surprisingly, fossils top fuels like coal.
To make it clearer, the numbers have been added together, as shown in the figure below.
Why is nuclear power so good for the environment?
Nuclear power produces energy via fission instead of combustion. Without fire, there is no smoke. And without smoke, harmful particles or greenhouse gases are again generated for the atmosphere. Unlike fossil fuels or wood, the fuel looks the same before it is used as it does after. Everything is isolated, and nothing ends up in our atmosphere or lungs.
The second factor is energy density. Nuclear power plants produce a lot of energy from a very small amount of fuel. This means less mining, fewer power plants, and less waste produced per electrical unit.
Over half of the world’s uranium is produced via “in situ” mining. Instead of digging large holes in the ground, small holes are drilled where the uranium dissolves and is pumped to the surface. It leaves a little effect on the surface, rather than the big ones deep down, and no tailings are formed.
The amount of waste generated by nuclear power is extremely small compared to other energy sources. Because the waste is a solid material in an affordable quantity, it can be isolated and handled easily and safely. No people are injured or killed by it, and no environmental damage. The waste can be recycled for new energy
Conclusion:
- FN’s Økonomiske Kommission for Europa – UNECE (2021): På side 56. https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/LCA-2.pdf
