Nuclear Power Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, NY
The Facts: Located on 239 acres in Buchanan, NY 35 miles North of NYC, 25 miles from AHS Two operating reactors built in 1974 and 1976 Licenses expired in 2013 and 2015 Of the 31 states with nuclear capacity, NY ranks 4th Ranks 67th of the 100 largest US nuclear power plants Employs 1500 people
Nuclear Share of Electricity Generation in 2014 Source: www.iaea.org 2015
Source: www.nrc.gov February 2015
Source: www.iaea.org 2015
Nuclear Power Plant Schematic Cooling Tower Containment Building Turbine & Generator Power Lines Reactor Control Rods Cooling Loop Condenser Fuel
Parts of a Nuclear Power Plant Made of very thick steel and concrete – built to contain any radiation Containment Structure: Fuel: Control Rods: Turbine & Generator: Cooling Loop & Tower: Fissionable uranium or plutonium Made of a material such as graphite, which readily absorbs neutrons – raised or lowered to regulate fissioning Steam turns the turbine, which is used to generate electricity Cools used steam and sends it back to the reactor to be reused
generating electricity Control rods are raised Power Generation Process Fuel rods undergo fission Heat energy is created Heat energy turns water Into steam Turbine is turned, generating electricity Steam is cooled and condensed back in to water Control rods are raised and lowered in order to regulate fission Electricity is transmitted over power lines
Nuclear Power Pros and Cons Little Pollution – No release of greenhouse gases, no ozone depletion or acid rain Waste Disposal – Radioactive waste must be safely disposed of Abundant Fuel – Uranium and plutonium are much more available than fossil fuels Safety – An accident could be catastrophic High Energy Output – More energy is created from less fuel, compared to coal or oil
Waste Disposal When fuel rods no longer have enough fissionable material left they still contain many decay products Exposure to radiation is dangerous to humans, so nuclear waste must be buried underground until is has decayed in to something harmless – this can take thousands of years.
How Dangerous is Nuclear Power? Fatality Comparison Statistics US Coal Mining 1931-1995 33,134 Oil / Gas Industry 1992-1995 719 Chemical Manufacturing 201 US Automobile 1899-1995 2,903,036 Smoking per year 419,000 US Civil Aviation 1938-present +54,000 US Nuclear Power Historical In 2011 a tsunami and earthquake devastated the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Two workers were killed in an explosion caused by a build-up of hydrogen and several hundred died as an indirect result of the disaster. But so far there have been no reports of radiation-related deaths. Source: energyforhumanity.org September 2014