1. Nuclear Power
Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, NY

2. 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

4. Nuclear Share of Electricity Generation in 2014
Source:

5. Source: www.nrc.gov February 2015

7. Source:

8. Nuclear Power Plant Schematic
Cooling Tower
Containment Building
Turbine &
Generator
Power Lines
Reactor
Control
Rods
Cooling Loop
Condenser
Fuel

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. How Dangerous is Nuclear Power?
Fatality Comparison Statistics
US Coal Mining
33,134
Oil / Gas Industry
719
Chemical Manufacturing
201
US Automobile
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