Advantages of nuclear power plants against other mainstream energy resources are:
No greenhouse gas emissions (during normal operation) - greenhouse gases are emitted only when the Emergency Diesel Generators are tested (the processes of uranium mining and of building and decommissioning power stations produce relatively small amounts)Does not pollute the air - zero production of dangerous and polluting gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, aerosols, mercury, nitrogen oxides, particulates or photochemical smogSmall solid waste generation (during normal operation)Low fuel costs - because so little fuel is neededLarge fuel reserves - (e.g., in Canada and Australia) again, because so little fuel is neededNuclear Batteries - (see SSTAR) Disadvantages include:
Risk of major accidents - an example of the worst possible situation is what happened to Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (which did not have a conventional containment building)Nuclear waste - high level radioactive waste produced can remain dangerous for thousands of years if not reprocessed.Plutonium produced from nuclear reactions can be used to make nuclear bombs, aiding nuclear proliferation (see Magnox)High initial costsHigh energy inputs during construction (equivalent to ~7 years power output)High maintenance costsSecurity concernsHigh cost of decommissioning plantsThermal pollution (although all conventional power plants emit thermal pollution) Nuclear power is highly controversial, enough so that the building of new commercial nuclear power plants has ceased—at least temporarily—in the U.S. and most of Western Europe. (As of 2006, new nuclear power plants are under construction in several Asian countries, as well as in Argentina, Russia, Finland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Romania. In the U.S., a consortium of six major companies is planning construction of a new nuclear power plant, which would be the first since the 1970s.) [3], [6], [7] Almost all the advantages and disadvantages of commercial nuclear power are disputed in some degree by the advocates for and against nuclear power.
The cost benefits of nuclear power are also in dispute. It is generally agreed that the capital costs of nuclear power are high and the cost of the necessary fuel is low compared to other fuel sources. Proponents claim that nuclear power has low running costs, opponents claim that the numerous safety systems required significantly increased running costs.
Disposal of spent fuel and other nuclear waste is claimed by some as an advantage of nuclear power, claiming that the waste is small in quantity compared to that generated by competing technologies, and the cost of disposal small compared to the value of the power produced. Others list it as a disadvantage, claiming that the environment cannot be adequately protected from the risk of future leakages from long-term storage.