Carbon-Free Nuclear Energy

American Security Council Foundation (ASCF) Senior Analyst Laurence F. Sanford served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and the CIA's clandestine service. An executive in international companies, he has visited 50 countries and 49 states. Mr. Sanford founded and managed a multi-million-dollar distribution for 20 years in metro Boston. He now lives in Florida with his wife of 55 years.
Carbon-free nuclear energy is essential to America’s energy security and clean energy program of reducing carbon emissions.
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) power 60% of the electricity produced in America, emitting 5,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Nuclear energy has 20% of the electricity and emits 0 tons of carbon dioxide. Nuclear energy represents 50% of the carbon-free energy produced in America. Wind and solar make up 10% of the total energy.
Ninety-three nuclear reactors in fifty-six plants are located in twenty-eight states. The average age of the reactors is thirty-nine years. Currently, only two nuclear reactors are under construction in America in Vogtle, Georgia. Twenty-three reactors are shut down or are in various stages of decommissioning. Illinois (9), Pennsylvania (8), and South Carolina (7) lead the nation in the number of nuclear reactors.
Carbon-Free Nuclear Energy Advantages:
The Biden Administration is cautiously embracing nuclear energy to meet its green goals. The administration’s climate advisor, Gina McCarthy, states nuclear power reactors are “essential” in meeting Biden’s climate projections of a net-zero carbon economy. Accordingly, Congress passed an infrastructure bill that devotes $8.5 billion to fund advanced nuclear reactor development, funding small modular reactors (SMRs), and financially compromised existing nuclear plants.
The most reliable of all energy sources is nuclear energy. It is available 24/7/365 and does not depend upon sunshine, wind, water levels, or fossil fuels. The wind does not always blow, and the sun does not shine at night. Maintenance and downtimes are minimal with nuclear energy. A small amount of uranium powers nuclear energy. Uranium is a plentiful mineral throughout the world and the U.S. It is easily and securely transported.
A solar panel farm kills thousands of birds, requires 450 times the land area of a nuclear power plant, and is effective only when the sun shines. Wind farms also require large tracts of land, kill thousands of birds and provide intermittent power. Battery storage technology for renewable energy cannot provide sufficient and sustainable electricity to meet society’s needs. The primary source for solar panels and windmill blades is China.
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are safer and less costly than large conventional nuclear fission reactors. They are designed and manufactured in modules at a plant and transported to a site. This reduces cost and speeds up construction time.
Nuclear fission reactors power all nuclear plants today. Fission occurs when one atom is split into two, releasing energy. Future nuclear reactors will be powered by fusion, combining and fusing two atoms into one atom, releasing energy and leaving little radioactive waste. Currently, there are no working fusion reactors because of the inability to control the process. However, advanced computer models and other technologies will soon make a laboratory model into an industrial-size reactor.
Nuclear energy offers over 150,000 steady, high-paying jobs and is a significant source of local tax revenue. Technological spin-offs enrich America’s industrial base and improve daily living. By reducing air pollution, nuclear energy saves millions of lives. In addition, nuclear radiation fights cancer and sterilizes medical instruments and food packaging.
The safest of all energy sources, there have been no known deaths from nuclear accidents in the United States. The Navy has utilized nuclear power since the launch of the submarine USS Nautilus in 1954. The entire U.S. submarine and aircraft carrier fleet is powered by nuclear energy. Sixty-five years later, the Navy’s nuclear energy use has raised no safety or health issues.
Nuclear Power Disadvantages:
Radioactive waste - All the nuclear waste ever produced in the U.S. can fit on a single football field in 50-foot high solid stack containers. Coal plants generate the same amount of waste every hour, and its disposal/storage is a serious environmental issue. Natural gas methane flaring and mining of rare earth metals for solar panels and windmills are also severe environmental issues.
Fear is a powerful emotion. A phobia is an unreasonable fear of something or a situation. For example, nuclear energy and the resulting waste should be feared but not unreasonably. Fear of nuclear power in a military weapon is a reasonable and justified fear. But fear of nuclear energy in producing electricity is unreasonable or “nuclear phobia.”
Environmental, green, and progressive organizations, with annual budgets of over one billion dollars, promote green energy and oppose nuclear energy. Excessive lawsuits and regulations discourage nuclear energy development. As a result, the risks of nuclear energy are greatly exaggerated, and the risks of renewable energy are minimized or not even mentioned. In conjunction with an active membership, a significant portion of that billion dollars significantly impacts public perception and political action.
Summary

Nuclear energy is the safest, cleanest, and most reliable of all energy sources. Nuclear energy is an absolute necessity for a carbon-free future and a growing industrial civilization. Currently, eighty-five percent of the world’s energy is provided by fossil fuels. It is impossible for wind and solar power to replace nuclear and fossil fuels in the near future. An intelligent combination of energy conservation, renewable energies for local low-intensity applications, and nuclear energy for large-scale electricity production are the only viable methods to meet future civilization energy needs.
Laurence F. Sanford
Senior Analyst
American Security Council Foundation
www.ascf.us
lsanford@ascf.us