Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: Is solar really four times the cost of nuclear? No, but… [View all]wtmusic
(39,166 posts)not from the commercial power industry, and involve practices which have been abandoned for decades.
The downside risk is large in certain contexts, in others it's exceedingly small. Per unit of energy generated nuclear energy is by far the safest form of dispatchable power generation. Though Fukushima was a financial catastrophe there has not been one documented radiological casualty. Meanwhile 15,000 Americans die every year from the effects of coal pollution.
Most experts believe there is a heightened proliferation risk with reprocessing, although it's standard practice in France and there have been no known issues. Long term, safe spent-fuel storage (no one in the nuclear industry believes that it's waste or that it won't be used again) may still happen at Yucca, which was temporarily abandoned because of political reasons - namely, guaranteeing Harry Reid's support for Obama in 2008.
The people of Carlsbad NM don't share Nevadans concerns about nuclear waste storage, and are the benefiiciaries of $100 million every year for safe dismantled weapons storage at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The plant may be expanded to become America's primary spent fuel repository.