NUCLEAR POWER

1. What is nuclear power ?

Nowadays, fossil energy sources are gradually being exhausted, and climate
change has great impacts on production and people's lives. Nuclear energy is being
considered as the number one solution.

Nuclear energy or atomic energy is a type of nuclear technology designed to

extract useful energy from atomic nuclei through nuclear reactors. The most common
fuel used for nuclear fission in nuclear power plants is uranium.

2. Nuclear power in the world

First of all, we will see the role of nuclear power in the economic development of
some countries in the world. According to data from the Power Reactor Information
System (PRIS) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there are nearly
450 nuclear reactors in the world. It accounts for about 10% of total electricity production
and about 4% of all global energy sources. North America, Western Europe, East Asia,
Central and Eastern Europe are the regions with strong nuclear power development.

The US is the world leader in the number of nuclear reactors in operation with 95
reactors. France has 53 nuclear power reactors. Because it is the main source of
electricity, it accounts for 70.6% of the total national electricity production. Korea has
the most successful nuclear program in the world, contributing about 35-40% of the
country's electricity. India has focused on developing its nuclear industry decades ago.
China has also ramped up nuclear power development to response with the global energy
crisis.

3. Advantages

The biggest advantage of this energy source is that it does not produce CO2,
methane, and dangerous substances that cause the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Meanwhile, the annual emissions of a thermal power station are up to tens of thousands
of tons. Therefore, nuclear power is a green energy source with very little impact on the
environment.

Second, nuclear power is an abundant energy source with a large capacity. Nuclear
reactions release a million times more energy than hydro, wind, solar, coal or other
renewable energy sources. One kilogram of uranium can produce the same amount of
electrical energy as 1,500 tons of coal.
 The third, this is a sustainable and stable source of energy, with the Earth's
uranium reserves sufficient for the next 80 years. That helps many countries energy
independent and not dependent on the extraction of other fuels. If we run out of uranium,
we can completely replace it with thorium - a material that releases less waste. While the
electricity output of other types is unstable and highly dependent on nature.

In addition, the operation of factories is not labor intensive.

4. Disadvantages

However, the disadvantages of nuclear power are not small. It requires huge
construction costs. It takes about 15-20 years to build a nuclear power plant. The life-
span of a nuclear reactor is only about 60 years.

The second is the transportation of fuel and the treatment of nuclear waste.
Everyone knows that nuclear waste is created after a reaction containing a lot of
radiation. It is very dangerous to the environment as well as to human health and will last
for a long time. The transportation of uranium and radioactive waste is very difficult and
need to ensure international standards.

When an incident occurs, the consequences are huge. Examples are the explosion
of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (1986) in Ukraine, and the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear disaster (2011) in Japan. It caused the deaths of thousands people and nature
destruction.

Finally, nuclear weapons. There are national security concerns if it is used for
political and military purposes like the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

5. Conclusion

In Vietnam, there are currently 8 nuclear power plants under construction since
2009, but these projects are being stopped for several reasons. Engineers in nuclear
physics are also trained at universities. The government has also committed to zero
carbon by 2050.

So, for all of above reasons, I think nuclear energy is a reliable source and should be
developed.