As part of our effort to secure our national energy future, I think nuclear power needs to be in the mix. In Europe, the next generation of nuclear power plants applies advances in nuclear engineering and technology to create a more efficient and safer power plant. While nuclear power has many critics, they have provided safe and clean nuclear power to U.S. consumers for more than 40 years. Several states are currently faced with whether to re-license old plants that have provided safe and clean power for 20 to 40 years, but are they still safe to operate for another twenty years?
The biggest stumbling block to re-licensing or permitting of new facilities is where to store nuclear waste for long-term safety and security. The federal government made a commitment a number of years ago to address this issue on behalf of these nuclear waste generators, but has failed to keep the promise. Plans to scrap further permitting of the Yucca Mountain site further casts doubt on what we should do.
While nuclear power is certainly controversial and a complex issue, who better to understand it and break it down into terms that the general public can understand than engineers? I encourage each of you to get educated and get in conversation.
Two good places to start are the National Academies’ Web site on America's Energy Future and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s recent update of its 2003 study The Future of Nuclear Power.
