Safe and secure - Environmental effects of nuclear power plants and the nuclear fuel cycle

This paper focuses on the issues critical to the operation of commercial nuclear power electric generating plants. These issues include safe, secure long-term plant operations, plant physical security, radioactive waste management, and environmental impact. Few energy choices can compete with the environmental benefits of nuclear power. By capturing and sequestering waste products during the entire fuel cycle, nuclear power is one of the cleanest baseload energy sources available. Long-term storage of used fuel is technically feasible in both aboveground storage containers and in underground geologic formations. Continued research into new nuclear reactors is expected to allow for almost complete consumption of the available unused fuel in high level waste.