I have been listening to the back-and-forth about Vermont Yankee and nuclear power in general and want to try and inject some basic facts into the discussion.
First, let me start by saying for 17-plus years I have worked in the power industry; for eight of those years I worked as the northeast power team leader of GE's water and process technologies division. I currently work at Vermont Yankee. In my past I have worked in all aspects and types of power generation (from cradle to grave, as they say - from the up-front planning, design, and permitting work, to the operations of, and to the shutting down and decommissioning). Throughout all of that, I have learned some very basic facts - not emotional opinions, but factual reality that anyone who desires to can confirm for themselves with a few clicks of the mouse or a trip to your local library.
1) There are 104 commercial nuclear power plants producing 20 percent of all electricity and over 70 percent of the emission-free electricity generated in the United States. They are located at 64 sites in 31 states.
2) More than 400 nuclear power plants worldwide produce 16 percent of the world's electricity - while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2 billion metric tons per year.
3) Nuclear energy has one of the lowest environmental impacts of any electricity source. For example, a wind farm would need 235 square miles to produce the same amount of electricity as a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant located on 1 square mile.
4) Nuclear energy is by far the nation's largest source of electricity that does not emit any controlled air pollutants. It provides 73 percent of the electricity from all carbon-free sources, including hydroelectric, wind, and solar.
5) Nuclear power plants provide low-cost, predictable power at stable prices and are essential in maintaining the reliability of the U.S. electric power system.
6) Nuclear power plants are able to produce abundant and low-cost energy because they use an enriched form of uranium for fuel. One uranium fuel pellet – the size of the tip of your little finger – is equivalent to 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil.
7) You would have to live near a nuclear power plant for over 2,000 years to get the same amount of radiation exposure that you get from a single diagnostic medical X-ray.
8) The concentrated ash from biomass plants (such as those operating throughout New England and, yes, here in Vermont and even in many of our own home heating systems like wood stoves and boilers) has high-enough levels of radon to require it to be disposed of as nuclear waste. In the biomass power industry they just mix it with loam to get the levels diluted to below-limits and then sell it to the public for use in a variety of industries.
9) Driving down a dirt road to your home or your favorite fishing spot kicks up more air pollution in that one trip than a Nuclear Power plant emits all year.
10) A recent Gallup Environmental Poll (conducted in March 2009) found that 59 percent of Americans favor using nuclear energy as one way to provide electricity for the United States.
Since taking office, President Obama has said objective science should be at the heart of some of our most pressing problems. I agree - energy usage in the U.S. is projected to increase 1 percent every year, meaning we need to expand our energy solutions, not force the loss of safe, reliable energy that has been serving the people of Vermont for over 20 years.
Nuclear power is not the end solution to our energy challenges, but there is no solution without nuclear power as a part of it.