California Science Center Science Matters Nuclear Energy: Timely Alternative

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California Science CenterScience MattersNuclear
Energy Timely Alternative
Dennis R. Spurgeon Assistant Secretary for
Nuclear Energy
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Forecasted Energy Demand
By 2030, domestic demand for energy is projected
to grow by 40 - 50 percent. During the same
time, global demand is expected to nearly double.
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Current Electricity Generation
Net U.S. Electric Generation (2006) 4,065
billion kWh
Net Non-emitting Sources of Electricity
Nuclear 19.4
Hydropower 7.0
Nuclear 72.3
Renewables (non-hydro)
Natural Gas 20.0
2.4
Hydropower 24.9
Petroleum 1.6
Geothermal 1.3
Coal 49.0
Solar 0.05
Wind 1.6
FACT The U.S. leads the world in total nuclear
energy production
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CarbonAbatement
Carbon Dioxide Prevented by U.S. Electric Power
Industry (in million metric tons)
681.9
224.3
20.8
13.1
0.5
Nuclear
Geothermal
Solar
Hydro
Wind
The volume of nuclear waste generated by
producing the same amount of electricity from
nuclear plants that would otherwise result in a
gigaton of CO2 emissions from coal plants would
fit into 8 semi-trailers.

• FACT Electricity production contributes 40 of
  world carbon dioxide emissions

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Nuclear Facts

• If you got all your electricity for your lifetime
  from nuclear power
• your total share of the waste would weigh 2
  pounds and fit into one coke can.
• In 2005, the volume of greenhouse gas emissions
  prevented by annual nuclear power generation is
  the equivalent of taking 96 of all passenger
  cars off American roadways, totaling
  approximately 131.1 million automobiles.
• The radiation dose from a flight across the
  United States is 50 times more then the average
  annual dose to the U.S. public from nuclear
  power.
• (5 mrem/flight VS lt0.1 mrem/year)
• The annual output of high-level waste from one
  nuclear reactor with recycling would fit in two
  large beer kegs or approximately two 1 cubic
  meter barrels.
• The used fuel from 50 years of U.S. reactor
  operations could fit in a single football field
  it amounts to 77,000 tons or a height of 15 feet.
  With reprocessing, the high-level waste would
  fit into one-third of the end-zone.

Sources DOE Climate Vision Report Gwyneth
Cravens, Power to Save the World The Truth
about Nuclear Energy Brew Baron, CEO, Duke
Power, selected speeches.
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Nuclear Power Domestic Growth

• Today, Seventeen utility companies are projected
  to build thirty-one
• new reactors in the coming years.
• When completed, those plants will provide over
  41,000 megawatts of electricity, enough power to
  supply almost 30 million homes with clean and
  reliable electricity.
• Five COL applications for nine new reactors have
  already been submitted and three early site
  permits have been approved for the Clinton, Grand
  Gulf and North Anna sites.
• To sustain nuclear powers current 20 share, 40
  to 45 new reactors must be built by 2030. And to
  begin significantly impacting carbon emissions,
  nuclear power must increase to at least a 30
  share of electricity generation by 2050,
  resulting in up to 300 new reactors under
  operation in the United States.
• FACT Currently operating U.S. nuclear plants
  produce electricity for 1.72 cents per
  kilowatt-hour, compared to 2.37 cents for coal
  and 6.75 cents for natural gas.

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Nuclears International Growth

• Today, thirty-one countries operate 439 reactors
  totaling
• 372 GWe of electricity capacity.
• Worldwide, 34 new nuclear power plants are under
  construction, totaling 28 GWs of new nuclear
  power, with construction taking place in every
  major region in the world.
• Projections anticipate 55 total countries will
  operate 630 reactors totaling approximately 630
  GWs by 2030.
• Potentially, a total of 86 countries could have
  nuclear reactors by 2050.
• Globally, nuclear energy avoids on average the
  emission of more than 2 billion metric tons of
  carbon dioxide per year.

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Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
GNEP Purpose The United States will build the
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership to work with
other nations to develop and deploy advanced
nuclear recycling and reactor technologies. This
initiative will help provide reliable,
emission-free energy with less of the waste
burden of older technologies and without making
available separated plutonium that could be used
by rogue states or terrorists for nuclear
weapons. These new technologies will make
possible a dramatic expansion of safe, clean
nuclear energy to help meet the growing global
energy demand.
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman at the GNEP
Ministerial meeting September 2007
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Global Nuclear Energy PartnershipStatement of
Principles
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is
cooperation of those States that share the common
vision of the necessity of the expansion of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes worldwide in
a safe and secure manner. It aims to accelerate
development and deployment of advanced fuel cycle
technologies to encourage clean development and
prosperity worldwide, improve the environment,
and reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation. Stat
es participating in this cooperation would not
give up any rights, and voluntarily engage to
share the effort and gain the benefits of
economical, peaceful nuclear energy. Commitments
and international obligations, including IAEA
safeguards and the requirements of UN Security
Council Resolution 1540, will be strictly
observed. The highest levels of nuclear safety
and security will be maintained. The
cooperation will be carried out under existing
and, where appropriate, new bilateral
arrangements as well as existing multilateral
arrangements such as the Generation IV
International Forum and the International Project
on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles.
While recognizing the need for a variety of
approaches and technical pathways in achieving a
long-term vision of the future global civilian
nuclear fuel cycle, which will help ensure that
nuclear energy makes a major contribution to
global development in the 21st century consistent
with non-proliferation and safety objectives,
this cooperation will be pursued with the
following objectives
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Global Nuclear Energy PartnershipStatement of
Principles
Expand nuclear power to help meet growing energy
demand in a sustainable manner and in a way that
provides for safe operations of Nuclear Power
Plants and management of wastes. In cooperation
with the IAEA, continue to develop enhanced
nuclear safeguards to effectively and efficiently
monitor nuclear materials and facilities, to
ensure nuclear energy systems are used only for
peaceful purposes. Establish international supply
frameworks to enhance reliable, cost-effective
fuel services and supplies to the world market,
providing options for generating nuclear energy
and fostering development while reducing the risk
of nuclear proliferation by creating a viable
alternative to acquisition of sensitive fuel
cycle technologies. Develop, demonstrate, and in
due course deploy advanced fast reactors that
consume transuranic elements from recycled spent
fuel. Promote the development of advanced, more
proliferation resistant nuclear power reactors
appropriate for the power grids of developing
countries and regions.
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Global Nuclear Energy PartnershipStatement of
Principles
Develop and demonstrate, inter alia, advanced
technologies for recycling spent nuclear fuel for
deployment in facilities that do not separate
pure plutonium, with a long term goal of ceasing
separation of plutonium and eventually
eliminating stocks of separated civilian
plutonium. Such advanced fuel cycle
technologies, when available, would help
substantially reduce nuclear waste, simplify its
disposition and draw down inventories of civilian
spent fuel in a safe, secure, and
proliferation-resistant manner. Take advantage of
the best available fuel cycle approaches for the
efficient and responsible use of energy and
natural resources. Other countries that share
this vision will be welcome to participate. We
voluntarily affirm this Statement of Principles
while acknowledging its non binding nature.
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Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

• GNEP Partners
• Australia
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• China
• France
• Ghana
• Hungary
• Italy
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Republic of Korea
• Romania
• Russia
• Senegal
• Slovenia

• GNEP Observers
• 1. International Atomic
• Energy Agency (IAEA)
• 2. Generation IV
• International Forum (GIF)
• 3. Euratom

• Attending Candidate Partner and Observer
  Countries
• Argentina
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Czech
• Egypt
• Finland
• Germany
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Kingdom

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Our National Security Depends on Our Energy
Security
With rising energy demands, our security, our
prosperity, and our environment all require
reducing our dependence on fossil fuels that emit
greenhouse gases. No serious person can look at
the challenge of our national security,
greenhouse gases and climate change and not come
to the conclusion that nuclear power has to play
a significant and growing role in meeting these
challenges.