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“Nuclear Power: Myths and Realities”

6:00-7:00pm, Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thirsty Ear Pub, W1-30, 305 Memorial Drive
Leader: Lara Pierpoint

Nuclear power provides baseload electricity while emitting very little CO2.  There are a lot of passionate, opinionated people who both support and oppose nuclear energy; at this energy club discussion, we will discuss both points of view and talk about the pros and cons of nuclear energy.

Key Questions

• What are the current technology/policy issues in the areas of waste management, nuclear plant safety, nuclear proliferation, and the economics of nuclear power?
• How likely is it that there will be a nuclear “renaissance” in the U.S.?  In the world?  What is needed to make this happen (or stop it)?
• What are the primary concerns of the public and of environmentalists?  Are the potential consequences of nuclear power “worth” the decrease in carbon emissions?
• What are some key things to know about nuclear energy?
• What is going on with proliferation, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran, and other multi-national bodies and their policies?

Preparatory Readings

1. “The Future of Nuclear Power: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study”  Moniz, E. and Deutch, J. et al. (2003).

Check out the executive summary; further chapters are recommended if you have the interest in a particular topic.  This is slightly outdated (e.g. inaccuracies in predicting natural gas prices) but is a great overview of the primary issues associated w/ nuclear power.

2. “Is the Friendly Atom Poised for a Comeback?” Marshall, Eliot (2005).

A shorter article from SCIENCE that is pretty balanced on the topic of the nuclear renaissance.

3. “Why Nuclear Power Cannot Be a Major Energy Source” Fleming, David (2006).

An impassioned, anti-nuclear article. WARNING: I have encountered several factual inaccuracies in this article, so PLEASE read critically (though the gist of most of his arguments at least merits significant discussion).

4. "What's Driving Interest in New Nuclear Plants?"

For a bit of the impassioned argument on the pro-nuclear side, check out the Nuclear Energy Institute (the nuclear lobbying group). This NEI writeup is quite short but VERY pro-nuclear (and also contains factual inaccuracies!)