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Articles on Nuclear power plants

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Radioactively contaminated territory around the Mayak nuclear facility in Russia. Nikulina/Slapovskaya/Heinrich Boell Foundation Moscow

The risks attached to South Africa’s nuclear energy strategy

The nuclear deal South Africa signed with Russia is set to be massively expensive and comes with a fair amount of risks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) is looking to provide his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, with nuclear energy. EPA

Why nuclear power would be a bad option for South Africa

Instead of spending time trying to make nuclear energy a possibility, South Africa should look to forms of renewable energy instead.
You need to take a wider view to work out the true greenhouse emissions from nuclear power. Teollisuuden Voima Oy/Wikimedia Commons

Is nuclear power zero-emission? No, but it isn’t high-emission either

Nuclear power isn’t ‘zero-emission’, as many proponents claim. Factor in uranium mining, power plant construction, and other factors and it has similar emissions to wind power. But that’s still lower than fossil fuels.
Still chugging: the operation of existing nuclear plants in the US is being extended far beyond their expected life. James Marvin Phelps/flickr

The case for nuclear power – despite the risks

We cannot eliminate the inherent risks of nuclear power but it is rigorously monitored and has a proven performance of delivering zero-carbon electricity.
The Fukushima disaster was a dark chapter for nuclear power - but high-profile accidents are far from the only downside. EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA/AAP

Accidents, waste and weapons: nuclear power isn’t worth the risks

Is nuclear power worth it? No, says Mark Diesendorf – it’s never been a major world energy force, it has caused huge accidents, and its greenhouse emissions are higher than many people realise.
Kudankulam is one of seven new nuclear plants being built in India. IAEA

Where will nuclear power plants of the future be built?

Asia and Eastern Europe are leading the way, but construction times for new projects are getting longer, and Europe’s dominant energy player, Germany, is turning its back on nuclear.
The Joint European Torus (seen here with a superimposed image of a plasma) is one of the machines helping to unlock fusion power. Wikimedia Commons

Nuclear fusion, the clean power that will take decades to master

Why don’t we have nuclear fusion power yet? Because it involves taming plasmas at temperatures far hotter than the Sun’s core. But the good news is that physicists are slowly but surely figuring out how.

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