Alumni
Going Nuclear, Again?
As oil prices rise and concerns about greenhouse gases grow, nuclear power generation seems poised for a rebirth. In March, the Deane Conference on the Future of Nuclear Power brought experts and students together on campus to weigh in on the scientific and public policy challenges ahead.
Here’s what they said.
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By Doug McInnis | Illustrations by Hadley Hooper
After a 30-year lull in the construction of nuclear power plants, the industry is going through what some are calling a renaissance. Nearly 50 applications to build nuclear reactors are either pending or under consideration in the United States. Globally, 35 new power plants are under construction in 14 countries, indicating that a major expansion could soon be underway for the energy source that provides 20 percent of the nation’s electricity and 16 percent worldwide.
Interest in building new nuclear reactors comes after a perfect storm of climate change fears, expected growth in electricity use, and rising oil prices have led to the exploration of alternate, non-fossil fuel emitting energy sources. The U.S. government included billions of dollars in government subsidies and loans in the Energy Act of 2005 to help finance new and upgraded reactors and pave the way for greater energy independence.
But significant questions and concerns still remain — about nuclear power’s role in the global warming solution, post-Three Mile Island and Chernobyl reactor safety, the ongoing debate over where to store nuclear waste, fears about weapon proliferation and terrorism, and the true costs of building reactors.
On March 27-28, Lake Forest College hosted the Deane Conference on the Future of Nuclear Power: Prospects and Challenges. Sponsored by Carol Gram Deane ’74 and Disque Deane, the two-day conference convened nuclear industry experts and students from Lake Forest and other schools to address these critical issues facing the nuclear industry. In the following pages we present some of their views, along with other information about nuclear power to help broaden your understanding of the issues — and so you can form your own opinion about the future of nuclear power.
Doug McInnis is a freelance writer based in Casper, Wyoming.