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WORLD ENERGY [R]EVOLUTION
A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY OUTLOOK
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nuclear power and climate protection | THE NUCLEAR FUEL CHAIN
figure 3.2: the nuclear fuel chain
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1. uranium mining
Uranium, used in nuclear power
plants, is extracted from mines in
a handful of countries. Over
90% of supply comes from just
seven countries: Canada,
Kazakhstan, Australia, Namibia,
Russia, Niger and Uzbekistan.
Mine workers breathe in
radioactive gas from which they
are in danger of contracting lung
cancer. Uranium mining produces
huge quantities of mining debris,
including radioactive particles
that can contaminate surface
water and food.
4. power plant operation
Uranium nuclei are split in a nuclear
reactor, releasing energy which heats
up water. The compressed steam is
converted in a turbine generator into
electricity. This process creates a
radioactive ‘cocktail’ which involves
more than 100 products. One of
these is the highly toxic and longlasting
plutonium. Radioactive
material can enter the environment
through accidents at nuclear power
plants. The worst accident to date
happened at Chernobyl in the then
Soviet Union in 1986. A typical
nuclear reactor generates enough
plutonium every year for the
production of 40 nuclear weapons.
5. reprocessing
Reprocessing involves the chemical
extraction of contaminated uranium and
plutonium from used reactor fuel rods.
There are now over 230,000 kilograms
of plutonium stockpiled around the
world from reprocessing – five
kilograms is sufficient for one nuclear
bomb. Reprocessing is not the same as
recycling: the volume of waste increases
many tens of times and millions of litres
of radioactive waste are discharged into
the sea and air each day. The process
also demands the transport of
radioactive material and nuclear waste
by ship, rail, air and road around the
world. An accident or terrorist attack
could release vast quantities of nuclear
material into the environment. There is
no way to guarantee the safety of
nuclear transport.
2. uranium
enrichment
Natural uranium and
concentrated ‘yellow cake’
contain just 0.7% of the
fissionable uranium isotope
235. To be suitable for use in
most nuclear reactors, its share
must go up to 3 or 5% via
enrichment. This process can be
carried out in 16 facilities
around the world. 80% of the
total volume is rejected as
‘tails’, a waste product.
Enrichment generates massive
amounts of ‘depleted uranium’
that ends up as long-lived
radioactive waste or is used in
weapons or as tank shielding.
3. fuel rod –
production
Enriched material is converted
into uranium dioxide and
compressed to pellets in fuel
rod production facilities. These
pellets fill 4 metre long tubes
called fuel rods. There are 29
fuel rod production facilities
globally. The worst accident in
this type of facility happened in
September 1999 in Tokaimura,
Japan, when two workers died.
Several hundred workers and
villagers were also exposed to
radiation.
6. waste storage
There is not a single final
storage facility for highly
radioactive nuclear waste
available anywhere in the
world. Safe secure storage of
high level waste over thousands
of years remains unproven,
leaving a deadly legacy for
future generations. Despite this
the nuclear industry continues
to generate more and more
waste each day.
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