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Nuclear power in America: Five reasons why it's safe and reliable

Though the crisis at Japan鈥檚 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant appears to be stabilizing, the United States is stepping up inspections of the country鈥檚 104 nuclear reactors. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced that inspectors will soon visit all US reactors to ensure they can withstand the kind of 鈥渟evere accident鈥� that led to Japan鈥檚 emergency. That emergency has caused many Americans to wonder about the future of nuclear power. Is it safe and dependable? Yes, says Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer and senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Here鈥檚 why:

3. Nuclear is efficient

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A 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant operating 90 percent of the time generates enough electricity to power 740,000 homes. Based on information from the US Energy Information Administration, it would take the following use of other resources to achieve the same result:

  • Oil: 13.7 million barrels
  • Coal: 3.4 million short tons
  • Natural Gas: 65.8 billion cubic feet

Utilizing nuclear energy as part of a diverse fleet of electric generation is an efficient use of precious natural resources while doing so with virtually no carbon emissions.

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