There are emissions associated with excavating, concentrating and transporting uranium and building nuclear plants. But, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the emission rate from nuclear generation is 1%-3% of that from equivalent coal-fired generation. Unlike renewable sources, the generation is available all the time other than during planned maintenance periods. Although capital costs are high, the long range price for energy is comparable with other renewable sources and probably cheaper if account is taken of the cost of managing renewable intermittency. This has necessitated capacity payments to make it financially viable to retain conventional capacity in service to provide backup for when the wind speed is low or there is no sunlight for solar farms.
Nuclear option, Page 1 of 2
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