The Role of Nuclear Power in Achieving a Sustainable Energy Distribution by 2040

Conca, James¹ (1) MMSU Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center, Carlsbad, NM

In the present energy dilemma in which we find ourselves, the magnitude of humanity's energy needs requires that we embrace a multitude of various energy sources and applications. As we approach global peak oil in the next ten years, we must be able to diversify into the many sources available in order to attain a sustainable energy production that will allow our economy to grow without intermittent shortages, security vulnerabilities, extreme costs or environmental degradation. For a variety of reasons to be discussed, nuclear energy must be a major portion of the distribution, at least one-third. Many of the reasons the United States abdicated its leadership role in nuclear energy in the 1970's are no longer, or never were, a problem.

The five biggest problems cited against nuclear energy are capital costs, operational risks, waste disposal, uranium mining, and public fear. Each will be addressed in this discussion. Disposal of nuclear waste has quietly been solved by the deep geologic disposal site, WIPP, near Carlsbad, NM which has been operating for over seven years, disposing of 100,000 drum-equivalents of nuclear waste. The status of WIPP, the differences between WIPP and the proposed Yucca Mountain site, spent fuel reprocessing and the economics of hydrogen-generation from Gen IV reactors will be discussed. Finally, CEMRC's 10-year monitoring of WIPP, the surrounding environment and the population will be summarized, showing the absence of any measurable effects from the WIPP disposal operations.