THE PRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY

Nuclear fission and fusion involve the disintegration and combination of the elemental nucleus.

 In the case of nuclear fission, an atom divides into two or smaller or lighter atoms.

Nuclear fusion occurs when two or more atoms join or fuse together to form a large or heavy atom.

Abundant energy: Fusing atoms together in a controlled way releases nearly four million times more energy than a chemical reaction such as the burning of coal, oil or gas and four times as much as nuclear fission reactions (at equal mass).

Sustainability, abundant fuels, no long-lived waste ... a number of advantages make fusion worth pursuing

Limited risk of proliferation: no enriched materials in a fusion reactor like ITER that could be exploited to make nuclear weapons.

No risk of meltdown: if any disturbance occurs, the plasma cools within seconds and the reaction stops. The quantity of fuel present in the vessel at any one time is enough for a few seconds only and there is no risk of a chain reaction.

Cost: The power output of the kind of fusion reactor that is envisaged for the second half of this century will be similar to that of a fission reactor. The average cost per kilowatt of electricity is also expected to be similar ... slightly more expensive at the beginning, when the technology is new, and less expensive as economies of scale bring the costs down.