Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

MIT finds plentiful uranium for nuclear power plants USA Today

By Carolyn Kaster, AP
Plenty of uranium exists for nuclear power plants for decades, but more research is needed to develop a better way to dispose of the spent fuel, says a report today by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology"At any reasonable expected growth of nuclear power over this century, the availability of uranium will not be a constraint," says study co-chair Mujid Kazimi, an MIT professor of nuclear engineering. The researchers say the idea of a limited uranium supply has long prompted efforts to develop reactors that breed plutonium, which they argue are not economically viable.
The report supports President Obama's loan guarantees, controversial among environmental groups, to help build the first new nuclear power plants in three decades. It suggests nuclear power has significant potential to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, arguing current U.S. nuclear plants generate 70% of all zero-carbon electricity.
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