Advantages and disadvantages of a nuclear plant

After the nuclear leakage in Japan, many people all around the world are questioning if the building of the nuclear plants are really worth the trouble. It can be so destructive and but it provides us with resources and actually protects the environment.

So, I will be talking about the advantages and disadvantages of having a nuclear plant in Singapore(or any other country.

Basically, a nuclear plant uses Uranium as its main source of power.

Advantages
-Nuclear plant's power generation emits relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), thus it helps protect the environment as CO2 in great quantities is harmful to the Earth.
-The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little.
-This technology is readily available, it does not have to be developed first.
-It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.
-It gives the country a different power resource to turn to and it reduces the demand for resources and helps the environment.
-A truckload of Uranium is equivalent in energy to 10,000+ truckloads of coal. (Assuming the Uranium is fully utilized)



Disadvantages
-The problem of radioactive waste is still an unsolved one. The waste from nuclear energy is extremely dangerous and it has to be carefully looked after for several thousand years (10'000 years according to United States Environmental Protection Agency standards).
-High risks: Despite a generally high security standard, accidents can still happen. It is technically impossible to build a plant with 100% security. A small probability of failure will always last. The consequences of an accident would be absolutely devastating both for human being as for the nature (see here , here or here ). The more nuclear power plants (and nuclear waste storage shelters) are built, the higher is the probability of a disastrous failure somewhere in the world.
-Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be preferred targets for terrorist attacks. No atomic energy plant in the world could withstand an attack similar to 9/11 in Yew York. Such a terrorist act would have catastrophic effects for the whole world.
-During the operation of nuclear power plants, radioactive waste is produced, which in turn can be used for the production of nuclear weapons. In addition, the same know-how used to design nuclear power plants can to a certain extent be used to build nuclear weapons (nuclear proliferation).
-The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium is a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand.
-The time frame needed for formalities, planning and building of a new nuclear power generation plant is in the range of 20 to 30 years in the western democracies. In other words: It is an illusion to build new nuclear power plants in a short time.
-It takes up a lot of space and it is very dangerous for workers and residents to live near a nuclear plant as it can harm their bodies.


Thus, the debate is still ongoing, as many people feel that the nuclear plant is effective but others think that it is a risk one should not take.

Citation/Bibliography
http://timeforchange.org/pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-power-and-sustainability
(some stuff copied from there)