July’s instalment of the New Nuclear Watch Institute’s ‘Yes to Nuclear’ Perspectives initiative turns to look at the capacity of nuclear energy to improve healthcare services and food production in a world where there is an urgent need to reduce the impact of climate change as well as to adapt to its consequences.
The continued use of fossil fuels is causing potentially irreversible damage to the environment while consuming resources unsustainably. According to the World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI), roughly 2,000 – 2500 KWh of electricity is produced from one ton of coal whereas one ton of natural uranium produces 40 million KWh. The realisation that nuclear power provides a cleaner and more sustainable energy source is leading to an overhaul of many nations’ energy mixes.
In Ukraine, nuclear energy accounts for 50% of the country’s electricity production, second only globally to France, whose nuclear share exceeds 70%. This has added to the energy security of the state and has increased the competitiveness of the Ukrainian economy.
