A Future of Coal Usage and

Without Nuclear Power

BY RENE ARIAS

The State of New Mexico

Fossil fuel has been New

Mexico's primary source
for energy since 2012
according to New Mexico
State Profile and Energy
Estimates
Nuclear Power activist
have been active
because of these results.

Future for New Mexico

Nuclear power has more disadvantages than

advantages compared to coal
New Mexico should remain doing as it is
Primarily use coal
Avoid nuclear power

Background of Nuclear
power

According to World Nuclear Association, the US

produces the most amount of nuclear power ( over 30%
of global production)
Also according to World Nuclear Association, the
countrys 100 nuclear plants produce 798 billion kWh in
2014 (over 19% of our total energy output)
Uranium is one of the main power sources for a nuclear
power plant

Nuclear Power Outputs

Advantages of Nuclear
Power

According to U.S Energy Information Administrations

FAQ, Fort Calhoun has a reactor that creates the
least amount of megawatts, which is five hundred and
two megawatts, in twenty-four hours.
Nuclear power plants can also run for about five
hundred and forty to eight hundred and ninety-four
days before it needs refueling the energy source
(The Benefits of Nuclear Energy)
Uranium, fuel for nuclear power plants, has a low fuel
cost and is plentiful in earth. It takes about twentyeight grams of uranium to produce as much energy as
one hundred metric tons of coal (Advantages of
Nuclear Energy).

Disadvantages of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power plants are very dangerous if an

accident occurs
Nuclear power can damage aquatic life through its
discharge of radioactive metal and salts
Nuclear power ejects radioactive waste after the
uranium is all used up.
Radioactive waster can kill or cause severe sickness
to humans within the proximity

Examples of Dangers in the Past

Chernobyl Accident
An explosion within the nuclear
power plant, which was caused
from inexperience in using
nuclear power
This released massive amounts
of radioactive materials into the
environment resulting in a
radioactive clod that spread over
much of Europe(Chernobyl
Nuclear Accident).
The containment of the disaster
was costly. It cost many lives and
a lot of money.

Continuation

Three Mile Island Accident

occurred around 1979
the plants had an issue, which
was with a failure in the
secondary, non-nuclear section
of the plant
operators made a mistake in
fixing that problem by reporting
that the valve was closed to
control the pressure, but the
valve was still open.
this mistake resulted to the
releasing of a small amount of
radioactive gas.

Background of Coal
Power
The United States of America have over 30% of the
worlds coal reserves
The highest producing coal states are West Virginia,
Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
There are over 100 coal based plants in the united
states
According to the World Bank Group, coal-based
power plants produced over 1.5 trillion kWH in the
United States at 2012

Coal in the US

Advantages of Coal
Power

Coal is easy to store and can

remain stored for a long period
of time without changing its
attributes
Coal is very stable unlike
nuclear power, which was
created from the instability of
the uranium
There are many reserves
around the world for it

Disadvantages of Coal
Power

Coal is known for releasing carbon dioxide and

being a major contributor to the global warming
Its will eventually run out
Considered not a clean source for power

Resolutions to
Arguments

This was when technology was very simple.

Today, a coal energy plant uses better technology
and techniques and this releases less harmful
gases now than ever before.
With new technology we are able to extract energy
more efficiently than before.

Conclusion

Nuclear power should not be considered for a

primary source of energy
Nuclear has many good benefits but these come
at potential great cost
Accidents can be lethal
Can damage the environment
Nuclear waste spreads radiation
New Mexico should stick to coal
it is safer to use
more efficient
Easy to store

Citations of Sources

"Advantages Of Fossil Fuels." ConserveEnergyFuture.

Conserve-Energy-Future, 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
"Advantages Of Nuclear Energy." ConserveEnergyFuture.
Conserve-Energy-Future, 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2015.
"Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident." U.S. NRC.
N.p., 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 8 Feb. 2015.
"The Benefits of Nuclear Energy." Community Science Action
Guide. Online Museum Educators, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Chernobyl Nuclear Accident." GreenFacts. GreenFacts
Scientific Board, 2006. Web. 8 Feb. 2015.
"NEW MEXICO ENERGY FACT SHEET Energy Efficiency &
Energy Consumption." An Overview of Energy
Efficiency (2014): 1-4. SWEEP. Feb. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.

Continuation of Sources

"New Mexico State Profile and Energy Estimates." U.S. Energy

Information Administrations. N.p., 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 08 Feb.
2015.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent
Statistics and Analysis." Frequently Asked Questions. N.p., 16
Dec. 2014. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
"World Nuclear Association." Nuclear Power in the USA. World
Nuclear News, 1 Apr. 2015. Web. 1 May 2015.
"Electricity Production from Coal Sources (kWh)." Data. World
Bank Group. Web. 1 May 2015.
"Coal: Background." Coal: Background. Center for Geoscience
& Society. Web. 1 May 2015.