7.2.9 (HL)—Nuclear power

Nuclear power uses fission of uranium or plutonium to produce constant, low-carbon electricity, but its fuel is finite and therefore non-renewable.

Advantage	Cost or risk
low operational carbon emissions	uranium mining damages ecosystems and can expose workers or communities to pollutants
constant output independent of wind or sunlight	construction costs are high and projects take substantial resources
relatively low-cost electricity after construction	cooling water can cause thermal pollution and change water chemistry
high energy output from a small fuel mass	accidents are possible and radioactive waste requires indefinite shielded storage

A reactor can supply electricity during low-wind periods, but this reliability does not remove mining, cooling-water, accident, waste and decommissioning responsibilities.

Evaluate carbon, reliability, construction, fuel extraction, water, accident risk and waste over the full lifecycle.

Low-carbon is not the same as renewable, impact-free or zero-risk.