Energy and electricity are necessity in our current day and age.

By means of this, we would be able to develop and maintain new ways to average life span. But to the contrary, the cost of energy sources like fossil fuels, coal and oil are increasing in our country. By this happened, new nuclear energy is existed. Nuclear energy is produced by controlled used of nuclear chain reaction and can be used as to boil or produce the turbine power as well as to create heat and generation of electricity. As such, the demand for turning to nuclear power is rocketing in Southeast Asia and even in other continents. Recently, Philippines is experiencing from serious energy crisis. Our countrys energy power system had been subsiding to its lower state of capacity as became limited to our uses. In fact, were suffering from unstable electric supply. For instance, our country uses renewable resources to supply electricity but it produces lesser amount of electricity and there are significant adverse effects to environment. Thus, the use of nuclear energy is the solution to the energy problem in the Philippines. In the midst of power shortages, rising energy cost and increasing rate of global warming, nuclear energy would be a practical solution to our energy problems. Nuclear energy is a clean way to produce electricity as it does not result in the emission of poisonous gases. It is by far the cleanest of any viable energy source currently known. Nuclear power plants can help preserve the environment by lessening the dependence on fossil fuels as a source of energy. The burning of gas, oil and coal is believed by some environmentalists to contribute to atmospheric problems such as global warming and acid rain. Since nuclear plants produce power without relying on these resources, they can help create cleaner air. Since the energy produced by nuclear power plants is man-made, it means that there is less of a need to depend on natural resources. It uses uranium, which is the primary source of nuclear fuel and exists in abundant quantities, enough to last for billions of years. Studies shows that one uranium fuel pellet- roughly the size of the tip of an adults little finger- contains the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil. Nuclear power is also a highly reliable form of energy almost as better as other fossil fuel forms like coal, gas, etc. In fact, nuclear power plants have a very high load factors in excess of 80%. They can generate power almost 24/7 and only require shutdown for periodic maintenance. Nuclear power plants can produce energy in a more cost-effective manner. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the cost per kilowatt-hour of nuclear electricity is 1.92 cents. By comparison, natural gas costs 2.68 cents and the cost of oil is 3.77 cents. Nuclear electricity is only slightly more expensive than coal-fired electricity, which costs 1.88 cents per kilowatt-hour. So, nuclear power plant can leverage its high degree of future price stability. Countries which have nuclear energy have seen enormous benefits from it. A great example is France where 77% of its electricity comes from nuclear power. Because of this,

France is the worlds largest net exporter of electricity and has one of the lowest prices of electricity in all of Europe. In addition, nuclear powers safety is also exemplary. Due to the France general inflexibility of nuclear energy, it achieved its high load factor and has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and fuel products services are a major export. In Japan, nuclear energy has been expected to play an even bigger role. In the context of the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI), Japan has a full fuel cycle setup, including enrichment and reprocessing of used fuel for recycle. Despite from the country to have suffered the devastating effects of nuclear weapons in wartime and following the Fukushima accident, Japan has embraced the peaceful use of nuclear technology to provide a substantial portion of its electricity. Countries like France and Japan had result its nuclear industry ranks among the safest places to work. It experiences only 0.34 accidents resulting in lost work time per 200,000 worker-hours, compared with a 3.1 average throughout private industry. If other countries made nuclear energy as the practical solution to their energy problem, so Philippines would do. If it can be considered for implementation, citizens suffering would be lessen. According to Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) Director Alumanda De la Rosa, nuclear technology is one of the energy sources that can be considered for implementation for incoming years, wherein an alternative fuel source can be used for the countrys power requirements. They are still reviewing all of the options, the advantages and disadvantages of technology. So far nuclear power has some good potential. Environmental concerns in implementing the use of nuclear energy in Philippines, it will produce more electricity in relation to its minimal environmental impact and will produces very little carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide elements, or those generally called greenhouse gases that destroy the ozone layer. It will also provide an affordable energy and will be essential in maintaining the reliability of the Philippine electric power system. The biggest thing stopping the prospect of getting clean, effective and safe nuclear energy in Philippines is the passionate opposition to it by environmentalists. Most notable is the organization Green Peace, which has made it central campaign to stop nuclear power. This opposition to nuclear power represents an anti-science and anti-technology philosophy which stems from Green Peaces ideology which hates capitalism and industry, both of which greatly enhances human life. As Ayn Rand said in her book Return of the Primitive: observe that in all the propaganda of the ecologists- amidst all their appeals to nature and pleas for harmony with nature- there is no discussion of mans need and the requirements of his survival.

Real world experience and a good size of literature already exist on the efficiency of nuclear power in delivering energy and on how nuclear waste can properly be disposed of. The opposition of Green Peace against nuclear power stems from political view point, not a scientific one. The benefits of nuclear energy are amazing. Whats more amazing however is the fact that we still havent seen any operating nuclear power plants in the Philippines considering how much it would benefit us! Its time to uplift the energy situation in the Philippines; nuclear energy is the solution to the energy problems in our country.

Bibliography

R. C. Lewis, (1972) Nuclear Power Rebellion: Citizen vs. the Atomic Industrial Establishment

C. K. Ebinger, (1978) International Politics of Nuclear Energy G. S. Bauer and A. McDonald, (1983) ed., Nuclear Technologies in a Sustainable Energy System

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Paris, 2010 [basic data on the uranium industry (ore deposits, exploration, mining, milling) in most countries of the world; known as the "Red Book"]

Borowitz, S. (1999). Farewell fossil fuels: finding new ways to make our world work. New York: Random House

Nuclear Energy. (2000). Academic American Encyclopedia (Vol. 15, 200-204). New York: Grolier Incorporated

DiRado, A. (1995, March 15). Trekking through college: campuses explore modern technology through the world of Star Trek. Los Angeles Times, A3

McNeese, M. (2001). Using technology in education settings. Retrieved April 14, 2006 from University of Southern Mississippi

We Should Go Nuclear

A Research Paper

in

English 2 A2-1 (College English II) English Department, SET MSU-IIT, Iligan City

Submitted to Prof. Lim

Submitted by Kim Seer Paller Jeramel Barcelo

March 2012