Expert: Henry Boyter - 12/17/2005

Question
To Henry Boyter,

I am a Photography student and this question is not for my homework and I have searched www.google.com for an answer, before asking this question, this question is being asked for the reason that I sort of know but not how.  

I have herd from friends (although they don't now how ether, despite being science students) that nuclear power releases more then 50% of CO2 then if u were to burn directly oil to get the same energy out put; if u were to include the refinery process of the nuclear fuel. But on top of that  I'm also hearing that nuclear material releases more then 60% on the CO2 if u were only to include the process of the used nuclear fuel decaying, after the energy had been produced. Thus leading to the conclusion that more CO2 is produced by nuclear power then if u were to burn oil to get the energy. And what about all the other chemicals produced in these chemical reactions? And more importantly how is all this happening? what is going on in the refinery process to cause so much CO2? How is they nuclear fuel being refined, what are the chemical inputs and outputs? And pretty much the same questions for the decaying process. Do you have any statistics or data?

Thanking you in advance
Noorali Hirani

p.s. I did not ask this question based on word of mouth rumours alone. http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2328  

Answer
See the folloowing.  The data being sited is old and faulty.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/co2&nfc.htm

http://science.kennesaw.edu/~mhermes/nuclear/nc-07.htm

http://www.npcil.nic.in/nupower_vol12_4/indis_role1n.htm

Your interesting link suggests wind power, but it has been shown to be high energy usage compared to what you get, kills animals (birds may become extinct), and harms children living near them.  Not to mention, the entire state of Conneticut will be turbines to power New York.