Introduction
Nuclear power has been used as a major source of electricity production in North America and internationally since the 1960s (Duffy, 1997). As a power generating resource, nuclear reactors are used to heat water and produce steam through the process of nuclear fission (Nuclear Energy Agency, 2006). Nuclear power stations are augmented by cooling systems where heat is removed from the nuclear reactor core and transferred to an on-site facility where electricity is produced from this thermal energy as it powers steam turbines (Duffy, 1997). The water used in cooling is obtained from large water bodies such as lakes and rivers with constant year round output or from nearby oceans or seas. Water is then re-emitted into the hydrologic system in the form of water vapor and released through cooling towers (Nuclear Energy Agency, 2006) (Figure 1.1). In order to carry out the process of nuclear fission, fuel rods are needed in the form of enriched heavy metals, mainly uranium or plutonium (Duffy, 1997).
Figure 1.1:
Davis-Besse nuclear generating station in Locust Point, Ohio in 2006.
There are over 100 nuclear power generating stations in the United States and 18 in Canada, almost all of which (16) are located in the province of Ontario with New Brunswick and Quebec have one each (Figure 1.2) (McDermott, 2008). Alberta is under final negotiations to develop a plant in the Peace River district of northern Alberta outside the town of Grimshaw. The development of this nuclear power plant will be the first in Western Canada and will serve as the primary source of energy demands for the Athabasca tar sands. Canada is also a major source of mined uranium, supplying enriched fuel to the United States, France and China as well as other countries (Duffy, 1997). The largest known deposits of uranium are located in the Athabasca Basin south of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan where four open-pit mines are currently operating (Duffy, 1997).
Figure 1.2: Clinton nuclear power station near the town of Clinton in central Illinois in 2002.
From an environmental perspective, nuclear power plants are considered less directly harmful to the atmosphere than conventional coal plants and natural gas production facilities as they are carbon neutral (Nuclear Energy Agency, 2006). Additionally, nuclear power plants do not cause measurable disturbances to the local environment such as changes in river and lake hydrology as do hydro electrical generating power facilities (McDermott, 2008). There are, however, many concerns with nuclear facilities because of the nature of their radioactive fuel. These are mainly focused around the disposal of spent fuel rods and the storage and transportation of these products (Hartog et al, 1989). Additionally, threats on the local population health and environment in terms of containment breaches are of high concern following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Union during the mid 1980s (McDermott, 2008).
Determining the location of nuclear power stations is of importance because of the large scale of these types of energy facilities. Nuclear power plants must be strategically located in areas that can supply the main materials and resources they need to function, while also considering environmental and social implications they may cause (Hartog et al, 1989). From a developer’s perspective, the most importance resource needed to power these facilities is large sources of year round water supplies (Hartog et al, 1989).