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ARCHIVED WEBSITE: No new data posted since 1988

NOTICE: The last input into this website was 1988, and it is considered archived.

Prior to ProCon.org being formed in July 2004, ProCon.org's Chairman, Steve Markoff, and two others published an 87-page booklet in May 1988 about the pros and cons of nuclear power titled "How Practical Is Nuclear Power Now and for the Future?"

Mr. Markoff reformatted that 1988 booklet into a website which served as a predecessor to ProCon.org.

For more current research on the pros and cons of nuclear power, see the Alternative Energy ProCon.org website.

For a list of ProCon.org websites, please visit www.procon.org.

The booklet "How Practical Is Nuclear Power" (Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 87-092245) was originally published in May 1988 by the non-profit organization Association of Media Accuracy, co-founded by Steven C. Markoff (the eventual founder of ProCon.org) and Maury Weiner. On July 30, 2003 that 87-page booklet was converted into a website. On July 12, 2004, that website was transferred to ProCon.org under the site name www.NuclearPowerProCon.org.

In almost all cases, the format, wording, and terms used in the May 1988 publication have been transferred without changes, but, in a few cases, terms have been updated. For example, "Definitions" was replaced by "Glossary" in the website's header.

This site presents in a simple, nonpartisan pro-con format, responses to the core question "How practical is nuclear power now and for the future?" We have divided questions about the topic into the issues and sub-issues listed below.

S I T ER E S O U R C E S
N U C L E A RP O W E RI S S U E S
Pros and Cons - Read the main arguments in minutes

World Nuclear Plants
Listing, by country, of the world's nuclear power plants.
Major Program Adjustments
Presents major adjustments to nuclear power programs since 1980.
Country-by-Country %
A recap of the percentages of electricity generated by nuclear power.
Decommissioning Chart
A listing of nuclear reactors awaiting or undergoing decommissioning, 1985.
Nuclear Fuel Cycles
Flow-chart diagram of nuclear fuel cycle (light water reactors).
Reactor Designs
Diagrams of three types of nuclear reactor designs.
Power Plant Disasters
Descriptions of the nuclear reactor accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
Waste Disposal Proposals
Descriptions of proposed high-level waste disposal techniques.
Source Cost Comparisons
Estimated cost of electricity from new plants, 1983, with projections for 1990 (1982 dollars).
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Nuclear Energy
Background / History
Energy & Electricity Trends
The Economics
Price-Anderson Act
Decommissioning
Uranium Mining & Milling
Power Plant Design
Plant Operation & Maintenance
Radioactive Waste Management
Regulations

Coal Energy
ProCons on Coal Energy

Natural Gas Energy
ProCons on Natural Gas

Oil Energy
ProCons on Oil Energy

Hydroelectric Energy
ProCons on Hydroelectric Energy

Biomass Energy
ProCons on Biomass Energy

Solar Energy
ProCons on Solar Energy

Wind Energy
ProCons on Wind Energy

Geothermal Energy
ProCons on Geothermal Energy

Cogeneration Energy
ProCons on Cogeneration Energy

Other Alternative Energy Sources
Other Alternative Energy Sources

Cost Comparisons
Energy Cost Comparisons

Risk Comparisons
Energy Risk Comparisons

Summary
Nuclear Energy Summary

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