When the atom is split, 2 to 3 neutrons released with a large amount of energy produced (in the form of heat and gamma radiation). Then, the 2 to 3 released neutrons before are free to form new atoms and cause them to split again and creating a chain reaction. The chain reaction will do the repeated processes until all the Uranium is completely split. In order for nuclear fission to work ideally with U-235 is to make sure that uranium must contains 2% to 3% or more of U-235.
http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/wong6j2/nuclear.html
In nuclear reactors, a large amount of radioactive waste are produced with a large amounts of very long lived radioactive atoms. The low-level radioactivity from cosmic rays from outer space do not cause any harm and do not caused biological effects. However, exposure to high levels radioactivity could caused to biological effects of radiation. These exposure could caused death-cell and cancer. The waste of nuclear reactors is very dangerous for human being because of the high radioactivity, long lived and must keep from humans for about 100,000 years. The current Nuclear Waste must be placed in high security containers and put it deep underground. In the future, the technology must improve the long lived radioactive particles into shorter lived atoms. http://nuclearinfo.net/Nuclearpower/TheScienceOfNuclearPower
Malaysia is expected to build up their own nuclear power plant and running it by 2021. But the most important is to know what is the response from the public. The public sure have their opinion about this and already been expressed about the astronomical start-up costs, safety, and radioactive waste management of having such a nuclear plant. In response, Energy, Green Technology, and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin said at the Parliament on 7 June 2010 that the government would be conducting campaigns to make sure the public have the right information on nuclear power plant.
Besides , Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has begun labelled nuclear energy as "green" energy. It looks like the government want to get very serious in this business so that we can compete with our neighbours. South Korea, France, and other foreign nuclear industries are already eyeing to tap into Malaysia's new multibillion-ringgit nuclear market to get their own benefits.
http://www.thenutgraph.com/going-nuclear-convincing-the-public/9
Cost
The cost of generate the power by using nuclear power is divided into four major components:
The construction cost of building the plant.
The operating cost of running the plant.
The cost of waste disposal from the plant.
The cost of decommissioning the plant.
Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia) deputy director-general (technical) Dr Muhd Noor Muhd Yunus pointed out that although the starting cost to build the plant will be very high, but the operation, maintenance and fuel costs will save our country a lot of money. Except for coal and gas-fuelled plants, a nuclear power plant do not much effected by the cost of fuel.
A gas-fuelled plant operate at around 70 per cent on the cost of gas but a nuclear plant only uses about 10 to 15 per cent on the cost of gas.He said Malaysia should have a nuclear power plant because most of the industrial and economy field depended very much on the cost of electricity.
To become a developed country we must have a power plant that could generate electricity at the cheaper cost. With cheaper electricity , it could attracts the foreign investors to invest and do business in our country. Noor affirmed that the country already had the basic expertise to handle a nuclear power plant.
http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/12hhnuk1/Article/
Enviromental Effects
Statistics from the European Nuclear Society state that there are 437 nuclear power plants in 30 countries with an installed electric net capacity of about 371 gigawatts (GW) excluding fifty-five plants with an installed capacity of 51GW are under construction in 15 countries.
Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia) deputy director-general (technical) Dr Muhd Noor Muhd Yunus said in Japan, a country with history of suffering much from atomic bombing in World War 2 in the 1940s, has more than 50 nuclear power plants.
"If it was unsafe, would they build that many?" he asked.Noor believes that the most important is set up a nuclear reactor here with high security and safety. The Chernobyl incident in 1986 should not be used as an obstruction because the Chernobyl nuclear reactor was not following the right standards. "Chernobyl was like a helmet without Sirim certification," he said. http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/12hhnuk1/Article/#ixzz0yALMpwNM
Not only nuclear power plants disturbing the environment during construction but most of the construction on this planet tend to disturb the environment. Build up new roads, make our traffic busy, excavacations, cut off the trees and other plants, frightened animals are some of the expected effects that we have to face it from the construction from a power plant.
In order to minimize those impacts, the builders of power plant should minimize under the guidance of the legal authorities the disturbances to any prehistoric petrified plants and animals or to any archeological from the early civilisations, graveyards, monuments and aqueducts. Site for nuclear power plants must carefully selected to avoid or to decrease those impacts.
http://www.eolss.net/ebooks/Sample%20Chapters/C09/E4-23-03-03.pdf
Social Impacts
Naturally, humans are exposed to low radioactivity everyday from radiactive isotopes and cosmic rays from outer space. As the information, if we exposed in low radioactivity for a long time has many harmful effects. It is highly recommend that the nuclear power plants build it up with safety and security mechanisms in order to keep the population safe. This includes for all the workers that live nearby and also for all the human living around the nuclear power plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have introduced programs to detect individual who try to make use of the nuclear waste for bad intentions. In France, Sweden, Canada and Finlandhave shown that their nuclear power plant are extremely safe in order to generate electricity. Although there are several disastrous accidents happened before including the accidents at Three Mile Island and chernobyl, it is important to put them into context. The Three Mile Island actually destroyed the economic value of the plant, was caused by design flaws and lack of operator training. The same situation also goes for the Chernobyl accident because they never learn from the mistakes before.
Another challenge that a nuclear power plant must overcome is dealing with highly radioactive and long lived nuclear waste. It is requires to quarantine the waste from humans being for about 100,000 years before it decays to safer levels. Most popular way to quarantinethe the nuclear waste by isolated it with multiple barriers and put it deep underground. However there are researchers still investigate to develop a new way to deal with the nuclear waste.
http://nuclearinfo.net/Nuclearpower/TheRisksOfNuclearPower
Conclusion
In the 1970s, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) had actually investigated about having nuclear power as an option for oil because the oil prices were not stable worldwide. Later on Malaysia found gas in Terengganu and the government decided to hold the nuclear power as an option but used gas as the main source of fuel for the power sector.
Recently, the gas and coal prices very unstable and gave the TNB a very big problem on how to overcome this matter. It has concerns the government wether they have enough fuel supply to keep the electricity price at a reasonable level.
For the matter, TNB keep pushing the government to use nuclear power as an option and the decision must be made around 2013 because at least in 2025 the nuclear power plant already operates. If Malaysia wants cheaper electricity with reliable source, that means lead to nuclear power.
Dr Zamzam Jaafar,Head of energy unit from TNB said,"We have to prepare for the nuclear future." He also said that has always depending on subsidied gas price to keep the electricity rates low. Cheap energy cost was very important because it could attracts the foreign investors to come invest in Malaysia.
Founders of South Korea's peaceful nuclear program, Professor Dr Jong H. Kim said that Korea's 50 yeary peaceful nuclear program is the very best example for Malaysia to learn on how to introduce the nuclear power in Malaysia.
According to Prof Kim , in early 1950's South Korea was very devastated and torn nation caused by the war between North and South Korea. Nowadays, Korea is the 13th largest inthe world, 6th biggest nuclear power producer in the world with $20 000 US per capita income. The secret that Korea kept was nuclear power.
It is because the economic growth is linearly proportional to the nuclear development. How so? With cheaper electricity, we can open more factories and provide more jobs for the public. The world we live in today is highly depends on electricity. We can not continue our daily life without electricity. We just have to imagine if the whole country got blackout for a few hours what will happen to the big company and how much their losses.
If South Korea could be one of the major economic and nuclear power, why not Malaysia could one of the big power in Asia. This is the time we do not only rely on rubber, palm, oil and the Petronas Twin Towers ?Only 10 years left before we achieve Vision 2020. What are we waiting for?
http://anuclearmalaysia.blogspot.com/
