Nuclear
There are 3 major benefits of nuclear power:
- Nuclear power is a non-carbon emitting resource.
- The fuel lasts a long time. Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) uses only six pounds of uranium (about the size of a deck of cards) to generate power 24/7. It would take 10 thousand tons of coal or 1 million gallons of oil to match this output.
- Using uranium conserves the nation's supplies of oil, gas, and coal.
NPPD's Cooper Nuclear Station, a boiling water reactor, generates 791 megawatts of power, or enough electricity to serve 520,000 homes. NPPD has operated CNS since 1974 and is currently seeking to continue operation until 2034. NPPD wants to generate an additional 146 megawatts from the plant with system improvements and will recoup 570 of the plant's 791 MW available to its customers when contracts for the power (currently sold to other utilities) expire in the near future.