Arias 1

Rene A. Arias
Professor Julia R. Larsen
English 120.040
08 February 2015
Coal for the Future
There are a variety of energy sources for a state to use. It can be fossil fuel, nuclear
power, or renewable energy. Fossil energy is the energy source with the most consumption for
New Mexico at 2012 (New Mexico State Profile and Energy Estimates). And in those
statistics, nuclear power is not used. Because of those statistics, nuclear power activist has been
more vocal about their demands for nuclear power becoming our primary source. But I think that
this would be the wrong direction for the future of New Mexico. Instead, New Mexico should
remain using coal-burning energy and avoid nuclear power at all cost. Nuclear power is very
dangerous once something goes wrong. Nuclear power also harms the atmosphere in a different
ways than other energy sources. Meanwhile, fossil fuel, such as coal burning, is safer and more
efficient.
Nuclear power is not the right direction for New Mexico. We should stick with coal
burning. According to Advantages of Fossil Fuel, coal has the highest amount of calorific
value compared to all the other energy sources. Calorific value determines the effectiveness of
that energy source. Basically, calorific value is similar to what we know as a carbs. For example,
athletes eat high carb foods to generate a lot of energy for sporting events. This is the same for
calorific values. Coal can produce a lot of electricity during combustion with coal that generates
a lot of energy little input.
Sure, nuclear power seems like a good choice for producing energy on paper. According
to U.S Energy Information Administrations FAQ, Fort Calhoun has a reactor that creates the

Arias 2
least amount of megawatts, which is five hundred and two megawatts, in twenty-four hours. This
can provide enough energy for five hundred and two megawatts houses. And in New Mexico an
average household uses 7.433 megawatts houses (New Mexico Energy Fact Sheet Energy
Efficiency & Energy Consumption). This may seem like a small amount but in actuality this is
quite a lot compared to what other resources can produce in the same time. Nuclear power plants
can also run for about five hundred and forty to eight hundred and ninety-four days before it
needs refueling the energy source (The Benefits of Nuclear Energy), which is uranium. The
power source for nuclear power is plentiful in the earth and it is relatively cheaper than other
energy sources. Uranium has a low fuel cost because it takes only a little uranium to generate fair
amounts of energy. It takes about twenty-eight grams of uranium to produce as much energy as
one hundred metric tons of coal (Advantages of Nuclear Energy).
Even though uranium is a good energy source that gives a good amount of energy, it is
very dangerous to use. Nuclear power has a lot of benefits, but those benefits come with a great
cost. Nuclear power plants are very dangerous if an accident occurs. These accidents can be the
result of humans inexperience with the energy source or with an unfortunate event from nature.
Three Mile Island Accident was an incident that occurred around 1979. Three Mile Island
is in Pennsylvania and contains several nuclear power plants. In 1979, the plants had an issue,
which was with a failure in the secondary, non-nuclear section of the plant(Backgrounder on
the Three Mile Island Accident). The problem prevents water from being pumped into the core
of the plant. This is bad because the core could become really hot. If there is no water to cool it,
the core can potentially melt through. The operators made a mistake in fixing that problem by
reporting that the valve was closed to control the pressure, but the valve was still open. The valve
controls the pressure when it is closed. So, this mistake resulted to the releasing of a small

Arias 3
amount of radioactive gas. This small release of radiation was not lethal since the output was
only a little more than that of an x-ray machine. But, this unfortunate event shows how a little
mistake could potentially be quite hazardous.
Chernobyl Accident was an incident where a little mistake resulted to a major
catastrophe. The Chernobyl accident is a well-known incident that killed many individuals. An
explosion within the nuclear power plant, which was caused from inexperience in using nuclear
power, released massive amounts of radioactive materials into the environment resulting in a
radioactive clod that spread over much of Europe(Chernobyl Nuclear Accident). The
containment of the disaster was costly. It cost many lives and a lot of money. Even though the
accident itself was bad, the worst part is the aftermath, which involves radioactive waste.
By using nuclear power, radioactive waste would be an upcoming major threat.
Radioactive waste can potentially kill or cause severe sickness to the people around the
proximity of the waste. There is no safe place to dump the radioactive waste because radiation
can still be emitted from the waste. And once the radiation is released, it would roam around the
atmosphere. When it rains, it could contaminate the water and the land it touches. Chernobyl was
a victim to nuclear waste. Many people lost their lives due to just the radioactive waste lurking
after the accident. And many citizens are still struggling to live due to the many health problems,
such as cancer, which was created from the radiation.
Coal is very stable unlike nuclear power, which was created from the instability of the
uranium. Because of this stability, coal is easy to store and can remain stored for a long period of
time without changing its attributes. If nuclear energy is stored for a while, the properties of the
energy source may change and hinder the process of forming energy. But, coal can be stored for

Arias 4
decades and it will not change in chemical structure. This stability makes it easier and safer to
transport the energy source.
Nuclear power could affect the environment in other ways. In order to use nuclear power,
a lot of water is required to make steam and to cool the plants. If water was not used, the core
will melt through the reactor and an accident could occur. The plant would then discharge the
built up metal and salts from the water. Some of the salts and metals became radioactive, so this
would contaminate the water. This process would affect the aquatic life dramatically. Nuclear
power has another effect on the environment. Nuclear power ejects radioactive waste after the
uranium is all used up. This waste can spread radiation around the environment. Since the area of
effect is contaminated by radiation, the radiation can affect the soil by making it infertile for
many decades.
Coal is known for releasing carbon dioxide and being a major contributor to the global
warming. But this was when technology was very simple. Today, a coal energy plant uses better
technology and techniques and this releases less harmful gases now than ever before. This means
that coal is a safer source of energy since global warming is the main issue regarding coal.
Overall, Nuclear power should not be considered for a primary source of energy. Surely,
nuclear power has some benefits. Nuclear power can provide more energy than any other energy
source. Also the source of power, uranium, is plentiful in nature and is relatively cheap in its
conversion to energy compared to the other sources. But, New Mexico should not use nuclear
power because of its potential dangers. Nuclear power can cause major radiation to spread,
which is proven from past accidents. Nuclear power creates nuclear waste, which can severely
damage the environment and kill many citizens once exposed to it. Nuclear power has a common
misconception about being more environmentally friendly than other energy sources. This is not

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true because nuclear plants discharges materials, which are contaminated with radiation, back
into the original source. New Mexico should stick to coal because it is safer and more efficient.
Nuclear power is too risky and this risk is not necessary for the future of New Mexico.

Citations:

"Advantages Of Fossil Fuels." ConserveEnergyFuture. Conserve-Energy-Future, 19 Jan. 2013.

Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
"Advantages Of Nuclear Energy." ConserveEnergyFuture. Conserve-Energy-Future, 20 Jan.
2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2015.
"Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident." U.S. NRC. N.p., 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 8 Feb.
2015.
"The Benefits of Nuclear Energy." Community Science Action Guide. Online Museum Educators,
n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Chernobyl Nuclear Accident." GreenFacts. GreenFacts Scientific Board, 2006. Web. 8 Feb.
2015.
"NEW MEXICO ENERGY FACT SHEET Energy Efficiency & Energy Consumption." An
Overview of Energy Efficiency (2014): 1-4. SWEEP. Feb. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
"New Mexico State Profile and Energy Estimates." U.S. Energy Information Administrations.
N.p., 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and
Analysis." Frequently Asked Questions. N.p., 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.