New Nuclear Plant To Create Energy Jobs

By: Tina Hodges
02/17/2010 12:35 PM ET

Construction on a nuclear plant has been announced by President Barack Obama’s energy plan. The facility is backed by Government loan guarantees. It is the first nuclear power facility to be built in 30 years.

The plan will create jobs from construction. The government will spend $8 billion to begin construction. However, opponents of the plan allege that President Obama should not be using taxpayer money to build power stations that create radioactive waste.

There is no plan on how to move the waste. More than 70,000 tons of radioactive waste are stored at approximately 100 nuclear sites around the country. In addition, 2,000 tons are added to waste each year.

Nuclear power is an energy-efficient way to create electricity and power. The facility will be built in the state of Georgia. It is part of the White House push to create jobs from clean-energy technology.

Obama called for an end to the clash between environmental concerns and the economy. The president believes that the United States needs energy jobs like the ones created by nuclear power. He addressed the point that other nations are racing ahead with nuclear energy and creating jobs as a result.

The energy facility will create thousands of temporary jobs and 800 permanent ones. The $8.3 billion will also help power companies build reactors at an existing power station in Burke County, Georgia. When finished, the reactors will be able to power 550,000 homes.

Power Station Reactors Produce Energy-Efficient Electricity

Power plants are also used as an engine to drive ships, aircraft and other large vehicles. Some prefer to use the term energy center, or reactors, because it better describes what they actually do. It simply converts other forms of energy into working electricity.

Some of the forms include chemical, gravitational, or energy from heat. At the center of nearly all power stations is a generator. This is a rotating machine that converts mechanical power into electrical energy. This is done by creating relative motion between a magnetic field and a conductor.

The energy source harnessed to turn the generator varies widely. It depends chiefly on which fuels are easily available and on the types of technology the station has access to. Some stations use mechanical power produced by heat that can transform thermal power into rotational energy.

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