Nuclear power generation is not CO2 neutral, as Marshall indicates. The processing of ore, building of plant and disposal of waste all require energy. Cement production also releases CO2.
It is, however, difficult to calculate how much CO2 is released in the entire nuclear fuel cycle. Estimates range from 30 to 60 grams of CO2 for each kilowatt-hour of power - significantly less than those for burning fossil fuels.
The editor writes:
• Nick Marshall asserted that a 1997 study by the Institute for Applied Ecology in Berlin (the Öko Institute) produced the estimated indirect CO2 emissions. What the Öko Institute calculated was that the nuclear cycle produces 34 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated, which would be up to 372,300 tonnes a year for a 1250-megawatt station.
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