Nuclear energy—an outline

Produced in partnership with Burges Salmon
Practice notes

Nuclear energy—an outline

Produced in partnership with Burges Salmon

Practice notes
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What is nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy is the energy derived from the core (the 'nucleus') of an atom.

Nuclear energy can be produced through either:

  1. Fission (the splitting of a large atom into a smaller atom); or

  2. Fusion (the joining together of smaller atoms to form larger atoms)

Nuclear (fission) power plants split uranium atoms inside a nuclear reactor in a process called fission. The heat from fission is used to produce steam, which spins a turbine to generate electricity.

While fission is currently used commercially to generate energy, nuclear fusion is not yet commercially viable. See: The future of nuclear power generation in the UK below.

Various countries around the world are increasingly adopting nuclear energy in order to meet the growing demand for clean energy and improving their energy security.

Nuclear fuel cycle

The various industrial processes that lead to the production of electricity from nuclear reactions is called the nuclear fuel cycle. The cycle begins with the mining of uranium (or other ores such as thorium) and ends with either the disposal

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United Kingdom
Key definition:
Nuclear Energy definition
What does Nuclear Energy mean?

The energy released by a nuclear reaction (either fission or fusion) or by radioactive decay.

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