Uranium is a common element in the earth's crust and occurs in a variety of geological settings.  Significant deposits exist in many countries.  Other common, naturally occurring radioactive elements include potassium and thorium.  The primary use of uranium is as fuel for nuclear power reactors that generate electricity; small amounts are also used for a variety of medical applications.

At the end of 2008 there were 439 reactors operating in 33 countries producing 16% of the world's electricity.  There are 39 additional reactors under construction and a further 106 in the planning stage. New reactors are being built in China, India, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Russia, Slovakia and several other countries.  The United States (104), France (59) and Japan (55) have the most operating reactors; Canada has 18.

Safety

By any standards, nuclear power has an outstanding safety record. The world now has a track record of more than 13,000 reactor-years of electrical energy generation.  As in any industrial activity, there have been accidents involving nuclear reactors, however, there have been far fewer fatalities in nuclear power generation than with any other major power generation application.  Nuclear's exemplary safety record is not surprising considering that the nuclear cycle, from uranium exploration and mining to reactor operation, is the most regulated activity on the planet.

Environmental Protection

Virtually no pollutants are released from nuclear power plants. In fact nuclear is the only power generation technique that actually contains all its own waste, and relative to other techniques the volume of waste is very small.  If the four Bruce B reactors in Ontario were replaced with a coal fired plant, the coal fired plant would result in the release of about 24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, plus other pollutants, into the atmosphere annually.  The Bruce facility releases nothing.  The world’s nuclear plants avoid emission of up to 2.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, which is the equivalent of 370 million automobiles.  Ironically, a coal fired plant also releases considerable radioactive material into the environment.  Nuclear generation of electricity is a "green" activity; its use can greatly reduce atmospheric pollution and have significant positive impact on global warming.

Waste Disposal

The major problem with waste disposal is political, not technical.  A great deal of misleading information has been circulated regarding the hazards and disposal of spent nuclear fuel.

Spent fuel is easily and safely contained in water-filled tanks within the reactor facilities.  After only 20 years, 99% of the short and intermediate half-life materials decay to stable (non-radioactive) elements.  The long-lived isotopes produce so little radiation that they are not particularly harmful.  Permanent, underground storage facilities for nuclear wastes are not yet operational, largely because of political problems exacerbated by an anti-nuclear lobby.  However, there are no technical problems to long-term, permanent disposal.  Waste containers fabricated from titanium have a life expectancy of ~10,000 years and spent fuel, after only 500 years, would be no more radioactive than natural deposits of uranium.