Nuclear energy is not low carbon

Nuclear power is a low-carbon energy. Compared to fossil fuels, nuclear-related CO₂ emissions are very low, similar to renewables like wind and solar.

Nuclear power is a low-carbon energy because the greenhouse gas emissions associated with generating nuclear electricity are very low. CO₂ emissions from nuclear power come mainly from the stages of plant construction, uranium extraction and enrichment [1], but they are still several orders of magnitude lower than those of fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil), and comparable to those of renewable energies.

French nuclear power: world reference in emissions

The 5th report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated the median nuclear emission factor at 12 g CO₂/kWh [2]. In France, ADEME uses the emission factor of 3.7 g CO₂/kWh, a figure determined by EDF through a life cycle analysis of the French nuclear fleet [1]. This particularly low number can be explained by the use of decarbonized electricity during the uranium processing and enrichment stages.

A few orders of magnitude

By way of comparison, the median emission factors for solar photovoltaics and wind power are 44 g CO₂/kWh and 14 g CO₂/kWh, respectively. As for electricity produced using natural gas and coal, the factors are 418 and 1,060 g CO₂/kWh, respectively [3].