Nuclear technology, making use of atomic fission and not the combustion of material containing carbon, produces no greenhouse gas (or moreover gases responsible for acid rain) during the operation of the plant.
Even taking into account the whole life cycle of a nuclear power station (construction, operation and decommissioning), the emissions of greenhouse gases per kWh are very limited, less than or comparable with those of a wind power kWh.
In our country the emission of CO2 per kilowatt-hour produced is, thanks to Electrabel's NPPs, one of the lowest in Europe (around 300 gm per kWh in 2006). This score is only achieved by certain countries that also have recourse to nuclear energy and/or have significant hydroelectric capacity.
CO2 emissions linked to electricity generation in Belgium amount currently to +/-
20 million tonnes p.a.; without Electrabel's NPPs, they would reach nearly
50 million tonnes p.a. Nuclear energy thus makes it possible to avoid producing about 30 million tonnes of CO2 p.a., or the equivalent of the total number of cars on the roads in Belgium.
According to the European Union, the current level of nuclear energy production by the 25 member states makes it possible to avoid the emission of some
700 million tonnes of CO2 every year. This is equal to the amount of CO2 emitted by all the cars in the Union.
