(a) What are the advantages of nuclear energy?(b) State the disadvantages of nuclear energy?

(a) The advantages of nuclear energy are as follows:

1. It produces a huge amount of energy from a very small amount of nuclear fuel.

2. There is no need for feeding the nuclear fuel again and again because once the fuel is loaded into the reactor, the nuclear power plant can go on producing electricity for two to three years at a stretch.

3. It does not contribute to the greenhouse effect or acid rain, as it does not produces gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂).

(b) The disadvantages of nuclear energy are as follows:

1. The waste products of nuclear fission reactions are radioactive, and they keep on emitting harmful radiation for thousands of years and they are difficult to store or dispose of safely.

2. The availability of uranium fuel is limited.

3. The cost of installation is very high.