Can nuclear energy be considered a renewable energy? The answer is no: uranium, used today for fission, remains a fossil and limited resource. Nevertheless, if man managed to control fusion, the situation could change ... Nuclear waste produced would also be less important.It is sometimes wondered whether the energy produced by nuclear power plants is fossil energy or renewable energy.Uranium, a fossil resourceAt present, nuclear power plants operate on the principle of nuclear fission and use uranium as fuel. However, this uranium, whose isotope 235U is the only fissile natural isotope, is formed only during supernovae. On Earth, uranium is therefore a fossil and limited resource.If uranium is a relatively abundant element on the planet (more than gold), its low concentration makes it economically difficult to exploit. According to the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), uranium reserves could supply power to nuclear power plants in the world for a century, under current operating conditions.Nuclear energy, soon sustainable and clean through fusion?

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pcaJq14osXA?ecver=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

On the other hand, if the Iter project is completed, nuclear power plants will produce their energy from nuclear fusion reactions. This type of reaction does not use uranium, but a much more abundant hydrogen isotope: deuterium (2H).Deuterium is also a fossil resource produced within stars, but it is present in very large quantities on Earth. Fusion reactors would still not be renewable energy sources, but they could produce energy for hundreds of thousands of years thanks to the deuterium contained in the oceans.And this by emitting almost no CO2 and producing less nuclear waste than fission plants.