Eli5: Why do nuclear plants need external power? Couldn’t they just siphon off some of the power the plant makes to accomplish the same tasks (like an alternator running the electrical components in a car)?
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Yes, unless something goes wrong. The big nuclear disaster we all know about (Chernobyl and also Fukushima) was caused because they didn’t have enough power to make the cooling system work properly.
Most of the time this would be not a problem, but when it is, it is critical. It is like you don’t need enough life jackets and lift boats on the titanic… until you do, and then you really really need them.
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