Cooling. The water is available for the cooling system.
Availability of water for cooling.
Well, you don't let them near nuclear reactors, but, if it did happen, they would probably die of radiation. Anyway, not many animals are near nuclear reactors.
Nuclear reactors in the US are located in various states across the country. Some states with a high concentration of nuclear reactors include Illinois, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. These reactors are typically situated near bodies of water for cooling purposes.
Nuclear plants use water as both working fluid and coolant. The reactor itself is cooled by cold water (rarely salt or gas), and functions as a heater, creating steam, which works turbines, which, in turn, generate electricity.
Water is used as coolant in most reactor plants to keep the reactor cool and prevent over heating. They do not necessarily need to be near a source of water; water just has to be available. However, a lot of nuclear reactors are build by a natural source of water so that the water can be used as an emergency source of coolant to keep the reactor covered with water in case of a rupture.
There are many plans to build new reactors in Canada and the United States especialy, and other countries, such as India and China, also have plans to build new reactors, while many developing countries plan to build their first reactors. Reactors must be constructed near large bodies of water, however, as this is essential to their operation.
NO, BC is officially a Nuclear Free zone and even mention of a plant near the border in Alberta was controversial. BC is primarily powered by hydro (turbines powered by water) and goal or diesel.
Most nuclear plants are located near the coast because they require large amounts of water for cooling purposes. Coastal areas provide easy access to large bodies of water for cooling the reactors. Additionally, coastal locations offer transportation infrastructure for receiving fuel and sending out electricity.
Well they are built to cool the HUGE amounts of heat generated by the Uranium fuel that usually exceeds 700 Degree Celcius. A nuclear powerplant is usually built near the ocean and the water is turned to stean that turns a turbine which generates energy.
Nuclear power plants are typically located near large bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, to provide cooling water for the reactors. They can also be found near urban or industrial areas to supply electricity to a large population or industrial facilities.
There were no nuclear power plants during World War II. The Chicago Pile, or CP-1, had a nuclear reaction going for about half an hour, but no energy was derived from it. The first electrical power generated by nuclear plant was at the EBR-I experimental station near Arco, Idaho, on December 20, 1951, six years after the end of WWII.
Usually very near to or attached to the nuclear envelope.