In short, an amazing source of power with a low running cost. If you need more power, all you need to do is add more uranium and coolant cells. You will need to fairly regularly replace coolant cells when they run out, but that is all the maintenance you will need to do. In terms of the materials used to run the reactor, all you need for a starting reactor is a uranium cell and a coolant cell, arranged something like this: From there you can increase automatic maintenance, and potentially end up with a system like I've built in many worlds which will automatically produce a coolant cell whenever the reactor needs a new one. That will ensure the reactor never overheats, as it will shut itself off as soon as the temperature inside gets too high. From the thermal monitor connect redstone to a toggle latch, and that output back to the reactor. when all uranium cells are touching 1 coolant cell) is less than 100 degrees. Industrialcraft reactors are somewhat unrealistic in that their 'operating' temperature (i.e. You'll need a thermal monitor on the side of the reactor set to emit a redstone pulse when the reactor's core temperature reaches 500 degrees. However, using redpower or Project Red, you can use circuitry to make a meltdown an impossibility.

The clear danger here is a nuclear meltdown, which is absolutely devastating and will destroy everything around the reactor. Obviously the main detractor is the cost of making one, but with your materials at the moment I can't see it being too difficult. As dangerous as it sounds, nuclear reactors are the best source of energy in industrialcraft and require the least amount of materials to maintain. My advice would then be to set up a nuclear reactor as fast as you can. You'd be surprised how little power you need, probably a stack of coal is enough to get you through the early game, and it is very common in caves so it is fairly easy to get a large amount. I always start with a generator on its own connected to a macerator and furnace.

Ftb build craft getting started