Comments on: The Nuclear Option http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/ Ed Ring's EcoWorld Posts Thu, 8 Jan 2009 23:59:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Cyril R. http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-81960 Cyril R. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:02:42 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-81960 New nuclear projects in the US have been costed at about 5 to 8 bucks per Watt. That's not cheap. New nuclear projects in the US have been costed at about 5 to 8 bucks per Watt. That’s not cheap.

]]> By: JamesG http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-69729 JamesG Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:44:03 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-69729 Nobody has yet mentioned that the proliferation problem comes from enriched Uranium. But natural Uranium can be used - crucially, not in current US, or European designs but in the Canadian CANDU design. Originally nuclear power was steered towards weapons productions, so US, Russia, UK, France went that route. However it wasn't necessary and Canada chose Heavy Water designs which used natural Uranium. It is possible to produce plutonium by this design but it is incredibly difficult. Another nice side effect is that they can burn nuclear waste. Lastly, as someone touched upon, they can be adapted to burn Thorium, which is abundant, non-radioactive (until bombarded with neutrons) and produces no radioactive waste. If you haven't heard of any of this it's because the US wants to continue enriching Uranium using it's existing light water designs. You may well ask why. Nobody has yet mentioned that the proliferation problem comes from enriched Uranium. But natural Uranium can be used - crucially, not in current US, or European designs but in the Canadian CANDU design. Originally nuclear power was steered towards weapons productions, so US, Russia, UK, France went that route. However it wasn’t necessary and Canada chose Heavy Water designs which used natural Uranium. It is possible to produce plutonium by this design but it is incredibly difficult. Another nice side effect is that they can burn nuclear waste. Lastly, as someone touched upon, they can be adapted to burn Thorium, which is abundant, non-radioactive (until bombarded with neutrons) and produces no radioactive waste. If you haven’t heard of any of this it’s because the US wants to continue enriching Uranium using it’s existing light water designs. You may well ask why.

]]> By: Barry Bigelow http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-61642 Barry Bigelow Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:04:23 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-61642 Seems to me no one has workrd in or visited a nuclear station, I have worked in the vault on a nuclear reactor, its safer than driving the 401. As for the waste the plan is to drill into the bedrock in the oceans and put it in and seal it, lots of room for waste. Also we have an abundance of uranium not sure were some of you get your info, I am only a tradesman, and know where the uranium is, I live in what was once the uranium capital of the world, and now a new mine is going to probably open. Also in Saskatchewan when they finish pumping their mine out from a flood which will be another 2 years they have high grade and lots of it. Sorry but I am all for nuclear power I understand it, worked with it and lived on it so lets stop killing our planet and make some right choices or there won't be a future. Seems to me no one has workrd in or visited a nuclear station, I have worked in the vault on a nuclear reactor, its safer than driving the 401. As for the waste the plan is to drill into the bedrock in the oceans and put it in and seal it, lots of room for waste. Also we have an abundance of uranium not sure were some of you get your info, I am only a tradesman, and know where the uranium is, I live in what was once the uranium capital of the world, and now a new mine is going to probably open. Also in Saskatchewan when they finish pumping their mine out from a flood which will be another 2 years they have high grade and lots of it. Sorry but I am all for nuclear power I understand it, worked with it and lived on it so lets stop killing our planet and make some right choices or there won’t be a future.

]]> By: ed wheeler http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-43784 ed wheeler Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:30:17 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-43784 All the posters here need to go back and re-read my article on the nuclear option. For example, waste re-cycling and Yucca Mt. in Nevada. "<a href="http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?tid=375" rel="nofollow">Nuclear Power - Cleanest & Coolest Choice?</a> " by Dr. Edward Wheeler All the posters here need to go back and re-read my article on the nuclear option. For example, waste re-cycling and Yucca Mt. in Nevada. “Nuclear Power - Cleanest & Coolest Choice? ” by Dr. Edward Wheeler

]]> By: Ed Ring http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42759 Ed Ring Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:30:02 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42759 Therese, ahha, your commenting posts are landing here without technical difficulties! Very good. But see here, the French government is unlikely to release information like that, nor should they. Nuclear stockpiles and especially their transportation routes are not necessarily better disclosed. It would be akin to a bank making public the route of their gold shipments. The materials are simply too valuable - as well as dangerous of course - for their routes to be overly public. Or so I might argue. I don't understand your question "will this material be deemed "civil?" so I can't comment to that. Civilization is addicted to power. That is a harsh characterization, but accurate enough. The question is does the planet need more power to grow economically, and I think we do. Energy intensity is the ratio between a civilizations economic output and one unit of energy input. The higher the ratio the better. For India, for example, in order for their per capita economic output to be just half that of the European Union, their energy production will have to quadruple. And the Europeans use energy very efficiently. Rather than saying civilization is addicted to power, I would say technology requires energy production. I think solar energy is the best solution. But as transitional fuels, I put nuclear power ahead of rainforest destruction. Do you prefer coal, gas and oil to nuclear power? Is hydroelectric power ok? Because 99% of all power is from these five sources. Where should we get our power? Therese, ahha, your commenting posts are landing here without technical difficulties! Very good.

But see here, the French government is unlikely to release information like that, nor should they. Nuclear stockpiles and especially their transportation routes are not necessarily better disclosed. It would be akin to a bank making public the route of their gold shipments. The materials are simply too valuable - as well as dangerous of course - for their routes to be overly public. Or so I might argue. I don’t understand your question “will this material be deemed “civil?” so I can’t comment to that.

Civilization is addicted to power. That is a harsh characterization, but accurate enough. The question is does the planet need more power to grow economically, and I think we do. Energy intensity is the ratio between a civilizations economic output and one unit of energy input. The higher the ratio the better. For India, for example, in order for their per capita economic output to be just half that of the European Union, their energy production will have to quadruple. And the Europeans use energy very efficiently.

Rather than saying civilization is addicted to power, I would say technology requires energy production. I think solar energy is the best solution. But as transitional fuels, I put nuclear power ahead of rainforest destruction. Do you prefer coal, gas and oil to nuclear power? Is hydroelectric power ok? Because 99% of all power is from these five sources. Where should we get our power?

]]> By: Therese Delfel http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42757 Therese Delfel Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:17:47 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42757 About secrecy: Why don't you ak the French Government to disclose its figures about plutonium production and use ? Or simpler, ask dates and routes of next nuclear transport convoys. If you get a repy, post it on this blog. About safety: Three days ago, two members of the Italian Mafia were arrested with nuclear material (waste and fuel) in their possesion. Will this material be deemed "civil"? And if used, will its effects be deemed "civil"? About responsibility: "Addicted to electrical power": and is it better to dump whatever waste and after-effects may come with this addiction onto future generations or to get a grip on the addiction? About "energetic independence": true John, the uranium mines will close, the source being as limited as coal or crude oil and it is non-renewable (see home page for more on this). So much for independence vs dependence! About secrecy:
Why don’t you ak the French Government to disclose its figures about plutonium production and use ? Or simpler, ask dates and routes of next nuclear transport convoys. If you get a repy, post it on this blog.

About safety:

Three days ago, two members of the Italian Mafia were arrested with nuclear material (waste and fuel) in their possesion. Will this material be deemed “civil”? And if used, will its effects be deemed “civil”?

About responsibility:
“Addicted to electrical power”: and is it better to dump whatever waste and after-effects may come with this addiction onto future generations or to get a grip on the addiction?

About “energetic independence”:
true John, the uranium mines will close, the source being as limited as coal or crude oil and it is non-renewable (see home page for more on
this). So much for independence vs dependence!

]]> By: John Busby http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42402 John Busby Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:14:02 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42402 The lights will soon be going out in France as uranium mining production in Canada and Australia declines fast. The French are 78% dependent on nuclear power and their mines are exhausted. Half the US nuclear stations rely on Russian ex-weapons HEU/LEU imports as uranium hexafluoride which end in 5 years time, so some of the lights will go out in the US pretty soon. Nuclear power is not a secure option and will be progressively shut down as fuel supplies run down. Unfortunately the waste remains without nuclear energy to deal with it. The lights will soon be going out in France as uranium mining production in Canada and Australia declines fast. The French are 78% dependent on nuclear power and their mines are exhausted. Half the US nuclear stations rely on Russian ex-weapons HEU/LEU imports as uranium hexafluoride which end in 5 years time, so some of the lights will go out in the US pretty soon.

Nuclear power is not a secure option and will be progressively shut down as fuel supplies run down. Unfortunately the waste remains without nuclear energy to deal with it.

]]> By: Ken http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42287 Ken Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:11:22 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42287 Nuclear power is by far the best source means of producing electrical power, which we are all addicted to in the industrial world. When compared to coal, oil, and natural gas, nuclear power plants produce less waste by mass. They also release less radioactivity into the environment than coal fired plants. Solar collection cells and bio fuels cost energy to produce that drives down their net effect on fuel-cost savings to the environment. Technology to produce energy from nuclear power is also becoming more efficient and safer as the generation of reactor designs proceed. Finally, there are emerging technologies that hold the promise to dramatically reduce the waste stream from nuclear power plants including reprocessing technologies and transmutation technologies such as those being developed by Thorium Power Ltd and those being funded by the DOE in it's latest budget that will hopefully improve MOX technology. Once we obtain a proliferation resistant closed nuclear fuel cycle I would hope that this sector could put a dent in our reliance on fossil fuels, which I believe constitutes the real danger to both our security and the environment. Nuclear power is by far the best source means of producing electrical power, which we are all addicted to in the industrial world. When compared to coal, oil, and natural gas, nuclear power plants produce less waste by mass. They also release less radioactivity into the environment than coal fired plants. Solar collection cells and bio fuels cost energy to produce that drives down their net effect on fuel-cost savings to the environment. Technology to produce energy from nuclear power is also becoming more efficient and safer as the generation of reactor designs proceed. Finally, there are emerging technologies that hold the promise to dramatically reduce the waste stream from nuclear power plants including reprocessing technologies and transmutation technologies such as those being developed by Thorium Power Ltd and those being funded by the DOE in it’s latest budget that will hopefully improve MOX technology. Once we obtain a proliferation resistant closed nuclear fuel cycle I would hope that this sector could put a dent in our reliance on fossil fuels, which I believe constitutes the real danger to both our security and the environment.

]]> By: Demesure http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42261 Demesure Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:20:26 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/08/the-nuclear-option/#comment-42261 The reader's conspiracy tone about "the dictatorial system [in France] which keeps all nuclear related information top secret under defense policy" is false and misleading. In France, inspection commissions of nuclear power plants is composed of civilians, among them various environmentalist members. The purported confusion between civil and military nuclear is unacceptable but well too common to powerdowners. This kind of outright misinformation and extremism are the reasons why the Green party in France had just 1.5% votes at last May presidential elections. The shrinking anti-nuclear party is more vociferous than ever because it feels cornered by nuclear lobbies in the "struggle to save the planet". How ironic. The reader’s conspiracy tone about “the dictatorial system [in France] which keeps all nuclear related information top secret under defense policy” is false and misleading. In France, inspection commissions of nuclear power plants is composed of civilians, among them various environmentalist members.

The purported confusion between civil and military nuclear is unacceptable but well too common to powerdowners. This kind of outright misinformation and extremism are the reasons why the Green party in France had just 1.5% votes at last May presidential elections. The shrinking anti-nuclear party is more vociferous than ever because it feels cornered by nuclear lobbies in the “struggle to save the planet”. How ironic.

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