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Page added on March 18, 2021
Advanced nuclear reactors no safer than conventional nuclear plants, says science group
A new generation of so-called “advanced” nuclear power reactors that Washington believes could help fight climate change often present greater proliferation risks than conventional nuclear power, a science advocacy group said on Thursday.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has made curbing climate change a priority and has supported research and development for advanced nuclear technologies.
The reactors are also popular with many Republicans. Last October, the month before Biden was elected, the U.S. Department of Energy, awarded $80 million each to TerraPower LLC and X-energy to build reactors it said would be operational in seven years.
Advanced reactors are generally far smaller than conventional reactors and are cooled with materials such as molten salt instead of with water. Backers say they are safer and some can use nuclear waste as fuel.
“The technologies are certainly different from current reactors, but it is not at all clear they are better,” said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“In many cases, they are worse with regard to … safety, and the potential for severe accidents and potential nuclear proliferation,” said Lyman, author of the report UCS released Thursday called “‘Advanced’ Isn’t Always Better”.
Nuclear reactors generate virtually emissions-free power which means conventional ones, at least, will play a role in efforts to decarbonize the economy by 2050, a goal of the Biden administration. But several of the 94 U.S. conventional nuclear plants are shutting due to high safety costs and competition from natural gas and wind and solar energy.
That has helped spark initial funding for a new generation of reactors.
But fuel for many of those reactors would have to be enriched at a much higher rate than conventional fuel, meaning the fuel supply chain could be an attractive target for militants looking to create a crude nuclear weapon, the report said.
Also, nuclear waste from today’s reactors would have to be reprocessed to make fuel. That technique has not been practiced in the United States for decades because of proliferation and cost concerns. Other advanced reactors emit large amounts of radioactive gases, a potentially problematic waste stream.
Lyman said advanced nuclear development funds would be better spent on bolstering conventional nuclear plants from the risks of earthquakes and climate change, such as flooding. The report recommended that the Department of Energy suspend its advanced reactor demonstration program until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requires prototype testing before reactors can be licensed for commercial use.
The DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brett Rampal, director of nuclear innovation at Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit that supports advanced nuclear to fight climate change and cut harmful emissions, said the report’s conclusions were not based on rigorous assessment of the industry. Rampal said if the DOE acted on the recommendation it would “essentially cease innovation in nuclear energy today.”
6 Comments on "Advanced nuclear reactors no safer than conventional nuclear plants, says science group"
Anonymouse on Thu, 18th Mar 2021 11:19 pm
But fuel for many of those reactors would have to be enriched at a much higher rate than conventional fuel, meaning the fuel supply chain could be an attractive target for militants looking to create a crude nuclear weapon, the report said.
Really wtf? There must be militants cranking out home-made nukes all over the place from the sounds of it. I mean, its a such a Yuuuuge problem now right?. Or, looking at it another way, would the nuclear supply chain be an ‘attractive’ target for ‘militants’ in the same way militants find airports attractive targets because of all those fat juicy airliners sitting around for them to blow up?
Oh yea, thats right, the number of planes blown up my ‘militants’ is pretty much zero. If ‘militants’, cant pull off the far simpler task of planting bombs on a plane, I doubt that cooking up DIY nukes in their basement is going to be anymore successful.
And this….
Brett Rampal, director of nuclear innovation at Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit that supports advanced nuclear to fight climate change and cut harmful emissions…..
Translation: Brett is a(nuclear) industry funded cheerleader. He, and the industry that pay his wages dont give a toss about fighting climate change. They do care a great deal, about fighting anti-nuclear sentiment however.
ROFL@Rooters
Theedrich on Fri, 19th Mar 2021 1:14 am
Collapse-prone complexification by advanced nukes. More nuclear-industry bribes for the bipartisan bribe-ocracy. Another opportunity for swindling the taxpayers. It is amazing just how easy it is to destroy a hypocritical democracy with lies. How many more “free” $trillions will it take before even the negrifying cattle sense that the twilight of Freebieland is at hand?
Biden's hairplug on Fri, 19th Mar 2021 1:51 am
Biden against the rest of the world, what could possibly go wrong:
https://nos.nl/artikel/2373213-vs-en-china-botsen-voor-oog-van-wereld-bij-eerste-ontmoeting-onder-biden.html
“China and US clash in front of the world”
https://nos.nl/artikel/2373201-vs-dreigt-bedrijven-opnieuw-met-sancties-om-nord-stream-2-project.html
“Renewed US sanction threats regarding Nord Stream 2”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9378421/HENRY-DEEDES-Prime-Ministers-attempts-calm-nerves-vaccine-jab.html
“Our European ‘friends’… that’s what Boris Johnson says if they’ve got on his wick: HENRY DEEDES on the Prime Minister’s attempts to calm nerves over the vaccine jab”
White Brexiteers calling Europeans “the enemy” in the comment section and gaining loud approval. They should be careful with what to wish for. We Europeans, all 640 million of us, remember the English for breaking the world record running the marathon for 200,000 at the same time in France in 1940, abandoning their French allies without warning, fleeing in desperation to the French Channel, where they would have been slaughtered by the Germans, but unfortunately they didn’t, because they hoped for peace with the British. This mistake won’t be made again.
Dredd on Fri, 19th Mar 2021 8:40 am
Especially those on coasts (Seaports With Sea Level Change – 13).
FamousDrScanlon on Fri, 19th Mar 2021 2:03 pm
Juan P & dissident suck Pop’s cock for protection.
makati1 on Fri, 19th Mar 2021 4:46 pm
The only “nuclear accident” will be the false flag of Amerika starting WW3.