Winning: First US nuclear power plant since 1996 goes online.
(www.nationalreview.com)
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Small modular reactors and large fast breeders FTW.
Such a beautiful sight!
As long as 10% goes to the Big Guy, right? Right?
My daughter's "nerd high school" was suppose to do a field trip and tour the power plant... then the covid scam happened.
I work at a nuclear plant 😀
https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/georgia-power-says-new-nuclear-reactor-at-plant-vogtle-is-now-online/93-5768f638-6baf-45b7-ad95-67d45ce0051a
Pebble bed reactors.
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/thorium.aspx
In 2006, the Energy Watch Group of Germany studied world uranium supplies and issued a report concluding that, in its most optimistic scenario, the peak of world uranium production will be achieved before 2040. If large numbers of new nuclear power plants are constructed to offset the use of coal as an electricity source, then supplies will peak much sooner. Thomas Seltmann, “Nuclear Power: The Beginning of the End,” Sun & Wind Energy (Energy Watch Group, November 2009). Today, there are some 441 nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries. These 441 reactors, with combined capacity of over 376 Gigawatts (One GWe equals one billion watts or one thousand megawatts), require 69,000 tonnes of uranium oxide (U3O8). In all there are over 300 reactors being built. Each GWe of increased capacity will require about 195 tU per year of extra mine production – three times this for the first fuel load. In 2008, mines supplied 51,600 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate containing 43,853 tU, which means mining supplied roughly 75% of nuclear utility power requirements. The remaining supply deficit used to be made up from stockpiled uranium held by nuclear power utilities, but their stockpiles are pretty much depleted. Mine production is now primarily supplemented by ex-military material - the Megatons to Megawatts program which ends in 2013 - the Russians have stated that the agreement will not be renewed. The world only has about 70 years' supply of reactor-grade uranium left at current consumption. New reactors are projected to add an incredible 42% more nuclear power plants within the next decade to 15 years. That means our uranium supply will fall even faster albeit there is hope as we currently do not have the technology to use most of the energy embodied in uranium or to use thorium. “If all the world’s electricity was nuclear-generated, the supply of accessible uranium would be exhausted in nine years.” (source Dr. Helen Caldicott, https://www.helencaldicott.com/)
The world might go increasingly nuclear – but every cubic mile of oil equivalent (CMO – energy used globally annually) of nuclear energy will require 500 new surface uranium mines; 1,000 new underground uranium mines; and 2,280 nuclear reactor operations.
Unfortunately, the Vogtle Units 3&4 Project is a poor poster child for strengthening being the case for nuclear power. The plants are coming in at $30 billion, whereas the original projected cost was $14 billion. However, it is not the technology at fault, but the poor management of the project construction, combined with the commencement of construction of plants whose detailed design was incomplete, and construction reviews of the design woefully adequate.
The future of nuclear is in micro reactors that can be wholly manufactured in a fabrication facility, and shipped by rail or truck to a site, and operate up to 10 years without refueling. Only then will the industry be capable of accurately projecting plant costs.
Providing distributed generation will also minimize the massive energy losses (and costs) during transmission over long distances.
Two downvotes? Ha..Westinghouse employees? I worked on the project for 8 yrs. The truth is the truth.