Skip to main content

Another Blogger For Nuclear Energy

By Eric McErlain
Visit Division of Labour.

Technorati tags: , , , , , ,

Comments

Daniel said…
Did you guys already see this story from the UK? It is about a radioactive beach that has seen numerous radioactive particles washing up on it in recent years.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2006/09/05/nbeach.xml

I ran into the link over at http://www.grinzo.com/energy/blog_entry_archive/2006/09/2006x09x07_3.html

Is this the kind of future we want to leave to our grandkids?
September 8, 2006 at 3:23 PM
David Bradish said…
Of course no one wants leaks to happen. Believe it or not, safety is our top priority. But leaks do happen and will happen. And so far in my research of this incident, I have not found any reports of anyone getting sick or dying from these plant leaks as a result.

The company was fined and are doing the best they can to clean it up. Of course this should never happen in the first place. But we are getting better and better and better at managing nuclear technology safely and effectively.

If we couldn't do it safely we wouldn't be running nuclear plants.
September 10, 2006 at 10:21 PM
Daniel said…
"But leaks do happen and will happen."

"I have not found any reports of anyone getting sick or dying"

"If we couldn't do it safely we wouldn't be running nuclear plants."

Phew...I was about to get worried...until you set me straight.
September 10, 2006 at 11:25 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Activists' Claims Distort Facts about Advanced Reactor Design

By
Below is from our rapid response team . Yesterday, regional anti-nuclear organizations asked federal nuclear energy regulators to launch an investigation into what it claims are “newly identified flaws” in Westinghouse’s advanced reactor design, the AP1000. During a teleconference releasing a report on the subject, participants urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend license reviews of proposed AP1000 reactors. In its news release, even the groups making these allegations provide conflicting information on its findings. In one instance, the groups cite “dozens of corrosion holes” at reactor vessels and in another says that eight holes have been documented. In all cases, there is another containment mechanism that would provide a barrier to radiation release. Below, we examine why these claims are unwarranted and why the AP1000 design certification process should continue as designated by the NRC. Myth: In the AP1000 reactor design, the gap between the shield bu...
23 comments
Read more

What Happens During a Refueling Outage?

By
You may have noticed over the past few weeks that a number of nuclear plants are shut down for refueling outages or are resuming operations after just returning from one. This type of routine outage usually occurs in the spring or fall when electricity demand is low so that nuclear reactors can replace about one-third of the spent fuel rods with new fuel and conduct other routine maintenance and repairs at the plant. To get a better sense of how refueling works at a nuclear energy facility, I spoke with Marcus Nichol, NEI’s senior project manager for used fuel storage and transportation, and asked him to explain the basics. Why does a nuclear plant need to replace one-third of its fuel? Nichol: The main purpose of a refueling outage is to replace older fuel that is depleted—meaning it can no longer efficiently produce energy from nuclear fission reactions—with new fuel. This “used fuel” has typically been used in the reactor for four-and-a-half to six years before it is pe...
6 comments
Read more

How Much Land Does Nuclear, Wind and Solar Really Need?

By
Not too long ago, we reviewed a report that looked at nuclear energy (and other energy sources) as biodiversity agents. This had to do, in part, with the amount of land a facility needs to function. Nuclear energy and fossil fuel plants use relatively little, wind farms and solar arrays quite a lot of land . Based on an objective and transparent analysis of our sustainable energy choices, we have come to the evidence-based conclusion that nuclear energy is a good option for biodiversity conservation (and society in general) and that other alternatives to fossil fuels should be subjected to the same cost–benefit analyses (in terms of biodiversity and climate outcomes, as well as sociopolitical imperatives) before accepting or dismissing them. Writer Barry Brook, who collected 75 scientists to endorse his paper, is interested in land use as it impacts flora and fauna. Biodiversity concerns do not get as much play as they might – and, when they do, it annoys many when land is withdraw...
4 comments
Read more