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...
Former blog for NEI featuring news and commentary on the commercial nuclear energy industry. Head to NEI.org for the latest blog posts.
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In defense of the rest of the people who are opposed to the project, however, there are many reasons other than spoiling views why they are worried.
I have actually spent some time out on the water very close to the area where the wind turbines will be built. Their presence would have had a detrimental effect on our ability to move through the water since we were on a sailboat.
Though there have been people harnessing the wind for power in the sound for hundreds of years, the Cape Wind project has somehow convinced some people that it has a right to take that wind from those people. (Sailing in a wind farm would be exceedingly frustrating because of all of the turbulence and reduction in energy of the wind.)
Another group of people that are opposed to Cape Wind are the fishermen who have been working the prolific sound for generations. They are not sure what the effect will be, but they are pretty sure that massive construction projects for foundations and transmission infrastructure will not have the effect of making their fishing grounds more productive. They are also worried about the vast increase in navigational hazards especially for conditions of reduced visibility (fog).
The fact is that massive wind farms are a classic case of "tragedy of the commons". Their success is based on a small group taking what used to be public property (views, fishing grounds, wind) and turning into private property without compensating the public.