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...
Comments
It's possible to be stupid about nuclear plants--let's not place them where earthquakes or tornadoes or hurricanes are likely. That still leaves wide swaths of the US that can safely generate electricity from fission. What are we waiting for, a written invitation?
Where many of us go wrong, though, is the assumption that the anti-nuclear crowd is genuinely afraid of another Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, or even a China Syndrome. They're not; that's just what they hide behind. They don't like capitalism, and they don't like success. Nuclear power would solve too many problems, making socialism harder to instill as the economy hums along on relatively inexpensive and non-polluting electricity. That's why they're against it.
It's not a science issue, it's a political issue for them.