nuclear technology « nuclear-news

Nuclear foolishness: Bill Gates and his sci-fi reactors

these outlandish designs are extremely unlikely to be produced commercially and offer only another nuclear distraction from the far more urgent problem presented by climate change.

More sci-fi reactors Nuclear Reaction – 26 March 2010, It certainly seems a week for crazy nuclear inventions. Yesterday we had Bill Gates and his sci-fi reactor……The realities of the baseload myth and decentralized energy production seem to have finally occurred to nuclear boffins and they’re trying to catch up with the rest of us.

Unfortunately, just because you make a nuclear reactor smaller it doesn’t mean they don’t have the same problems as their larger cousins. Sometimes the problems are even worse. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, renewable energy | Leave a comment

Russia’s grandiose nuclear in space plans

Russia toys with exotic nuclear space projects 02-27-2010
Source: RIA Novosti Russia is pondering new applications for yet-to-be-built nuclear-powered spacecraft, including military satellites, nuclear power plants, and space tugs, Energia space corporation said Wednesday. Continue reading →

March 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, reactor | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste reprocessing problems

Digging up the dirt on uranium – The National Newspaper Tamsin Carlisle, February 20. 2010 “……Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods to extract more of their energy potential is another option but is expensive and intensely controversial. Continue reading →

February 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France | cancer, fast breeder, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reprocessing | Leave a comment

Update on America’s nuclear reactors

Nuclear News- What’s happening in your backyard? Fox News February 19, 2010 by: Molly Line

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute there are currently 19 nuclear reactors nationwide that are seeking re-licensing. Continue reading →

February 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology | Leave a comment

Despite Bill Gates’ support, Fourth Generation nuclear reactors look dodgy

some nuclear experts who warn that the promise is a snare and a delusion.

Fourth generation nuclear power may not be the clean energy silver bullet, FinancialTimes, by Ed Crooks, 18 Feb 2010

The huge cost, and delays and budget over-runs in construction, of third generation reactors such as Areva’s EPR, along with concerns about their safety, has inspired a search for new smaller designs, including some that are only the size of a garden shed. Continue reading →

February 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA | antinuclear, AREVA, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive | Leave a comment

South Africa’s Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactor probably has no future

Times Live Zambia Jan 28, 2010 | By Sapa

Trade union Solidarity has raised the alarm about pending job losses at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project in Centurion near Pretoria as funding dries up.

“Workers were informed (by PBMR chief executive Jaco Kriek) that government would not make further subsidies available for the project and that there were only sufficient operating funds left until April,” Solidarity spokesman Jaco Kleynhans said in a statement.

PBMR spokesman Tom Ferreira did concede, in a statement, that “the future of the PBMR is currently being reviewed by government, Necsa and Eskom.”…..The minerals and energy department could not be reached for comment….http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/local/article282054.ece

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Africa | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactor, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Lithuania’s nuclear reactor closes down

Lithuania to shut its only nuclear power station By Gabriel Gatehouse BBC News 31 December 2009

Lithuania is to shut down its one and only nuclear power station in Visaginas on 31 December.

One hour before midnight, staff at the Ignalina plant will flick the switches, shutting down the only nuclear reactor in the Baltic states.

The closure of the Soviet-era plant was a condition of Lithuania’s membership of the European Union…..It was built to the same design as Chernobyl, which was behind the worst civil nuclear disaster in history when one of its reactors overheated in 1986.

December 31, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment

Cooling water dilemma for nuclear plant

Atomic Insights Blog December 15, 2009 Focused Effort to Increase Cost of Nuclear Energy From Oyster Creek by Rod Adams Yesterday, the New Jersey senate held hearings lasting more than three hours on proposed legislation that would force Oyster Creek, the oldest currently operating nuclear power plant in the United States, to install cooling towers. The plant currently operates with the required steam condenser cooling water being drawn from a local surface water supply and then returned to that water supply somewhat warmer than it was before. There are limits assigned to the amount of temperature rise allowed and to the maximum discharge temperature.

Atomic Insights Blog: Focused Effort to Increase Cost of Nuclear Energy From Oyster Creek

December 16, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology | Leave a comment

Japan’s plutonium nuclear reactor to start despite serious problems

From THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

GENKAI, Saga Prefecture–Despite lingering questions about safety, cost efficiency and waste disposal, the trial operation of the long-delayed “pluthermal” program–perhaps the future of Japan’s energy needs–started here Thursday…………….. Continue reading →

December 4, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, wastes | 1 Comment

Small power systems safer than nuclear

The limits of nuclear power , The Ottawa Citizen , by Kate Heartfield 30 Dec 09 “……………The very quality that makes a nuclear power plant so attractive — its size — is also a major flaw. A small windfarm might not provide much power, but it can go up easily in a few years, and is inexpensive enough to be accessible to a variety of companies.
Small power is flexible and nimble; big power is not. A nuclear plant is also one big single point of failure for the grid. I also worry about waste storage — not an insoluble problem, but a problem nonetheless. And then there are the environmental consequences of uranium mining.

The limits of nuclear power – The Ed Board blog

December 1, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, 2 WORLD | nuclear technology | Leave a comment

New nukes just a pipe-dream – old nukes are the problem

What To Do With Zombie Nuke Plants CBS News November 24, 2009 by Christian Parenti: Thirty Years Affter The Three Mile Island Partial Meltdown, Old Plants Pose The Real Nuclear Power Threat. Oyster Creek Generating Station, .. the oldest in the country, was slated to close in 2009 when its original forty-year license was ending. Continue reading →

November 25, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, wastes | Leave a comment

USA would be wise not to follow France’s nuclear path

French Nuclear Energy Policy – a cake the US may do well not to consume too much of Treehugger, by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11.22.09 “………………. US politicians now cite the French energy policy example with excitement; claiming that nation’s high reliance on nuclear power is exemplary. Continue reading →

November 23, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, France | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Russia plans nuclear powered, manned, trips to Mars

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Oh those Russians! Apparently they’re so keen to outdo everyone else in nuclear technology – they’re aiming to send men to Mars. I guess, being patriotic Russians, those astronauts don’t mind that radiation in space will give them cancer, or even that scientists are agreed – it would be a one-way trip!

Russia goes all out to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft http://www.chinaview.cn 2009-11-13 MOSCOW, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) Continue reading →

November 14, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, Russia | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Nuclear fast breeder reactors – wishful thinking!

The Future of Nuclear Energy: Facts and Fiction – Part IV: Energy from Breeder Reactors and from Fusion? The Oil Drum by Francois Cellier on November 10, 2009 – “…. Continue reading →

November 11, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, 2 WORLD | antinuclear, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radiation, radioactive, reactor | 1 Comment

Plutonium nuclear reactor problems

Problematic ‘pluthermal’ era ” Japan Times Nov. 11, 2009 .……. Japan’s first reactor using plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) as fuel, attained nuclear criticality last Thursday and started trial operations Monday….. Thus “pluthermal” power generation has begun, but many problems remain unresolved…………. Continue reading →

November 11, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, Japan | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, plutonium, radioactive | Leave a comment