Nuclear power

[mspohr]

And, of course, the UK's new idiot in charge is gung ho on nuclear power...

UK’s new premier promises boost for nuclear power - World Nuclear News

Boris Johnson expressed his "passionate" support for nuclear power when he addressed the House of Commons for the first time as UK prime minister yesterday. Seven of the country’s eight existing nuclear plants are set to be retired by 2030, while new-build projects have faced financial uncertainty over the last two years.

 

[RubberToe]

Hints that the next Vogtle construction delay will be announced soon:

Georgia regulators raise fresh concerns about nuclear project’s timing

Georgia Power spokesman Jeff Wilson on Tuesday night referred an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter to the November dates and said, “We have every expectation we will meet those deadlines.”

RT

 

[Brando]

As is usual, politicians bought and paid for .... by guess who?

 

[SmartElectric]

Ontario publicly owned utility (OPG) is spending billions on gas power plants to backstop a $13B Nuclear refurbishment.

OPG’s multi-billion-dollar gas-plant buying spree partly prompted by shifting nuclear landscape: CEO

Refurbishment is behind schedule by 1 year, with latest delay being another 4 months:
Darlington nuclear refurb hits delay

Ontario has excess power at night, selling power at a loss to US, and venting hot steam (water vapour) into the air during off peak to keep reactors online and available. How strange is it to use nuclear fuel to boil water that is vented without generating electricity?

Power purchase agreements are 50% higher than prior to refurb prices, which are greater than large wind and solar bids.

 

[SmartElectric]

As I got a down vote, here are some research articles to educate those who might disagree.

1. Ontario has been exporting excess Nuclear power production to US (NY State) and this is a known issue in 2012 and before.

Why are we paying N.Y. to take our electricity? | The Star

2. Again in 2016. Note that Wind is a small contributor to excess power:
Ontario lost more than $500 million exporting clean energy in 2016 • Ontario Society of Professional Engineers

3. I have monitored the IESO grid site for 10 years and the pattern is clear:
Power Data
example of a weeks production I blogged about in 2014
Smart Electric Drive: Choose one : boil steam or recharge a million electric cars

If you have alternative facts, please bring them.

 

[transpondster]

So if its windy night Ontario exports only nuclear, but happily consumes wind?...
That nuclear bashing here gets boring... The answer for night overproduction is more EVs not more wind...

 

[nwdiver]

So if its windy night Ontario exports only nuclear, but happily consumes wind?...
That nuclear bashing here gets boring... The answer for night overproduction is more EVs not more wind...

New wind turbines don't cost >$75k/MW/yr regardless of energy produced like aging nuclear plants cost nor do they cost $15/w to build new like new nuclear plants cost. Adding wind at ~$1.50/w is cheaper than maintaining obsolete thermal generators.

 

[SmartElectric]

So if its windy night Ontario exports only nuclear, but happily consumes wind?...
That nuclear bashing here gets boring... The answer for night overproduction is more EVs not more wind...

Your response adds no value. Try reading this to educate yourself:

Ontario Wasted More Than $1 Billion Worth of Clean Energy in 2016, Enough to Power 760,000 Homes • Ontario Society of Professional Engineers

Curtailment of all forms of energy is done in Ontario, but at least for renewable, we weren't mining, refining and paying for the fuel !

Briefly though, Ontario built out more Nuclear power than the baseload minimum, which prevents any other source of power from filling in the gaps. This "baseload" power is mainly inflexible, and only flexible via boiling water and venting steam into the air, using highly refined uranium in billion dollar facilities that take $13B to refurbish.

Wind curtailment doesn't waste precious fuel, nor do you have the highest paid people in the largest capital expense facilities twiddling thumbs while that happens.

So yes, I am bashing stupid and expensive money wasting nuclear, when the alternative is cheaper, fuel cost is zero and with planning like that posted by the Ontario engineers, we could use all of the renewable energy we have on our grid.

 

[S'toon]

Your response adds no value. Try reading this to educate yourself:

Ontario Wasted More Than $1 Billion Worth of Clean Energy in 2016, Enough to Power 760,000 Homes • Ontario Society of Professional Engineers

Curtailment of all forms of energy is done in Ontario, but at least for renewable, we weren't mining, refining and paying for the fuel !

Briefly though, Ontario built out more Nuclear power than the baseload minimum, which prevents any other source of power from filling in the gaps. This "baseload" power is mainly inflexible, and only flexible via boiling water and venting steam into the air, using highly refined uranium in billion dollar facilities that take $13B to refurbish.

Wind curtailment doesn't waste precious fuel, nor do you have the highest paid people in the largest capital expense facilities twiddling thumbs while that happens.

So yes, I am bashing stupid and expensive money wasting nuclear, when the alternative is cheaper, fuel cost is zero and with planning like that posted by the Ontario engineers, we could use all of the renewable energy we have on our grid.

I was astonished when I read how much nuclear operators make. As far as I can tell, they do the same things as power engineers, but with radiation suits on.

 

[nwdiver]

I was astonished when I read how much nuclear operators make. As far as I can tell, they do the same things as power engineers, but with radiation suits on.

It’s the licensing. Reactor operators are required to maintain a license with the NRC.

 

[Brando]

So sad. Taxpayers pay, politicians & bureaucrats play.
Destruction of our environment continues. Good thing we won't run out of environment. Your kids? not so much

 

[mspohr]

Fukushima: Japan will have to dump radioactive water into Pacific, minister says

Fukushima: Japan will have to dump radioactive water into Pacific, minister says

The operator of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will have to dump huge quantities of contaminated water from the site directly into the Pacific Ocean, Japan’s environment minister has said – a move that would enrage local fishermen.

 

[Brando]

Fukushima, Hanford, Oak Ridge, 3 Mile Island, Chernobyl, etc. are just practise for the other ~500 Nukes we have to clean up.
Great income stream for corporate America - just imagine the great paying jobs.

 

[nwdiver]

Fukushima: Japan will have to dump radioactive water into Pacific, minister says

Fukushima: Japan will have to dump radioactive water into Pacific, minister says

The operator of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will have to dump huge quantities of contaminated water from the site directly into the Pacific Ocean, Japan’s environment minister has said – a move that would enrage local fishermen.

To be fair.... this doesn't matter... there's already ~4.5B tons of Uranium in the oceans naturally. The only thing they really need to do it ensure it's released slowly ideally in an area with a strong current to ensure it disperses. 0.001ppt cs137 added to the 7ppb U238 already there isn't going to make any difference.

What I've found interesting about this is that the current theory is that this concentration is essentially in balance with the sea floor. So if you extract Uranium from the oceans more will quickly replace it making this an effectively inexhaustible source of Uranium.

 

[Brando]

Can't kill the planet. Elements don't seem to "care". Life on the other hand often needs time to adjust or move or evolve or go extinct.
Most of us don't see/comprehend the extinctions we humans have contributed.

No longer clean bugs off the wind shield every few days. Fewer insects. Makes hanging out doors more "pleasant". Fewer birds. Stars harder to see. These things seem down the list of most peoples concerns.

All that micro-plastics improves the taste of fish, IMHO.

 

[nwdiver]

Can't kill the planet. Elements don't seem to "care". Life on the other hand often needs time to adjust or move or evolve or go extinct.
Most of us don't see/comprehend the extinctions we humans have contributed.

No longer clean bugs off the wind shield every few days. Fewer insects. Makes hanging out doors more "pleasant". Fewer birds. Stars harder to see. These things seem down the list of most peoples concerns.

All that micro-plastics improves the taste of fish, IMHO.

Life isn't going to be harmed by adding a few hundred kg of radio isotopes to the ocean. That million tons of contaminated water is 99.9999% H2O. Plastic is another story. We're adding >10M tons of plastic each year and it doesn't dissolve like metals do. The radio isotopes being added will just be another salt in saltwater. Plastics also don't disperse in the water column... most float on the surface.

 

[RubberToe]

France distributed iodine pills while investigating manufacturing defects at nuclear power plants:

The Local France: France to give millions of residents iodine pills while EDF spots problems in six nuclear reactors.
France to give millions of residents iodine pills while EDF spots problems in six nuclear reactors

 

[mspohr]

Three Mile Island nuclear plant closes today!
After 45 years and $800 million losses in the past few years (and in the absence of a bailout), the plant will close.
They want to do a "lite" cleanup and "store in place". Just leave everything in place and hope nothing bad happens.

 

[tonybelding]

Has this thread just become a place to post anything negative we can find about nuclear power?

We've got multiple scientific studies and reports concluding that a buildout of new nuclear plants is critical for reducing CO² emissions and mitigating climate change. And yet, all we can find to talk about is some corrosion problems in aging French nuclear plants, and the closing down of TMI?

 

[mspohr]

Has this thread just become a place to post anything negative we can find about nuclear power?

We've got multiple scientific studies and reports concluding that a buildout of new nuclear plants is critical for reducing CO² emissions and mitigating climate change. And yet, all we can find to talk about is some corrosion problems in aging French nuclear plants, and the closing down of TMI?

Perhaps you could post something positive?
Low cost nuclear?
Nuclear plant under budget?
Nuclear plant not leaking?
Anything?