Thread: Nuclear power plants get the go ahead

I've learned that the government of the UK has given the green light for the production of nuclear power stations throughout the country. I can understand the growing need for more reliable energy sources to omit fossil fuel stations due to the climate change and the increasing demand of electricity but still, there is no real way yet to use radioactive waste and who is going to want it in their backyard, well NIMBY. Then there is always the danger of the nuclear plants of going meltdown, training staff to operate and maintain these stations so I'm wondering, have the government actually really thought this through? And do we really have any other alternative? Whats your views?

what's amazing is how the whole energy debate is throwing the environmental movement into disarray

they have a long-standing hatred of nukes, coal and gas fired generators cause CO2, large numbers of wind mills are unsightly, barrages flood tidal mudflats where birds find their food etc etc

about the only way for generating energy that doesn't fall foul of their wrath is solar energy, and i'm not quite sure how effective that is in a country like the UK

I'm still with the predication that each household in the future can have its own fusion generator. Which of course provides all the fuel we ever need from common waste. Of course putting the McDonalds in your fuel tanker for you car will save you a lot in petrol/diesel etc, I can't see the oil industry accepting this idea with wide open arms. I even heard that petroleum companies are actually paying scientists to disprove global warming and to slow down the creation of fusion power. How selfish is that? Of course there is truth to it, we know that from history. Greed has, does and always shall exist so long as we do not change our ways, and when will that happen :|.

i'm sure some oil companies are already starting to hedge their bets
they can see that in the foreseeable future oil reserves may be harder to get to and wouldn't mind jumping on a suitable bandwagon if it proved commercially viable - it would extend their lifespan as a company beyond the days of plentiful oil

Originally Posted by svwillmer

I'm still with the predication that each household in the future can have its own fusion generator. Which of course provides all the fuel we ever need from common waste. Of course putting the McDonalds in your fuel tanker for you car will save you a lot in petrol/diesel etc

What?? McDonald's is putting deuterium and tritium in their milkshakes now?

Yes, it's their new 'Isotopic' range of drinks...

Originally Posted by Harold14370

Originally Posted by svwillmer

I'm still with the predication that each household in the future can have its own fusion generator. Which of course provides all the fuel we ever need from common waste. Of course putting the McDonalds in your fuel tanker for you car will save you a lot in petrol/diesel etc

What?? McDonald's is putting deuterium and tritium in their milkshakes now?

lol. As in the fusion generators in the future being able to rip molecules and extract hydrogen atoms to form those isotopes, but it wouldn't suprise me if they did put that in .

oh great - "fat" fusion reactors

Send your kids off to school with a warm glow, give them a McDonald's 99cent breakfast!

Many fusion reactors in the United States are reaching the end of their contracts, and will have to close soon if I'm not mistaken. When they start, there are gonna be a whole lot of people fighting for a replacement with some sort of alternative. It'll be so annoying.

Originally Posted by Shaderwolf

It'll be so annoying.

Why? Do you live on the truck route to Yucca Mountain?

(BTW did you mean to write fission, not fusion?}

Originally Posted by Shaderwolf

Many fusion reactors in the United States are reaching the end of their contracts, and will have to close soon if I'm not mistaken. When they start, there are gonna be a whole lot of people fighting for a replacement with some sort of alternative. It'll be so annoying.

I think you will see most of the currently operating US nuclear plants filing for license renewal to extend their operating life from 40 to 60 years. Applications for a number of new nuclear plants will also be filed in the near future. There has already been an application filed to build two new plants in South Texas.

The new generation of plants will have improved passive safety features and will be cheaper to build and run. The designs will be standardized, not like the current plants where each one is unique. This will reduce the time and cost of license reviews as well.