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#nonukesforai — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #nonukesforai, aggregated by home.social.

  1. [Photos] #WardValley: Celebrating Stopping a #NuclearWaste Dump in the #MojaveDesert 2026

    via @bsnorrell.blogspot.com
    February 21, 2026

    " 'We are the Pipa Aha Macav, the people along the river, instructed by the Creator to protect it.' Barrackman's words, before he passed to the Spirit World, were at Ward Valley, during the 113-day Occupation which halted a #nuclear waste dump on #SacredLand in 1998."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NoNuclearWasteDumping #EnvironmentalRacism #RethinkNotRestart #NoNewNukes

  2. The Rise and Fall of #NuScale: a nuclear cautionary tale

    Kelly Campbell
    October 29, 2024

    "A decade ago, NuScale, the Oregon-based small modular nuclear company born at Oregon State University, was on a roll. Promising a new era of nuclear reactors that were cheaper, easier to build and safer, their Star Wars-inspired artist renditions of a yet to be built reactor gleamed like a magic bullet.

    "As of last year, NuScale was the furthest along of any reactor design in obtaining Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing and was planning to build the first small modular nuclear reactor in the United States. Its plan was to build it in Idaho to serve energy to a consortium of small public utility districts in Utah and elsewhere, known as #UAMPS.

    "This home-grown Oregon company was lauded in local and national media. According to project backers, a high-tech solution to climate change was on the horizon, and an Oregon company was leading the way. It seemed almost too good to be true.

    "And it was.

    "Turns out, NuScale was a #HouseOfCards. The UAMPS project’s price tag more than doubled and the timeline was pushed back repeatedly until it was seven years behind schedule. Finally, UAMPS saw the writing on the wall and wisely backed out in November, 2023.

    "After losing their customer, NuScale’s stock plunged, it laid off nearly a third of its workforce, and it was sued by its investors and investigated for investor fraud. Then its CEO sold off most of his stock shares.

    "NuScale’s project is the latest in a long line of failed nuclear fantasies.

    "Why should you care? A different nuclear company, #XEnergy, now in partnership with #AmazonCorp, wants to build and operate small modular #nuclear reactors [#SMRs] near the #ColumbiaRiver, 250 miles upriver from #PortlandOR. #BillGates’s darling, the #Natrium reactor in #Wyoming is also plowing ahead. Both proposals are raking in the Inflation Reduction Act and other taxpayer funded subsidies. The danger: Money and time wasted on these #FalseSolutions to the #ClimateCrisis divert public resources from #renewables, #EnergyEfficiency and other faster, more cost-efficient and safer ways to address the climate crisis.

    "A recent study from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis concluded that small modular nuclear reactors are still too expensive, too slow to build and too risky to respond to the climate crisis.

    "While the nuclear industry tries to pass itself off as 'clean,' it is an extremely dirty technology, beginning with #UraniumMining and #UraniumMilling which decimates #IndigenousLands. Small modular nuclear reactors produce two to thirty times the radioactive waste of older nuclear designs, waste for which we have no safe, long-term disposal site. Any community that hosts a nuclear reactor will likely be saddled with its radioactive waste – forever. This harm falls disproportionately on #Indigenous and #LowIncome communities.

    :For those of us downriver, X-Energy’s plans to build at the Hanford Nuclear Site on the Columbia flies in the face of reason, as it would add more nuclear waste to the country’s largest nuclear cleanup site.

    "In #Oregon, we have a state moratorium on building nuclear reactors until there is a vote of the people and a national waste repository. Every few years, the nuclear industry attempts to overturn this law at the Oregon Legislature, but so far it has been unsuccessful. This August, Umatilla County Commissioners announced they’ll attempt another legislative effort to overturn the moratorium. Keeping this moratorium is wise, given the dangerous distraction posed by the false solution of small modular nuclear reactors. Let’s learn from the NuScale debacle and keep our focus on a just transition to a clean energy future–one in which nuclear power clearly has no place."

    oregoncapitalchronicle.com/202

    #EnvironmentalRacism #HoltecLies
    #NuclearLies #TEPCOLied
    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #Hanford #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies

  3. Five Things the “#NuclearBros” Don’t Want You to Know About #SmallModularReactors #SMRs

    by #EdwinLyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists (#UCS)
    April 30, 2024

    "Even casual followers of energy and climate issues have probably heard about the alleged wonders of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). This is due in no small part to the 'nuclear bros': an active and seemingly tireless group of #NuclearPower advocates [#Trolls] who dominate social media discussions on energy by promoting SMRs and other 'advanced' #nuclear technologies as the only real solution for the #ClimateCrisis.

    "But as I showed in my 2013 and 2021 reports, the hype surrounding SMRs is way overblown, and my conclusions remain valid today.

    "Unfortunately, much of this SMR happy talk is rooted in #misinformation, which always brings me back to the same question: If the nuclear bros have such a great SMR story to tell, why do they have to exaggerate so much?

    What are SMRs?

    "SMRs are nuclear reactors that are 'small' (defined as 300 megawatts of electrical power or less), can be largely assembled in a centralized facility, and would be installed in a modular fashion at power generation sites. Some proposed SMRs are so tiny (20 megawatts or less) that they are called 'micro' reactors. SMRs are distinct from today’s conventional nuclear plants, which are typically around 1,000 megawatts and were largely custom-built. Some SMR designs, such as #NuScale, are modified versions of operating water-cooled reactors, while others are radically different designs that use coolants other than water, such as liquid sodium, helium gas, or even molten salts.

    "To date, however, theoretical interest in SMRs has not translated into many actual reactor orders. The only SMR currently under construction is in China. And in the United States, only one company—#TerraPower, founded by Microsoft’s Bill Gates — has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a permit to build a power reactor (but at 345 megawatts, it technically isn’t even an SMR).

    "The #NuclearIndustry has pinned its hopes on SMRs primarily because some recent large reactor projects, including #Vogtle units 3 and 4 in the state of #GeorgiaUSA, have taken far longer to build and cost far more than originally projected. The failure of these projects to come in on time and under budget undermines arguments that modern nuclear power plants can overcome the problems that have plagued the nuclear industry in the past.

    "Developers in the industry and the US Department of Energy say that SMRs can be less costly and quicker to build than large reactors and that their modular nature makes it easier to balance power supply and demand. They also argue that reactors in a variety of sizes would be useful for a range of applications beyond grid-scale electrical power, including providing process heat to industrial plants and power to #DataCenters, #cryptocurrency mining operations, petrochemical production, and even electrical vehicle [#EV] charging stations.

    "Here are five facts about SMRs that the nuclear industry and the 'nuclear bros' who push its message don’t want you, the public, to know."

    Read more:
    blog.ucs.org/edwin-lyman/five-

    #HoltecLies #NuclearPower #NuclearLies #TEPCOLied #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies

  4. #French #NuclearPower production expected to be reduced on Wednesday

    By Reuters
    August 12, 2025

    PARIS, Aug 12 (Reuters) - "Power production at France's #Bugey3 #nuclear reactor in the east of the country is expected to be reduced by 500 megawatts (MW) on Wednesday, data from operator #EDF showed on Tuesday, as high river temperatures reduce the plant's ability to intake cooling water.

    "A #heatwave throughout #France has led to multiple warnings of power reductions at a number of #NuclearPlants, particularly on the #RhoneRiver in the east and the #GaronneRiver in the west.

    "The #Bugey 3 reactor has a maximum capacity of 910 MW, which will be reduced to 410 MW from 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) to midnight on Wednesday as the reactor is required to meet environmental safety measures, EDF's data showed.

    "The high water temperature warnings for the #SaintAlban plant - down river of the Bugey site - and the #Golfech site in the west were moved to August 14, but restrictions have not yet been issued.
    Average temperatures in the country are expected to continue to peak throughout the week, reaching a high of 28.5 degrees Celsius (83.3°F) on Saturday, LSEG data showed.

    "#NuclearPower accounts for about 70% of total French power consumption annually, but August is the main holiday season throughout the country and electricity demand is often limited."

    Source:
    reuters.com/sustainability/cli

    #EuropeHeatWaves #France #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPowerNoThanks #NuclearWasteIsForever #NuclearPowerPlants #ExtremeHeat #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #RethinkNotRestart
    #LeNucléaireNonMerci

  5. #Jellyfish Shut Four French #NuclearReactors as #HeatWave Builds

    By Eamon Farhat
    August 11, 2025

    "#Electricite de France SA [#EDF] was forced to shut four #AtomicReactors after a swarm of jellyfish clogged up filter drums at its #Gravelines power plant.

    "The 'massive and unforeseen' [um, not if you read my posts -- very much FORESEEN] presence of jellyfish in the filter drums of pumping stations closed four out of six reactors at Gravelines on the north coast of France, EDF said in a statement on Monday. Pumping stations for coastal #NuclearPlants usually draw in sea water for cooling, sometimes exposing them to marine life.

    "A #MarineHeatWave is intensifying off the west coast of France, with unusually warm waters in the English Channel near Gravelines, data from #Copernicus Marine Service show. Jellyfish populations can 'bloom' at such times, and France has closed several beaches in recent weeks due to invasions of the eight-legged molluscs, according reports compiled by the beach information app Meduseo."

    Read more:
    bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/bahil

    #EuropeHeatWaves #France #Jellyfish #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPowerNoThanks #NuclearWasteIsForever #NuclearPowerPlants #ExtremeHeat #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #RethinkNotRestart
    #LeNucléaireNonMerci

  6. The #HeatWave of late June threatens French #nuclear production

    Written by Justine Dumont, Energy Renovation Expert Editor on 24 June 2025 at 08:00

    "#EDF plans to reduce the production of its nuclear fleet, in particular that of the #Bugey power plant in Ain, as of Wednesday 25 June, due to the expected high temperatures. This decision comes at a time when Météo-France has placed 16 departments in orange-heat-wave vigilance since Friday 20 June."

    Read more (en Français):
    france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/

    #EuropeHeatWaves #NuclearPowerPlants #NuclearPlants #NoNukes #NuclearPowerNoThanks #NuclearWasteIsForever #NuclearPlants #Heatwaves #ExtremeHeat #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #RethinkNotRestart
    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #LeNucléaireNonMerci

  7. HT @PariaSansPortefeuille

    Invasion of #jellyfish, heat, water too hot: #GlobalWarming threatens the functioning of #NuclearPowerPlants

    Several reactors are regularly forced to stop to protect river #biodiversity. While cuts in periods of high heat still have a very limited impact on supply, electrification of uses and #ClimateChange could make a difference.

    Marie Toulgoat , Published 11 August 2025

    "When nature paralyses the French nuclear park. Four units of the Gravelines nuclear power plant (northern) are at a standstill on Monday 11 August due to the 'mass and unforeseeable presence of jellyfish; at the water pumping stations used for the cooling of the reactors, EDF announced.

    "These automatic stops of units 2, 3, 4 and 6 'have had no consequences on the safety of the installations, the safety of personnel or on the environment', #EDF assures on its site. The plant is thus temporarily completely shut down, as its other two production units 1 and 5 are currently under maintenance.

    "On Sunday, 29 June, no steam volutes escaped from the chimneys of the Gulf nuclear power plant (Tarn-et-Garonne). Due to the intense #HeatWave in #France, the reactor in operation at the site was shut down. In the middle of the summer of 2024, the nuclear power plant had already been forced to reduce its production."

    Read more (en Français):
    humanite.fr/environnement/cani

    Archived version (en Français):
    archive.ph/zNGD2

    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPowerNoThanks #NuclearWasteIsForever #NuclearPowerPlants
    #NuclearPowerNoThanks
    #NuclearPlants #Heatwaves
    #ExtremeHeat #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #RethinkNotRestart
    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #Atomkraft #AtomkraftNeinDanke #LeNucléaireNonMerci

  8. [Paywall] From 2021: Increase in frequency of nuclear power outages due to changing climate

    by Ali Ahmad

    Nature Energy volume 6, pages 755–762 (2021)

    Abstract:

    "Climate-related changes have already affected operating conditions for different types of energy system, in particular power plants. With more than three decades of data on changing climate, we are now in a position to empirically assess the impact of #ClimateChange on power plant operations. Such empirical assessments can provide an additional measure of the resilience of power plants going forward. Here I analyse climate-linked outages in #NuclearPowerPlants over the past three decades. My assessment shows that the average frequency of climate-induced disruptions has dramatically increased from 0.2 outage per reactor-year in the 1990s to 1.5 in the past decade. Based on the projections for adopted climate scenarios, the average annual energy loss of the global nuclear fleet is estimated to range between 0.8% and 1.4% in the mid-term (2046–2065) and 1.4% and 2.4% in the long term (2081–2100)."

    nature.com/articles/s41560-021

    #NuclearPlants #NuclearPowerNoThanks #ClimateChange #Heatwaves #ExtremeHeat #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI

  9. We’re having a #heatwave...

    And #NuclearPower can’t cope. Worse still, it’s actually a liability under ever more extreme climate conditions, write Karl Grossman and Harvey Wasserman

    Posted on July 27, 2025, by #BeyondNuclear

    "At the core of the latest attempted 'renaissance' of nuclear power is the big lie that #AtomicReactors are an answer to #GlobalWarming. In fact, they are significant sources of heat.

    "There are more than 400 nuclear power plants in the world today that fission atoms at 300 degrees Centigrade, (572 degrees Fahrenheit). More are under construction or proposed. As the International Atomic Energy Agency states, 'water-cooled reactors offer heat up to 300 degrees Celsius. These types of reactors include pressurized water reactors (PWRs), boiling-water reactors (BWRs), pressurized heavy-water reactors, and light-water-cooled graphite-moderated reactors (LWGRs).'

    "Some heat is absorbed in the water—drawn from water bodies—used to cool these nuclear power plants and then returned, still with considerable heat, to #rivers or #seas.

    "The heatwave going on in recent weeks in Europe, in combination with this discharge of heated water from nuclear plants, has caused #NuclearPlants there to shut down.

    "Consider these headlines from recent days:

    " '#France and #Switzerland shut down nuclear power plants amid scorching heatwave,' was the July 3rd headline on Euronews. As the piece explained: “To cool down, nuclear power plants pump water from local rivers or the sea, which they then release back into water bodies at a high temperature. However, Europe’s ongoing heatwave means that the water pumped by nuclear sites is already very hot, impacting the ability of nuclear plants to use it to cool down. On top of this, nuclear sites run the risk of posing a dangerous threat to local #biodiversity, by releasing water which is too hot into rivers and seas.'

    "A New York Times article, also dated July 3rd, related how in Europe, 'operators shut down one of the two reactors at the #Golfech nuclear power plant in southern #France after forecasts that the #GaronneRiver, from which it draws water and then discharges it after it is used in the plant as coolant, 'could top…82 degrees Fahrenheit.' The Times continued: 'The #Beznau Nuclear Power Plant in #Switzerland, built along the #AareRiver followed suit, shutting down one of its reactors on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.' "

    Source:
    beyondnuclearinternational.org

    #ExtremeHeat #ClimateChange #NuclearPowerPlants #NuclearPowerNoThanks #RenewablesNow! #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI

  10. #FukushimaNuclearPlant clean-up faces yet another delay

    Story by Mari Yamaguchi, July 29, 2025

    "The full-scale removal of melted nuclear fuel from the #tsunami-wrecked #FukushimaDaiichi power plant has been delayed by several years, with the operator now targeting 2037 or later for the crucial operation.

    "Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (#TEPCO) announced the setback on Tuesday, underscoring the immense challenges still facing the site.

    "TEPCO stated that 12 to 15 years of preparation are required before commencing full-scale debris removal at the No. 3 reactor, involving radiation reduction and facility construction.

    "An estimated 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel and structural debris remain within the three reactors that suffered meltdowns following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

    "This latest delay further jeopardises the Japanese government and TEPCO's existing 2051 target for decommissioning the plant.

    "A test retrieval of a small fuel sample in November was already three years behind schedule, with some experts suggesting the entire #decommissioning process could extend beyond a century.

    "TEPCO said it plans to stick to the current completion target of 2051.

    " 'Realistically, we are aware of the difficulty (to achieve the target) but we will not drop the goal just yet, as we still don't have a clear work schedule after the full-scale removal begins,' said Akira Ono, chief decommissioning officer at TEPCO.

    "Ono said TEPCO plans to examine preparation work necessary at the two other reactors within the next couple of years ahead of full-scale melted fuel retrieval.

    "After small missions by robots [that were fried by radiation] to gather samples, experts will determine a larger-scale method for removing melted fuel, first at the No. 3 reactor.

    "In May, Japan announced plans to use slightly radioactive soil, stored near Fukushima nuclear plant, for flower beds outside Prime Minister #ShigeruIshiba’s office. [Maybe put more waste there as well! Useless politicians! Who have access to #PrussianBlue pills which remove #Cesium137 from one's body!]

    "The move is intended to demonstrate the safety of reusing soil that was removed from Fukushima prefecture during decontamination efforts following the 2011 nuclear disaster. Officials say that some of the soil has now reached levels deemed safe for reuse." [Using faulty dosimeters, I'll wager!]

    apnews.com/article/japan-fukus

    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #TEPCOLies #RethinkNotRestart #FukushimaIsntOver
    #NuclearPowerPlants #NuclearWaste #NuclearPowerNoThanks #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies

  11. Paper: #ClimateChange: Assessment of the Vulnerability of #NuclearPowerPlants and Approaches for their Adaptation

    Adobe Acrobat PDF Document - on 6/2/25 at 12:01 PM

    "Climate change will create specific risks and challenges for nuclear power plants and the electricity system as a whole. #ExtremeWeather events caused by climate change – such as #floods, #storms, #HeatWaves and #droughts – have already affected the operation of #NuclearPower plants. Any increase in the temperature of the water used to cool nuclear power plants can also lead to reductions in their power output due to decreasing thermal efficiency.

    "This report sets out the adaptation strategies that can be effectively implemented to improve the resilience of existing plants as well as any new installations. The costs of adaptation to climate change can vary significantly depending on the type of reactor, the climate change issues affecting them, as well as the applicable regulations and standards. However, while these adaptation costs can, in some cases, be significant, the costs of inaction – both directly at the plant level and indirectly for the electricity system – are likely to be even higher."

    oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_61802/cli

    #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPower #NuclearWaste #CostOverruns #NoNukes #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies

  12. #Carbon14: Another underestimated danger from #nuclear reactors

    "There are a number of radionuclides released from nuclear energy facilities. This paper highlights carbon-14 for a number of reasons:

    - Carbon-14 is radioactive and is released into air as #methane and #CO2

    - Before 2010, carbon-14 releases from nuclear reactors were virtually ignored in the United States. Today only estimates are required and only under certain restrictive circumstances.

    - There is no good accounting of releases to date, so its impact on our health, our children’s health, and that of our
    #environment remains unknown, yet environmental measurement is possible, but can be challenging under certain
    conditions.

    - Carbon-14 has a half-life of over 5700 years and the element carbon is a basic building block for life on earth. Therefore, “it constitutes a potential health hazard, whose additional production by #anthropogenic sources of today will result in an increased #radiation exposure to many future generations.”

    - Like #tritium, it can collect in the tissues of the fetus at twice the concentration of the tissues in the mother, pointing to its
    disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable human lifecycle: the developing child.

    The element carbon is found in all organic substances. Carbon is also a primary constituent of #GreenhouseGases that are responsible for #ClimateChange, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (#CH4). Carbon-14 (c-14) is a radioactive form of
    carbon that occurs in nature and is also newly formed in nuclear power processes.

    "Carbon-14 is a health concern because it is released from #NuclearPower facilities as radioactive carbon dioxide and methane, traveling readily in the local and global environment.

    "Over time, carbon-14 becomes part of organic material including food, and has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years, decaying by a type of radioactive particle called a beta. Its hazardous life is 10-20 times its half-life, meaning that harmful exposure to man-made carbon-14 can last for hundreds of generations. The radioactive carbon forms as a byproduct of fissioning of uranium fuel, through a process called activation. The final step is a chemical reaction between carbon-14 and oxygen or hydrogen, which forms methane or carbon dioxide. The radioactive carbon-14 formed by this process is brand new and would not exist without nuclear fission.

    "During its long hazardous life, carbon-14 could be responsible for gross physical or
    mental defects, stillbirths and childhood deaths, embryonic and neonatal deaths into the many millions over the life of the isotope.

    "These millions could be underestimated five times or more. Carbon-14 could also be responsible for #leukemia, bone and other #cancers."

    beyondnuclear.org/wp-content/u

    #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #RenewablesNow! #BeyondNuclear #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree

  13. Experts warn #Trump’s #nuclear blitz could trigger ‘Next #ThreeMileIsland'

    by Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams
    May 24, 2025

    "U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a series of executive orders that will overhaul the independent federal agency that regulates the nation's nuclear power plants in order to speed the construction of new fissile reactors—a move that experts warned will increase safety risks.

    "According to a White House statement, Trump's directives 'will usher in a nuclear energy renaissance,' in part by allowing Department of Energy laboratories to conduct nuclear reactor design testing, green-lighting reactor construction on federal lands, and lifting #RegulatoryBarriers 'by requiring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (#NRC) to issue timely licensing decisions."

    "The Trump administration is seeking to shorten the yearslong NRC process of approving new licenses for nuclear power plants and reactors to within 18 months.

    "White House Office of Science and Technology Director Michael Kratsios said Friday that 'over the last 30 years, we stopped building nuclear reactors in America—that ends now.'

    " 'We are restoring a strong American nuclear industrial base, rebuilding a secure and sovereign domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, and leading the world towards a future fueled by American nuclear energy,' he added. [And radioactive waste!!!]

    "However, the Union of Concerned Scientists (#UCS) warned that the executive orders will result in 'all but nullifying' the NRC's regulatory process, 'undermining the independent federal agency's ability to develop and enforce #safety and #security requirements for commercial nuclear facilities.'

    " 'This push by the Trump administration to usurp much of the agency's autonomy as they seek to fast-track the construction of nuclear plants will weaken critical, independent #oversight of the U.S. nuclear industry and poses significant safety and security risks to the public,' UCS added.

    "#EdwinLyman, director of nuclear power safety at the UCS, said, 'Simply put, the U.S. nuclear industry will fail if safety is not made a priority.'

    " 'By fatally compromising the independence and integrity of the NRC, and by encouraging pathways for nuclear deployment that bypass the regulator entirely, the Trump administration is virtually guaranteeing that this country will see a serious accident or other #radiological release that will affect the health, safety, and livelihoods of millions,' Lyman added. 'Such a disaster will destroy public trust in #NuclearPower and cause other nations to reject U.S. #nuclear technology for decades to come.'

    "Friday's executive orders follow reporting earlier this month by NPR that revealed the Trump administration has tightened control over the NRC, in part by compelling the agency to send proposed reactor safety rules to the White House for review and possible editing.

    "#AllisonMacfarlane, who was nominated to head the NRC during the Obama administration, called the move 'the end of independence of the agency.'

    " 'If you aren't independent of political and industry influence, then you are at risk of an accident,' Macfarlane warned.

    "On the first day of his second term, Trump also signed executive orders declaring a dubious 'national energy emergency' and directing federal agencies to find ways to reduce regulatory roadblocks to 'unleashing American energy, including by boosting #FossilFuels and nuclear power.

    "The rapid advancement and adoption of artificial intelligence systems is creating a tremendous need for energy that proponents say can be met by nuclear power. The Three Mile Island nuclear plant—the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history—is being revived with funding from #Microsoft, while #Google parent company #Alphabet, online retail giant #Amazon, and #Facebook owner #Meta are among the competitors also investing in nuclear energy.

    " 'Do we really want to create more #RadioactiveWaste to power the often dubious and questionable uses of #AI?' #JohannaNeumann, Environment America Research & Policy Center's senior director of the Campaign for 100% #RenewableEnergy, asked in December.

    " '#BigTech should recommit to solutions that not only work but pose less risk to our #environment and #health,' Neumann added."

    rawstory.com/trump-nuclear-267

    #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #BigTech #EnvironmentalRacism #UraniumMining #NuclearWaste #TEPCOLies #TrumpLies
    #HoltecLies #WaterIsLife #NuclearPowerPlants #Datacenters #AIPollution #MicrosoftSucks #TrumpSucks #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree #CancerRates #Downwinders #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies

  14. Oh yeah. Fast-tracking a #NuclearPlant restart is such a good idea...NOT!

    #ThreeMileIsland nuclear plant reboot fast-tracked to 2027

    By Laila Kearney
    June 25, 2025

    Excerpt: "Despite the enthusiasm, nuclear power plant projects have historically been far over budget [leaving taxpayers on the hook] and behind schedule [which is why nuclear plant companies often fabricate and lie about details. They milk it for all it's worth!]

    "No fully shut nuclear power plant has been restarted, but at least one other attempted restart - of the #PalisadesNuclearPlant in #Michigan - is under way.

    "As the technology industry drives U.S. electricity demand to record highs, nuclear power has broadly seen a resurgence of interest after decades in decline. New York plans to build a new nuclear power plant, which would be one of the first to be constructed in a generation."

    reuters.com/sustainability/cli

    #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #BigTech #NuclearWaste #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree #Pennsylvania #CancerRates #TEPCOLies #HoltecLies #WaterIsLife #NuclearPowerPlants #Datacenters #AIPollution #MicrosoftSucks

  15. Plan would power new #Microsoft #AI #DataCenter with electricity from Pa.'s #ThreeMileIsland #nuclear reactor

    Constellation Energy is prepared to invest $1.6 billion to bring the plant's surviving reactor from the 1979 meltdown back online.

    By Michael Tanenbaum, PhillyVoice Staff
    September 20, 2024

    Excerpt: "Tech companies favor nuclear power for AI

    "In the race to develop artificial intelligence applications, tech companies are scrambling to build data centers, which require enormous amounts of electricity to operate. Such facilities are forecast to make up a growing share of the nation's electricity use in the years to come, prompting companies to look at tapping into existing infrastructure to help meet their needs.

    "#NuclearPower is being touted as a cost-effective solution for these data centers that also limits reliance on carbon-producing power sources. Building and directly connecting data centers to nuclear plants is known as co-location, a strategy that industry leaders favor because it's cheaper and faster to do. Proponents also claim it reduces stress on the transmission grids.

    [...]

    "When Constellation signaled interest in restarting Three Mile Island in July [2024], doubts surfaced about the technical feasibility of the project. Not only would it be the first of its kind, but it will have to be accomplished next to another reactor whose clean-up and decommissioning is expected to continue through 2078.

    "The site also remains politically contentious due to the lasting memory of the 1979 accident, which displaced surrounding communities and left a legacy of fear over whether the #radiation released contributed to increased #cancer rates in the vicinity. About 2 million people were exposed to #RadioactiveFallout as a result of the meltdown.

    "Public health researchers from Temple, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh published a report last year finding that long-term studies into the impact of the meltdown were limited by research flaws."

    Read more:
    phillyvoice.com/ai-three-mile-

    #WaterIsLife #NuclearPowerPlants
    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #BigTech #NuclearWaste #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree #Pennsylvania #CancerRates

  16. #Jellyfish attack #NuclearPowerPlant. Again.

    By Susan D’Agostino | October 28, 2021

    " #Scotland’s only working nuclear power plant at #Torness shut down in an emergency procedure when jellyfish clogged the sea water-cooling intake pipes at the plant, according to the Scotland Herald this week. Without access to cool water, a nuclear power plant risks overheating. The intake pipes can also be damaged, which disrupts power generation. And ocean life that gets sucked into a power plant’s intake pipes risks death.

    [...]

    "The clash between gelatinous jellyfish and hulking nuclear power plants has a long history. These spineless, brainless, bloodless creatures shut down the Torness nuclear power plant in 2011 at a cost of approximately $1.5 million per day, according to one estimate. Swarms of these invertebrates have also been responsible for nuclear power plant shutdowns in Israel, Japan, the United States, the #Philippines, #SouthKorea, and Sweden.

    "Humans have unwittingly nurtured the adversarial relationship between jellyfish and nuclear power plants. That is, human-induced #ClimateChange has raised ocean water temperatures, setting conditions for larger-than-usual jellyfish populations. Further, the relatively warm water near nuclear power plant discharge outlets may attract jellyfish swarms, according to one study. Also, #pollution has lowered #oxygen levels in sea water, which jellyfish tolerate more than other marine animals, leading to their proliferation.

    "Some look at jellyfish and see elegant ballerinas of the sea, while others view them as pests. Either way, they are nothing if not resilient. Jellyfish are 95 percent water, drift in topical waters and the Arctic Ocean, and thrive in the ocean’s bottom as well as on its surface. Nuclear power plant operators might take note: Older-than-dinosaur jellyfish are likely here to stay."

    Full article:
    thebulletin.org/2021/10/jellyf

    #OceansAreLife #NuclearPowerPlants
    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #RethinkNotRestart

  17. #Jellyfish Keep Attacking #NuclearPowerPlants

    By Gabriel Geiger
    November 2, 2021

    "Jellyfish are continuing to clog the cooling intake pipes of a nuclear power plant in Scotland, which has previously prompted a temporary shutdowns of the plant.

    "The #TornessNuclearPowerPlant has reported concerns regarding jellyfish as far back as 2011, when it was forced to shut down for nearly a week—at an estimated cost of $1.5 million a day—because of the free-swimming marine animals.

    "In a short comment to Motherboard, #EDFEnergy, which runs the Torness plant, said that 'jellyfish blooms are an occasional issue for our power stations,' but also said that media reports claiming the plant had recently been taken offline because of jellyfish are 'inaccurate.' '[There were] no emergency procedures this or last week related to jellyfish or otherwise,' a spokesperson said. [Um, did they previously work for #TEPCOLies?]

    " 'Like many other seaside power plants, the Torness plant uses seawater to prevent overheating. While there are measures in place to prevent aquatic life from entering the intake pipes, according to the #BulletinOfTheAtomicScientists, they are no match for the sheer number of jellyfish that come during so-called 'jellyfish blooms.'

    " 'Usually, screens prevent aquatic life and similar debris from being drawn into the power plants’ cooling system,' the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists wrote in a 2015 blog post. 'But when sufficiently large volumes of jellyfish or other aquatic life are pulled in, they block the screens, reducing the volume of water coming in and forcing the reactor to shut down.'

    "While the case in Scotland has once again spotlighted concerns regarding the jellyfish and potential power plant shutdowns, these concerns are far from new. In 2008, a swarm of jellyfish shut down a nuclear power plant [#DiabloCanyon -- which had another incident in 2024] in #California, and three years later the same occurred at a plant in Japan [#Shimane]. In 2017, jellyfish clogged a power plant in Israel [#Hadera]."

    Source:
    vice.com/en/article/jellyfish-

    #GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans
    #ChangingOceans #OceansAreLife #OceanTemperatures #ClimateCrisis #Overfishing #NoDeepSeaMining #NoNewNukes #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #Oskarshamn #Torness #RethinkNotRestart

  18. CA #wildfires: a warning to #NRC on #ClimateChange

    January 16, 2025

    "The NRC’s actions to address the risks from natural hazards do not fully consider potential climate change effects on severe nuclear accident risks. 'For example, NRC primarily uses historical data in its licensing and oversight processes rather than climate projections data,' the GAO report said.

    "Beyond Nuclear has uncovered similar findings during our challenges to the NRC’s extreme relicensing process for extending reactor operating licenses, now out to the extreme of 60 to 80 years and talk of 100 years. We found that the agency’s staff believes and stubbornly insists that an #environmental review for climate change impacts (#SeaLevelRise, increasingly severe #hurricanes, extreme #flooding, etc.) on reactor safety and reliability is 'out of scope' for the license extensions hearing process.

    "The GAO report points out to the NRC that wildfires, specifically, can dangerously impact US nuclear power stations operations and public safety with potential consequences that extend far beyond the initiating natural disaster. These consequences can include loss of life, large scale and indefinite population dislocation and uninsurable economic damage from the radiological
    consequences:

    " 'Wildfire. According to the NCA (National Climate Assessment), increased heat and drought contribute to increases in wildfire frequency, and climate change has contributed to unprecedented wildfire events in the Southwest. The NCA projects increased heatwaves, drought risk, and more frequent and larger wildfires. Wildfires pose several risks to nuclear power plants, including increasing the potential for onsite fires that could damage plant infrastructure, damaging transmission lines that deliver electricity to plants, and causing a loss of power that could require plants to shut down. Wildfires and the smoke they produce could also hinder or prevent nuclear power plant personnel and supplies from getting to a plant.'

    "Loss of offsite electrical power (#LOOP) to nuclear power stations is a leading contributor to increasing the risk of a severe nuclear power accident. The availability of alternating current (AC) power is essential for safe operation and accident recovery at commercial nuclear power plants. Offsite fires destroying electrical power transmission lines to commercial reactors therefore increase the probability and severity of nuclear accidents.

    "For US nuclear power plants, 100% of the electrical power supply to all reactor safety systems is initially provided through the offsite power grid. If the offsite electrical grid is disturbed or destroyed, the reactors are designed to automatically shut down or 'SCRAM'. Onsite emergency backup power generators are then expected to automatically or manually start up to provide power to designated high priority reactor safety systems needed to safely shut the reactors down and provide continuous reactor cooling, pressure monitoring, but to a diminished number of the reactors’ credited safety systems. Reliable offsite power is therefore a key factor to minimizing the probability of severe nuclear accidents.

    "The GAO identifies a number of US nuclear power plant sites that are vulnerable to the possible outbreak of wildfires where they are located. 'According to our analysis of U.S. Forest Service and NRC data, about 20 percent of nuclear power plants (16 of 75) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire,' the GAO report states. 'More specifically, more than
    one-third of nuclear power plants in the South (nine of 25) and West (three of eight) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire.' The GAO goes on to identify 'Of the 16 plants with high or very high potential for wildfire, 12 are operating and four are shutdown.'

    "To analyze exposure to the wildfire hazard potential, the GAO used 2023 data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map. 'High/very high' refers to plants in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Those #NuclearPower stations described by GAO as 'high / very high' exposure to wildfires and their locations are excerpted from GAO Appendix III: Nuclear Power Plant Exposure to Selected Natural Hazards.

    Table 1: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Operating Nuclear Power Plants

    –AZ / #SAFER, one of two mobile nuclear emergency equipment supply units in the nation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –CA / #DiabloCanyon Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –FL / #TurkeyPoint Units 3 & 4 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –GA / #EdwinI. Hatch Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –GA / $Vogtle Units Units 1, 2, 3 & 4, nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NC / #BrunswickNPP Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NC / #McGuire Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NC / #ShearonHarris Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH /VERY HIGH”
    –NB / #Cooper nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –SC / #Catawba Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –SC / #HBRobinson Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –WA / #ColumbiaNuclearPower station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    Table 2: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants

    –CA / #SanOnofre Units 1 & 2, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    –FL / #CrystalRiver, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    –NJ / #OysterCreek, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    –NY / #IndianPoint Units 1, 2 & 3, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    "Wildfires can transport radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities

    "A historical review of wildfires that occur around nuclear facilities (research, military and commercial power) identifies that these events are also a very effective transport mechanism of radioactivity previously generated at these sites and subsequently released into the environment by accident, spills and leaks, and careless dumping. The radioactivity is resuspended by wildfires that occur years, even decades later. The fires carry the radioactivity on smoke particles downwind, thus expanding the zone of contamination further and further with each succeeding fire. The dispersed radionuclides can have very long half-lives meaning they remain biologically hazardous in the environment for decades, centuries and longer."

    cc: @Cyclist @stfn @collectifission

    Read more:
    beyondnuclear.org/ca-wildfires

    #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearPlants #NuclearPowerPlants #ClimateCrisis #Radiation

  19. #Wildfire risks high at #US #NuclearPlants

    Posted on January 19, 2025 by beyondnuclearinternational

    The GAO identifies a number of US nuclear power plant sites that are vulnerable to the possible outbreak of #wildfires where they are located.

    "'According to our analysis of U.S. Forest Service and NRC data, about 20 percent of nuclear power plants (16 of 75) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire,' the GAO report states. 'More specifically, more than one-third of nuclear power plants in the South (nine of 25) and West (three of eight) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire.' The GAO goes on to identify 'Of the 16 plants with high or very high potential for wildfire, 12 are operating and four are shut down.'

    "To analyze exposure to the wildfire hazard potential, the GAO used 2023 data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map. 'High / very high refers to plants in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Those nuclear power stations described by GAO as 'high / very high' exposure to wildfires and their locations are excerpted from GAO Appendix III: Nuclear Power Plant Exposure to Selected Natural Hazards.

    Table 1: Potential High Exposure to 'Wildfires' at Operating Nuclear Power Plants

    –AZ / #SAFER, one of two mobile nuclear emergency equipment supply units in the nation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –CA / #DiabloCanyon Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –FL / #TurkeyPoint Units 3 & 4 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –GA / #EdwinIHatch Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –GA / #Vogtle Units Units 1, 2, 3 & 4, nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NC / #BrunswickNC Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NC / #McGuireNC Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NC / #ShearonHarris Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH /VERY HIGH”
    –NB / #CooperNuclearPowerStation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –SC / #Catawba Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –SC / #HBRobinson Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –WA / #ColumbiaNuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    Table 2: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants

    –CA / #SanOnofre Units 1 & 2, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –FL / #CrystalRiver, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NJ / #OysterCreek, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
    –NY / #IndianPoint Units 1, 2 & 3, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

    "Wildfires can transport #radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities

    "A historical review of wildfires that occur around nuclear facilities (research, military and commercial power) identifies that these events are also a very effective transport mechanism of radioactivity previously generated at these sites and subsequently released into the environment by accident, spills and leaks, and careless dumping. The radioactivity is #resuspended by wildfires that occur years, even decades later.

    "The fires carry the radioactivity on smoke particles #downwind, thus expanding the zone of #contamination further and further with each succeeding fire. The dispersed #radionuclides can have very long half-lives meaning they remain biologically hazardous in the environment for decades, centuries and longer."

    Read more:
    beyondnuclearinternational.org
    #Downwinders #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #NuclearSafety #ClimateCrisis

  20. Not to mention all the #WaterConsumption! There are plans to restart aging nuclear reactor as well as untested SMR reactors! Will #AI’s huge energy demands spur a #nuclear renaissance?

    By Davide Castelvecchi
    25 October 2024

    Do small modular reactors carry extra risks?

    "In some cases, small modular reactors 'could actually push nuclear power in a more dangerous direction', says #EdwinLyman. 'Advanced isn’t always better.'

    "In particular, Lyman points out that the pebble-bed designs drawn up by #XEnergy and #Kairos would rely on high-assay low-enriched #uranium (#HALEU), which comprises 10–20% uranium-235 — compared with the 5% enrichment level required by most existing reactors (and by #NuScale’s reactor). HALEU is still classified as low-enrichment fuel (as opposed to the highly enriched uranium used to make nuclear bombs), but that distinction is misleading, Lyman says. In June, he and his collaborators — including physicist Richard Garwin, who led the design of the first hydrogen bomb — warned in a Science article that a bomb could be built with a few hundred kilograms of HALEU, with no need for further enrichment.

    "Smaller reactors are also likely to produce more nuclear waste and to use fuel less efficiently, according to work reported in 2022 by Macfarlane and her collaborators. In a full-size reactor, most of the neutrons produced by the splitting of uranium travel through a large volume of fuel, meaning that they have a high probability of hitting another nucleus, rather than colliding with the walls of the reactor vessel or escaping into the surrounding building. 'When you shrink the reactor, there’s less material in there, so you will have more neutron leakage,' Macfarlane says. These rogue neutrons can be absorbed by other atomic nuclei — which would then themselves become radioactive."

    Original article:
    nature.com/articles/d41586-024

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/mODpF#selection-952

    #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Cryptocurrency #DataCenters #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #NoNukes #NuclearHype #NeutronEmbrittlement #NuclearWaste #NotCarbonFree