#smallmodularnuclearreactors — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #smallmodularnuclearreactors, aggregated by home.social.
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Report Finds That ‘Advanced’ #Nuclear Reactor Designs Are No Better Than Current Reactors—and Some Are Worse
Proposed Non-Light-Water Reactors Not Clearly Safer and Will Likely Take Decades to Achieve Reliable Commercial Operation
Published Mar 18, 2021
Union of Concerned Scientists"One of the proposed sodium-cooled fast reactors, #TerraPower’s 345 megawatt #Natrium, has received considerable media attention recently because TerraPower founder #BillGates has been citing it during interviews about his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. In mid-February, Gates told 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper that the #Natrium reactor will produce less waste and be safer than a conventional light-water reactor.
"In fact, according to the #UCS report, sodium-cooled fast reactors such as the Natrium would likely be less '#uranium-efficient.' They would not reduce the amount of #NuclearWaste that requires long-term isolation in a geologic repository. They also could experience safety problems that are not an issue for light-water reactors.
"Sodium coolant, for example, can burn when exposed to air or water, and a sodium-cooled fast reactor could experience uncontrollable power increases that result in rapid core melting.
“'When it comes to safety and security, sodium-cooled fast reactors and molten salt-fueled reactors are significantly worse than conventional light-water reactors,' says Dr. #EdwinLyman.
'High-temperature, gas-cooled reactors may have the potential to be safer, but that remains unproven, and problems have come up during recent fuel safety tests.'"Read more:
https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/report-advanced-nuclear-reactors-no-better-current-fleet#MSRHype
#NoNukes
#NoNewNukes #SmallModularNuclearReactors #BigEnergy #SMR -
#Nuclear fallout: Scrapped reactors and Manchin’s move
By HANNAH NORTHEY, 11/09/2023
"A highly anticipated advanced nuclear energy project was scrapped this week, signaling that the technology may have a rocky future despite billions of dollars in federal investment.
"#NuScalePower and a group of local electric utilities announced on Wednesday that they’re abandoning plans to build six first-of-a-kind modular reactors near Idaho Falls, #Idaho, writes Zach Bright. The project was set to receive as much as $1.4 billion from the Department of Energy — in a so-called cost-share deal — but couldn’t attract enough power subscribers.
"Small, factory-built reactors have long been touted as a possible lifeline for the nation’s aging nuclear sector and a carbon-free way to replace retiring coal-fired power plants. But some experts have questioned whether the industry can grow fast enough to curb power emissions.
"'It could be seen as another notch towards the idea of ‘this is a bit more #hype than reality,' said Eric Gimon, a senior fellow for energy think tank Energy Innovation. Electricity from the #NuScale reactors, he said, was ultimately too costly for local utilities."
#NRC #DOE #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #PriceAndersonAct #SmallModularNuclearReactors #NuclearHype