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Right on Masher
By Spivonious on 2/28/2007 10:31:06 AM , Rating: 3
Nuclear power is the way to go. People need to realize that TMI was not a big deal. Did anyone even get hurt? The plant still runs today.

From Wikipedia:
This [is] the worst accident in US commercial nuclear power generating history, even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community.

It was caused by a design error which has since been corrected. I really wish more people in US would consider nuclear power as an option.

RE: Right on Masher
By Grast on 2/28/2007 11:55:10 AM , Rating: 2

You are correct dude. I believe that most people do not know that Three-Mile Island had two reactors and only one of the reactors had the accident. The other reactor has been running ever since.

The storage and safe handling of spent nuclear material has been successfully handled by the U.S. Navy for the last 30 years.

As to nuclear reactor design, the latest designs are a factor of 10 more safe than reactors built in the 80's. The latest reactor design do not need water pumps to move water from the reactor to the steam generators. The water moves via convection.

In the end if we want to stop using fossil fuels, nuclear is the only method which is viable at this time.


RE: Right on Masher
By masher2 (blog) on 2/28/2007 12:05:20 PM , Rating: 2
All excellent points, but I'd like to add a couple. First, the US Navy has actually been handling nuclear waste for 50 years...the first nuclear sub was commissioned in the mid-1950s.

Also, the nuclear reactors we built in the '80s are all based off designs from the 1960s. The technology has advanced far since then. You are correct in that there are far safer, cleaner, and more efficient designs on the books...but will we ever build them?

RE: Right on Masher
By JDub02 on 2/28/2007 2:08:22 PM , Rating: 2

The Navy is. There's a new reactor design that's going into the next class of carriers.

RE: Right on Masher
By Ringold on 2/28/2007 3:28:30 PM , Rating: 2
I came across an article stating FPL (or was it Progress Energy) was seeking sites to build two new reactors here in Florida. We've already got one; looks awesome driving by. Almost fools me in to thinking my local economy has solidly advanced beyond reliance on Disney world..

RE: Right on Masher
By Ringold on 2/28/2007 6:31:48 PM , Rating: 2

Half way down, says last April they submitted a notification that in 2009 they'll seek license to build another plant here in Florida. Along with disclaimers saying they will only be reviewing the option, they say it'd take 12 years from the start of the process to completion.

Progress Energy seems to want to build two new plants, probably in Citrus and Levy counties, but as of Dec 06 that hadn't been finalized yet. On top of that, they've recently finished adding 'units' (reactors?) to this..

And this seems to suggest FL encouraging all this nuclear expansion, but the site seems to be down for the moment.

So hopefully we will get some new plants built after all.

RE: Right on Masher
By nurbsenvi on 2/28/2007 1:40:24 PM , Rating: 2
I totally love the idea of nuclear energy
as long as it's NIMBY. ha

RE: Right on Masher
By porkpie on 2/28/2007 1:46:55 PM , Rating: 2
one's been in my backyard (about a mile away actually) for over 40 years. never had a problem with it.

RE: Right on Masher
By irev210 on 2/28/2007 1:54:21 PM , Rating: 2
3 mile island could have gone a lot worse, but thats besides the point.

As others have said, it has been 30 years since then.

It wasnt really caused by a design error, but by poorly trained employees who really didnt know what to do. By doing what they were trained to do, they actually made things worse.

Regardless, the fear still sank in. You guys should read about the long island nuclear plant. Greatest moment in american nuclear power generation!

Here is the most EXPENSIVE nuclear power plant!

It generated only a few 100 megawatts, at the cost of Billions. Then, the local gov't passed on writing off the power plant to taxpayers! So people payed billions.

The single problem with nuclear is how much raw material you actually need. You need to remove spent uranium every two years. There is actually a LOT of effort that goes into getting nuclear power plant grade uranium. You have LOTS of waste (depleted uranium). I forget the amount, but for every pound of mining you only get a few grams of usable uranium. So mining uses a lot of fossil fuels, but still not any more than coal, etc.

Nuclear power is the cheapest, and one of the most effective ways to generate electricity. There is no reason why US shouldnt have more nuclear power plants.

