Nuclear Power in the USA

[lockmat]

U.S. DOE working with four nuclear developers

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department is working quickly to finalize $18.5 billion in loan guarantees that the government hopes will spur the first wave of new nuclear plants in the United States in three decades, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Monday.

Agency staff is working "closely" on due diligence with four nuclear developers, but none of the 10 active nuclear loan applicants has been eliminated, Chu told the Reuters Global Energy Summit in Washington.

Chu said the current $18.5 billion budget for nuclear project guarantees "probably would not go beyond four projects."

Utilities have filed 18 applications to build as many as 28 new reactors, but the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is not expected to issue a construction license until 2011.

http://www.reuters.com/article/GlobalEnerg...E5506XJ20090601

This is great news.

[LTAWACS]

This is good news as long as it's not in my backyard.

[barracuda]

Did they find a way to safely dispose of nuclear waste yet? Seriously though, I guess it's better than coal.

[ricco67]

Did they find a way to safely dispose of nuclear waste yet? Seriously though, I guess it's better than coal.

Well, now that Yucca Mountain is off the table (short sighted idiots), it's still going to be a big issue in the not too distant future.

I wonder how many plants would the nation need? I'll probably be feeding worms by the time a new one is brought online, though.

We (USA) has some of the largest coal deposits in the world, while I'm not familiar with "Clean coal" technology, I wouldn't rule it out as a good alternative until we find something better.

Edited June 3, 2009 by ricco67

[barracuda]

Well, now that Yucca Mountain is off the table (short sighted idiots), it's still going to be a big issue in the not too distant future.

I wonder how many plants would the nation need? I'll probably be feeding worms by the time a new one is brought online, though.

We (USA) has some of the largest coal deposits in the world, while I'm not familiar with "Clean coal" technology, I wouldn't rule it out as a good alternative until we find something better.

Apparently what to do with the waste is the big issue Secretary Chu is working on.

I've heard a lot about "clean coal" technology too, but nobody has proved that it actually works. If it does work, it still doesn't solve the problem of mountain top removal and other ecologically destructive means used to mine coal.

[ricco67]

Apparently what to do with the waste is the big issue Secretary Chu is working on.

I've heard a lot about "clean coal" technology too, but nobody has proved that it actually works. If it does work, it still doesn't solve the problem of mountain top removal and other ecologically destructive means used to mine coal.

Being totally ignorant as to what stage it is in, I wouldn't doubt that it IS doable, it just takes a considerable amount of investment for long term profit.

From what I understand, quite a bit of the coal we have is in the ground that can be reached by tunneling or strip mining.

If we lose a mountain, it's no skin off my nose. The mountain might feel otherwise, though.

[TheNiche]

If it does work, it still doesn't solve the problem of mountain top removal and other ecologically destructive means used to mine coal.

What is the ecological benefit of a mountain top?

[barracuda]

What is the ecological benefit of a mountain top?

The concern with this method of coal mining is not just about the ecological value of the mountain tops themselves, but about filling in valleys and streams with mining waste, leaving sludge and toxins to flow into water supplies, and degrading the health and well being of communities nearby and downriver.

Edited June 4, 2009 by barracuda

[TheNiche]

The concern with this method of coal mining is not just about the ecological value of the mountain tops themselves, but about filling in valleys and streams with mining waste, leaving sludge and toxins to flow into water supplies, and degrading the health and well being of communities nearby and downriver.

I'm not saying that the EPA ought to be hands-off, by any means. No doubt there are ways to contain or filter these sludges and toxins to prevent them from getting into water supplies. No doubt there are also ways to ensure the eventual reforestation of exhausted strip mines.

Otherwise, everything portrayed on that video is meant to instill a fearful emotional response. I don't see anything wrong with dynamite blasts or big dump trucks or the concept of moving mountains. I especially don't see any problems with jobs in poor rural areas or with affordable electricity. At one point they expressed concern that the whole country would end up looking like this; that ain't gonna happen. At another point they mentioned that West Virginia was the second most biodiverse place on Earth; I don't think so, man.