March 2013

Geiger Readings for March 30, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on March 30, 2013

Ambient office = .110 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .087 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain = .072 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomato from grocery store  = .079 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .054 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .033 microsieverts per hour

Nuclear Reactors 19 - New Modular Designs

              There are conflicting forces at work in the global nuclear industry. On the one hand, the disaster at Fukushima has caused some countries to end their use nuclear energy for power generation. On the other hand, other countries have announced bold new initiatives to expand the use of nuclear power generation. Citizens protest against nuclear power while nuclear companies promote its use.

U.S. Nuclear Reactors 22 - Diablo Canyon, California

           The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is located near San Luis Obispo in southern California on the Pacific Coast. The plant has two one thousand one hundred Westinghouse pressurized water nuclear reactors.  Unit One was commissioned in 1985 and Unit Two was commissioned in 1986. The plant is owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric. In 2009, PG&E applied for a twenty year extension of the licenses for the reactors.

Nuclear Reactors 18 - Decommissioning 3 - Europe

              I have written two posts about decommissioning of nuclear reactors. The focus was primarily on the problems in the United States. There are serious concerns that some companies running nuclear reactors do not have enough money set aside for decommissioning. And also that it may be difficult to estimate what such decommissioning wil ultimately cost. These concerns are also being expressed in the European Union with respect to the decommissioning of reactors in member states.

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