September 2013

Nuclear Reactors 52 - Jellyfish Threatening Coastal Reactors

          I try to keep abreast of all the issues that involve nuclear power generation but once in a while something unexpected surprises me. I recently talked to a friend who brought up the subject of jellyfish. It seems that there has been an explosion of jellyfish in the world’s oceans. Some see this as a result of vast overfishing of the world’s ocean. Jellyfish populations rise and fall with the seasons and there are more some years than others.

Nuclear Reactors 51- WNA London Conference

          There was recently a nuclear industry conference in London sponsored by the World Nuclear Association (WNA). In their own words, the WNA is made up of “members  who are responsible for virtually all of world uranium mining, conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication; all reactor vendors; major nuclear engineering, construction, and waste management companies; and nearly 90% of world nuclear generation.

Nuclear Reactors 50 - More On Chinese Plans

          I have been talking about China lately. Their National Development and Reform Commission wants to raise the percentage of power generated by nuclear plant from the two percent that it provides today up to six percent by 2020 due to concerns over fossil fuel supplies, devastating air pollution and climate change. Given that they are talking about more than a hundred new reactors, it does seem a rather modest penetration of nuclear power into the Chinese domestic market.

Nuclear Reactors 49 - Chinese Nuclear Reactor Problems

           I have complained in prior blog posts about a lack of honesty on the part of national governments when it comes to accidents at nuclear reactors. At one time or another, all the countries which have nuclear power plants have had accidents and been accused of not informing the citizens who are at risk of exactly what has happened. The latest example which continues to this day is the aftermath of the disaster at Fukushima.

Nuclear Reactors 48 - Hong Kong Unhappy with Nearby Chinese Reactor Consruction

           I have heard some people say that China’s government does not have to deal with all the delays and inertia of our governmental system. They say that if the Chinese want to do something, they just do it. There may have been times in Chinese history when this was true and I did make reference to such things in a recent blog post. But, as recent events have illustrated, things are not quite that easy in China.

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