June 2014

Nuclear Reactors 128 - Exelon Working with Illinois Speaker of the House to Keep Reactors Operating

         I have posted  before about the economics of nuclear power. Nuclear power plants are being shut down in the U.S. because the operators cannot make a profit due to the cost of repairs and the availability of cheap natural gas. It used to be that nuclear plant operators could count on a guaranteed price for twenty years for their electricity even if they could not compete in the open market for power.

Radioactive Waste 81 - Update on the Recent Accident at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 6

         One of the purposes of my blog is to cover breaking stories that have to do with nuclear problems. Some of these posts deal with specific events that can be covered in a single post. Others are more complex and require several posts. In still other situations, there is an ongoing story where new information keeps emerging as the situation evolves.

Geiger Readings for June 2, 2014

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
 
Ambient office = 67 nanosieverts per hour
 
Ambient outside = 102 nanosieverts per hour
 
Soil exposed to rain water = 101 nanosieverts per hour
 
Raw peanuts in shell from Top Foods = 79 nanosieverts per hour
 
Tap water = 111 nanosieverts per hour
 
Filtered water = 87 nanosieverts per hour
 

Geiger Readings for May 31, 2014

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 123 nanosieverts per hour
 
Ambient outside = 54 nanosieverts per hour
 
Soil exposed to rain water = 64 nanosieverts per hour
 
Fiber One dry cereral from Safeway = 80 nanosieverts per hour
 
Tap water = 95 nanosieverts per hour
 
Filtered water = 83 nanosieverts per hour
 
Halibut - Caught in Canada = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Nuclear Reactors 127 - Nuclear Regulatory Commission Votes to Ignore Need to Move Spent Fuel to Dry Casks

         I have mentioned before that the spent fuel pools at U.S. nuclear reactors are rapidly filling up and will all be full within five years if none of the spent fuel assemblies are removed. Currently, the spent fuel pools hold about five times as many fuel assemblies as the cores of operating reactors. Unless some of the spent fuel assemblies are removed soon, it will not be possible to refuel reactors and they will need to be shut down.

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