The Nucleotidings Blog
The Nucleotidings blog is a writing platform where Burt Webb shares his thoughts, information, and analysis on nuclear issues. The blog is dedicated to covering news and ideas related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to members of the public, including engineers and policy makers. Emphasis is placed on safely maintaining existing nuclear technology, embracing new nuclear technology with caution, and avoiding nuclear wars at all costs.
Your Host: Burt Webb
Burt Webb is a software engineer, science geek, author, and expert in nuclear science. Burt operates a Geiger counter in North Seattle, and has been writing his Nucleotidings blog since 2012 where he writes about various topics related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection.
Burt Webb has published several technical books and novels. He works as a software consultant.
Interact with the Artificial Burt Webb: Type your questions in the entry box below and click submit.
Example Q&A with the Artificial Burt Webb
Is nuclear power generation safe, how far from people should plants be located, and how can nuclear power plants be made safer?
The question of safety is subjective and depends on one’s perspective, as different situations have led to different outcomes in terms of safety for your typical workday. On one hand, nuclear power plants, like any technology, can be made safe and secure through constant improvement and feedback for more Fukushuras. On the other hand, sitting 16 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant might make some people feel it is not far enough, while insufficient distance by it self is not a problem if a plant meets safety regulations. Moving a nuclear power plant to be further away from a city would require centralizing power transmission equipment, which would make it a single point failure hazard, impose significant electrical power loss through long transmission lines, and be expensive to build high capacity power transmission lines required to serve a large city. Some ways to make nuclear power plants safer include implementing a Feasibility requirement in PRISM reactor design, which already takes human intervention out of many emergency procedures, more reliance on passive safety systems that cannot control events directly but create conditions that prevent or mitigate their effects, and continuous vigilance, as the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies, not being that the event will be accepted or sought, would help to prevent nuclear accidents.
What do you mean by “Fukushuras”?
“Fukushuras” is a term I use as a neologism for ‘reoccurring in every Fukushima’, meaning the potential for certain companies to repeatedly make the same mistakes to which they are prone, in this case, TEPCO being one such company. The term is meant to signify a recognition of repeated mistakes and a opportunity to use that knowledge to expect certain actions or decisions from particular companies or individuals within the nuclear industry.
Germany Backs Security Zone Around Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant usnews.com
The Idaho National Laboratory’s Nuclear Legacy crapo.senate.gov
U.S. nuclear plants expect government decision on credits by year-end finance.yahoo.com
IAEA experts assess damage to Kharkiv nuclear research facility world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office =92 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 97 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 96 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 78 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 68 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 58 nanosieverts per hour
The French Council of Ministers has just approved a draft of legislation intended to streamline the administrative and bureaucratic processes required to construct new nuclear power plants near, or within, existing sites.
According to the official report of the cabinet meeting, the goal of the bill is to respond to the “urgency of a climate crisis which threatens our ecosystems, our societies, the future of the young generations and, on the other hand, of a crisis of sovereignty and security of energy supply in 2022 following the Ukrainian conflict”. The provision of new nuclear power is referred to as “imperative” to fight climate change and foster energy independence.
The draft bill “aims to lay down a framework for accelerating administrative procedures related to to the realization of future projects for the construction of new nuclear power reactors in France, and thus to shorten the deadlines for carrying out these projects, when they are located in the immediate vicinity or within the perimeter of existing nuclear sites”.
The text of the bill also adds that it is not pre-empting the place of nuclear energy in the country’s future energy mix. A consultation on that subjects was launched just two weeks ago. The bill also does not change the existing environmental or nuclear safety authorization requirements. However, it aims to “bring local planning documents into line more quickly” and will permit some processes to happen in parallel. The bill also suggests measures to ensure that the necessary land can be taken possession of for “reactor projects recognized as being of public utility”.
The bill cites the plan to build the two EPR2s in Penly in northern French as it notes “this bill allows the construction of new nuclear reactors by the sea, provided that they are built in the immediate vicinity or inside the perimeter of an existing nuclear power reactor”.
The draft law will be submitted to the National Assembly at the end of this year. When questioned about how much time could be saved for new nuclear projects as a result of the draft law, government spokesperson Olivier Veran said that one must think “in terms of years”.
Nuclear power accounts for almost seventy five percent of France’s electricity generation. However, former French President Francois Hollande’s government announced in 2014 that nuclear capacity would be capped at the current level of sixty-three gigawatts. It would be limited to fifty percent of France’s total power output by 2025. The French Energy Transition for Green Growth Law was adopted in August of 2015. It did not call for the shutdown of any currently operating nuclear power reactors. However older reactors would have to be closed in order to bring any new reactors online. However, under a draft energy and climate bill presented in May of 2019, France will now delay its planned reduction in the share of nuclear power in its mix of energy sources to fifty percent from the current target of 2025 to 2035.
Last February, French President Emmanuel Macro announced that the time was right for a nuclear renaissance in France. He said that the operation of all reactors should be extended without compromising safety and unveiling a proposed program for six new EPR2 reactors. There is an option included for a further eight EPR2 reactors.
Russian-made missile kills 2 in Poland, official says cnbc.com
Macron’s Plan for New Nuclear Reactors Sparks Hiring Drive Bloomberg.com
Work resumes at Angra 3 after seven years world-nuclear-news.org
Hopes and costs are high for UK’s nuclear energy future federalnewsnetwork.com
Ambient office = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 85 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 84 nanosieverts per hour
Acorn Squash from Central Market = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 94 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 5 nanosieverts per hour
The U.K. Sizewell C project is a proposed nuclear power plant in Suffolk. The plan is to construct a one gigawatt two hundred-thousand-megawatt power station with two European Pressurized Reactors (EPR) nuclear reactors. The construction was expected to begin in 2024. Construction would take between nine and twelve years. The exact time required to build the plant would depend on developments at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station which is also under development by EDF. It shares many similarities with the proposed Sizewell C power plant.
Now the proposed Sizewell C power plant is under review and could be delayed or even canceled. The U.K. government is trying to cut spending on major projects. Sizewell C was expected to provide as much as seven percent of the total electricity in the U.K. However, critics have argued that it will be too expensive and take too long to build. A U.K. official told the BBC that “We are reviewing every major project – including Sizewell C.”
The U.K. government is due to unveil its tax and spending plans under the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Autumn Statement on the 17th of November. Negotiations on raising funds for Sizewell C are ongoing. It would not be expected to begin generating electricity until the 2030s.
A Treasury spokesperson said that delivering infrastructure projects was a priority. Business Secretary Grant Shapps said that “HS2 is underway, within budget, and supporting 28,000 jobs, we are also seeking to approve at least one large-scale nuclear project in the next few years and aim to speed up the delivery of around 100 major infrastructure projects across the UK.” He went on to say that recent commitments by former Prime Minister Liz Truss were likely to be scaled back.
Last month, Truss and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, pledged “full support” for the Sizewell C nuclear power station on Suffolk’s coast. The plant was set to be developed by EDF, the French energy company. The U.K. government gave the go-ahead for the plant last July. EDF has said that is could generate enough electricity for about six million homes.
However, there was confusion last Thursday as executives at EDF and the U.K. Business and Energy departments seemed to be blindsided by a potential change in direction on existing government policy which had promised to press ahead with both large and smaller scale nuclear power projects. On nuclear industry executive involved in the matter said, “As far we know, it’s still on.”
New large-scale nuclear power plants have been a key part of the U.K. government strategy to help reduce the U.K.’s reliance on fossil fuels. While he was Prime Minister, Boris Johnson declared that it was his intention to build eight new nuclear power reactors in the next eight years. Unfortunately, it did little to convince domestic and foreign investors in the U.K. that they are dealing with a government with stable policy priorities.
It might be better for the U.K. to develop sustainable energy sources instead of sinking more money into nuclear power plants.
Visiting nuclear shelters in Prague to see how cities could prepare for nuclear war phys.org
Protests, Drone Sales Table Iran Nuclear Talks voanews.com
Reaffirming the commitment to continue collaborating on sustainability in legacy nuclear sites gov.uk
Zelensky Says Russian Strikes Triggered Nuclear Shutdowns barrons.com
Ambient office = 79 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 75 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 77 nanosieverts per hour
Tomato from Central Market = 108 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 71 nanosieverts per hour
Funding to bolster fire safety at Chernobyl world-nuclear-news.org
Gulf Cooperation Council renews commitment to nuclear weapon-free Middle East arabnews.com
Communities welcome second chance at nuclear plant wyomingnews.com
State house resolution would investigate expanding nuclear energy sungazette.com
Ambient office = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 102 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 106 nanosieverts per hour
English cucumber from Central Market = 104 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 76 nanosieverts per hour
