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.
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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.
Ambient office = 79 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 89 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 88 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 115 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 123 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 108 nanosieverts per hour
EU funding Framatome VVER-440 fuel development world-nuclear-news.org
Vietnam and Russia discuss nuclear energy collaboration world-nuclear-news.org
Ukrainian drones strike town near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Russia-installed official says reuters.com
No nuclear veto: if the Coalition isn’t seeking community consent, is that really consultation? Theconversation.com
Ambient outside = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Asparagus from Central Market = 76 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 79 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 97 nanosieverts per hour
China has announced advanced plans to deploy a series of nuclear reactors in the contested South China Sea. This is intended to gain a greater foothold in the disputed waters.
China reportedly suspended the project over safety concerns a year ago. However, China is moving ahead with plans to put nuclear reactors into the South China Sea. Some parts of which are claimed by nations including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The reactors are described as mobile “power banks.” They are small plants designed to be housed on ships, providing power to both stationary facilities and other vessels. They are intended to supply energy to China’s artificial islands upon which military infrastructure has been established, including airports.
China began constructing floating nuclear reactors in 2016. It announced plans to deploy as many as twenty of them in the South China Sea. However, in May 2023, the project was suspended. It is estimates that the floating reactors operate at roughly twenty five percent of the capacity of a standard land-based nuclear power station, of which China has thirty-seven.
China’s plans have heightened tensions in the region, particularly among the other nations who lay claim to parts of the South China Sea.
General Jonathan Malaya is the Assistant Director of the Philippines National Security Council. He told local media that “Anything that supports their military presence in those islands is technically a threat to our national security and against our interests.”
Malaya also said that that the U.S. and other Western nations, including Australia, are expected to expand their joint patrols in the South China Sea to counterbalance China’s increasing influence.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has demanded stringent international guidelines to ensure the safe operation of marine-based nuclear reactors.
Lydie Evrard is the IAEA’s Deputy Director General. She said, “We are working with member states to establish necessary standards to mitigate risks associated with floating nuclear power plants” in a statement in April.
Liu Pengyu is a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. She said, “China’s position on the South China Sea issue is consistent and clear. We are committed to peacefully resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation, managing disputes through the formulation of rules and mechanisms, and achieving win-win results through development and cooperation. We work with ASEAN countries to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and truly make the South China Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and prosperity. Some frequently cite China as an excuse to strengthen its military deployment and activities in the South China Sea and maintain its maritime hegemony.”
Earlier this week, China accused the U.S. of undermining international nuclear disarmament by emboldening NATO. An anonymous Chinese embassy representative told the state-run Tass news agency that America is “undermining the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and should stop doing it.”
The Chinese embassy issued a statement that said that the U.S. “clings to a first-use nuclear policy, devises nuclear deterrence strategies against others and has invested heavily to upgrade its nuclear triad.”
IAEA says Ukraine advances nuclear security amid Russia’s war euromaidanpress.com
Putin Once Tried to Curb North Korea’s Nuclear Program. That’s Now Over. Nytimes.com
Australia news live: Ted O’Brien won’t disclose how much nuclear will contribute to energy mix as Plibersek targets cost of Coalition plan theguardian.com
U.S. and China hold first informal nuclear talks in five years reuters.com
Ambient office = 115 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 99 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 96 nanosieverts per hour
Asparagus from Central Market = 97 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 113 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Russian regional and federal ministries are “actively working” to change the existing plans for Russia’s first land-based small modular reactor (SMR) project in Yakutia. They want to expand the project into a two-reactor scheme, after assessing likely future energy demands.
Work has already begun on the project. In February, it was announced that construction of worker camps and a new road to the site was taking place. Rosenergoatom was officially designated by Rosatom as the operating organization by parent company.
The SMR being constructed is a water-cooled RITM-200N fifty-five megawatt reactor that has been adapted from the RITM-200 series which is used to power Russia’s latest fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. It will be constructed near Ust-Kuyga in Yakutia (also known as Sakha) in Russia’s Arctic north. The goal is to have the new SMR commissioned in 2028. Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor granted the SMR a construction license in April 2023. The expected service life for the new reactor is 60 years with a five-year refueling schedule.
Last Thursday, in conjunction with the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, an agreement on ensuring the appropriate electric power infrastructure as part of the SMR project was signed by Rosatom’s Deputy Director General Kirill Komarov and Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha Kirill Bychkov.
The regional government and federal agencies will collaborate to create the distribution networks, power transmission lines and substations required for the SMR to supply the existing power needs as well as the proposed mining expansion in the region.
General Komarov said, “The Yakut SMR NPP will provide stable and low-carbon generation for large industrial consumers, thus becoming the regional power center. Clearly, once the SMR is commissioned, it is necessary to ensure its capacity loading will become possible following the establishing of new industrial enterprises as well as social and transportation infrastructure. This, in turn, will lead to the growth of the regional population. Taking into account the development of the current and prospective deposits of Yakut Ust-Yansk and Verkhoyansk Districts, the consumption of the mining factories will exceed ninety megawatts of electric capacity.”
Chairman Bychkov said, “We will put every effort to support the development of the Arctic territories of Yakutia that have huge potential for creating a mining cluster. As for the electric power consumption by the population and equivalent consumer categories, it is planned to increase power supply up to five megawatts in Ust-Kuyga and seven megawatts in Deputatsky … the estimations we have made with Rosatom show that fifty five megawatts of capacity provided by one RITM-200N reactor unit will not be sufficient for the respected industrial cluster, that’s why we are working with federal ministries and agencies on the topic of transitioning to a two-unit design.”
Rosatom claims that the SMR plant “will become the heart of one of the largest mineral resource centers in Russia” with the development of the Kyuchus, Deputatsky, and Tirekhtyakh deposits and broader infrastructure works to “create a developed area that is comfortable for work and life”.
Ma urges Lai to seriously consider nuclear energy taipeitime.com
Russia nuclear-powered submarines launch missiles in Barents Sea drills reuter.com
Capito Legislation Could Boost Nuclear Prospects in West Virginia theintelligencer.net
First Nuclear Steam Supply Project For Industry Begins Operation nucnet.org
Ambient office = 110 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 88 nanosieverts per hour
Red bell pepper from Central Market = 117 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 105 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 94 nanosieverts per hour
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Stellarex Inc to investigate the development and deployment of fusion energy in Ontario. The MoU will see them work together to identify potential future siting and deployment of a stellarator fusion energy device in the province. Under the MoU, the two partners will also explore establishing a center of excellence for fusion energy in Ontario.
Fusion energy technology development company Stellarex is a spinout of Princeton University in the U.S. It is dedicated to the near-term realization of commercial fusion energy production employing stellarators. The stellarator approach to fusion energy utilizes extremely strong electromagnets to generate twisting magnetic fields to confine plasma and create the right conditions for fusion reactions. Stellarators offer increased plasma stability when compared with tokamaks. They use a torus-shaped magnetic chamber to confine the plasma, require less injected power to sustain the plasma, and allow for the burning plasma to be more easily controlled and monitored. However, stellarators are much more complex than tokamaks to design and construct.
Stellarex has already established supply-chain and fusion ecosystem relationships in Ontario and in the Canadian nuclear sector. It has MoUs with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Hatch, and Kinectrics, as well as several academic institutions in the province.
Kim Lauritsen is the OPG Senior Vice President for Enterprise Strategy and Energy Markets. She said, “Ontario Power Generation has watched with interest as fusion-related technology has progressed over the past few years. As the technology moves toward commercial implementation, this MoU recognizes the role fusion may play as Ontario’s demand for clean energy increases over the next several decades.”
Todd Smith is an Ontario Minister of Parliament. He said, “The world is watching Ontario as we build the next generation of reliable, affordable and clean nuclear power, including the first Small Modular Reactor in the G7.” An MoU was signed during a tour of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France. He added that Ontario’s well-established supply chain and experienced operators give the province a “nuclear advantage” and make it “the place to be when it comes to the growing fusion-related industry, creating another opportunity for more good-paying jobs in our communities”.
OPG is preparing to build the first of up to four GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at its Darlington site. It has already completed early-phase site preparation work. OPG plans to complete construction of the first unit by the end of 2028 for commercial operation by the end of 2029.
In May of this year, Stellarex signed an MoU with Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics which is home to the Wendelsten 7-X. The 7-X is the world’s largest stellarator-type fusion device. The partners will collaborate in specific areas of fusion energy science and technology, including the optimization of plasma confinement and power/particle control, by leveraging their shared expertise.
Vancouver-based General Fusion is a private company which intends to build a commercial fusion power plant based on Magnetized Target Fusion technology. In another initiative to explore bringing fusion energy to Ontario, General Fusion signed an MoU in early 2022 to collaborate with Bruce Power and Nuclear Innovation Institute to evaluate the potential installation of a fusion power plant in Ontario.
