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 = 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.
Ambient office = 104 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 102 nanosieverts per hour
Mini cucumber from Central Market = 136 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 68 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 53 nanosieverts per hour
China explores applications of nuclear energy in reducing carbon emissions in petrochemical industry English.news.cn
Why did a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine suddenly surface in the Taiwan Strait? Scmp.com
New Israeli paradigm needed to prevent a nuclear Iran fdd.org
Some of the Coalition’s proposed nuclear locations are near fault lines — is that a problem? Abc.net.au
Australian attitudes towards energy sources have shifted significantly according to the 20th edition of the Lowy Institute’s annual poll. Six in ten Australian are now supportive of Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity.
Ryan Neelam is the Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy at the Lowy Institute. The Institute asked Australian citizens, “Do you support or oppose Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity, alongside other sources of energy?”
Sixty one percent of respondents said they were “somewhat” or “strongly” supportive of Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity. Thirty seven percent said they opposed this. Only 2% said they didn’t know.
This is the first time such a question has been included in the survey. It contrasts with a related question in the 2011 poll when more than six in ten Australians said they were either ‘strongly against’ or ‘somewhat against’ Australia building nuclear power plants as part of its plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia’s federal opposition has announced that, if elected, it would introduce nuclear power generation into Australia’s energy mix. Nuclear would take its place alongside renewables and other sources of energy, as part of its plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but this would involve first overturning a moratorium on nuclear energy generation in Australia, the report’s authors note.
The poll found ‘slim to strong majority support’ for a range of potential federal government climate-related policies although support has ‘softened mildly’ for options which include a more ambitious national emissions reduction target, hosting a UN climate conference, reducing coal exports, and banning new coal mines, and introducing an emissions trading scheme. About sixty percent support the idea of reducing Australian coal exports and banning new coal mines from opening in Australia.
Support remained steady for subsidizing renewable technologies, and increasing the use of gas. Opinion on renewables is divided. The poll found that forty one percent think the current federal government’s national target for eighty two percent of Australia’s electricity to be generated from renewables by 2030 is ‘about right’. Thirty three percent think this target is too ambitious, and twenty five percent say it is not ambitious enough.
For the third consecutive year, the poll also asked about public attitudes to Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under the 2021 trilateral AUKUS partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. Public debate about this project has grown in Australia, highlighting questions around its strategic merits, future U.S. political commitment to the deal, industrial and workforce capacity, and costs. However the poll found majority public support for the acquisition has ‘held relatively firm’ with sixty five percent of Australians remaining in favor. This is similar to the findings of last year’s poll, which was down from seventy percent in 2022’s poll, shortly after the deal was announced.
The independent, nonpartisan international policy think-tank describes its annual poll as the leading tracking survey on Australian foreign policy. It provides a reliable vehicle for understanding Australian attitudes towards a wide range of foreign policy issues, while being independent and methodologically rigorous. The 2024 Lowy Institute poll reports the results of a national survey of 2028 adults across Australia between 4 and 17 March. The poll was conducted by the Social Research Centre, using the Life in Australia probability-based online panel, and has a margin of error of two and two tenths’ percent. The probability basis of the Life in Australia sampling method guarantees results are generalizable to the national population.
Congress passes sweeping pro-nuclear energy bill yahoo.com
Powering the Permian: Proposed nuclear waste facility sparks backlash from Basin residents yourbasin.com
Putin Once Tried to Curb North Korea’s Nuclear Program. That’s Now Over. Nytimes.com
First fuel delivered for new Kursk nuclear power plant world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office = 59 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 89 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 88 nanosieverts per hour
Green onion from Central Market = 65 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 62 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 58 nanosieverts per hour
