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.
Small nuclear reactors fuel Woodlands County public hearing townandcountrytoday.com
Russia alleges Ukrainian drone attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, no serious damage arabnews.com
New British nuclear technology applies for justification decision power-technology.com
PSEG tells NRC it plans on renewing licenses for three South Jersey nuclear plants njspotlightnews.org
Ambient office = 74 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 118 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 115 nanosieverts per hour
Asparagus from Central Market = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 116 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 108 nanosieverts per hour
Second union votes for strike action at nuclear site bbc.com
New-generation nuclear power plant begins heat supply in east China English.news.cn
LIS Technologies Inc. Establishes Corporate Affiliation with the Nuclear Institute globenewswire.com
St. Louis-area residents make plea for compensation for illnesses tied to nuclear contamination goskagit.com
Ambient office = 69 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 148 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 143 nanosieverts per hour
Banana from Central Market = 82 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 112 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient office = 86 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 130 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 134 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 56 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 99 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 113 nanosieverts per hour
Funds awarded to assist Xe-100 deployment in the UK world-nuclear-news.org
Organization for maritime nuclear launched world-nuclear-news.org
Bangladesh considering two more nuclear units at Rooppur world-nuclear-news.com
Rosatom and the government of Primorsky Krai on the Pacific Coast of Russia have signed an agreement for a feasibility study and location options for floating nuclear power units off its coast.
The agreement was signed at the Atomexpo 2024 event in Sochi. It aims to produce reliable and carbon-free electricity in the region, which borders China and North Korea and is about 250 miles west of Japan.
Rosatom said the agreement will also include the financial, economic, legal and technical aspects necessary for a prospective project, as well as how it would be organized. It is estimated by the country’s Unified Energy System operator that the Far Eastern region of Russia will need at least one billion three hundred and fifty megawatts of power by 2030.
Andrei Leontyev is the Minister of Energy and Gas Supply of the Primorsky Territory. He said, “Initially, we see the need for four floating power units to eliminate the energy shortage in the south … in addition to small-scale nuclear energy, we also consider it necessary to create a nuclear power plant with two 600 MW units in the medium term for the development of our region.”
Andrey Nikipelov is the Rosatom Deputy Director General for Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Solutions. He said, “Small-scale nuclear power is a modern green way of stable energy supply with energy costs projected for decades … floating power units with their mobility and scalability are a doubly flexible solution not only to cover the current needs of a region with actively developing industry and infrastructure, but also new opportunities that will further expand the economic potential of the region and provide better living conditions for people.”
Rosatom has developed floating nuclear power plants based on the RITM-200 reactor. This reactor has been used on Russia’s new fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Construction has begun for units to supply the Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant, with “dozens of countries and region” showing an interest. It says that there is a need for up to fifteen floating nuclear power units for Russia’s Arctic zone.
Russia already has one floating nuclear power plant named the Akademik Lomonosov (AL). The AL is currently stationed at Pevek where it supplies heat and power to the town. Two KLT-40S reactors generating thirty-five megawatts each are supplying the power. The KLT-40S are similar to those used in a previous generation of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
Rosatom also signed an agreement with Russia’s TSS Group at the Atomexpo forum. The agreement spelled out terms for the formation of a joint venture for the construction and operation of floating nuclear power units for foreign markets.
The floating power plants will contain RITM-200 reactors and have a capacity of one hundred megawatts and a service life of at least sixty years.
Sergei Velichko is the Chairman of TSS Group. He said, “Floating power units are an effective solution to the problems of current and future energy shortages in regions with rapidly developing economies … we see high demand for a stable and green source of energy in almost all countries in Africa and the Middle East … we believe that the largest sovereign funds will be serious drivers of investment in this technology.”
Non-Proliferation Experts Urge US to Not Support Nuclear Fuel Project usnews.com
DOE Study Finds Replacing Coal Plants with Nuclear Plants Could Bring Hundreds More Local Jobs and Millions in Added Income and Revenue to Energy Communities thecheyennepost.com
Russian Nuclear Submarine Fires Missiles newsweek.com
Holy See: ‘Nuclear deterrence is an illusion’ vaticannews.va
Ambient office = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 120 nanosieverts per hour
Tomato from Central Market = 127 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 78 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 66 nanosieverts per hour
Czech nuclear power operator ČEZ and municipal heating company Teplárny Brno have signed agreements with regard to a twenty-six-mile pipeline from the Dukovany nuclear power plant to benefit two hundred and fifty thousand people in the city of Brno.
The strategic contracts signed cover the transport of heat from the Dukovany units to the boundary of the power plant according to ČEZ. In addition, they cover agreement on future contracts which are a condition for steps towards the construction of the heating pipe. Work is scheduled to begin in 2027 and due to take about four years.
The companies say that the cogeneration production of heat will help Brno, the Czech Republic’s second largest city, to cut its use of natural gas. The transport of heat from Dukovany will cover about fifty percent 50% of its heating needs. The pipeline is being designed to avoid built-up areas. It will have tunneled sections, including one stretch of 3600 feet in the Bobrava Nature Park.
The projected cost of the plan is eight hundred and eleven million dollars with part of the cost to be met by possible European Union subsidies as well as possible financing from commercial institutions.
Petr Fiala is the Czech Prime Minister. He said, “The construction of the heat pipe is an important step towards energy self-sufficiency and independence for Brno. If we have been saying for a long time that the basic energy source of the Czech Republic should be nuclear energy in the future, then this project fully meets the requirements and criteria. We will use the heat from the nuclear power plant, we will get rid of dependence on other fuels and we will ensure safe supply of heat to households and institutions.”
Daniel Benes is the ČEZ CEO. He said that he was glad the project was moving forward, adding, “South Bohemia and our Temelín nuclear power plant, which uses a new heat pipe to supply heat to České Budějovice, can be an example of good practice in the use of nuclear sources for heat production.”
Jiří Herman is the chairman of the board of Teplárny HeBrno. He said the project will provide more stability for heating prices for Brno. “This will fundamentally reduce the sensitivity of the price of heat to fluctuations in energy prices. Even if we consider the price of heat after 2030, the calculations show us that compared with the current price level, we can expect a positive impact – a reduction – on the price of heat.”
Four VVER-440 units are currently in operation at the Dukovany site. The site began operating between 1985 and 1987. Two VVER-1000 units are currently in operation at Temelín, which came into operation in 2000 and 2002.
The prime minister made a visit to the plant earlier this week for the announcement. He also held meetings with mayors of nearby towns and villages about plans for new nuclear power capacity at Dukovany. Fiala noted that five hundred million dollars of transport measures and said the aim was to minimize any negative impacts on the area during construction of the new reactors.
