Thread: Nuclear Energy is Safe

Several environmentalists in our group are doing their best to discredit the use and application of nuclear energy to satisfy our future energy needs.

They cite Fukushima and Chernobyl as examples of the dangers of operating nuclear power reactors to produce electricity. Instead, they want us to use very inefficient and highly unreliable concentrated solar-thermal “green” technology to satisfy our future energy needs.

Don't be mislead by the statements and half-truths of the environmentalists. They have an agenda and their agenda is to use billions and billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to subsidize the development of "green energy" to satisfy our future energy needs. In fact, this is the very reason they opposed the Keystone XL pipeline project. This pipeline from our neighbor, Canada will provide our nation with an inexpensive, reliable emery source using proven technology for many, many years to come.

Here is the truth about modern-day nuclear power reactors. In fact, France today uses safe and efficient nuclear technology to safely satisfy 75% of the energy needs of their country. They also use their safe, reliable nuclear reactors to generate excess electrical power that they then sell for a profit to other nearby countries in Europe!

Nuclear Power in France

As with contemporary on-going nuclear research in America, France has been pursuing three new Gen IV technologies: gas-cooled fast reactor, sodium-cooled fast reactor, and very high temperature reactor (gas-cooled). While Areva has been working on the last two types, the main interest in the very high temperature reactors has been in the USA, as well as South Africa and China. CEA interest in the fast reactors is on the basis that they will produce less waste and will better exploit uranium resources, including the 220,000 tonnes of depleted uranium and some reprocessed uranium stockpiled in France.

• France derives over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy. This is due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.

• France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over EUR 3 billion per year from this.

• France has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and fuel products and services are a major export.

• It is building its first Generation III reactor and planning a second.

In 2007 French electricity generation was 570 billion kWh gross, and consumption was about 447 billion kWh - 6800 kWh per person. Over the last decade France has exported 60-80 billion kWh net each year and EdF expects exports to continue at 65-70 TWh/yr, to Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and UK. Imports are relatively trivial.

France has 59 nuclear reactors operated by Electricite de France (EdF), with total capacity of over 63 GWe, supplying over 430 billion kWh per year of electricity (net), 78% of the total generated there. Total generating capacity is 116 GWe, including 25 GWe hydro and 26 GWe fossil fuel.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html

Originally Posted by James Cessna

Several environmentalists in our group are doing their best to discredit the use and application of nuclear energy to satisfy our future energy needs.

They cite Fukushima and Chernobyl as examples of the dangers of operating nuclear power reactors to produce electricity. Instead, they want us to use very inefficient and highly unreliable concentrated solar-thermal “green” technology to satisfy our future energy needs.

Don't be mislead by the statements and half-truths of the environmentalists. They have an agenda and their agenda is to use billions and billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to subsidize the development of "green energy" to satisfy our future energy needs. In fact, this is the very reason they opposed the Keystone XL pipeline project. This pipeline from our neighbor, Canada will provide our nation with an inexpensive, reliable emery source using proven technology for many, many years to come.

Here is the truth about modern-day nuclear power reactors. In fact, France today uses safe and efficient nuclear technology to safely satisfy 75% of the energy needs of their country. They also use their safe, reliable nuclear reactors to generate excess electrical power that they then sell for a profit to other nearby countries in Europe!

Here are the populated cities where nuclear energy is safely produced in France.

France has 59 nuclear reactors operated by Electricite de France (EdF), with total capacity of over 63 GWe, supplying over 430 billion kWh per year of electricity (net), 78% of the total generated there. Total generating capacity is 116 GWe, including 25 GWe hydro and 26 GWe fossil fuel.



France has exported its PWR reactor technology to Belgium, South Africa, South Korea and China. There are two 900 MWe French reactors operating at Koeberg, near Capetown in South Africa, two at Ulchin in South Korea and four at Daya Bay and Lingao in China, near Hong Kong.

Nuclear power is the future. Other sources will only supplement it.

The US Navy switched from wind power to nuclear power over the last few centuries.

_

Until a new alternative is invented or perfected, there are no other viable methods IMO as efficient as nuclear. Wind and solar pale in comparison based on the energy produced.

I would think that research into making nuclear safer would be money well spent.

Meanwhile, I will still keep working on my perpetual motion project. I'll keep you posted if anything exciting happens.

Westinghouse just had a new generator approved this week. It is amazingly safe, with very little fuel required, and in produced enormous amounts of energy.

Also... Molten Salt Reactors, Pebble Bed Reactors, and other innovations have seen to it that nuclear power is becoming safer and safer while producing more and more energy.

Originally Posted by HB Surfer

Westinghouse just had a new generator approved this week. It is amazingly safe, with very little fuel required, and in produced enormous amounts of energy.

Also... Molten Salt Reactors, Pebble Bed Reactors, and other innovations have seen to it that nuclear power is becoming safer and safer while producing more and more energy.

This is very good information, HB Surfer.

Thanks for sharing!

I love how the Rightwing uses France as the model to follow for nuclear power.

I had no idea that you guys loved Government-owned industries so much.

Bottom line, nuclear power is safe, but safe nuclear power is expensive. Expensive beyond the reach of the free market for the most part.

You same guys who are touting nuclear safety would probably be the first one's condemning the US government building nuclear plants and calling for those same safety regulations to be dropped in order to make plants cheaper.

Originally Posted by Questerr

I love how the Rightwing uses France as the model to follow for nuclear power.

I had no idea that you guys loved Government-owned industries so much.

Bottom line, nuclear power is safe, but safe nuclear power is expensive. Expensive beyond the reach of the free market for the most part.

You same guys who are touting nuclear safety would probably be the first one's condemning the US government building nuclear plants and calling for those same safety regulations to be dropped in order to make plants cheaper.

Woooooooooop there it is ...........

Originally Posted by Questerr

I love how the Rightwing uses France as the model to follow for nuclear power.

I had no idea that you guys loved Government-owned industries so much.

Bottom line, nuclear power is safe, but safe nuclear power is expensive. Expensive beyond the reach of the free market for the most part.

You same guys who are touting nuclear safety would probably be the first one's condemning the US government building nuclear plants and calling for those same safety regulations to be dropped in order to make plants cheaper.

You are mistaken, Questerr.

Originally Posted by James Cessna

You are mistaken, Questerr.

Why don't you add in the costs of construction with it?

You are being intellectually dishonest. Most energy firms cannot afford to build nuclear power plants without government subsidy.

Nuclear plants are expensive to build because their required safety features drive up the costs. I've seen more than one Rightist on this side proclaim the safety of nuclear power while simultaneously calling for an end to the same government regulations that mandate that safety.

Personally, I would be fine with the government owning nuclear power plants in the US. They could build them on Federal land (military bases etc.) and ignore the NIMBY bull(*)(*)(*)(*) that usually prevents their construction. Also, I don't trust the free market having access to nuclear technology.

But you Rightists would call such a system "socialist".