New in-depth report from Russia’s Ecodefense finds Russian plutonium fuel program may produce more plutonium than is disposed; the report also cites safety and cost problems with Russian surplus weapons-grade plutonium disposition program. Press release. Full report in English.
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Petition for Rulemaking submitted to NRC by Foundation for Resilient Societies to protect irradiated fuel pools at reactors from effects of long-term power outages , which would make cooling the pools (and reactors themselves) impossible. The petition specifically addresses large solar flare disruptions, which could cause severe damage to some vulnerable electrical grids resulting in widespread and lengthy blackouts.
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Brief Virginia Tech paper showing nuclear power by far the most water-intensive means of producing electricity (page 8). This has enormous implications because, as the report notes, 36 states face water shortages in the next 10 years.
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Amory Lovins describes the myriad of drawbacks to three reactor designs frequently touted by nuclear advocates and others hoping for some type of nuclear holy grail—i.e. a safe, affordable, reduced-waste atomic reactor. Lovins looks at Integrated Fast Reactors, Thorium reactors, and “small” modular reactors. Nope, the search for the grail is still on…..Reprinted from Nuclear Monitor.
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