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Quote by: The Dunedan  Meanwhile, France is generating 70% of their energy from nuke plants, and the rest of Europe is straining to catch up. |
Let's examine more closely this French Nuclear Energy Utopia. France's 57 light water reactors discharge 1200 tons of spent fuel every year. Within that waste sits 12 tons of plutonium, some of which gets reprocessed as Mixed Oxide Fuel for reuse in the reactors. But the total quantity of plutonium is far greater than France's consumption. Even with supposedly safe storage facilities, the 56 geographically dispersed French nuclear reactors must find ways of getting the toxic stuff to the sites. That means most of the plutonium in powder oxide form is transported across France every year. It's a security nightmare if nothing else.
Furthermore, the reprocessing of spent fuel is far from economical. The utility company must pay for the reprocessing, transportation, and storage costs. On-site storage is politically unpalatable since few people want a nuclear waste dump anywhere near their neighborhoods. Having a nuclear reactor nearby is risk enough in this era of terrorism.
Reprocessing also contributes to CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming.
France does have some of the cheapest kilowatt hour prices in Europe, but the government also subsidies some of the storage and transportation costs of nuclear waste. The price is artificially low. On top of that, French reactors are not held 100% responsible for any accident, thus eliminating higher insurance premiums and further subsidizing the lower energy rates.
As for the "safer" pebble bed reactors, we should consider a few facts. Scientists disagree on the "fire-proof" materials used in such reactors. That means fire-safety measures must be in place. The "pebbles" themselves, about the size of a tennis ball, make transportation easier for employees....and terrorists interesting in obtaining material for "dirty bombs." Worse still, each pebble must have the EXACT same shape, and we're talking about millions of pebbles. What are the consequences of a one or more misshaped pebbles? What about the degradation of pebbles over time? Knowing that some private companies look for cost saving measures (ie reduced inspections), we can't be sure of 100% vigilance over such a dangerous energy material. And finally, pebble bed reactors produce far more waste than conventional reactors with all the inherent problems that go with it.
Conservation and other alternative energy sources are still the best way to address our energy needs. One need not be a Luddite hater of technology and progress to take that position.
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Bur...processing.pdf