3 Mile Island was an overblown media sensation. Chernobyl was a poorly designed and poorly maintained facility doing a live stress controlled by complete morons that literally could not have happened in the next generation reactor design. Fukushima took a literal force of nature to cause an issue and even then it was originally designed to handle it but cost cutting during construction moved the backup power source too close to the water.
Meanwhile the current generation reactors, even discounting SMR, are designed to make those failure modes physically impossible. The ultra-modern SMR designs are already producing commercial power in China with North America following suit in the next 36 months or so.
Yeah, this is the factor that has me more negative on nuclear power than positive, even though I believe it can be one of the safest ways to generate a lot of power, that depends on people not cutting corners.
They are also a pretty big liability during military conflicts, especially if it’s with a far away enemy that isn’t worried about the local fallout from a strike.
Mining and concentration are a big problem too. In situ mining with acid threatens ground water, and everywhere material is mined and stored they are under the threat of either bad actors, or foreign government/corporate intervention.
3 Mile Island was an overblown media sensation. Chernobyl was a poorly designed and poorly maintained facility doing a live stress controlled by complete morons that literally could not have happened in the next generation reactor design. Fukushima took a literal force of nature to cause an issue and even then it was originally designed to handle it but cost cutting during construction moved the backup power source too close to the water.
Meanwhile the current generation reactors, even discounting SMR, are designed to make those failure modes physically impossible. The ultra-modern SMR designs are already producing commercial power in China with North America following suit in the next 36 months or so.
Welcome to the best reason to avoid nuclear. People will always cut costs.
Yeah, this is the factor that has me more negative on nuclear power than positive, even though I believe it can be one of the safest ways to generate a lot of power, that depends on people not cutting corners.
They are also a pretty big liability during military conflicts, especially if it’s with a far away enemy that isn’t worried about the local fallout from a strike.
Mining and concentration are a big problem too. In situ mining with acid threatens ground water, and everywhere material is mined and stored they are under the threat of either bad actors, or foreign government/corporate intervention.
deleted by creator