who would support a nuclear power plant near their town/city
who would support a nuclear power plant near their town/city
I'm not sure if we're allowed to ask questions on this sub. It seems mostly news articles but I figured I'd give it a go.
So Bruce Power in Ontario is planning to build the world's biggest nuclear plant in the world (by expanding on an existing plant).
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ontario-new-nuclear-build-1.6897701
BC is more well known for hydroelectric, but that particular source hasn't really been greatly expanded on in decades and site-C is pretty controversial.
This got be thinking:
How do we in BC feel about nuclear power? Would you support one near where you live? Why or why not, and what other power options would you prefer?
We'd locate it where earthquakes - those not caused by fracking - have been historically very rare.
That's just room-temperature-IQ smart.
Also, Nuke plants are pretty resilient, as long as they aren't hit with a massive quake and then a massive tsunami.
Also, Nuke plants historically release LESS radioactive material over their lifetime than a coal plant; and it's not even close. Go look.
It's not a choice between nuclear and coal. Both suck. Nuclear "green" power besides the risk also leaves behind radio active waste for centuries that nobody wants to deal with. Go look.
saying nuclear and coal both suck is kind of like saying both a plate of shit and a plate of overcooked brussels spouts would suck to eat for dinner. In theory I don't like either but one is significantly worse.
At least with nuclear waste it's not loosely scattered in the atmosphere, doesn't have a harmful effect as long as it's properly stored, and in the future we will likely have better ways to deal with it.
also leaves behind radio active waste for centuries
97% of the waste produced from non-breeder reactors is what’s classified as low-level or intermediate-level waste. The low-level waste in particular is only dangerous for a few decades to a century on the outside. The containers for anything more hazardous (the ‘Type B’ casks) have never seen an accident which have breached it, and are designed to exist in pristine condition for over a thousand years without maintenance.
Modern disposal techniques of the Intermediate-level and high-level waste also includes vitrification. This involves embedding the waste within molten glass, which is incredibly resilient to environmental conditions over several millennia.
I'm pro nuclear and pro renewable. Maybe there'd be appetite for one in the interior but I live in the lower mainland and don't see how it could be done here (politics, unceded territory etc).
I'm on board. Good luck with the general population...
I mean, I live in Vancouver which expects a large earthquake at some point. Earthquakes are bad but seriously awful with a nuclear power plant nearby.
In general though, nuclear is probably one of the best options to help transition towards a renewable economy. (Not itself renewable but to my understanding, significantly less carbon intensive than gas, coal or oil, even including the mining and refining. But I could be wrong.)
Looking at Japan, earthquakes aren't that big of a problem.
Tsunamis that take out the backup energy system and destroy all the surrounding infrastructure.. that was the problem.
In my opinion, nuclear power plants should give away 5% of their energy to surrounding residents and provide district heating. That's only fair to compensate for the reduction in property values.
Not from BC, but I've long thought that existing hydroelectric dam sites are perfect locations for nuclear plants.
- Lots of cooling water, if that's still required for the newest designs.
- Not just a ready connection to the grid, but one designed as a power source.
- Geologically stable (at least I hope nobody is building dams in earthquake zones!).
- Normally pretty nice places to live with plenty of outdoorsy stuff to do that also typically have room for at least small communities to develop.
I'm retired now, but I'd have jumped at the chance to work in a nuclear plant or supporting industry at Gardiner or E.B. Campbell Dam and live on the shores of the associated lakes or in a nearby community. Saskatchewan is already a major source of uranium and could stand to add refinement, use, and storage (put the waste right back into the geologically stable mines it came from).
On that last note, done right, the waste storage could be right on-site. That's what's happening in many cases anyway, and most hydroelectric dams are located away from major population centres and are geologically stable.
m not sure if we're allowed to ask questions on this sub. It seems mostly news articles but I figured I'd give it a go.
I think we could use more text posts :)
Me. Give me that plutonium green power please.
Not super into the plutonium kind. Would prefer one of those modular liquid salt deals the conservatives were pushing last election... but less moronic. See now that I think on how these clowns can't care for a cat maybe we shouldn't get a nuclear plant. Not because nuclear is bad.
It's widely known that there is less radiation near a nuclear plant. The reason is that it is heavily regulated and also the walls back random radiation from other sources.
I would gladly see those shipping container sized mini nuclear plants scattered around my entire region. Super-safe, impossible to melt down, can be installed into an underground bunker completely out of sight, and good for close to two decades of power. Have them all feed into the same grid with 50% overprovisioning, and such a network could be almost blackout-proof. Even if a major transmission pole goes down, there would be enough units installed within the affected area to keep it energized, even if it browns out. Install smart electrical panels that can communicate with the closest unit, and any brownout can have nonessential circuits in homes get temporarily shut off to lighten the load.
Pebble bed reactors? Yeah those things look awesome. They could have one for each major neighborhood of a decent sized city for independent power
To hell with the power it generates how about those sweet long term high skilled jobs? Granted I could do without the yearly influx of outage workers but if that ends up being CANDU then not so much of a problem.
Kind of off topic but I wonder what’s going to happen to the nuclear plant in Ukraine now that Russia has rigged it with explosives. Seems like nuclear plants are great until there is instability from natural disasters, climate, war or mismanagement. Then they become a threat to everyone around them.
I guess I wouldn't mind it