China ahead of US in nuclear power? They have 1st working 4th Generation reactor in operation; US lagging

[uihawk82]

Our politicians, thinkers, and planners are blowing it. The US built the first molten salt reactor in the 1950s-60s. They are safer a the first one ran for a few years in test mode. Molten salt reactors are one type of 4th generation reactor.

Yet it is China with the first commercial 4th Gen reactor and Russia is building them.

Global warming is worse and all of us need to push our leaders to make this a moon landing type project. Terrapower is building a plant in Wyoming but it is still 3-5 years away. There are a couple of other US companies doing this including a project for small modular reactors for the Defense Dept.

How Innovative Is China in Nuclear Power?

Though China built upon a foreign base of technology, it has become the world’s leading proponent of nuclear energy. Chinese firms are well ahead of their Western peers, supported by a whole-of-government strategy that provides extensive financing and systemic coordination.

itif.org

 

[bhawk24bob]

Maryland has a power problem in that it uses something absurd like 4-5x what it produces thanks to shutting down plants to satisfy the environmental lobby while also not building new plants thanks to the nimby crowd. Whatever, but it's causing utility rates to skyrocket and now everybody in Annapolis has his/her dumbfounded look about what to do. And Virginia needs more power because they are business-friendly and grow, while Maryland's answer to everything is to increase tolls and license plate fees......so they're going to start running lines through Maryland from Pennsylvania to Virginia, much to the anger of Marylanders.

So what's the obvious answer besides all of that coal waiting to be mined in West Virginia? Nuclear. But what's the environmentalist reaction and time to market? No, and 12 years due to the regulatory environment.

 

[uihawk82]

Maryland has a power problem in that it uses something absurd like 4-5x what it produces thanks to shutting down plants to satisfy the environmental lobby while also not building new plants thanks to the nimby crowd. Whatever, but it's causing utility rates to skyrocket and now everybody in Annapolis has his/her dumbfounded look about what to do. And Virginia needs more power because they are business-friendly and grow, while Maryland's answer to everything is to increase tolls and license plate fees......so they're going to start running lines through Maryland from Pennsylvania to Virginia, much to the anger of Marylanders.

So what's the obvious answer besides all of that coal waiting to be mined in West Virginia? Nuclear. But what's the environmentalist reaction and time to market? No, and 12 years due to the regulatory environment.

Fact: The volume of waste nuclear is not much and
SOME 4TH GEN REACTORS USE NUCLEAR WASTE AS FUEL

2. The U.S. generates about 2,000 metric tons of spent fuel each year​

This number may sound like a lot, but the volume of the spent fuel assemblies is actually quite small considering the amount of energy they produce.

The amount is roughly equivalent to less than half the volume of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/5-fast-facts-about-spent-nuclear-fuel#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20generates%20about%202%2C000,an%20Olympic%2Dsized%20swimming%20pool.

 

[hydro2.0]

I don’t know shit about fuk but I wish the United States would embrace nuclear energy. Seems like a no brainer

 

[uihawk82]

Maryland has a power problem in that it uses something absurd like 4-5x what it produces thanks to shutting down plants to satisfy the environmental lobby while also not building new plants thanks to the nimby crowd. Whatever, but it's causing utility rates to skyrocket and now everybody in Annapolis has his/her dumbfounded look about what to do. And Virginia needs more power because they are business-friendly and grow, while Maryland's answer to everything is to increase tolls and license plate fees......so they're going to start running lines through Maryland from Pennsylvania to Virginia, much to the anger of Marylanders.

So what's the obvious answer besides all of that coal waiting to be mined in West Virginia? Nuclear. But what's the environmentalist reaction and time to market? No, and 12 years due to the regulatory environment.

I think it ironic that the nuclear industry reactors have not killed many people compared to cigs, booze, and car accidents, not many at all. And people get more radiation exposure from flying in airliners and from background radiation and radon than from nuclear reactors.

And the environmentalists you mention are also fretting and wringing their hands over Global Warming and fossil fuel use but they cant get around to wanting safe fission reactors.

Lets build a bunch of reactors that use the radioactive wastes that previous high pressure water/steam created.

 

[ping72]

I don’t know shit about fuk but I wish the United States would embrace nuclear energy. Seems like a no brainer

Lots of people do… until there are plans for a nuclear plant in their neighborhood. Then then freak out.

A good number are proposed, but are always greatly opposed by anyone in the area. China can just build one.

 

[Kelsers]

Lots of people do… until there are plans for a nuclear plant in their neighborhood. Then then freak out.

A good number are proposed, but are always greatly opposed by anyone in the area. China can just build one.

It’s not like they would be built near residential areas.

 

[uihawk82]

Lots of people do… until there are plans for a nuclear plant in their neighborhood. Then then freak out.

A good number are proposed, but are always greatly opposed by anyone in the area. China can just build one.

Exactly, a tightly run authoriarian govt can build whatever it wants and where it wants.

But China has been building a boat load of coal plants over the last 20 years and then they saw the crappy smog in their cities. Now they will probably have 500% more nuclear by 2040.

I want to try to stay away from politics here but we have too many people in this country that just want to get richer and pass tax cuts, etc rather than admit there is Global Warming and try to close all coal fired plants and get rid of the gas powered electricity generating plants.

Our leaders are really not focused on fixing things in this country but only getting re-elected and that goes for most all of them.

 

[bhawk24bob]

I think it ironic that the nuclear industry reactors have not killed many people compared to cigs, booze, and car accidents, not many at all. And people get more radiation exposure from flying in airliners and from background radiation and radon than from nuclear reactors.

And the environmentalists you mention are also fretting and wringing their hands over Global Warming and fossil fuel use but they cant get around to wanting safe fission reactors.

Lets build a bunch of reactors that use the radioactive wastes that previous high pressure water/steam created.

There's a lot of ironic things with it and the circular logic is mindboggling. Maryland has a mandate that by 2035, all vehicles sold in the state must be electric. I think any sane person knows that it's not going to happen, but what do the politicians think will power these electric vehicles if they keep closing plants and not building generating capacity?

The answer here is so simple but the environmental lobby will primary the politicians that they currently have voting for their agenda. So, everybody pays for it until it breaks.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

China eliminates red tape by squashing it.

Of course they are going to do infrastructure faster.

“Would you like to live?” Cuts through a lot of red tape and protests.

 

[uihawk82]

It’s not like they would be built near residential areas.

Correct, and these types of reactors are also being designed as small modular reactors and can be ganged together for various size cities and geographical areas.

They can be built faster because many of the designs do not need the 4 foot thick concrete containment vessels and domes around the reactors. They have inherent and new designed safety features.