Posted on 01/13/2006 9:45:18 PM PST by rjp2005
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Friday that his country should produce its own nuclear fuel for power plants, part of the West-leaning leader's effort to reduce its reliance on Russia following a dispute over natural gas prices.
"We must change our uranium policy - our policy on the use of uranium for peaceful purposes," Yushchenko said on national television. "We must cooperate with international allies on a serious political and economic level so that we can have a full cycle of processing and production of nuclear fuel."
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Depends. The more frictions now, the less likely the re-assimilation later. People normally have long memories. But proper transculturation will take something like 3-4 generations at the minimum.
I'm amazed that Ukraine of all places wants nuclear power. Large areas of that country are still off limits due to Chernobyl.
i think they got the idea when russia turned off their gas
Hilarious! I almost fell out of my chair (uranium chair) that was great thanks.
Nateman - Ukraine is still heavily dependant on Russia for natural gas, but conversely they also sit on all the major pipelines Russia exports to Europe.
Excellent article on the convoluted gas pipeline relationship here. Russia has cleverly built a line right along the Black Sea floor to Turkey to compensate. http://www.energybulletin.net/11933.html
We also should build nuclear plants, a lot of them...
Yep! But I am not so happy about a Ukraine produceing its own nuclear fuel for its power plants. Therefore you need a fuel reprocessing plant (FRP). This is a extremely dangerous technology if saftey is not the most important dictum. Since I absolutely do not trust into Ukrainian or Russian nuclear technology it would be much better if they could buy their fuel in the UK, the US, in France or elsewhere. This should not be a big problem.
Do you remember this BS from Chernobyl raining down on us?
Furthermore such a FRP opens the possibility to produce pure PU 239. Since the political situation in the Ukraine is not that stable as we wish, there is the possible danger that nuclear weapons are proliferatet.
Nuclear power for Ukraine is okay as long as they walk on "safe ground". I understand the need of cheap energy, but it would be helpful if it is not bought with dangerous crap.
I understand your fears but from their perspective it is absolutely strategic thing to do it in Ukraine. It would be even quite pathetic if they would not believe in their own skills.
Yushenko will not be in power long enough to realise this.
Well - you are even closer to it than we are. It is obvious that they do not have enough own skills to build a modern FRP.
Not funny if you get a call from Kiew: Warsaw - we have a problem...
The Ukrainians have an experience with nuclear plants. Consultations or even close cooperation with western companies are quite possible as well. Poland might be interested as well, in the future it would be possible to buy nuclear fuel from them.
Yep! We know it. This is why all Belorussians are able to use their mailboxes as microwaves in the meantime...
It would be much better if you Poles could do the reprocessing since you can be trusted not to trade in the cooling pumps for a refrigerator (sarcasm). Do not get me wrong, I have deep sympathy for the Ukraine, but it is simply the wrong way for them to get independent. I do not want to bore you with some real horror stories about nuclear power in Ukraine and Russia.
P.S.
This was serious. Why aren't you Poles building a FRP??! It would be indeed safer than in the Ukraine and would make (!!!) YOU (!!!) independent.
Lets ignore the fact that we currently have no nuclear plants at all. How could FRP make Poland independent if we haven’t own uranium?
Yep! We know it. This is why all Belorussians are able to use their mailboxes as microwaves in the meantime...
I don’t know why you are linking Chernobyl catastrophe with this project. I’m sure that it would be modern project not connected with old Soviet technology.
Beside from their perspective it is crucial thing to do, you still see this only from German perspective.
You are closer to it than we are.
Lets ignore the fact that we currently have no nuclear plants at all. How could FRP make Poland independent if we haven’t own uranium?
I didn't know that you have any reactors yet. It would be a intelligent move to establish own nuclear power plants due to your dependance to Russian energy. You probably know that the technology can be bought all around the world (execpt the FRP - tech which can be used for the production of nuclear warheads too). BTW - We Germans have plenty of Uranium in the Black Forrest and in Saxonia (WISMUT). The mines were closed during the red-green administration, but it would be very easy to reactivate them. BTW - the WISMUT-mines delivered the Uranium for the Soviet nuclear program. When I was a kid, we often went skiing with the school in the Menzenschwand area in the Black Forrest, where one of those mines is located. It was always very funny when our physics-teacher walked around with a Geiger counter to prove the extreme natural radioactivity of the rivers there. Furthermore you can buy uranium (or plutonium - the Russians "burn" their old warheads in the meantime) out of many different sources.
I don’t know why you are linking Chernobyl catastrophe with this project. I’m sure that it would be modern project not connected with old Soviet technology. Beside from their perspective it is crucial thing to do, you still see this only from German perspective.
Personally I do not believe that somebody is going to sell them modern FRP-technology since it is also the basement for the production of nuclear warheads. There are only a few countries who have such technology like Russia, the US, France and GB. Germany closed its small scale FRP-plant in Karlsruhe after the bigger FRP-plant in Wackersdorf could not be buildt due to political resistance. From that time we have several tons (!) of weapon-capable PU-239 left. Nobody wants to have the Ukraine able to build nuclear weapons. Therefore they have to build their FRP-plant alone. After we had the experience of their nuclear potentials I doubt that this is a good idea.
BTW- they do not need a FRP-plant since the Brits, France or even Russia will reprocess their fuel rods. There is absolutely no dependance like they have on natural gas. This is a completely different issue.
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