What's always convinced me that nuclear plants are the way to go for power is the US Navy's safety record- been operating nuclear plants in the most hazardous locations ( Marine, submarine ) since the nineteen-fifties without a fatality.
Obviously, they can be run safely with the right personnel and controls.
Well without a reactor related fatality anyway. There was The Thresher incident.
But you are quite correct. Maybe they should let the Navy go into the electrical power generation business for profit. Their safety record is spotless. You know they won't cook the books.
And as a bonus the Navy could afford all the toys they wanted.
L
Lurker wrote: Maybe they should let the Navy go into the electrical power generation business for profit.
Guys, go inside a Nuke and you'll see quite a few former swabbies and Dolpins, espescially in maintenance, and usually the entire operating staff in the control room.
I've done a little work inside over the past ten years, I've never been in the military. But I now speak the phonic alphabet, give the Orders of the Day and insist everyone follow the posted SOP on all jobs I lead.
On the other hand, I've seen civilian management types order questionable, but discreet, short cuts to get a reactor back online at the end of a refuel outage. There are always those who think revenue over procedure.
I'll never live downwind, inside the dead zone of a Nuke.