What the U.S. Should Really Fear About Nuclear Power

US Chamber of Commerce: Institute for 21st Century Energy ^ | September 21, 2009 | U.S. Senator, Lamar Alexander

[Eagle9]

Food for thought. From a RINO, no less.

[DannyTN]

"Are we going to be able to compete with countries that have cheap, clean, reliable nuclear power while we’re stuck with a bunch of windmills and solar farms producing expensive, unreliable energy or, more likely, not much energy at all?"

No we will not be able to compete. We are betting the farm, on "green" power. And we will find ourselves in a position where we have to sell the farm to the Middle east, and we will not be cost competitive with anybody.

[truthguy]

This is a brilliant article and I agree that Nuclear power is absolutely essential for America's future.

Will we develop it? I doubt it.

The American public is simply too stupid to know what is at stake. I never miss an opportunity to push Nuclear Power whenever and wherever I can. But in talking to the average person I realize just how dumb the great majority of people really are. After all just look at whose in the White House.

No I'm afraid we have reached some point of terminal stupidity here. The American Public is getting dumber by the day it seems. They believe in this global warming garbage and they don't seem to be able to answer the simple questions about what you do with Solar Power when there is no Sun.

What we will need is major blackouts and brownouts and perhaps 25-30% unemployment. But you know even then I don't think they will get it. They are just too dumb.

[this_ol_patriot]

When we do update what nuclear power we have we buy the steam generators from France. Exelon spent 300 million for new steam generators for TMI bought from Areva of France.

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_13452268?IADID=Search-ydr.inyork.com-ydr.inyork.com#

[kidd]

Some inaccuracies here:

The Chinese eventually chose Westinghouse technology for their first reactors. At the time Westinghouse was an American company. In 2007, Toshiba bought Westinghouse so it is now a Japanese company.

When the Chinese purchased the 4 plants, Westinghouse was an autonomous division of BNFL, a British company owned by the British government. While quite profitable, Parliament felt that it was outside BNFL's charter to have a foreign division, thus Westinghouse was sold.

Now Westinghouse is an autonomous division of Toshiba, an independent company. Toshiba presently has two profitable divisions, one of them is Westinghouse.

While it sounds like Westinghouse gave away the farm, there are certain huge advantages to Westinghouse. First of all, the sale gives Westinghouse the chance to "staff-up." Don't underestimate how difficult this is...there is only a very small handful of engineers still around who have actually built a nuclear plant. Second, Westinghouse will continue to reap profits from the Chinese for operations and maintenance of the plants that were sold.

Finally, Congress really screwed up. When "stimulus" funds were being debated, there was a provision to increase the amount of nuke plant loan guarantees. Right now, there is about $125 billion worth of business chasing only $17 billion of loan guarantees. Congress elected to eliminate that from the stimulus bill. Had it been passed, Westinghouse would have HAD to open domestic capabilities to forge large vessels. These were just loan guarantees, not actual loans

[Rafterman]

Nuclear power BUMP!

(Licensed reactor operator, Turkey Point nuclear plant)

[Big Giant Head]

bookmark

[listenhillary]

The 787 billion in stimulus money could have acted as a loan guarantee for a hundred new nuclear power plants. Interest free financing for the power companies. Use some of that stimulus to build several steel plants capable of making the reactor domes.

They would have had to restrict lawsuits from the envirowhackos. Let them express any concerns they have, see if they were reasonable and after that point tell then to STFU.

[listenhillary]

Bump

[thackney]

BTTT

[Eagle9]

Thanks for the correction and updated info.

[MrB]

The point is NOT to compete.

There is no other logical explanation of liberal positions on issues like energy, economy, and culture than -

THEY DON’T WANT US TO SUCCEED.

The Secret to the Suicidal Liberal Mind:
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/1/20/231252.shtml

[The Great RJ]

We will waste billions of dollars on windmills and solar plants and kill off coal plants with cap and trade only to be sitting in the dark in our sweltering or freezing homes and businesses because electric supplies are inadequate and too expensive. When we finally wake up we will be buying nuclear technology from foreign companies. Thanks Obama.

[Eagle9]

We will waste billions of dollars on windmills and solar plants and kill off coal plants with cap and trade only to be sitting in the dark in our sweltering or freezing homes and businesses because electric supplies are inadequate and too expensive. When we finally wake up we will be buying nuclear technology from foreign companies. Thanks Obama.

That is so sad but I think you're right. Think of the jobs that would be created in steel mills, updating the grid, concrete, infrastructure, and the list goes on ...

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Terrific article.

Without even thinking about the national security implications or the idea that the US, originator of this technology, has essentially abandoned it while the rest of the world has moved steadily ahead of where we left off...this is probably the most cogent metaphor for the general decline of the US.

Oh, sure, let’s emulate Europe and impose socialist health care systems and government controls on everything you can name, but whatever we do, let’s NOT emulate them on the adoption of nuclear energy. Let’s make sure we fall behind to a 1950’s standard of living while the rest of the world advances. Feh. Disgusting.

This, to me, is what America is truly arrogant about. “We” think we can write the rules as far as technological innovation beyond the laws of physics. We think we need to emulate the sophisticated nations of Europe, you know, the ones who would have destroyed themselves twice or maybe three times in brutal continental wars. We don’t need their socialism. But in the process of adopting a wonderful socialist-communist-fascist model, taking the second-worst out of each system, we will set the US back mainimally 50 years and probably permanently assign ourselves a nauseating standard of mediocrity.

[listenhillary]

BTTT

[Red Boots]

We will waste billions of dollars on windmills and solar plants and kill off coal plants with cap and trade only to be sitting in the dark in our sweltering or freezing homes and businesses because electric supplies are inadequate and too expensive. When we finally wake up we will be buying nuclear technology from foreign companies. Thanks Obama.

And uranium too. Because the environmentalists under governor Bill Ritter just got the existing uranium mines of Colorado and their ready to go stockpiles, all placed off limits, because they are bat havens !

[prophetic]

so how many square miles of wind turbines will it take to generate as much electricity a medium sized nuclear reactor? 200-8000 square miles? Wind energy is also so 100% dependent of the variables of the WEATHER and cost several times MORE per kilowatt of energy to produce (up to 20x) and there are so many windmills to be maintained!!

But hey, at least its green energy and who give a damm if it kills the economy and jobs - its the ultimate hollyweird liberal wet dream of SAVING THE GODDESS GIAH EARTH while staying away from the likes of Evil Oil or Killer Nukes!!

[Eagle9]

Well said.

[Eagle9]

But hey, at least its green energy and who give a damm if it kills the economy and jobs - its the ultimate hollyweird liberal wet dream of SAVING THE GODDESS GIAH EARTH while staying away from the likes of Evil Oil or Killer Nukes!!

Thou shalt not speak ill of Gaia, Mother of of All, the cryosphere and and and and ...