Not so good vibrations

The two reactors under construction at the Vogtle nuclear power plant site in Georgia are already years behind. Originally expected to cost $14 billion with the first unit, Vogtle 3, anticipated to come on line in 2016, neither are finished. The cost is now likely to exceed $30 billion.  Over the years there have been…

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Fossil to fission? The latest step backward on climate

This week on Beyond Nuclear International, we look at the latest bad scheme from the US Department of Energy — and one that we, the taxpayers will have to pay for. It’s called Coal to Nuclear — or C2N — and aims to convert closed coal power plants into “new” nuclear power plants (most likely…

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NRC closes door on Comanche public meetings

This week on Nuclear Hotseat: Aging nuclear reactors become increasingly dangerous and prone to breakdowns and radiation releases. Comanche Peak nuclear power plant’s two nuclear reactors in Somervell County, Texas, should be retired, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering letting them run for 20 additional years, until 2050. Heading the fight to stop…

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PALISADES DECOMMISSIONING: Groups Meet Public Comment Deadline

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) set a December 27, 2022 public comment deadline re: Holtec’s Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) and Site-Specific Decommissioning Cost Estimate (DCE). Despite the holidays, and the fact that Holtec is scheming to restart the reactor (and/or build one or more Small Modular Reactors on the site), not decommission it,…

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ZOMBIE reactor to re-apply for billion dollar bailout

Holtec has pulled yet another bait and switch. On December 19, it announced its second attempt at a billion dollar, or more, bailout to restart the Palisades reactor on Lake Michigan’s shore in southwest Michigan (pictured). Palisades was closed for good May 20 by previous owner Entergy, and its operating license relinquished in mid-June. Holtec…

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The latest fusion hype

Despite the hype and the headlines, the real agenda behind the fusion “breakthrough” announced this week is to benefit the nuclear weapons sector, not electricity production. The NIF experiment far more closely resembles the process of a (very tiny) thermonuclear warhead. Since the U.S. has not tested nuclear weapons since 1992, the data from experiments…

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