Readers might enjoy the article along with reader comments and the supplied links concerning this “Green Nuke Technology”.

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/39578

Carl Nemo **==

From the article above:

“The nuclear industry says last week’s quake proved reactors are robust. When the rumbling knocked out off-site power to the North Anna plant in Mineral, Va., the reactors shut down and cooled successfully, and the plant’s four locomotive-sized diesel generators turned on.”

What are the odds that the site chosen is the epicenter of the quake?

I’m glad the latest version of experts have put numbers into the evaluation. 24 times greater than 0? San Andreas defies logic, then and forever.

Another tragedy is that a number of current reactors are using MOX fuel which is a mix of nuclear oxides, plutonium (U239) being one of them which kicks the related hazards of a meltdown up exponentially. The industry is trying to integrate plutonium into the reactor fuel in order to deplete the large supply of this element from the process of decommissioning nuclear weapons including that of Russia our former cold war enemy. It may be well intentioned, but not thought out well in terms of the consequences as function of a meltdown as in Japan and possibly other locations in the future.

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MOX fuel, is nuclear fuel that contains more than one oxide of fissile material. MOX fuel contains plutonium blended with natural uranium oxides, reprocessed uranium, or depleted uranium. MOX fuel is an alternative to the low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel used in the light water reactors that predominate nuclear power generation. For example, a mixture of 7% plutonium and 93% uranium reacts similarly, although not identically, to LEU fuel. …extract from Wiki

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A thorium based reactor is an absolutely elegant way to produce electricity without the extreme hazards of long term nuclear waste and meltdowns. The reason we didn’t go that route from the beginning is that the “cold war” mandated the production of weapons grade plutonium for our nuclear arsenal.

Here’a Wiki link concerning Thorium and for those that wish to educate themselves futher simply fetch thorium reactors on the www.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium_fuel_cycle

This is a technology that needs to be brought on line asap with older uranium based fuel cycle plants phased out. If and when fusion powered plants come on line. the thorium based one’s can function along with them until they too are phased out, but with the luxury of keeping them online as long as necessary due to their extremely low hazard profile and threat of a “meltdown”.

Carl Nemo **==

San Andreas is the Mother of all faults; what more can I say?