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David Blee and Llewellyn King get the ANS Chicago Section excited about the future of nuclear energy

2/4/2014

8 Comments

 
By Lenka Kollar

The January 2014 meeting of the Chicago Local Section of the American Nuclear Society featured keynote speaker, David Blee, Executive Director of the United States Nuclear Infrastructure Council. The council  is an industry-driven nonprofit organization that advocates for new nuclear energy build in the United States and deployment of the U.S. nuclear supply chain globally. Currently, the council is advocating for U.S. industry involvement in the decontamination and decommissioning of Fukushima Daichi in Japan, along with the swift negotiation of 123 Agreements and reformation of U.S. nuclear export control procedures.

David Blee notes that it is "the best of times, and the worst of times" for the U.S. nuclear energy industry. One one hand, natural gas is extremely cheap, diminishing the financial case for nuclear power, and the U.S. is not getting international contracts to build reactors. On the other hand, we still have the largest and safest fleet of nuclear reactors in the world and other countries want U.S. technology. Right now is truly a tipping point for the nuclear industry, as compared to the popular documentary, Waiting for 'Superman'. The industry can either start to phase out, or we can have that nuclear renaissance we were hoping for.
Picture
Olkiluoto 3 under construction in Finland.
Blee says that we need small modular reactors to revive the U.S. supply chain, we need VC Summer and Vogtle to be online on-time to encourage investors, and we need to engage in the global market. There are currently 70 nuclear power plants being built outside of the U.S., many of them in new markets, and they all want the American supply chain and safety culture.

At the end of the meeting, White House Chronicle host Llewellyn King inspired the Chicago ANS Section members by saying that the nuclear field has lost the excitement we once had. People used to be thrilled about what the new nuclear technology could do for mankind. The industry needs to have that excitement again to excite the public and policymakers.

I slightly disagree with Mr. King in that I think the younger generation in nuclear is very excited. We see the potential of nuclear energy and other nuclear technologies, such as medicine, to solve our energy needs and enhance our lives. Now we just have to tell everyone else how excited we are!

What nuclear technology gets you the most excited? I'm most intrigued by small battery-type reactors that could power remote areas. I also think radiation therapy for cancer treatment is pretty awesome.
8 Comments
PilotBob link
2/4/2014 01:49:36 am

Would it not be possible to repair/restart Fukashima? The site is there as is all the infrastructure?

(btw: I couldn't commend in Chrome... the form doesn't show)

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Lenka Kollar link
2/4/2014 05:13:04 am

The damaged reactor would be difficult to start up and I think that the public would be against it. Even the undamaged units are being decommissioned even though they could easily be restarted.

Thanks for alerting me about the Chrome issue, I'll try to get it fixed.

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Pilotbob link
2/4/2014 05:22:01 am

Right... I'm really asking about the site. It seems a waste to shut the whole site down doesn't it. With all the infrastructure?

Why not restart the undamaged reactors. The site could be improved to deal with possible future Tsunamis. It just seems a waste to shut the whole plant down.

Lenka Kollar link
2/4/2014 05:25:07 am

I definitely agree that it's a waste but can you imagine the world news headlines…"Fukushima power plant damaged by tsunami in 2011 reopens." There would be a worldwide public outcry, unfortunately.

Engineer-Poet link
2/4/2014 01:51:06 pm

The shoreline is just a bit crowded there. Until the damaged plants and all those water tanks are removed, there's not a whole lot of room to put new construction.

It is crazy IMHO to dismantle the two un-damaged reactors.  Japan needs all the non-fossil electricity it can get, and the climate needs the carbon savings. But publics and pols around the world are far from rational beings.

Rod Adams link
2/5/2014 07:50:56 pm

Units 5 and 6 should be restarted, not decommissioned. Tepco is currently planning to bow to public opinion, but a better response from the rest of us might be to stoke public opinion in favor of a restart.

We should learn some lessons from the success of the nuclear opposition. One important lesson is that the public's opinion on many important matters can be shaped; it just takes consistent effort and a reasonable story that can be adopted.

It may sound a little condescending, but please consider the truth in the statement that the public really does not have opinions unless it is told to have them by someone it trusts. We need to work hard to be trusted influencers of public opinion.

Wasting emissions free assets that have already been bought and paid for should never be popular. We should take advantage of that to help people understand that is exactly what the people who advocate decommissioning units 5 and 6 are doing.

Reply
PilotBob
2/5/2014 11:00:47 pm

Rod,

I like, thumbs up, and plus one your comment! But, how can we make it happen. Why isn't there a pro-nuclear lobby that's on top of this?

Lenka Kollar link
2/10/2014 01:33:18 am

Rod, I definitely agree that public opinion is shaped by what people hear from the people they trust, and not necessarily facts. We can work hard on being trusted influencers but how do we increases our audience to make true impact?




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