News

1751 readers

1 users here now

Breaking news and current events worldwide.

founded 1 year ago

144

The first US nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia (apnews.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

37 comments fedilink hide all child comments

ATLANTA (AP) — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation, becoming the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ironically, a major reason for this is environmentalists themselves. Nuclear power would be way cheaper if it wasn't for their panic over things that contain atoms.

In terms of safety, there's a big difference between nuclear technologies that fail elegantly like LFTR and more traditional designs that tend to use weaponized isotopes with very long half-lives, and can meltdown and explode when operated incorrectly.

I can understand why environmentalists look at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and say, hmm, maybe we shouldn't do that.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

The issue is you have a fairly large contingent that unknowingly bought the fossil fuel company kool-aid and wholehearted think all nuclear is bad

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

LFTR costs so much up front and if it does fail which is why it isn't utilized, which sucks because it's massively more efficient, cheaper to fuel, and like 1/10th the size. So over time it's ultimately cheaper than current gen reactors. Even with the failure cost replacement, there's no fallout because of its walkaway design, so yeah it's a LOT cheaper than a normal reactor failing.

Also it's the only reactor design so far that could work in space like on the moon or Mars.