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https://theconversation.com/100-000-years-and-counting-how-do-we-tell-future-generations-about-highly-radioactive-nuclear-waste-repositories-199441>
"In Europe, increasing efforts on climate change mitigation, a sudden focus on
energy independence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and reported
breakthroughs in nuclear fusion have sparked renewed interest in the potential
of nuclear power. So-called small modular reactors (SMRs) are increasingly
under development, and familiar promises about nuclear power’s potential are
being revived.
Nuclear power is routinely portrayed by proponents as the source of “limitless”
amounts of carbon-free electricity. The rhetorical move from speaking about
“renewable energy” to “fossil-free energy” is increasingly evident, and
telling.
Yet nuclear energy production requires managing what is known as “spent”
nuclear fuel where major problems arise about how best to safeguard these waste
materials into the future – especially should nuclear energy production
increase. Short-term storage facilities have been in place for decades, but the
question of their long-term deposition has caused intense political debates,
with a number of projects being delayed or cancelled entirely. In the United
States, work on the Yucca Mountain facility has stopped completely leaving the
country with 93 nuclear reactors and no long-term storage site for the waste
they produce."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
