Some really good news

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle, operated by Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power, is the first new nuclear building project in more than three decades in the United States. A second reactor, Unit 4, is expected to be operational at the site by the end of the year or early 2024.

[link:https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2023/07/31/westinghouse-plant-vogtle-ap1000.html?csrc=6398&utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook|

These Westinghouse plants can generate power for over a million households with zero green house gases, with a facility that would almost fit in a football field saving some 7 million tons of CO2 per year per plant.

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

1. Just a side comment

Last edited Thu Aug 3, 2023, 12:58 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't think this will help much with global climate change, but it absolutely reduces the horrible environmental damage coal production does, as well as the particulates in our air when it's burned and the health problems that creates, and the toxic sludge that comes out of the coal stack scrubbers that creates whole other very long term environmental damage.

[pwb]

2. If it takes the coal plants off line

it will definitely help the climate. The smaller size is good.

[hunter]

3. We ought to be building these without stop, streamlining the process, mass producing the components.

When a crew finishes at one nuclear power plant, move them onto the next.

At the same time we could be putting more money than we do now into more efficient reactor designs that are capable of using materials we now consider waste as fuel.

Keep on going until there are no fossil fuel power plants remaining.

Thankfully the U.S.A. did not shut down it's nuclear power industry entirely. We're not starting from scratch.

Nuclear power is the only energy resource capable of displacing fossil fuels entirely, which is something we must do.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

9. Agree...hope we have enough time.

We’re cooking.

[Think. Again.]

4. Excellent news that It's getting so close to completion...

We desperately need to displace fossil fuel burning and this plant, despite the cost and scheduling over-runs, will help a lot to do that, especially when unit 4 is finally done early next year.

I sincerely hope the long, hard road this plant has struggled with will help the nuclear power industry finally pull itself together to get past the giant learning curve they're struggling with, because we need safe, plentiful, non-CO2 energy NOW.

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

5. Funny thing is

Westinghouse, here in Pittsburgh, have built more nuclear plants overseas because of regulatory BS here in the US.

Biden needs to push to fast track these plants!

[Think. Again.]

6. But that's good too!...

CO2 emissions are a global issue, no boundaries in the atmosphere, so any new (safely built) nuclear plants are a positive move to displace the burning of fossil fuels!

I'm curious: did Westinghouse have better luck with cost and scheduling targets with those overseas plants?

From what I've read about the Vogtle plant, the construction fiasco was due more to corrupt individuals involved with the construction process than to the safety regulations that are in place.

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

7. It's the regulations that are an obstacle here

It's been a while since I read up on the past, but this plant was a fiasco for going over budget, but yeah, a lot was contractors hiding behind regulations to get more billable hours.

Overseas was another matter, but they've really went crazy on safety (as an engineer myself).

[Think. Again.]

8. I remember reading that...

...the initial delays and overages were caused by the company itself misplacing thousands of documents (?), but that was just the first round of screw ups, I believe.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that there are stringent safety regulations on these high health risk projects and I'm also glad to hear that the nuclear power industry is learning how to successfully deal with these legitimate requirements.

We DO need safe nuclear power, at least until we can get past fossil fuels.

[Finishline42]

10. The principle mistake we in the US have made

Is to not nationalize the construction and operation of our nuclear plants.

The mishmash of competency between utility companies is what put us into this situation.

We need a competent organization that gets experience building a plant, learns from mistakes and then builds the next one better.

What we have is a new learning experience with each plant being built.

[Think. Again.]

11. Yes, Good thinking...

I recently read that the Dept of Energy is considering ways to collaborate with new private energy efforts by somehow incorporating the use of large tracts of land the Energy Dept. owns.

Perhaps more collaboration of all kinds would be a positive move as we work toward the transition away from fossil fuels.