DoomsdaysCW<p>Report Finds That ‘Advanced’ <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nuclear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Nuclear</span></a> Reactor Designs Are No Better Than Current Reactors—and Some Are Worse</p><p>Proposed Non-Light-Water Reactors Not Clearly Safer and Will Likely Take Decades to Achieve Reliable Commercial Operation</p><p>Published Mar 18, 2021<br>Union of Concerned Scientists</p><p>"One of the proposed sodium-cooled fast reactors, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TerraPower" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TerraPower</span></a>’s 345 megawatt <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Natrium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Natrium</span></a>, has received considerable media attention recently because TerraPower founder <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BillGates" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BillGates</span></a> has been citing it during interviews about his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. In mid-February, Gates told 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper that the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Natrium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Natrium</span></a> reactor will produce less waste and be safer than a conventional light-water reactor.</p><p>"In fact, according to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UCS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>UCS</span></a> report, sodium-cooled fast reactors such as the Natrium would likely be less '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/uranium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>uranium</span></a>-efficient.' They would not reduce the amount of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NuclearWaste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NuclearWaste</span></a> that requires long-term isolation in a geologic repository. They also could experience safety problems that are not an issue for light-water reactors. </p><p>"Sodium coolant, for example, can burn when exposed to air or water, and a sodium-cooled fast reactor could experience uncontrollable power increases that result in rapid core melting.</p><p>“'When it comes to safety and security, sodium-cooled fast reactors and molten salt-fueled reactors are significantly worse than conventional light-water reactors,' says Dr. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EdwinLyman" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EdwinLyman</span></a>. <br>'High-temperature, gas-cooled reactors may have the potential to be safer, but that remains unproven, and problems have come up during recent fuel safety tests.'"</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/report-advanced-nuclear-reactors-no-better-current-fleet" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">ucsusa.org/about/news/report-a</span><span class="invisible">dvanced-nuclear-reactors-no-better-current-fleet</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MSRHype" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MSRHype</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoNukes</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoNewNukes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoNewNukes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SmallModularNuclearReactors" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SmallModularNuclearReactors</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BigEnergy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SMR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SMR</span></a></p>