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Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

theregister.co.uk

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Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#11

Post by hartror »

motters wrote: post #4

Pretty jaw-dropping journalism, even by Register standards. Anyone trying to suggest that the situation at Fukushima is "under control" and is somehow a nuclear industry safety success story hasn't been paying close enough attention.

I don't get the impression the article suggests things are under control, more that the risks have been greatly exaggerated. The main points seem to be these:

1. The engineers working at the plant have more options they can fall back on to prevent a major radiation leak and the chances of a major leak is pretty unlikely due to the inherit characteristics of the reactors.

2. The reactors were pushed 5x beyond spec in an extraordinary event and have performed well even though they were designed 40+ years ago. This is a testament to the safety system design and technology in the reactors.

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#12

Post by rimantas »

paganel wrote: post #9
lurch_mojoff wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you are right, but it's just as dishonest to present the situation as completely out of control and use Fukushima as an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous. Which is what mainstream media has been mostly doing.

> an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous 50 people sacrificing their lives so that anything even shittier would not happen "is safe and not dangerous"? I fail to imagine what you really find "unsafe and dangerous".

Pretty much every other energy source is more dangerous than nuclear. http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/03/deaths-per-twh-for-all-ener...

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#13

Post by kahawe »

While the mainstream media is busy selling the global nuclear angel of death scare to people, the techies are just as busy to convince everyone of the other extreme: absolutely everything is fine!!!

While there are certainly quite a few engineering victories to be claimed here, I would not call several explosions at a nuclear plant "nothing happened". Also, the earthquake did damage at least reactor 4, there are two approx. 8m² holes.

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#14

Post by BvS »

_delirium wrote: post #2

At Chernobyl, this actually happened inside the containment vessel and the resulting explosion ruptured the vessel, leading to a serious release of core radioactives – though this has had basically zero effect on the world in general nor even much impact on the area around Chernobyl. Even just as a matter of rhetoric and persuasion, I think trying to argue that Chernobyl wasn't all that bad isn't the route you want t…

I watched a documentary about Chernobyl yesterday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiCXb1Nhd1o) an although it's obviously a little sensationalist/emotional I have a really hard time having any respect for people claiming it didn't have that much impact.

Fukushima is very different but I agree with others that we should wait at least a couple of weeks till we make any conclusions

Speaking of jumping to conclusions: Germany just started to shut down 7 nuclear power plants because of Fukushima...

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#15

Post by hartror »

paganel wrote: post #9
lurch_mojoff wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you are right, but it's just as dishonest to present the situation as completely out of control and use Fukushima as an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous. Which is what mainstream media has been mostly doing.

> an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous 50 people sacrificing their lives so that anything even shittier would not happen "is safe and not dangerous"? I fail to imagine what you really find "unsafe and dangerous".

Who said they were sacrificing their lives, the plant workers are well prepared, equipped and drilled for this.

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#16

Post by CWuestefeld »

paganel wrote: post #9
lurch_mojoff wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you are right, but it's just as dishonest to present the situation as completely out of control and use Fukushima as an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous. Which is what mainstream media has been mostly doing.

> an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous 50 people sacrificing their lives so that anything even shittier would not happen "is safe and not dangerous"? I fail to imagine what you really find "unsafe and dangerous".

He's right, if you look broadly at statistics rather than anecdotes that you can count on the thumb of one hand.

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#17

Post by bahadden »

potatolicious wrote: post #7

... I'm not one of the "OMFG LOOK AT THE NUCLEAR ANGEL OF DEATH" people, but can we wait for this crisis to reach some resolution before we make loud proclamations either way? The main information that concerns me right now is that there appears to be a consistent radiation leak of 400 mSv/h at the plant. While not Chernobyl by any measure, this is quite a bit of radiation, considering one's yearly dose limit is 1 mS…

"considering one's yearly dose limit is 1 mSv total."

In Ramsar, Iran the background radition is around 200 mSv/Y (compared to a worldwide average of 2.4 mSv/Y) and _according to wikipedia_ this "high level of radiation does not seem to have caused ill effects on the residents of the area".

Call me confused.

Is the 1 mSv/Y total one of those made-up safety guidelines?

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#18

Post by GHFigs »

paganel wrote: post #9
lurch_mojoff wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you are right, but it's just as dishonest to present the situation as completely out of control and use Fukushima as an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous. Which is what mainstream media has been mostly doing.

> an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous 50 people sacrificing their lives so that anything even shittier would not happen "is safe and not dangerous"? I fail to imagine what you really find "unsafe and dangerous".

What people are you talking about?

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#19

Post by notahacker »

tnorthcutt wrote: post #3
_delirium wrote: post #2

At Chernobyl, this actually happened inside the containment vessel and the resulting explosion ruptured the vessel, leading to a serious release of core radioactives – though this has had basically zero effect on the world in general nor even much impact on the area around Chernobyl. Even just as a matter of rhetoric and persuasion, I think trying to argue that Chernobyl wasn't all that bad isn't the route you want t…

Agreed. It is nice, however, to read coverage of the event that's devoid of sensationalism.

When an editorial is so desperate to take a contrarian view to what everyone else is saying it starts claiming Chernobyl didn't affect the area much (linking as supposed evidence to an article whose second page is entirely devoted to observed negative effects of the radiation on the wild animal population two decades later...) it's ill-researched sensationalism itself.

I realise The Register may have published the story before the relevant Japanese authorities abandoned their face-saving pretence that there weren't going to be any further problems, but that doesn't mean this kind of denialism masquerading as scientific counterargument deserves any more credence than the doomsday prophecies spreading elsewhere. Particularly when it's written by a layman masquerading as an authority whose last article was entitled "Balanced, neutral journalism is RUBBISH and that's a FACT" :-)

Re: Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now

#20

Post by paganel »

rimantas wrote: post #12
paganel wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> an excuse to paint nuclear power as completely unsafe and dangerous 50 people sacrificing their lives so that anything even shittier would not happen "is safe and not dangerous"? I fail to imagine what you really find "unsafe and dangerous".

Pretty much every other energy source is more dangerous than nuclear. http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/03/deaths-per-twh-for-all-ener...

Then I guess people are stupid, aren't they, because of all the friends I know none of them would prefer having his/her house close to a nuclear plant, compared to having it close to a coal plant. And what do you know? These stupid people (including me) do have the power to vote, and I sure as hell would vote for nuclear power plants to be closed down were I given the chance to do so.
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