From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Fri Mar 22 2002 - 14:44:41 MST
Commenting on some of the cross Atlantic exchange...
Some of the papers I've read this morning suggest that the
French are actively looking at how to reprocess the plutonium
from spent nuclear fuel rods into new fuel (as well as figuring
out how to turn the Russian weapons grade material into fuel).
At the same time, Russia just changed its laws to accept
foreign nuclear waste (something that had been outlawed).
They figure it will earn them $10 billion+ over the next
couple of decades.
But you have to wonder about the risks of transporting
all that material around (we are talking many tons)
given the risks that it could be stolen.
I'd tend to agree with the German anti-nuke perspective
if you were voting in an era when you had missiles
pointed at your reactors. But in our current era
Europe looks like a very risky place to have anything
nuclear. I'd suggest that you want to site the nuclear
plants *and* the reprocessing facilities underground in
the center of military bases.
Is digging a big hole in the ground really that much more
expensive than building a reactor containment vessel
above ground? What about old quarries or open pit
mines? There are a lot of these in the U.S. I'm
sure Italy has them as well.
Robert
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