Submitted by DukeOfGeek t3_10pix1b in worldnews
Comments
DukeOfGeek OP t1_j6kqmx7 wrote
Seems like this was more of a design flaw or the application needed stronger materials. Pretty much the most inconvenient time for them to be down too.
kaboom t1_j6kqm6j wrote
Is it just me or is this article a bit too alarmist? It reads as if some catastrophe occurred but in reality nuclear production is still at 80% of what it used to be.
DukeOfGeek OP t1_j6kqvih wrote
>The discoveries plunged the operator into a crisis with repercussions for all of Europe. EDF called it an “annus horribilis,” and from early May to late October, about half of its 56 reactors sat idle due to the repair and maintenance backlog.
kaboom t1_j6ktzzo wrote
Annus horriblis just means terrible year. It’s an emotive statement that could very well mean a number of things depending on context.
The bottom line is that this whole “crisis” would’ve already been forgotten if it weren’t for the self-serving effort of the anti-nuclear lobby to keep it in the public discourse.
DukeOfGeek OP t1_j6kvlpy wrote
Half their reactors are off line at the worst possible time, but criticism is unwarranted? Weak sauce dude.
AbbreviationsFair515 t1_j6nic72 wrote
Don’t they have robotic pipe welding machines. That radiation is hard on everything that’s exposed to it
[deleted] t1_j6ksdnh wrote
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creativename87639 t1_j6l0rp6 wrote
The upside is if you maintain them, which France did not do which is why they’re having issues, you get near 100 years of clean, cheap, safe and efficient energy and you creat a shit load of jobs with it.
PrettyLittlePsycho16 t1_j6liwwm wrote
Not cheap at all taking investment and maintenance costs as well as safe disposal into account. If it wasn't for subsidiaries no one in the right mind would invest in these. The amortization is terrible if you have to pay for everything yourself. Aside from that, France as far as reports revealed is already running low on storage capacity, with closed cycle processes still being far from sufficient to compensate for this.
creativename87639 t1_j6ljly6 wrote
It’s literally one of the cheapest per KWh and is getting cheaper. Everyone who is familiar with the nuclear industry knows that “safe disposal” is a literal non issue that gets talked about a lot. In fact waste is so small that in the US all high level waste is stored on site. And nuclear power is not subsidized.
The only real issue with modern reactors is initial cost, building the plant is really expensive due to regulations (no I’m not saying de-regulate). Yes they need to be maintained but so does everything, and when maintained they outlive any current form of energy.
PrettyLittlePsycho16 t1_j6lm0yr wrote
Oh, then I guess every single assessment released in Europe was wrong because of different storage procedures in the US.
creativename87639 t1_j6kq7dy wrote
Maybe don’t let them fall into disrepair by severe underfunding when they create over half of your electricity.