There is a Better Way
Kevin Manning, DCIS
Data, Energy & Commercial Real Estate Industries | Complex Transaction Structuring| M&A/Development | Strategy/Transformation | Alliance/Partnership Structuring | Data Center Infrastructure Specialist Certification
Scientific American recently published a cautionary Article on the dangers of reopening old, mothballed Light Water Reactors (LWR) in the service of AI and the electrical power it needs, e.g. Microsoft. There is danger here. I once worked for WPPSS, aka., "WOOPS" and know first hand how dangerous and troubled these massive and expensive plants can be. In fact, WPPSS, coupled with the Three Mile Island disaster and Chernobyl ended the last era of nuclear power in the 1980's. These LWR plants are wasteful and inefficient because they use only about 10% of their radioactive fuel and leave the rest for us to worry about for thousands of years. There is a better way.
Remarkably, 微软 , recently moved forward to reopen that doomed Three Mile Island plant. And while we all recognize the importance of AI to the US, sometimes it is better to take a deep breath and think before acting, particularly where we have historical information to guide us.
It is not just spent radioactive fuel we must concern ourselves with in reopening these old plants. We risk repeating the mistakes of the past. These monsters are expensive, dirty, dangerous and operational nightmares to run. There are plenty of examples - in fact, some 57 accidents and severe incidents have taken place since Chernobyl.
With Chris Wright as our new Secretary of Energy, there will be strong pressure to reopen these plants because Chris knows we must push AI forward. But I want to underscore what Chris already knows; there are newer, FAR better and less polluting nuclear technologies on our doorstep. We must put all our nation's capacity toward bringing these better technologies into service as rapidly as possible.
In my next article, I will explore these better alternatives and how we can hedge our needs between now and when these newer nuclear technologies will step up to the plate. Stay tuned.
American Nuclear Society Infrustructure Infrastructure Masons Pacific Telecommunication Council #CRE #CoreNetGlobal SMR Technology Nuclear Plasma Fusion AI and Robotics Group