...the United States pledges before you, and therefore before the world, its determination to help solve the fearful atomic dilemma - to devote its entire heart and mind to finding the way by which the miraculous inventiveness of man shall not be dedicated to his death, but consecrated to his life.[Dwight Eisenhower, 1953-12-08]
I think iso-breeders started on U-233 offer a much better path to the rapid expansion of peaceful nuclear energy, in a way that discourages proliferation while being diplomatic and respectful. We can make plenty of U-233 from our stockpiles of spent fuel and sell it to developing nations with only one string attached: weaponize it (which would be very difficult), and you'll lose access to more. The salts in a LFTR aren't consumable, and would allow reactors to be fueled by thorium, indefinitely. Who would risk that, or even contemplate sacrificing the heart of a reactor that could otherwise be renewed indefinitely, for a one-time weapon?
I didn't realize how reasonable the NPT was, and somehow conflated it with the 123 agreements. Maybe because I have no memory of the US being anything but fanatical in their anti-proliferation nonsense, clamping down on every absurd pathway, including recycling. (Like defining thorium as "source material", or U-233 as "weapons grade" even when contaminated with U-232, or the hysteria over safeguarding reactor grade plutonium and transuranics in spent fuel, and even the preference for non-recyclable fuel forms like TRISO.)
All the while, encouraging the continued use of U-235 burners and HALEU that will require an explosion of uranium mining and enrichment around the world; talk about senseless proliferation-maximizing policy. I'm all for discouraging uranium enrichment, but we can't reasonably do that with reactors that require enriched fuel, or by discouraging recycling, which could be done in much better ways. Fortunately, the stupidly expensive and complicated plutonium separation needed to fabricate solid MOX fuel, is already discouraging enough by itself.
When President Carter started his Plutonium initiative in 1977 I drew the lot to explain it to Belgium. I can still here the refrain "How can you do this to us, we are such a small country?"
As far as I was concerned, that initiative really put the nail in the coffin for peaceful nuclear cooperation.
Great article on Atoms for Peace and the NPT and what they meant for nuclear power.
Jack, I am still worried about the proliferation problem. I don't think we should just dismiss these concerns as "the last bastion of the anti-nuke" along with the all their BS on safety, waste, and cost.
I think the greatest threat to a low-carbon future, powered by safe and secure nuclear, is the possibility of a terrorist event destroying public confidence and setting us back for decades.
Let's not make the same mistake the industry made before Three Mile Island, letting the public believe there is zero risk.
We need to have a serious discussion of these concerns, but perhaps that is better done in a different forum.
I think iso-breeders started on U-233 offer a much better path to the rapid expansion of peaceful nuclear energy, in a way that discourages proliferation while being diplomatic and respectful. We can make plenty of U-233 from our stockpiles of spent fuel and sell it to developing nations with only one string attached: weaponize it (which would be very difficult), and you'll lose access to more. The salts in a LFTR aren't consumable, and would allow reactors to be fueled by thorium, indefinitely. Who would risk that, or even contemplate sacrificing the heart of a reactor that could otherwise be renewed indefinitely, for a one-time weapon?
I didn't realize how reasonable the NPT was, and somehow conflated it with the 123 agreements. Maybe because I have no memory of the US being anything but fanatical in their anti-proliferation nonsense, clamping down on every absurd pathway, including recycling. (Like defining thorium as "source material", or U-233 as "weapons grade" even when contaminated with U-232, or the hysteria over safeguarding reactor grade plutonium and transuranics in spent fuel, and even the preference for non-recyclable fuel forms like TRISO.)
All the while, encouraging the continued use of U-235 burners and HALEU that will require an explosion of uranium mining and enrichment around the world; talk about senseless proliferation-maximizing policy. I'm all for discouraging uranium enrichment, but we can't reasonably do that with reactors that require enriched fuel, or by discouraging recycling, which could be done in much better ways. Fortunately, the stupidly expensive and complicated plutonium separation needed to fabricate solid MOX fuel, is already discouraging enough by itself.
When President Carter started his Plutonium initiative in 1977 I drew the lot to explain it to Belgium. I can still here the refrain "How can you do this to us, we are such a small country?"
As far as I was concerned, that initiative really put the nail in the coffin for peaceful nuclear cooperation.
Great article on Atoms for Peace and the NPT and what they meant for nuclear power.
Roger Zavadoski
Terrific, important article. Thank you for the William Foster quote. It helps to clarify "congressional intent" in agreeing to the NPT.
I believe RBMK reactors were used for both electricity and weapons.
Another example of "we have met the enemy, ... and he is us!" ???
Jack, I am still worried about the proliferation problem. I don't think we should just dismiss these concerns as "the last bastion of the anti-nuke" along with the all their BS on safety, waste, and cost.
I think the greatest threat to a low-carbon future, powered by safe and secure nuclear, is the possibility of a terrorist event destroying public confidence and setting us back for decades.
Let's not make the same mistake the industry made before Three Mile Island, letting the public believe there is zero risk.
We need to have a serious discussion of these concerns, but perhaps that is better done in a different forum.
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