Here's an example of the kind of nuclear ``subsidy" that has killed nuclear in the USA and is now stomping on its grave, an example that shows the nuclear power establishment is far more interested in gobbling up tax payer money, than producing cheap, low CO2 electricity. Here's what I wrote in 2020.
I saw the Poneman interview on Titans of Nuclear a while back and he just came across as a typical government stooge talking smooth and saying nothing.
I do have a modicum of pity for USEC though- going from diffusion to centrifuges was always going to be a tough transition for them, and the Megatons to Megawatts program did kind of kill the yellowcake and SWU markets for at least a decade. But let’s have some competition for F’s sake!
There isn't nearly enough spent fuel, and incentivizing TRU destruction in fast reactors would be a tremendous waste of an opportunity to decouple growth of nuclear from mining. Since we can't start many fast breeders, and each takes many decades to breed enough plutonium for another core, nuclear will still depend on a massive increase in mining and enrichment. Those are inherently slow to scale, and their goal is to make money, not to produce an unconstrained supply of low-cost fuel.
However, if the transuranics are used to fuel reactors with a thorium blanket, each can produce enough U-233 to start a much more fissile efficient thermal spectrum breeder every year or so. The large (and growing) stockpile of spent fuel should be sufficient to support a rapid transition to global prosperity with thorium, almost as fast as we will it. Without any substantial increase in mining (uranium or otherwise).
LFTRs (from https://flibe.com and https://www.copenhagenatomics.com) will use commodity fuel and blanket salts (which aren't consumables), and should be perfectly suited to mass manufacture, using nothing but readily available and concentrated wastes. In the near term, even LEU fueled MSRs are a step in the right direction.
The almost exclusive focus on HALEU in proprietary and non-recyclable TRISO fuel forms, that barely improve utilization of mined uranium, and increase our mining, enrichment, and waste burdens for each reactor deployed, is supremely foolish. The exclusion of thorium (and spent fuel) from consideration, support for failed nuclear companies and designs, and apologizing for the NRC rather than calls for serious reform, all make me worried that the increasing popular support for nuclear will be squandered.
I saw the Poneman interview on Titans of Nuclear a while back and he just came across as a typical government stooge talking smooth and saying nothing.
I do have a modicum of pity for USEC though- going from diffusion to centrifuges was always going to be a tough transition for them, and the Megatons to Megawatts program did kind of kill the yellowcake and SWU markets for at least a decade. But let’s have some competition for F’s sake!
An alternative route to obtaining 20% fissile is to implwment the Ottensmeyer Plan as set out at:
https://www.xylenepower.com/Ottensmeyer%20Plan.htm
with details as set out on other web pages at www.xylenepower.com
There isn't nearly enough spent fuel, and incentivizing TRU destruction in fast reactors would be a tremendous waste of an opportunity to decouple growth of nuclear from mining. Since we can't start many fast breeders, and each takes many decades to breed enough plutonium for another core, nuclear will still depend on a massive increase in mining and enrichment. Those are inherently slow to scale, and their goal is to make money, not to produce an unconstrained supply of low-cost fuel.
However, if the transuranics are used to fuel reactors with a thorium blanket, each can produce enough U-233 to start a much more fissile efficient thermal spectrum breeder every year or so. The large (and growing) stockpile of spent fuel should be sufficient to support a rapid transition to global prosperity with thorium, almost as fast as we will it. Without any substantial increase in mining (uranium or otherwise).
LFTRs (from https://flibe.com and https://www.copenhagenatomics.com) will use commodity fuel and blanket salts (which aren't consumables), and should be perfectly suited to mass manufacture, using nothing but readily available and concentrated wastes. In the near term, even LEU fueled MSRs are a step in the right direction.
The almost exclusive focus on HALEU in proprietary and non-recyclable TRISO fuel forms, that barely improve utilization of mined uranium, and increase our mining, enrichment, and waste burdens for each reactor deployed, is supremely foolish. The exclusion of thorium (and spent fuel) from consideration, support for failed nuclear companies and designs, and apologizing for the NRC rather than calls for serious reform, all make me worried that the increasing popular support for nuclear will be squandered.
Sigh
"The President of Centrus is Daniel Poneman, who took that job in 2015. Prior to that, Poneman had been the Deputy Secretary of Energy at DOE".
Given what we've seen at the FDA, I guess I'm not surprised to hear of such corruption at the the DOE.