The source here is Japanese television. This is just spent fuel -- not the fuel currently in the reactor cores. She says there is also a shared spent fuel pool. So we're really talking somewhere around 1,000 tons of fuel on this one little patch of ground. I had no idea there was this much fuel involved. Once I was inside the containment structure at Indian Point and saw the spent fuel pond, a really deep swimming pool with racks, and a few of the racks occupied. I recall the plant engineer saying it was 40 feet deep and it was definitely below the ground level, not suspended from the roof. It didn't look like that much fuel in the full racks compared to the empty ones -- but these are supposed to be for temporary storage and once the fuel is cold enough it gets put into permanent storage. Thanks Dad (and whoever else was involved) for getting me the tour of Indian Point! By the way Jimmy Carter was president at the time.
3 thoughts on “Maddow broadcasts tally on spent fuel”
I also watched Rachel’s show last night and what came to mind for me was that this situation is happening in EVERY nuclear plant around the world! We have to stop the madness!
“but these are supposed to be for temporary storage and once the fuel is cold enough it gets put into permanent storage. ” OUCH – that hurts! To me this is ludicrous.
Store more garbage? And toxic garbage at that! for what??? For more pollution??? We are running out of room for storing garbage – safe or otherwise. Try as I might to understand the “need”, I am sickened by the amount garbage we humans produce . In the 1950’s Reader’s Digest published an article talking about how we were burying ourselves in our own garbage. Did we listen then? No. We only made it worse by adding nuclear garbage to the pile.
Yesterday, I was at a weekly lunch with engineers belonging to an ecology association I have belonged to for over 30 years. Obviously, the subject of nucler power was raised. Though not all expressed their feelings, my impression was that, overall, most were against nuclear power. A future date was set for special consideration of such an important and polemic matter.
however — NukeFree.org reports something more ominous —
NRC Chairman Jaczyco told Congress that the water in the pool at Unit #4 has drained. As Chair of the NRC, Jaczyco’s statement is conveying not only the expert opinion of the NRC and its staff, but of the United States Government.
Tokyo Electric reported as of March 2010 that unit 4 had 1,060 metric tons in its pool. By comparison the pool at Vermont Yankee plant, A BWR Mark I similar to the Fukushima reactors, which started up in 1969 is estimated by DOE to be holding approximately 690 tons containing 75.6 million curies.
I also watched Rachel’s show last night and what came to mind for me was that this situation is happening in EVERY nuclear plant around the world! We have to stop the madness!
“but these are supposed to be for temporary storage and once the fuel is cold enough it gets put into permanent storage. ” OUCH – that hurts! To me this is ludicrous.
Store more garbage? And toxic garbage at that! for what??? For more pollution??? We are running out of room for storing garbage – safe or otherwise. Try as I might to understand the “need”, I am sickened by the amount garbage we humans produce . In the 1950’s Reader’s Digest published an article talking about how we were burying ourselves in our own garbage. Did we listen then? No. We only made it worse by adding nuclear garbage to the pile.
Yesterday, I was at a weekly lunch with engineers belonging to an ecology association I have belonged to for over 30 years. Obviously, the subject of nucler power was raised. Though not all expressed their feelings, my impression was that, overall, most were against nuclear power. A future date was set for special consideration of such an important and polemic matter.
however — NukeFree.org reports something more ominous —
NRC Chairman Jaczyco told Congress that the water in the pool at Unit #4 has drained. As Chair of the NRC, Jaczyco’s statement is conveying not only the expert opinion of the NRC and its staff, but of the United States Government.
Tokyo Electric reported as of March 2010 that unit 4 had 1,060 metric tons in its pool. By comparison the pool at Vermont Yankee plant, A BWR Mark I similar to the Fukushima reactors, which started up in 1969 is estimated by DOE to be holding approximately 690 tons containing 75.6 million curies.