IAEA Forms Nuclear Fuel Bank 224
Kemeno writes "The International Atomic Energy Agency voted on Friday to form a nuclear fuel bank to help developing countries acquire nuclear fuel without having to enrich uranium themselves. Warren Buffet contributed 50 million dollars to a pool of 150 million with contributions from many different countries. The goal of the program is to provide countries with a source of low-grade enriched uranium suitable for fueling reactors but not for creating nuclear weapons."
Re:give a man a fish (Score:5, Insightful)
So from your sarcastic comment, you believe that it's a good idea for, say, the Somali warlords to have nuclear weapons? Fascinating.
Re:give a man a fish (Score:2, Insightful)
No I think he is saying "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for life."
I don't think any current nuclear powered countries would appreciate their fuel supplies controlled and rationed by a central body.
If this is the best way, lead by example and have your fuel supplies controlled by a third party.
Oh.. you don't want to do that? National security issues? I thought so.
It is pretty hard to eat your own dog food.
Re:Nuclear weapons == influence on world stage? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Excellent (Score:5, Insightful)
Nuclear energy is the cleanest *base load power source* currently in existence. The wind doesn't always blow, the sun isn't always shining, and the alternatives are constant hydro (which doesn't lend itself to be put anywhere you want) and coal (which emits more radiation every year than nuclear power plants due to the uranium deposits in the coal that is burned, not to mention the massive amount of CO2 per ton of coal burned). People like you are the problem.
Re:Excellent (Score:5, Insightful)
Radioactive waste is a false argument. Breeder reactors would allow you to use up radioactive "waste" until it reached a point where it could be safely landfilled. Politics is the issue, not technology is the issue with regards to this in the US.
Re:Uh wait... (Score:5, Insightful)
What are you smoking?
Many developing countries have grids where the lights go out on a regular basis because of a the lack of baseload generation capacity. They are in desperate need of baseload (coal, nuclear, gas or hydro) to stabilize their grids and meet demand. You cannot do this with PV - period. Nuclear is the least environmentally damaging option and the lowest cost low emission technology.
Notably Vietnam and Bangladesh have recently signed agreements with Russia to build two VVER nuclear power plants in each country. Vietnam looks to be about to conclude a contract with Japan for two more reactors.
Re:Mitigate Proliferation risk? (Score:4, Insightful)
Borat (Score:2, Insightful)
Hello Nuclear Fuel Bank? My name Borat. I want make withdrawal, benefit my nation Tajikistan.
Re:Uh wait... (Score:5, Insightful)
I truly don't believe those new power plants are at all "environment-ruining nuclear-timebombs".
I'm as big a proponent of IFR technology as anyone, but it is head-in-the-sand thinking to expect that waste from this program is going to be recycled any better than we've done for the last 30 years. Practically nobody is doing it today, ain't no way third world countries are going to be the ones that start doing it even half right.
Re:Uh wait... (Score:5, Insightful)
Solar thermal may be cheaper than PV but is still a lot more expensive than nuclear. The Arithmetic adds up to Nuclear [bravenewclimate.com]
I'm not aware that there is any solar thermal plant in existence that has anything like the 90% capacity factor of nuclear. Andasol 1 and 2 in Spain as I understand it have 7 hours of storage. The most likely scenario for solar thermal is that it is backed up by gas in the immediate future.
Re:Well sure (Score:5, Insightful)
'Modern reactors are very safe. '
Insurance companies don't believe that for some reason.
Well, yes. They can make more money that way.
Re:give a man a fish (Score:4, Insightful)
Not that old saw again. This program would allow countries to run nuclear power plants without having to develop a hugely expensive supporting industry. The same way African countries currently import cars rather than having to develop a car industry from scratch. It's just another way of bootstrapping the economy.