South Korea To Restart Its Oldest Nuclear Reactor 129
ananyo writes "South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor is set to restart after a four-month closure, despite strong opposition from local residents and activists. The Kori-1 reactor in Busan was shut down on 13 March, after it was revealed that the reactor and its emergency generator had temporarily lost power during routine maintenance the month before, causing the coolant temperature to rise. The power failure did not cause an accident, but a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna discovered that senior engineers from Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, which runs the reactor, had neglected the safety problems for more than a month after the loss of power. In June, after a safety check, the IAEA gave the green light for Kori-1 to resume operation. Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) approved the restart on 4 July, but activists and local residents remain strongly opposed to restarting the reactor. At first, the Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which oversees energy policy, had said that the restart would be delayed to alleviate anxiety. But the government changed its mind as a result of a nationwide heatwave that has put a strain on the country's electricity supply in recent days."
Re:Had to restart because there (Score:1, Interesting)
They had to restart because there is a need for more electricity. I wish people started to realize this when they block new generators. They are safer, and you aren't exactly going to consume a lot less, are you? Thus either you are forcing us to hold older plants open for a lot longer than intended, or you allow us to make a new and better plant.
By stopping new ones from being made, you are only making it more dangerous for everybody
I know this will likely be modded down, but screw it. It's the truth.
Well, get ready for blackouts and brownouts across the whole US, as the Obama administration is forcing coal-fired generator plants to shut down by drastically increasing regulation-compliance costs. This year, 57 plants will be shut down with nothing to replace the lost capacity. That's 8.5% of total US power generation capacity! Summers and winters are going to be increasingly-lethal seasons for the poor and working-poor.
Meanwhile, demand continues to increase. If EVs are to be the US solution to automobile pollution, how will the increased electrical demand from electric vehicles be supplied with a diminishing US generation capacity? Or is the plan to simply "nudge" people away from personal transportation altogether?
Lack of widespread ownership of personal transportation, high recharging costs for the few with EVs, and limited range would make living outside of city/metropolitan areas nearly impossible. This fits in with the UNs' "Agenda for the 21st Century" which includes forcing people out of rural and suburban areas into mass centralized housing as part of the agenda. I guess they like the Chinese practice of housing workers in the same facilities as the factories in which they work. That would certainly make it easier for government to monitor and control the population.
If that's their plan, it's no wonder that they are also pushing to disarm the US population to remove any possibility of resistance. That would have to be one of the first steps.
Buy guns. Lots and lots of guns. Hide caches of guns and ammo in multiple locations along with reloading equipment and supplies. Better do it quick while it's still possible.
Strat