Hacker News with Generative AI: Nuclear Power

Japan backs nuclear power in climate plan criticized as insufficient (japantimes.co.jp)
The government approved separate plans Tuesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% in the fiscal year from April 2035 — and by 73% in fiscal 2040 — compared with 2013 levels, and have renewables and nuclear power generate half and 20% of the country’s electricity, respectively, by 2040.

Japan, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Energy

5 points by mikhael 3 days ago | 0 comments

Starmer's nuclear reactors won't be small, cheap or popular (theguardian.com)
Labour’s plan for siting small nuclear reactor plants around the country (Keir Starmer unveils plan for large nuclear expansion across England and Wales, 6 February) feels almost like something Donald Trump would come up with.

Politics, Energy, Nuclear Power

7 points by dotcoma 4 days ago | 8 comments

Ukraine says Russia drone attack hits Chernobyl nuclear plant (cnn.com)

Ukraine, Russia, Nuclear Power, War

22 points by dralley 7 days ago | 1 comments

Russian Drone Damages Radiation Shield at Chernobyl, Ukraine Says (nytimes.com)
Russia’s military used a drone with a high-explosive warhead to hit the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine overnight, damaging the protective shelter that prevents radiation leaks, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on Friday.

Ukraine, Russia, Nuclear Power, War, Chernobyl

22 points by haider0721128 7 days ago | 1 comments

Chernobyl reactor shield hit by Russian drone, Ukraine says (bbc.com)
A Russian drone attack has hit the radiation shelter over the damaged reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Ukraine, Russia, Nuclear Power, War, International Relations

13 points by nickcotter 7 days ago | 0 comments

Large Nuclear-Powered Subsonic Aircraft for Transoceanic Commerce (1971) [pdf] (nasa.gov)

Nuclear Power, Aviation, Transportation, Commerce, History

31 points by ipnon 11 days ago | 5 comments

Government rips up rules to fire-up nuclear power (gov.uk)
More nuclear power plants will be approved across England and Wales as the Prime Minister slashes red tape to get Britain building - as part of his Plan for Change.

Energy, Government, Nuclear Power, UK Policy

5 points by chickenbig 13 days ago | 0 comments

Aging reactors need a concrete solution (u-tokyo.ac.jp)
It’s been known for some time that radiation impacts the structural integrity of concrete. However, until now the details of this were unknown. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, can finally demonstrate what properties of concrete affect its structural characteristics under different neutron radiation loads. Their findings raise some concerns whilst reducing others; for example, quartz crystals in concrete can heal themselves, potentially allowing some reactors to run for longer than initially thought possible.

Nuclear Power, Materials Science, Engineering, Radiation

5 points by gnabgib 21 days ago | 1 comments

France's 2024 Power Grid Was 95% Fossil Free as Nuclear, Renewables Jumped (bloomberg.com)
France’s low-carbon electricity output surged to more than 95% of annual power production for the first time in 2024, as rising nuclear and hydro generation squeezed the use of fossil fuels.

France, Energy, Nuclear Power, Renewable Energy, Climate Change

10 points by toomuchtodo 32 days ago | 1 comments

The Egg, an at Home Nuclear Reactor (enron.com)
The heat-resistant casing is engineered to withstand extreme temperatures, ensuring unmatched durability and safety. Designed for peak performance, it protects the reactor’s core while maintaining optimal thermal efficiency—even in the harshest conditions.

Nuclear Power, Engineering, Safety, DIY

90 points by veidelis 45 days ago | 49 comments

Constellation's Nuclear Plants to Provide Power for US Government Agencies (nucnet.org)
Power company Constellation, which operates the largest fleet of commercial nuclear power plants in the US, has been awarded more than $1bn (€970m) in combined contracts by the US General Services Administration (GSA) to supply power to more than 13 government agencies.

Energy, Government, Nuclear Power

20 points by mpweiher 46 days ago | 9 comments

Why Fukushima made me stop worrying and love nuclear power (2011) (theguardian.com)
You will not be surprised to hear that the events in Japan have changed my view of nuclear power. You will be surprised to hear how they have changed it. As a result of the disaster at Fukushima, I am no longer nuclear-neutral. I now support the technology.

Nuclear Power, Japan, Fukushima Disaster, Energy, Opinion

4 points by mpweiher 50 days ago | 0 comments

China to Build Thorium Molten-Salt Reactor in 2025 (ieee.org)
After a half-century hiatus, thorium has returned to the front lines of nuclear power research as a source of fuel. In 2025, China plans to start building a demonstration thorium-based molten-salt reactor in the Gobi Desert.

Nuclear Power, China, Thorium, Energy

148 points by rbanffy 53 days ago | 133 comments

China Hits EV Target 10 Years Early, Still Hasn't Reached 2020 Nuclear Target (cleantechnica.com)
On October 27th of 2020, the China Society of Automotive Engineers laid out a roadmap for how the country was going to achieve 50% of all cars sold in 2035 being fully electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen, with 95% of them of course being fully electric. Per projections from HSBC, UBS, Morningstar, and Wood Mackenzie, that’s actually going to happen in 2025, a full decade early, with of course hydrogen cars at perhaps 0.02%, approaching zero.

China, Electric Vehicles, Energy, Predictions, Nuclear Power

8 points by xbmcuser 55 days ago | 4 comments

France Links First New Nuclear Reactor to Grid Since 1999 (yahoo.com)
Electricite de France SA connected a new nuclear reactor to the French power grid for the first time in a quarter century on Saturday, adding low-carbon electricity supply at a time when a sputtering economy has made demand sluggish.

Nuclear Power, France, Energy, Economy

24 points by isaacfrond 60 days ago | 2 comments

Nuclear Power Plants Report Uptick in Drone Sightings (twz.com)
Drone reports filed by nuclear power plant operators for the entire year nearly doubled in just the week after Dec. 10.

Nuclear Power, Security, Drones

5 points by keepamovin 60 days ago | 0 comments

Shutting down nuclear plants is "total madness" (ans.org)
In a wide-ranging interview published by Business Insider on March 26, Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla and SpaceX, repeatedly referred to efforts to shut down nuclear power plants as “crazy” and “madness.”

Nuclear Power, Energy, Elon Musk, Politics

24 points by ivewonyoung 61 days ago | 12 comments

Swedish minister eyes energy crisis steps, blames German nuclear phase-out (euractiv.com)
"I'm furious with the Germans", Busch told Swedish broadcaster SVT.

Energy Crisis, Nuclear Power, Germany, Sweden, Politics

28 points by EvgeniyZh 67 days ago | 126 comments

Has nuclear power entered a new era of acceptance amid global warming? (latimes.com)
When Heather Hoff took a job at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, she was skeptical of nuclear energy — so much so that she resolved to report anything questionable to the anti-nuclear group Mothers for Peace.

Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Environmentalism

4 points by PaulHoule 70 days ago | 3 comments

Ukraine's three nuclear power plants have restored electricity production (iaea.org)
Ukraine’s three operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) have largely restored their electricity production after sharply reducing output last week as a precautionary step due to renewed attacks on the country’s increasingly fragile energy grid, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

Ukraine, Nuclear Power, Energy, International Relations

223 points by mpweiher 77 days ago | 336 comments

Chinese pebble-bed nuclear reactor passes "meltdown" test (ans.org)
New testing done at China’s Shidaowan nuclear power plant has confirmed its ability to be naturally cooled down, an industry-first milestone for achieving commercial-scale inherent safety, according to researchers.

Nuclear Power, Safety, China, Technology

142 points by bilekas 84 days ago | 89 comments

Fusion power is getting closer (economist.com)
Two developments in the coming year will mark a decisive shift from the public to the private sector in the decades-old quest to generate cheap and abundant power from nuclear fusion.

Fusion Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Private Sector, Public Sector

36 points by doener 90 days ago | 109 comments

Restart of Three Mile Island tests US appetite for nuclear revival (ft.com)

Nuclear Power, Energy, United States, Economics, Revival

20 points by marban 96 days ago | 31 comments

Japan Stops a Reactor from Starting as America Goes All in on Nuclear Power (gizmodo.com)
America is bullish on the future of nuclear power while Japan is turning its generators back on with extra caution. In Japan, a nuclear watchdog halted a reactor from spinning up after deciding it was unsafe. In the U.S., the Department of Energy has set a goal of tripling its nuclear capacity by the year 2050.

Nuclear Power, Energy, Japan, United States, Politics

4 points by rntn 100 days ago | 0 comments

US Unveils Plan to Triple Nuclear Power by 2050 as Demand Soars (bloomberg.com)
President Joe Biden’s administration is setting out plans for the US to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050, with demand climbing for the technology as a round-the-clock source of carbon-free power.

Nuclear Power, Energy, Climate Change, US Politics

6 points by impish9208 101 days ago | 1 comments

Tepco retrieves tiny melted fuel from disaster-hit Fukushima reactor (kyodonews.net)
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex said Thursday it had retrieved a small amount of melted fuel from one of the disaster-stricken reactors, in its first such attempt after the plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami over a decade ago.

Nuclear Power, Japan, Accidents, Environmental Disaster, Fukushima

7 points by anigbrowl 106 days ago | 1 comments

US Regulator Rejects Amazon-Talen Nuclear Power Agreement (bloomberg.com)
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Energy, Regulations, Business, Nuclear Power, Amazon

5 points by marc__1 109 days ago | 0 comments

Monopolies Are Why We Are Restarting Three Mile Island (thebignewsletter.com)
The most significant nuclear disaster in U.S. history took place in 1979, when Unit Two at the Three Mile Island nuclear power near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania suffered a partial meltdown.

Nuclear Power, Energy, History, Monopolies

8 points by doener 115 days ago | 4 comments

Taiwan Signals Openness to Nuclear Power Amid Surging AI Demand (bloomberglaw.com)
Taiwan is “very open” to using new nuclear technology to meet surging demand from chipmakers devouring electricity in the AI boom, according to Premier Cho Jung-tai — one of the strongest signs yet that the government is rethinking its opposition to reactors.