The False God of Uranium

[jpak]

http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView/article_view.asp?no=278529&rel_no=1

It's one of the most extraordinary global image makeovers the world has ever seen. Three decades ago the Chernobyl power plant disaster in the Ukraine was the dirty, ugly face of nuclear energy. Governments everywhere retreated so fast from nuclear power that the glut of cheap uranium left on the world market took years to absorb.

Today, nuclear energy is firmly back on the table as the new "green power," an emissions-free alternative to fossil fuels; the catastrophic threat of global warming apparently dwarfing the known dangers of nuclear waste and the perils of illegal trafficking in nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

<snip>

Offstage, there are other crucial policy shifts underway. About 40 percent of the world's accessible uranium deposits are in Australia, but mining is limited and exports are restricted to nations that have adequate safeguards in place. Neither China nor India have made the grade.

<snip>

Australia, more than any other nation, stands to reap huge profits in a global nuclear power boom, he said. That will mean expanding mining into sensitive environments such as Kakadu National Park, which lie within the control of indigenous Aboriginal people.

<more>

:popcorn:

[jpak]

1. The Uranium God apparently has a very short half-life

<snip>

The world's uranium, Scheer warned, will be depleted almost as fast as fossil fuels and nuclear power is an expensive, dangerous and shortsighted alternative to polluting coal and gas fired power.

"Uranium will be depleted in fifty years, and even earlier if a large number of new nuclear power stations come online. If Australia does not expand uranium mining beyond its current, restricted three mines policy, nuclear fuel will run out in as little as 30 years," Scheer said.

"Those who are calling for a nuclear renaissance will have a very short run... The technology is incredibly expensive even before the costs of nuclear waste and the risk of the proliferation of illegal nuclear weapons is factored in," he added.

<snip>

[dcfirefighter]

2. Even within your post, the logical fallacy exists

"If Australia does not expand uranium mining beyond it's current, restricted three mines policy, nuclear fuel will runout in as little as 30 years,"

This implies that the uranium won't run out if more mines are sunk?

Which is it?

At higher U prices, are more mines economically viable?

[jpak]

3. Huh???

If Australia doesn't expand its production - global uranium supplies will be depleted in 30 years.

If they expand their production, it will run out in 50 years.

No logical fallacy required...

[Odin2005]

4. Sounds like BS ro me.

Last I heard there was still several hundred years left of uranium.

[dcfirefighter]

6. Thousands nt

[jpak]

9. Most of the major nuclear power nations are importers of uranium

Japan, France, UK, US, South Korea, et al.,

The US currently imports >66% of its uranium and is heavily dependent on domestic yellowcake produced and stockpiled in the '70's and '80's.

When that stuff runs out, the US will be almost entirely dependent (>96% of consumption) on imported uranium and in keen competition with other uranium importing countries.

If the US were rely solely on its domestic uranium resources, they would run out in ~25 years.

There are no "thousand year" supplies of uranium in the US - or anywhere else.

It's just not there.

[jpak]

7. Last thing I heard

was the moon was made of green cheese...

:)

[dcfirefighter]

5. A few points & questions

"About 40 percent of the world's accessible uranium deposits are in Australia" what is accessible? Accessible at today's prices? What if prices double, treble, or increase an by an order of magnitude? What would the effect of $1000/lb U3O8 be on nuclear electric prices?

"He said the real cost comparisons should factor in the billions of dollars governments have provided for nuclear research and development" Why should sunk costs be included in future consumption? Should wind power advocates pay the legions of sailors who went before them?

"We have the technology that is immediately available; it takes only a week to install a windmill and a couple of hours to install solar panels. It takes year to build conventional power stations," This is such an absurd comparison, it leads me to beleive that this man is an asshole. (How's that for ad hominem?) Why must we include the time to build a conventional plant, but not manufacture a turbine or a PV cell? By his logic, I could connect a Los Angeles class SSN to the grid in a day and call it a new plant.

At $130/kg there are 4.4B T U. This is enough for world energy demand, at 500 EJ/y, and an abysmal 10% efficiency is only enough energy for 4,000 years. This of course assumes that energy demand levels out with population and increased energy costs.

This does not account for the additional reserves available at $1300/kg.

[jpak]

12. "this man is an asshole"

Now that's the spirit!!!!

:evilgrin:

The UK Sustainable Development Commission has concluded that the availability of uranium will be limited in near term and highly questionable in the long term...

http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=343

They concluded that - at the present rate of consumption - known uranium resources will last ~100 years (in line with previous Red Book estimates of ~72 years).

Finally, exploitation of low grade uranium ores will require a dramatic increase in fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions - which sort of negates the whole idea of fightin' global warmin' with nucular power...

:)

[phantom power]

8. When somebody calls a thing "false god"

the unspoken implication is that there is a "true god." I wonder whose alter they think I should be worshipping at? And do they think I'm going to give up sacrificing to the uranium calf idol in my closet?

[jpak]

10. The True God is streaming her rays through my office window right now...

:)

[Dead_Parrot]

13. Her rays?

The sun is nearly always a male diety...

And you forgot the God of wind turbines (Amun/Njord/Ehecatl/Yu Ch'iang etc) :D

Only enough, I don't think there is God of Proposed Hydrogen Storage Solutions. That doesn't bode well... :)

[jpak]

14. Don't piss her off, she's been known release ferocious geomagnetic storms

through coronal mass ejections...

:evilgrin:

[Dead_Parrot]

11. All hail Ra!

The sun god is of course the one true god. Now get your unsaved arse over the BP solar and build a $30k altar on your roof.



Edit: Alter, altar... Damn spell check... :D