Anicet Mbida 06:54 am, November 26, 2021
Every day, Anicet Mbida makes us discover an innovation that could well change the way we consume.
This Friday, he is interested in the invention of the American startup Terra Power.
They have just launched the construction of a new generation reactor capable of recycling its waste.
This Friday, you arrive with new proof of the renewed interest in nuclear power. The Americans have just launched the construction of a new generation reactor capable of recycling its waste.
A little cleaner nuclear power, since it feeds on radioactive waste.
Today, they are buried.
Tomorrow they will be used as fuel instead of uranium.
This suggests an infinite recycling of nuclear fuel.
This is the same principle as the Phénix and Superphénix reactors.
Much has been said because they were very expensive and were abruptly abandoned after decades of research.
The United States goes all the way to the business model.
Construction of a first reactor begins in Wyoming.
The startup Terra Power is at the helm, a company co-created by Bill Gates.
But if France has stopped, there is a good reason.
Technology has above all been the victim of the negative image of nuclear power.
After the disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima, we preferred to bet on renewables and stop the costs, especially with the setbacks of the Flamanville EPR.
But the climate emergency has changed that.
Electricity needs will increase exponentially.
However, wind and solar only produce intermittently.
The transition will take time.
So why not look to nuclear again?
Power plants that recycle waste are good.
But we are still talking about nuclear, are there new risks with these plants?
Yes, there is a particular risk of fire in the event of a leak.
Because they are plants cooled with salt (liquid sodium).
A product which ignites spontaneously on contact with air when it is very hot.
Fortunately, this cooling takes place in the open air.
The heart will therefore never be able to melt as in Fukushima.
There are many dangers.
But they are less than with traditional plants.
This is perhaps why parliamentarians are worried about France's loss of competence in nuclear research.
We shouldn't end up looking for what we abandoned a few years ago from the Americans.