voices of humanity
re: 'Megatons to Megawatts': Turning Nuclear Arsenals into Carbon-Free Nuclear Electricity
sum
Interesting that they routinely ship the weapons grade uranium around the country by train. Doesn't sound very smart. But Podvig offers the alternative of doing the full job of downblending at the current storage site of the HEU, and he says:
I don't want to suggest that it's safer to keep HEU around than to eliminate it. Russia and the United States should continue to eliminate their HEU stocks, whether as part of a restructured HEU-LEU deal or in some other way.
Sounds like it is largely a matter of money. Cleaning up the nuclear mess is going to be hugely expensive no matter what. Just the thing for our nuclear scientists, bureaucracy and staff to be working on instead of maintaining the arsenal. A good step in the needed economic conversion of the military to civilian needs.
I don't want to suggest that it's safer to keep HEU around than to eliminate it. Russia and the United States should continue to eliminate their HEU stocks, whether as part of a restructured HEU-LEU deal or in some other way.
Sounds like it is largely a matter of money. Cleaning up the nuclear mess is going to be hugely expensive no matter what. Just the thing for our nuclear scientists, bureaucracy and staff to be working on instead of maintaining the arsenal. A good step in the needed economic conversion of the military to civilian needs.
