Nuclear future for Namibia

[Comrade007]

Thanks for your interesting post, Cyberclark. Out of interest, and ignorance and if you have a minute:

• How much does it cost to build a nuclear power plant, in today's US$
• How long does it take to build anuclear power plant?
• Does a nuclear power plant require fresh water or can it be cooled with sea water? If it requires fresh water, how much and would the supply have to be constant?
• How many people does it take to run a nuclear power plan, and how many of them are scientists, engineers, managers, administrators, technicians, etc.?
• How much does it cost to run and maintain a nuclear power plant on a monthly basis, roughly?
• Since Namibia produces high-grade uranium cake, would this be a distinct advantage to building a nuclear plant in the country or does it not really make a difference?
• Why would nuclear be more attractive than solar/wind, even in your part of the world

I think we, the Govenrment will have to get wise about all these things before even thinking of embarking on the nuclear road.... which I think is happening

[Mie1]

Comrade_007,

If I may: I saw figures recently which suggest that a nuclear power plant will not be much less than about US$ 5 billion!

[Comrade007]

Hmmm - the Mr 10%'s must be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of a nuclear power station, eh? And it would fit right into the way some people in the ruling elite would like to develop our country: Buy it all in and make a commission.

Seriously, though: US$5 Billion = N$35 Billion. Put another way US$ 5,000,000,000,000 = N$ 35,000,000,000,000 - What ARE they talking about? How many decades of uranium production would we have to forefeit or barter to get to that kind of money for a power plant we would not be able to run ourselves, never mind maintain. It's a non-starter, my fellow Namibians..

[Mie1]

Indeed, Comrade_007! 10% is not to be sneezed at!! Entrepreneurship... for want of a risky definition?

[Mie1]

The industry seems to be on the ball..... see the article from the Namibian Economist:

Planning to cut-throat a crisis

Role-players in the Erongo region are combining resources and expertise to ensure the health and safety of all. This week a pro-active initiative was launched by the Chamber of Mines of Namibia and the Uranium Institute in Swakopmund to co-ordinate emergency plans with regard to health and safety. In an interview with Dr. Wotan Swiegers, director of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia’s Uranium Institute, he indicated the combining, coordinating and alignment of the main role players as the key to actively prevent and effectively manage emergency situations.

Commenting on concerns regarding the transport of dangerous substances through Swakopmund expressed by local businessmen at a recent meeting with the Swakopmund Town Council, he said that people tend to forget that there are still only two fully operational mines in the region. “Although we boast 35 years without any major emergency incidents with regard to dangerous substances transported from Namport to the mines, we as stakeholders realised the need to come up with a coordinated emergency plan taking into account the potential increase in transport of these substances. We are constantly aware of our responsibility to maintain high standards of safety.” The meeting attended by representatives from amongst others the mining sector and the local authorities focused on three aspects. The first step was to assess the past and current scenario. “With this in mind we identified the main role players who already have emergency plans. These are NamPort, TransNamib, the mines, the municipalities, and the transport companies. This enabled us to draft a plan of action and propose a specific coordination centre,” said Dr. Swiegers

According to Dr. Swiegers the Emergency Centre of the Municipality of Swakopmund seemed obvious to serve as a coordination centre. “Tony Möller’s expertise in emergency situations is wellknown and he is skilled to head such a centre. Adding to this is the latest technology with which the centre is equipped. According to the proposal he will be assisted by Dr. Clive Thomas (Medixx Occupational Health Services) and Dr Quincy Gurirab (Rio Tinto). We also have the full support and commitment of the Municipality of Swakopmund for this proposal.” Also involved in and committed to a coordinated Emergency plan are International SOS, E-Med Rescue, Gabriel Ambulance and the Erongo Regional Police. “The Health Technical Advisory Committee of the Uranium Institute (headed by Dr Gurirab) will be tasked to table an Erongo Based Emergency Plan which links together all emergency plans in the region.” According to Dr. Swiegers the feasibility of this plan can be enhanced by a fully-equipped disaster bus which can respond in emergency situations and assist the existing ambulance service. “We will therefore look into this possibility. We also need to train and have available a pool of emergency officers.” This need, he said, will be addressed by training courses provided by the Swakopmund Municipality’s Emergency Centre, to complement courses already presented by the local Emergency Services. Residents of the Erongo region can thus rest assured that with a coordinated emergency plan, the availability of resources and committed role-players their health and safety will be of the highest priority.

[Mie1]

Fortune Magazine reports that:

Some industry players, such as Toshiba, Hyperion Power Generation, and NuScale Power, think they have a better idea: small, distributed units designed to power the equivalent of a midsize town.

Glibly nicknamed "backyard nukes," these mini power plants don't require a lot of capital, and to hear their proponents explain it, they're safe too.

Hyperion, based in Los Alamos, N.M., is developing a system utilizing technology licensed from the famed Los Alamos National Laboratory that costs from $30 million to $50 million.

Hyperion CEO John "Grizz" Deal says that the entire plant, including the reactor and protective cabinet, will be about the size of a hot tub -- eight feet tall by five feet wide -- and will be available in late 2013.

[Comrade007]

That sounds more like it! The Hyperion product is very interesting:

Like a battery, the HPM is a compact, transportable unit with no moving internal parts. It’s not to be opened once distributed from the factory.

Once sited safely in its underground containment vessel, an HPM is monitored but does not require a battery of operational personnel. It just quietly delivers safe, reliable power – 70 MW thermal or 25 MW electric via steam turbine – for a period of seven to 10 years.

A good bit bigger than the typical consumer battery, HPMs are, however, just a fraction of the size of conventional nuclear power plants. The Hyperion Power Module is 1.5 meters across and 2.5 meters in height. It’s the size, along with the transportability and ease of operation, that make the self-contained HPM such a desirable choice for providing consistent, reliable, affordable power in remote locations.

Large conventional nuclear power plants are a necessary component of the global solution to the climate change problem. Nuclear power, including that provided by the HPM, emits no greenhouse gases. And, pound for pound its fuel component – uranium – delivers more actual energy than any other fuel available today. Because its fuel packs more power, less is required. Therefore the mining of uranium is more efficient and causes less damage to the environment than traditional hydrocarbon fuels such as coal and natural gas. Nuclear power is also the safest, most regulated and protected form of energy on the planet today. No other industry is as closely monitored and today’s nuclear technology is constantly evolving as researchers strive on a daily basis to make it even safer.

Nuclear power will continue to play an important role in the global solution to the climate change problem. Now, because of Hyperion’s unique technology, the benefits of affordable energy from big power plants are available even when and where large, conventional nuclear power plants are not appropriate.

Think battery, with the benefits of nuclear power. Think Hyperion.

http://www.hyperionpowergeneration.com/product.html

[Geek]

Right up my alley! One of these units is a natural fit for my gaming machine. I mean seven years and all thhat power. Can you imagine! Geeky

[Kurt Mauser]

This whole nuclear power pipedream smacks of an uneducated "have uranium, will generate power" type mentality. Almost like a former president who "have copper, must build helicopters" mentality...........


Prohibitive costs aside, ask yourself this question: Do you really want a goverment incapable of putting clean sheets on a hospital bed running a nuclear power station?? Hell, NO !!!

The future of sustainable power generation in Namibia lies in small scale, tried and trusted technologies. Part of the high cost of "renewable" energy is the money wasted on existing infrastructure. We have the benifit that in most cases we can develop this infrastructure from a clean sheet, hence no double costing in first developing "conventional" networks, then replacing them with "green" networks.

Bang for buck, the lowest cost renewable generation can come from Biomass. It is cheap and simple to implement on a small scale, and just as easy to implement on a largerr scale. A "wood gas generator" is about as technically complex as a wheelbarrow to build. As a matter of fact, about 65 years ago my grandpa did just this, in the wake of WW2 fuel shortages.

Let us rather export our uranium, and let other countries worry about spending the money to use it as a fuel. In the end, we create many jobs and earn lots of valuta for digging a otherwise useless material (for our needs) from the ground.

[Mie1]

For vehicles, cooking and furnaces wood-gas would probably be ok. No major midifications involved.

For large-scale use liquid gas would be preferable and more efficient - Kudu gas. One can, of course also use the process as in use at the end of WWII in Germany, the liquid fuel from coal. Sasol is one of the most successful commercial enterprises to use this process.

On the other hand, nuclear fuel is surprisingly clean .........