In this episode, I dig into Mark’s claims on the functional "immortality" of nuclear power plants. We explore the physics of the limitations of reactor life and whether keeping existing nuclear online as long as possible is an intelligent investment. We take a look at the peculiarities of different reactor designs and their impacts on longevity including the unfortunate decision of the UK to go it alone with its gas reactor fleet whose internals cannot be refurbished. Finally, we take a detour to explore just what is going on with the French fleet which is running at only 2/3 capacity during the worst energy crunch since the OPEC crisis. Enjoy!
Mark Nelson is the Managing Director of Radiant Energy Group, and was formerly a Generation Fellow at The Breakthrough Institute and Senior Analyst for Environmental Progress. He holds degrees in mechanical, aerospace and nuclear engineering.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:15 Are Reactors Immortal?
11:22 How do we achieve Immortality
15:54 Metals - technical breakdown
21:46 Belgium’s nuclear cracks
26:24 Crisis facing French Nuclear
46:04 Why UK reactors aren’t immortal
50:16 CANDU reactors
55:38 Russian reactors
57:52 Nuclear culture & future outlook