[Newsbot]

Title: Chinese Embrace Nuclear Power, Master Uranium Reprocessing
Category: Environmental
Posted By: can-aid-ian
Date: 2011-01-27 07:40:27
Canadian

[martin14]

Good for them, hope they know how to build them.

[DrCaleb]

martin14 martin14:

Good for them, hope they know how to build them.

Doesn't mater to me Martin. Coal pollution travels worldwide. Nuclear waste is a local hazard.

[Khar]

I don't know, DrCaleb. I have no doubt that increases in investment of Nuclear Energy (which has been ongoing for some time) will lead to an increase in concerns about proliferation. There have also been cases of illegal dumping in the past, such as the 'Ndrangheta case, and there have been cases where nuclear accidents have had broad reaching impacts, like the Goiânia accident. It's usually a local hazard, but not always, and when it's not local it's quite concerning.

However, I would agree overall that nuclear waste and problems are far more local, and that I'd definitely prefer to see a switchover to more nuclear energy as time goes on. I've been less than impressed by some provinces moves towards Nuclear energy, however -- particularly in spots like Ontario, which seems to drag it's feet and end up paying a lot more for their nuclear projects than is preferable.

[martin14]

proliferation ? pffff, the Chinese have enough nuclear weapons and technology already.

Increasing their civilian program won't make a difference.

[PostFactum]

"derived from Russian technology" it scares me

[Khar]

martin14 martin14:

proliferation ? pffff, the Chinese have enough nuclear weapons and technology already.

Increasing their civilian program won't make a difference.

I disagree. An increase in availability of nuclear waste would likely be a concern to a lot of parties fighting nuclear proliferation. We already see people with problems due to the lackadaisical approach of the Soviets to protecting their nuclear assets, and China has not exactly been great when it comes to fighting proliferation already.

Concerns about a lack of security or internal corruption which is already present in China boosting proliferation to even more parties should at least be a concern. From those links above, we can see that the commercial aspect of nuclear power within China has been an issue for proliferation already, as far back as a decade and a half ago when it came to who they were selling commercial technologies to. An increase in the size of their domestic nuclear power base could increase that industry's leverage in China to expanding further, in contrast to non-domestic pressures to reduce such activities. Even though Chinese proliferation has been declining, and increase could occur if the civilian aspect gains a boost from sales and infrastructure, and they have played a role in the proliferation of weaponry in the past, alongside the military. It's not a fringe concern either.

Just my opinion, though.

[GreenTiger]

Perhaps their reactor site will as safe as Chernobyl.

[GreenTiger]

Perhaps their reactor site will as safe as Chernobyl.

[GreenTiger]

Perhaps their reactor site will as safe as Chernobyl.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

3rd time's a charm eh?