Submitted by mycophdstudent t3_ym2f9c in vermont
Aol_awaymessage t1_iv1sswv wrote
It was dumb to shut down the nuclear power plant (Vermont Yankee)
Phlowman t1_iv1txvz wrote
The plant needed expensive upgrades and unfortunately it was cheaper to shut it down and get energy from different sources.
Twombls t1_iv5vvyw wrote
Yeah people need to keep in mind vt yanky was built before the hydro quebec dams were online. So it was profitable to build. Now > 90% of our power comes from hydro quebec. And a nucler plant could never compete with cheap hydro. It just wouldn't be profitable lmao.
Kixeliz t1_iv24erb wrote
it was leaking tritium into the water supply. Not saying nuclear doesn't have a place, but that plant either needed to go or needed a major upgrade which no one wanted to pay for.
timberwolf0122 t1_iv28d4d wrote
Was that actually a significant problem? I’m being serious.
Tritium has a half life of 12.3 years, which is relatively short.
According to what I found on atomic insights VT YANKEE was leaking 100gal(320L)/day of water containing 2.5million picocuries/liter.
That’s 0.35 curies/ year of radiation diluted in 138,000 liters of water.
If you drank all that water yourself you’d get a dose or ~30 rem, which is around the max yearly dose for a us radiation worker. Realistically you’d end up consuming a such a small fraction of that water it would not impact you.
Kixeliz t1_iv29fdq wrote
here's the Dept. of Health's recap. While tritium alone may not be harmful in small doses, that it was leaking radioactive matieral was an issue.
https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/environmental/tritium-contamination-vt-yankee-2010-12
> On February 14, the major source of the leak was found. A pair of stream pipes in the PDF icon Advance Off-Gas (AOG) pipe tunnel were found to be badly corroded and leaking nuclear steam. The floor drain of this concrete tunnel was found to be clogged with construction debris and mud, which caused condensate from the steam pipes to pool inside the tunnel and leak out at a failed joint.
Seems a tad problematic, no?
timberwolf0122 t1_iv34os1 wrote
Again, not great but also not terrible.
The plant was clearly aging, I just wish we could have built a new modern reactor on the site so it could stay running while the old reactors are decommissioned
Twombls t1_iv5w2vm wrote
"Not great not terrible" is exactly what you want to hear in terms of a nuclear plant lmao.
timberwolf0122 t1_iv6um60 wrote
I’m quoting a line from HBO’s Chernobyl, it was a little tongue in cheek
Loudergood t1_iv5qyhu wrote
Can't do that in the US these days. It'd make universal healthcare look cheap.
timberwolf0122 t1_iv6u5qz wrote
Compared to private it’s half price
landodk t1_iv29a83 wrote
Not that in particular. But it doesn’t speak well to their maintenance. Nor was a water tower collapsing. No risk of contamination, but not a vote of confidence
timberwolf0122 t1_iv34ioc wrote
Not great, not terrible.
We do need to build new modern reactors though, it’s the safest path to carbon reduction
landodk t1_iv2946b wrote
They were approved and the owners shut it down because it was too expensive to keep open.
historycat95 t1_iv2v6t7 wrote
How would that have prevented a natural gas shortage? Did a lot of people switcj from electric to gas BECAUSE of the shutdown? No.
murrly t1_iv4dg7f wrote
We use more natural gas to create electricity when we shut down clean nuclear reactors because of feelings.
historycat95 t1_iv574xy wrote
We use zero natural gas to produce electricity.
In 2021, Vermont generated almost 100% of its electricity from renewable resources, a larger share than in any other state. About 50% of Vermont's utility-scale in-state electricity generation and 46% of the state's total generation came from conventional hydroelectric power.
murrly t1_iv5wpnv wrote
This isn't about Vermont though
This is about the New England grid. Which does use LNG for power.
Also I don't consider burning trees, that were cut by diesel, chipped up by diesel, shipped to the plant by diesel, then burnt creating CO2 to be green energy.
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