France has been a net exporter for 40 years straight before that, as well as being the top exporter most of that time in Europe.
Also they’re back to Top 1 right now.
Last year’s gap in electricity production was not due to heat (only a few reactors were slowed down for a few hours, and we’re talking about less than 0.5% loss due to these shutdowns over the year).
Besides, it’s not a technical limitation on nuclear power, it’s an ecological measure.
The hole in production was due to a corrosion problem detected in several reactors, which occurred at the same time as maintenance work in other reactors that were behind schedule because of COVID. This would have had no impact if nuclear power had not been left virtually abandoned for 30 years because of the anti-nuclear movement.
It’s the classic story: anti-nukes shoot nuclear power in the foot, then claim that nuclear power doesn’t work, despite reality.
Genuinely curious here… what about the concerns of nuclear waste? My understanding of it is based on the Simpsons so ELI5 how modern tech resolves the waste issues?
The question of nuclear waste is an extremely minor problem compared to the ecological issues we’re facing, and which we’ve been addressing for decades.
Anti-nuclear people just prefer to cover their ears and pretend it’s an insolvable problem.
Most of it can be recycled (as in used for other nuclear products or services like MRI machines), but it doesn’t because of fear of weaponization. What can’t be recycled can be buried.
See these videos for more info on nuclear energy. The first one includes a nukeE’s commentary. His intros are a bit dry, but he’s very informative on kurzgesagt’s content.
Besides, it’s not a technical limitation on nuclear power, it’s an ecological measure.
The hole in production was due to a corrosion problem detected in several reactors, which occurred at the same time as maintenance work in other reactors that were behind schedule because of COVID. This would have had no impact if nuclear power had not been left virtually abandoned for 30 years because of the anti-nuclear movement.
It’s the classic story: anti-nukes shoot nuclear power in the foot, then claim that nuclear power doesn’t work, despite reality.
Genuinely curious here… what about the concerns of nuclear waste? My understanding of it is based on the Simpsons so ELI5 how modern tech resolves the waste issues?
This is the entirety of the high-level nuclear waste that France produced for 80 years while having 70%+ of nuclear in its electricity mix.
The question of nuclear waste is an extremely minor problem compared to the ecological issues we’re facing, and which we’ve been addressing for decades.
Anti-nuclear people just prefer to cover their ears and pretend it’s an insolvable problem.
Most of it can be recycled (as in used for other nuclear products or services like MRI machines), but it doesn’t because of fear of weaponization. What can’t be recycled can be buried.
See these videos for more info on nuclear energy. The first one includes a nukeE’s commentary. His intros are a bit dry, but he’s very informative on kurzgesagt’s content.
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