The second thing Mark said that I disagree with was about ALARA. Mark was thinking it was a simple matter of finding radiation where it is not supposed to be and then finding out where it came from. No. ALARA infuses the entire reactor design and its operation at every step. In the 1970's the amount of concrete/steel/cabling/conduit went up by factors of 2/3/4. The number of hours spent on paperwork alone for a 1980 reactor start exceeded the entire labour hours for one of the early reactors (see previous comment) by a factor of 3; and you don't have ground broken yet.
Great episode, but I disagree with Mark on two issues. First, Mark thinks the NRC has had little to do with the huge cost of Vogtle. It is not what the NRC did in 2010-2022 that matters, it is what the AEC and NRC did in the 1970's that matters. Fifty-one (51) of the operating, or planned to restart, reactors had construction start dates before 1971. These were built and operated safely for many decades (and some or all will continue to operate for years more). These were built quickly and cheaply and contributed to US prosperity for the 40+ years they operated. Starting in 1970 the AEC and NRC had rapidly growing regs that led to so many cancellations in the face of huge costs. An interesting story to discuss sometime.
The second thing Mark said that I disagree with was about ALARA. Mark was thinking it was a simple matter of finding radiation where it is not supposed to be and then finding out where it came from. No. ALARA infuses the entire reactor design and its operation at every step. In the 1970's the amount of concrete/steel/cabling/conduit went up by factors of 2/3/4. The number of hours spent on paperwork alone for a 1980 reactor start exceeded the entire labour hours for one of the early reactors (see previous comment) by a factor of 3; and you don't have ground broken yet.
Great episode, but I disagree with Mark on two issues. First, Mark thinks the NRC has had little to do with the huge cost of Vogtle. It is not what the NRC did in 2010-2022 that matters, it is what the AEC and NRC did in the 1970's that matters. Fifty-one (51) of the operating, or planned to restart, reactors had construction start dates before 1971. These were built and operated safely for many decades (and some or all will continue to operate for years more). These were built quickly and cheaply and contributed to US prosperity for the 40+ years they operated. Starting in 1970 the AEC and NRC had rapidly growing regs that led to so many cancellations in the face of huge costs. An interesting story to discuss sometime.
Thank you. I am just catching up. Will listen now to Small Reactor, Big Price.
Do you have a podcast or written something on Terrestrial Energy? What's your take on those reactors? It was originally a Canadian company.