Thursday, 3 June 2021

Below the Salt?

It's interesting that Bill Gates (owner of Terrapower) and Warren Buffet (a major player in the Pacificorp power company) are combining, to build a demonstration nuclear power station in Wyoming (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/03/bill-gates-warren-buffett-new-nuclear-reactor-wyoming-natrium). Wyoming is, of course, currently the US state that produces most of that country's coal. This hydrocarbon is burned, in power plants across the US, to generate electricity. Coal, a really dirty fuel, is a major source of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the prominent 'greenhouse gas', which drives climate change. The reactor's supporters claim that this 345 megawatt sodium-cooled (Natrium) fast plant will be a 'game changer'. The plan is to build the reactor on the site of a 'retired' coalmine. Could there be a message here?

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