Russia Unveils Detailed Plans To Build 21 New Nuclear Power Units By 2030

[FBaggins]

12. Which waste would that be?

Some reprocessing goes to MOX which, I'm sure you are aware, is an abysmal fuel (just ask TEPCO)

You're kidding, right? You're still holding on to the notion that something at Fukushima was impacted by MOX?

but that only affects an insignificant part of the waste.

Not really. That and the U235 that's recovered represent a comparatively high percentage of the fissile material that the fuel started out with (allowing them to make new fuel without much of the mining otherwise required).

Some is low level

Some? Sorry... thats' not true. The largest proportion of the original "waste" is U238... and that's simply not dangerous. You're surrounded by the stuff.

In short, most of the dangerous stuff doesn't last very long and most of the stuff that lasts a really long time isn't very dangerous. The volume of dangerous+long-lived material is comparatively very small (and thus could be buried pretty easily).

As to the "designed" life of 60 years as far as I know the closest to that is the H B Robinson, no other nuclear plant in the world has operated for close to 60 years.

So? Don't fall for the ridiculous notion that "if it has the word 'nuclear' in the title... it's pretty much the same&quot . It isn't at all uncommon for the newer reactor designs to plan for an initial 60-year run (with the very real probability of an additional 20-year option after that and some that could exceed 100 years if experience over the next 60 years occurs as projected).

Hoover Dam opened three quarters of a century ago... how much longer will it survive? There's nothing about nuclear reactors that keep them from being designed for longer lives. Better metallurgy, planning for replacement of major parts, fewer wear items, etc. all play a part.

BTW would you trust the ex-USSR to design a power reactor given the safety record?

See above. All russians are the same? Or just all Russian reactors?