Nuclear power now makes up about 25% of the generation of Georgia Power, the largest unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co.

First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia::ATLANTA — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation, becoming the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades.

  • @[email protected]English
    15•1 year ago

    Too bad the energy companies essentially never dispose of the waste properly

    To be fair, nuclear waste tends to be disposed of much more properly than coal waste.

      • @[email protected]English
        14•1 year ago

        This is a stupid take.

        Coal power puts out more radioactive waste than nuclear does, and coal sends it right into the air where we can’t manage it.

        Nuclear waste is kept solid, and contained. We know exactly where it goes and as long as the rules are followed it’s not at risk of polluting anything.

        Sure solar and wind don’t have any by product once they are setup, but they also don’t fit the baseline power need that nuclear does.

      • @[email protected]English
        2•1 year ago

        What makes you say that. Nuclear waste has the consistency of glass or sand depending on how it’s processed. And if we reprocessed that waste like the French we could effectively remove the danger of it.

          • BuelldozerEnglish
            2•1 year ago

            As for what France does, as I mentioned, the US has not developed or built that tech because there is ultimately no profit in it and the US is unwilling to spend tax money on it.

            First Ford, then Carter stopped commercial re-processing in the United States. Reagan brought it back. G. H. W. Bush then put the brakes on it but stopped short of an outright ban. Clinton stepped on the brakes even harder but again stopped shy of a full ban and when Bush Jr came into office he started a slow process of bringing it back. That’s as far as this CRS Report goes although there may be an updated one somewhere out there.

            Still, the US has spent money on it and was doing so at least as recently as 2008. It appears the biggest worry we have is proliferation of nuclear material, not profit or cost.