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In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation
Bill Gates and his energy firm have begun building on a next-generation nuclear power station in Wyoming, which he hopes will “revolutionize” power generation.
Gates was in the small town of Kemmerer on Monday to break ground on the project. TerraPower’s chairman is a Microsoft co-founder. In March, the business applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for construction permission to build an advanced nuclear reactor that cools with sodium rather than water. If allowed, it will operate as a commercial nuclear power facility.
The location is near to PacifiCorp’s Naughton Power Plant, which will finish burning coal in 2026 and natural gas ten years later, according to the utility. Nuclear reactors do not emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. PacifiCorp intends to acquire carbon-free power from the reactor and says it is considering how much nuclear to include in its long-term plans.
Bill Gates | AP News Image
In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation
The work began on Monday with the goal of preparing the site so that TerraPower could begin construction as soon as it is feasible if its permission is approved. Russia is at the forefront of developing sodium-cooled reactors.
Gates reminded the crowd during the groundbreaking ceremony that they were “standing on what will soon be the bedrock of America’s energy future.”
“This is a big step toward safe, abundant, zero-carbon energy,” Gates stated. “And it’s important for the future of this country that projects like this succeed.”
Advanced reactors often use a non-water coolant and operate at lower pressures and greater temperatures. Although this technology has been known for decades, the United States has continued to build massive, traditional water-cooled reactors as commercial power facilities. According to the NRC, the Wyoming project is the first time a corporation has attempted to operate an advanced reactor as a commercial power plant in the United States in nearly four decades.
Chris Levesque, the company’s president and CEO, believes it is time to transition to advanced nuclear technology. This technology employs cutting-edge computer modeling and physics to create a simpler plant design that is less expensive, safer, and more efficient.
Bill Gates | AP news Image
In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation
TerraPower’s Natrium demonstration project features a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt energy storage system.
“The industry’s nature has not been to innovate. It’s been about repeating prior performance rather than moving forward with new technology. And that was fantastic for dependability,” Levesque explained in an interview. “But the electricity demands we’re seeing in the coming decades, and also to correct the cost issues with today’s nuclear and nuclear energy, we at TerraPower and our founders really felt it’s time to innovate.”
A Georgia utility has completed the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation, at a cost of around $35 billion. The cost of expanding Plant Vogtle from two to four traditional big reactors is $11 billion, including cost overruns.
The TerraPower project is estimated to cost up to $4 billion, with half of that coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. According to Levesque, this figure includes the first-of-its-kind costs for designing and licensing the reactor so that subsequent ones will be substantially less expensive.
Most modern nuclear reactors in development in the United States employ a form of fuel known as high-assay low-enriched uranium, which contains a larger percentage of the isotope uranium-235 than normal reactor fuel. TerraPower has pushed back its Wyoming launch date by two years to 2030 because Russia is the sole commercial fuel supply, and it is collaborating with other companies to discover alternative suppliers. The United States Energy Department is seeking to develop it locally.
On Thursday, Edwin Lyman co-authored an article in Science that expressed worry that this fuel may be used to power nuclear bombs. Lyman, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ director of nuclear power safety, believes the risk posed by HALEU now is low because there isn’t much of it worldwide. But that will change if advanced reactor projects, which require far higher volumes, proceed, he said. Lyman stated that he wants to raise awareness of the hazard, hoping the world community will tighten security around the fuel.
NRC spokesperson Scott Burnell stated that the agency is convinced that its present procedures will ensure the security and public safety of any reactors built and their fuel.
In 2008, Gates co-founded TerraPower to help the private sector promote advanced nuclear energy and provide safe, abundant, carbon-free energy.
Bill Gates | AP news Image
In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation
The company’s 345-megawatt reactor has the potential to generate up to 500 megawatts at its peak, enough to power 400,000 households. TerraPower stated that its first few reactors will focus on generating power. However, it foresee future reactors being built near industrial units to provide high heat.
Currently, almost all industrial activities that require high heat are powered by the combustion of fossil fuels. The Nuclear Energy Institute’s John Kotek stated that heat from modern reactors may be utilized to make hydrogen, petrochemicals, ammonia, and fertilizer.
It’s notable that Gates, a technology inventor and climate advocate, is counting on nuclear power to help address the climate catastrophe, said to Kotek, the industry group’s senior vice president of policy.
“I think this has helped open people’s eyes to the role that nuclear power does play today and can play in the future in addressing carbon emissions,” he stated. “There’s tremendous momentum building for new nuclear in the U.S. and the potential use of a far wider range of nuclear energy technology than we’ve seen in decades.”
SOURCE – (AP)
The new head of the Army has stated that Britain must be prepared to fight a war within three years.
Gen Sir Roland Walker has issued a warning about a variety of risks in what he calls a “increasingly volatile” environment.
However, he stated that war was not inevitable and that the Army had “just enough time” to prepare to prevent conflict.
He stated that the Army’s fighting capacity would be doubled by 2027 and tripled by the end of the decade.
Gen Walker warned that the Britain was under threat from a “axis of upheaval” in his first speech as Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Among the primary concerns confronting the Britain in the next years, as noted by the general in a briefing, is an enraged Russia, which may seek vengeance on the West for helping Ukraine, regardless of who wins the war.
He stated: “It doesn’t matter how it finishes. I believe Russia will emerge from it weaker objectively – or completely – but still very, very dangerous and seeking some form of retaliation for what we have done to assist Ukraine.”
Britain’s Government Defence Review and Military Challenges
He also warned that China was determined to retake Taiwan, and Iran was likely to seek nuclear weapons.
He stated that the threats they posed may become particularly acute in the next three years, and that these countries had formed a “mutual transactional relationship” since the war in Ukraine, sharing weaponry and technology.
However, he stated that the path to conflict was not “inexorable” if the UK re-established credible land troops to assist its deterrent strategy for avoiding war.
In his speech, he described his force of slightly over 70,000 regular troops as a “medium-sized army” and made no direct call for additional resources or men.
However, he pushed the British Army to adapt swiftly, focussing on technology such as artificial intelligence and weaponry rather than numbers.
His ultimate goal is for the Army to be capable of destroying an opponent three times its size.
This would entail firing quicker and farther, he said, aided by lessons learnt from the Ukraine war.
The general’s speech at the Royal United Services Institute land warfare conference comes only one week after the government began a “root and branch” defence review to “take a fresh look” at the challenges facing the armed services.
Defence Secretary John Healey launched the assessment, describing the existing status of the armed forces as “hollowed-out” and stating that “procurement waste and neglected morale cannot continue”.
According to the most recent Ministry of Defence (MoD) numbers from April 2024, the Britain’s regular Army forces total 75,325 troops (excluding Gurkhas and volunteers).
That figure has been declining in recent years, as recruiting has failed to match retention. The previous Conservative administration lowered the planned headcount from 82,000 to 72,500 by 2025.
Members of the NATO military alliance have agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence by 2024, but several countries are unlikely to fulfil this goal.
The Britain presently spends 2.3% of its GDP on defence. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously stated that the defence review will include a “roadmap” for increasing this to 2.5%, however he has yet to provide a date for this promise.
Source: BBC
News
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
PARIS — Katie Ledecky is looking for clean Olympic races. On Wednesday, Hope had pretty much reached her limit.
The American swimmer hopes to add to her six gold medals as she competes in the 400, 800, and 1,500 meters at the Paris Games. Her program starts with the heavy 400 on Saturday, featuring Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.
Katie Ledecky | ESPN Image
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
The 27-year-old Katie is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics, but the first since a doping scandal involving almost two dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned chemical before the Tokyo Games — yet were permitted to compete with no consequences. The controversy has raised serious worries regarding the effectiveness of anti-doping initiatives.
Katie Ledecky | Vogue Image
“I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week,” Ledecky claimed. “But what truly counts is, were they training cleanly? Hopefully this has been the case. Hopefully, there has been worldwide testing.”
The International Olympic Committee has expressed concern over the ongoing US investigation into possible doping by Chinese swimmers. While awarding the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City on Wednesday, the IOC urged Utah officials to do whatever they could to stop the FBI investigation.
“I think everyone’s heard what the athletes think,” Katie added. “They seek transparency. They want more answers to the remaining questions. At this point, we are here to race. We are going to race whoever is in the lane next to us.
“We are not paid to conduct the tests, so we trust those who follow their regulations. That applies both today and in the future.
Katie Ledecky | ESPN Image
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
SOURCE | AP
As the summer holidays begin, London may experience an official heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 29 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office predicts a long period of sunny and dry weather for London after a soggy spring and summer.
After a cloudy day on Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 27C on Sunday, with lots of sunlight.
On Monday and Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to peak at 29 degrees Celsius. Monday is forecast to offer more sunlight, while Tuesday may see some gloomy weather.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the high 20s next week, with lows of approximately 18C.
According to the Met Office, a heatwave is “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.”
In the United Kingdom, a heatwave is proclaimed when daily temperatures meet or surpass a certain level for at least three consecutive days.
In London, the heatwave threshold is 28 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office reported that the UK is experiencing hotter and wetter weather on average due to climate change.
The UK experienced its warmest May and April on record this year, despite damp and dismal conditions in many areas.
According to the Met Office’s State Of The UK Climate 2023 report published on Thursday, the UK experienced historic levels of extreme weather last year.
In the United Kingdom, 2023 was the second warmest year on record, bringing storms, flooding, strong heatwaves, and rising sea levels; only 2022 was warmer.
It was 0.8°C higher than the average from 1991 to 2020, and 1.66°C higher than the 1961 to 1990 average.
However, 2023 will be a “cool year” in comparison to 2100, based on the planet’s warming trajectory.
The government’s plan to adapt to the hazards presented by climate change is currently being challenged in the High Court by campaigners who allege the Tory administration’s July 2023 National Adaptation Programme (NAP) fails to adequately address 61 concerns.
Source: The Standard
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