Is the DOE ever going to begin picking up spent nuclear fuel? That problem needs to be solved too.

Eliminatus said:

---

There is no other way forward with our given technology at this time and our power usage as a nation. We need to go nuclear and it should have been done at least a decade ago.

I will say, anecdotally, that I don't see much anymore about saving power measures in the home. Things like turning off lights and unplugging things not in constant use, etc. Those were things that we were even reminded about in school when I was growing up. It was damn near mainstream from what I can recall. Is that still a thing and I am just not seeing it now? I guess it's just morphed into buying power efficient products?

---

Yes. Household fixtures are mostly energy efficient now. Add in things like remote thermostats and the ability to control other household systems remotely, and I think energy efficiency is largely baked in to modern homes.

He can want all his wheels can handle, but if the Fed wants to piss on it all, then it will go nowhere.

Bassmaster said:

---

Is the DOE ever going to begin picking up spent nuclear fuel? That problem needs to be solved too.

---

Nuclear waste can be recycled for Thorium reactors, not the best source for Thorium, but a source.

I feel your pain, now they're grown and they all have their own children. I laugh every time they go around birching about the lights being left on

Look into smart switches and smart bulbs for your house. Meross is a good brand to use and not too much more than a normal switch or bulb.

Then power it with a SmartThings hub, or if you're in the Apple ecosystem, a HomePod mini and the Home app. You can set it up so everything turns off at a set time each day you know the house will be empty and that the air kicks up (or down) to run less while you're not there. I have certain lights come on in the morning so we don't walk out into a dark house when we wake up and my outside lights are on when we leave. At a certain time, everything gets turned off and no worrying that one of the kids left a bathroom light on upstairs.

When we all leave as a family, I run a "goodbye" scene, which turns the mode to away, so all the lights go off, doors lock, and AC temp goes up, and it's set so that if it's in away mode after sunset, certain lights come on and stay on for a set amount of time and then go off to make it look like we're home.

One thing to look out for is if you're going to run it via Apple's Home app, you need to make sure that any switches/bulbs/etc you get work with Apple Home.

For a few hundred dollars, you can have a fully automated home for the simple things around the house.

I'm not a fan of waiting for new generations of reactors. The current Gen III technology is plenty safe and could be made substantially more economical with certain regulatory changes that don't impact the basic reactor cycle.

Rapier108 said:

---

Time to add two reactors at Comanche Peak and two at the STP for starters.

Either the Mitsubishi APWR+ (was planned for Comanche Peak but later canceled), the AP1000 (already in use at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia), the ABWR (was planned for the STP, but canceled) or the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor.

---

This is the real first step. Both sites I believe were awarded site licenses for new reactors. Screw the other designs and just have them build AP1000 units at those sites. Hopefully Westinghouse has worked out the issues that led to the cost overruns at Vogtle.

Next generation reactors are still a boondoggle and only exist on paper.

This is the way. Anyone concerned about the grid or concerned about "global warming" should be on board with massively expanding nuclear. The technology we already have right now is safe. We need to move forward

Good Abbott!

Oh my! Nuclear we sre all gonna die!!!!!
/s

About time.

We have a friendly government coming to Washington.

Now is the time to secede.

aTm2004 said:

---

This is a good thing, IMO, and what is needed for the future.

Texas is the energy capital of the world.

We’re ready to be #1 in advanced nuclear power. Today, we released our plan to build that industry in Texas.

By utilizing advanced nuclear energy, we’ll enhance the reliability of our state grid & provide affordable, dispatchable power. pic.twitter.com/b00qZcnB0B

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 18, 2024

---

I am 100% pro nuclear, but 2 things jump out to me here.

First, aren't most of the restrictions/regulatory hoops at the federal level, meaning Abbott can't do much of anything directly on that?

Second, this "study" took a year? Really? If the study itself took a year, how long is it going to take to implement whatever plan is put in place and actually expand nuclear power generation in Texas?

I seem to recall the W administration doing some things vis-a-vis federal regulations to favor nuclear power early in his administration, but not much seems to have come from that (which may have been a combination of the 0 administration and reaction to the ***ushima accident).

Wikipedia (so take it with whatever sized grain of salt you feel is required) says the following:

Quote:

---

Between 2007 and 2009, 13 companies applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for construction and operating licenses to build 25 new nuclear power reactors in the United States. However, the case for widespread nuclear plant construction was eroded due to abundant natural gas supplies, slow electricity demand growth in a weak U.S. economy (Financial crisis of 20072008), lack of financing, and uncertainty following the ***ushima nuclear disaster of 2011 in Japan after a tsunami.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Power_2010_Program#cite_note-us12-9][9][/url] Many license applications for proposed new reactors were suspended or cancelled

---

This would seem to be an excellent idea for the Trump administration to pick up and run with, but they don't have time for some year-long study to look into things that are not exactly difficult to discern given that Trump is a lame-duck out of the gate.

We need DOE to get out of the way of progress and lets build more nuclear but lets also build new refineries to expand our production of oil and gas products! It is the government that drives up the cost of everything.

I am 100% convinced we need to push every avenue for power. Make our grid antifragile so that it has numerous different means to produce power. We're going to need orders of magnitude more power soon and we'll need everything we have.

Don't stop building one thing just because you are building something else.

Teslag said:

---

I support nuclear power but I don't see the financial point of it in Texas. We have so much cheap, clean, and readily available natural gas why not just go all in on it?

---

Maybe this is one of those "follow the money" moments where Abbott and his peeps are getting kickbacks, a la "campaign contributions," to make this happen.

Whatever it is, if it gets us closer to greener energy and more affordable energy, I'm all for it.

Build extra and sell it to the other states!

javajaws said:

---

Build extra and sell it to the other states!

---

Amen.

SwigAg11 said:

---

Rapier108 said:

---

Time to add two reactors at Comanche Peak and two at the STP for starters.

Either the Mitsubishi APWR+ (was planned for Comanche Peak but later canceled), the AP1000 (already in use at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia), the ABWR (was planned for the STP, but canceled) or the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor.

---

This is the real first step. Both sites I believe were awarded site licenses for new reactors. Screw the other designs and just have them build AP1000 units at those sites. Hopefully Westinghouse has worked out the issues that led to the cost overruns at Vogtle.

Next generation reactors are still a boondoggle and only exist on paper.

---

India has working "next generation" reactors. They should be fully operational in 10-15 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India%27s_three-stage_nuclear_power_programme#:~:text=According%20to%20plan%2C%2030%25%20of,country's%20economically%20extractable%20thorium%20reserves.

Quote:

---

First, aren't most of the restrictions/regulatory hoops at the federal level, meaning Abbott can't do much of anything directly on that?

---

Make hay while the sun's shining, as they say. I'd suggest there is a reason this has been announced now.