this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2025
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Operated from 1972 to 1996 and produced 119 billion kilowatt hours of energy

Dry cask storage is a method for safely storing spent nuclear fuel after it has cooled for several years in water pools. Once the fuel rods are no longer producing extreme heat, they are sealed inside massive steel and concrete casks that provide both radiation shielding and passive cooling through natural air circulation—no water is needed. Each cask can weigh over 100 tons and is engineered to resist earthquakes, floods, fire, and even missile strikes. This makes it a robust interim solution until permanent deep geological repositories are available. The casks are expected to last 50–100 years, though the fuel inside remains radioactive for thousands. Dry cask storage reduces reliance on crowded spent fuel pools, provides a secure above-ground option, and buys time for nations to develop long-term disposal strategies. In essence, it’s a durable, self-contained “vault” for nuclear waste

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[–] docoptix@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

So I guess the high security double fencing is not necessary then?

[–] McNasty@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 weeks ago

That's to keep the radiation in.

[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Depends on your definition of necessary I guess? It is perfectly safe to hug the caskets. The fences are there in case someone wanted to intentionally sabotage them.

[–] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I wonder what the neighbour kid would charge to cut that lawn.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 weeks ago

Likely the safest lawn they'd cut. The radiation levels are incredibly low, and it's going to be well maintained with no hidden hazards or issues that may pop up.

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

I mean nuclear energy is fine and all, but i'd argue that solar is still better.

Think about it:

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Cyanobacteria and their photosynthesis (essentially generating energy out of sunlight) was the foundational breakthrough that allowed life to expand all across the planet and feed multi-cellular organisms, give rise to the modern variety in life that we see.

Solar panels are like photosynthesis (kinda), just on a more technical level. If nuclear energy would have been significantly cheaper in the last few decades, solar energy might not have been developed in the first place, because there would have been no perceived need for it, so we'd be stuck with nuclear.

But it is important that solar energy is available, and so it's a good thing that cheap nuclear power didn't prevent solar energy from happening. We should be thankful.

[–] ghen@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago (11 children)

The reason why nuclear is necessary is because of scale. Solar can't scale up fast enough to even meet demand, let alone exceed it. Nuclear can. But both is good as well, we can do as much solar as we want and then make up the gap with nuclear.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

But both is good as well, we can do as much solar as we want and then make up the gap with nuclear.

I think solar will eventually become more effective and ubiquitous, but indeed nuclear should be the gap in the meanwhile. Unfortunately, folks on either side of the debate are dogmatic thinking it's one or the other instead of being pragmatic.

I used to be anti-nuclear, but with the rate of how bad climate change is getting, we need the nuclear power as the stop gap while we ramp up solar and other renewables. Even my boss who has an environmental degree was anti-nuclear but turned around. The vehemently anti-nuclear think we are going to build more nuke plants. Building new plants are indeed expensive, but those in the middle think we should not build more, but instead advocate not shutting down the already existing plants until other renewables catch up.

Moreover, and this is also a hard to swallow pill for many, much of the anti-nuclear sentiment has roots from Soviet disinformation campaign during the Cold War, especially in West Germany to malign nuclear energy. The Soviet Union was afraid that West Germany's civil nuclear programme might turn to a military one. That disinformation campaign still lingers in the minds of many not just in Germany but have spread across the globe.

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[–] Liz@midwest.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

Both are good.

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