Miniature nuclear reactors, once the stuff of science fiction, soon may be coming to a town near you — that is, if terrorists don’t pick them off on the way.
Reactors being developed by Hyperion Power Generation of Santa Fe, N.M.; NuScale Power of Corvallis, Ore., and the giant Japanese conglomerate Toshiba use different nuclear fuels, but all rely on the same basic design.
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I am not really sure what the big deal is over these. The fuel that they contain is is not fissionable, and even after the depletion of the reactor will not be without further enrichment.
Even if one of these units is compromised during transit for installation, the threat is still less than the leftovers that can be found from discarded radiotherapy machines that are dumped in third world countries with no regard to their highly radioactive contents (National Geographic articles circa 1980’s, I’m sure that the practice has not stopped totally since then).
There is a lot that needs to be re-learned about nuclear power since the mishaps in the 80’s. its come a long ways technology wise, especially on a macro scale like these new reactors present.
While I am not fully sure of this technology, it needs to be given a chance. The world’s energy problems are not going to cure themselves without radical new ideas like this.
obviously as you said these are not going to be made into bombs but if a terrorist has access to one of these mini reactors they might be able to use the unused fuel for a dirty bomb or just realese it into the air although this would not be as catastrophic as an attack using an H-Bomb or something but it would be not good
Terrorist threat?? Oh really. You think the power compaines would like you to believe otherwise? Makes you wander the real motives here. You bet they got their foot in this one