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336 comments on France and Italy: is nuclear power the way for energy independence?

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sofistek on March 25, 2008 - 2:34am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

As a former French colony, I suppose France thinks Niger is a fairly safe bet but it's hardly energy independence. I keep reading this (energy independence) about France's nuclear project but it just doesn't ring true if they have to import most or all of their fuel source. I suppose they have their fingers crossed that unrestricted global trade will go on for some time.

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Kiashu on March 25, 2008 - 6:29am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Iraq, Egypt and Nigeria used to be British colonies, Venezuela a Spanish colony, Libya Italian, and... yet...

If I'm building a reactor that I expect to last 30-50 years, I want to make sure I've got fuel for it for that long. Or at least half that long.

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AlanfromBigEasy on March 25, 2008 - 8:46am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Occasional "visits' by the French Foreign Legion keep Chad, Niger, etc. more French than most former colonies.

In addition, one can store a LOT of urabium in a small volume (and I suspect that France has several years worth stored) and France is reprocessing (successfully) limited amounts of spent fuel, another source of reactor fuel.

Alan

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336 comments on France and Italy: is nuclear power the way for energy independence?

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