I spent a lot of time writing this on a Saturday. I would hope you give this blog a chance and read it, I think it is important news especially since the County Commission is due to sign off on it DECEMBER 20TH!!Nuclear reactors do one thing. They heat water. This heated water is converted to power. I would suppose it is like the steam engines technology only updated with dangerous technology and by-products. So I guess if we had a mega-sized stove where we could heat water and a turbine, we could produce electricity in our kitchen and light a light bulb or something.
So, the one thing nuclear reactors need plenty of is: WATER. They can use sea water, that is why they are always placed on waterfront sites. The problem with Turkey point is, they have a big body of water in the way: Biscayne Bay. They cannot draw water from an Outstanding Water Body: Our Bay is an aquatic preserve. So the question remains: Where the hell are they going to get the 60 to 90 MILLION gallons they need at this site? How much water is that? Well a normal American uses about 100 gallons a day (Floridians aren’t normal we use a bit more). FP&L will be using enough water that could supply 900,000 people a day. They also want to raise the elevation of the land where they put the two reactors at least 20 feet because they are putting them in a flood zone. They haven’t told anyone where the rock-fill will come from. Let me tell you, they need one shit-load of fill to make this happen, it is 240 Acres! Can anyone do cubic computations? Then with global warming, we can call it Turkey Point Nuclear Island and maybe venture there for vacations.
I was told that this plant expansion would produce an extra 2,200 mega watts of electricity for our area. I think we could make that up in conservation. I leave my computer on all day, I always leave lights on and I have that drier going a lot. In the spirit of AA, I have to say: “I am Geniusofdespair and I am an electricity waster.”
So, what does this all mean for you: (Now you HAVE TO hit read more)
There are a lot of unanswered questions. Where is the water coming...where is the fill coming from. The plant will severely increase our carbon footprint which is the bugaboo of Global Warming experts and the forward-thinking Governor Crist wants carbon footprint reduced (see Executive Order No. 07-127).
With all these things up in the air, you would think the County Commission would want many, many answers. Well guess what, FP&L wants approval to move forward from the Commission, December 20th, without giving them this information. Well hell, do they think the Commissioners are nuts? Well, I guess so. And, note the ZONING meeting is scheduled so the public won’t show up (and because it is zoning they can't write or call their Commissioners because of the Jennings law). Where would you want to be 5 days before Christmas? You are getting snowed again people. And papers like Miami Today don’t help. They basically printed a press release from Florida Power and Light in their December 6th issue: it is titled “FPL $8B reactors projected to bring 3,000 construction jobs.” Well, that sound like a balanced piece doesn’t it?
(Remember I am not qualified to give you scientific answers and this is just my understanding put into words. I don’t guarantee accuracy. Also see my December 2nd post: Plenty of Water Use at the Nuke Plant and Gimleteye's post of November 30th on this subject).
8 comments:
why are they moving so quickly without public knowledge. I didn't know about a meeting to vote on this by the county. Was there a notice in the paper? I didn't see it.
I dont know if this comment belongs under nuclear stupidity or under "boondoggle" on you blog. In any case, there is a boondoggle out for comment until 12/28/07 from the Public Service Commission on a rulemaking whereby power companies can recoup all their expenses for investing in IGCC power plants (Integrated Gassification Combined Cycle) from the ratepayers. The rule already applies to nuclear power plants, and they want to amend it to include "clean coal". I thought we were done with new coal in Florida! I guess I was wrong. So folks, go to https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/View_Notice.asp?ID=4915783 and click on the Make Comment button to tell them NO NEW COAL PLANTS and that you dont want to pay for the Power Companies' investments even if they fail!
genius,
Any suggestions on where a 200 Acre wind farm might best be placed?
December 08, 2007
I am going to have to read about wind farms, buy I think Casa de Korge might be idea.
A professor said on PBS that if we installed 1 million solar powered water heaters (either in new homes or replaced those in existing homes), we would mitigate entirely the need for this new power plant. And it would be cheaper. FPL needs to shape up and stop greenwashing itself.
Steve Siebert (once the head of our Dept. of Community Affairs DCA) said every new home should be built with a cistern and solar panels.
I have tried for over a decade to convince the Miami-Dade County Commission to mandate solar water heaters on new construction. The concept has always been fought by the construction industry, and therefore ignored by the commission, because it would add a few hundred dollars to the cost of construction. Just think, they could be using it as a sales carrot. Instead they can't sell their energy guzzling houses. What goes around, comes around.
I'm so happy for this blog. It gives us all the opportunity to vent and feel better even if nobody important pays attention.
I read something about the expansion of nuclear power plant or maybe I don't even know what I'm talking about -- but who listens to us and do they (government) even care? I am concerned about the ill effects and hazards of expanding nuclear energy in the area.
But - Who listens? Who cares? I want to add a thought here.
Look at what Europe suffered in the past century to learn their lesson, while the U.S. became the most powerful and respected nation in the world.
No more, folks, we are sinking deep! We all better wake up fast or we will be in real trouble. The wealthy are destroying our middle class and government is running-a-muck.
It is obvious that there is money or special interests in every project that does not represent a real benefit for us.
More thoughts: Water is scarce, oil is expensive, electrical power plants are insufficient, taxes and insurance costs are killing us, health care is a disaster, food prices are out of control, U.S. agricultural production is in deficit, most goods are manufactured overseas or made from parts that come from overseas, Turkish and Egyptian cotton is now better than our own, customer service jobs are all going overseas, kids today lack social skills and most of our citizens are concerned only with themselves, a lot are apathetic, rude and dumb.
Need I say more? So, who is going to listen to us about a nuclear power plants?
Milly Herrera
Hialeah, Florida
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