Bill Gates Building Nuke Plant for China

Bill Gates Building Nuke Plant for China
BY SAM BIDDLE 
DEC 8, 2011 
gizmodo.com

What do you do when you've run out of things to spend money on, and everyone already uses your software? How about developing a nuclear plant with China? Sure! Bill Gates is doing just that, the AP reports. For science?


Although Gates says his baby nuclear energy company, TerraPower, is having "very good discussions" with China regarding the plant, the fact that he's throwing in a billion dollars over 5 years sounds like more than talk. 



http://www.facebook.com/nuclearfree 
http://www.facebook.com/nukefree



The plant, however, will be a "Generation IV" reactor, which for now exists only on paper—and the tech isn't expected to start materializing until for at least a decade. 


Gen IV cores are expected to be safer, more efficient, create less waste that fades earlier, and essentially address every possible criticism about nuclear power. Again, on paper.


So why China, Bill? Their society is far more open to nuclear power than ours, especially post-Fukushima. 


But it's also probably easier to use some remote Chinese backwater as a testbed for an untested form of nuclear energy. 


When Gates says, with quintessential hubris, that "[the reactor will] require no human action to remain safe at all times," you have every reason to raise an eyebrow. 


The international forum behind Gen IV nuclear says it's "developing safety design criteria for Generation IV nuclear power plants that reflect lessons learned from Fukushima." 


Stripping human oversight from a nuclear reactor doesn't sound like a lesson learned. 

Bill Gates Talking With China To Develop Nuclear Reactor

Bill Gates Talking With China To Develop Nuclear Reactor
December 7, 2011


BEIJING (AP) — Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates confirmed Wednesday he is in discussions with China to jointly develop a new and safer kind of nuclear reactor.


“The idea is to be very low cost, very safe and generate very little waste,” said the billionaire during a talk at China’s Ministry of Science and Technology.



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Gates said he had largely funded a Washington state-based company, TerraPower, that is developing a Generation IV nuclear reactor that can run on depleted uranium. 


TerraPower says it has discussed its plans with India, Russia and other countries with nuclear energy programs.


The general manager of state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation, Sun Qin, was quoted in Chinese media last week saying Gates was working with it to research and develop a reactor.


“TerraPower is having very good discussions with CNNC and various people in the Chinese government,” said Gates, cautioning the talks were at an early stage.


Gates says perhaps as much as a billion dollars will be put into research and development over the next five years.


TerraPower says its traveling wave reactor would run for decades on depleted uranium and produce significantly smaller amounts of nuclear waste than conventional reactors.


“All these new designs are going to be incredibly safe,” Gates told the audience. “They require no human action to remain safe at all times.”


He said they also benefit from an ability to simulate earthquake and tidal wave conditions. “It takes safety to a new level,” he said.


Since leaving Microsoft Corp., Gates has concentrated on philanthropy and advocating on public health, education and clean energy issues. He is an investor and strategic adviser to TerraPower.


Gates was at the Ministry of Science and Technology to talk about a joint project between China and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support innovative research and development to help alleviate poverty.


Gates said the ministry will help identify entrepreneurs and companies to manufacture new products in global health and agriculture to “change the lives of poor people,” including new vaccines and diagnostics and genetically modified seeds.


“China has a lot to contribute because it’s solved many of the problems of poverty, not all of them but a lot of them, itself, and many Asian, south Asian and African countries are well behind, whether it’s agriculture or health,” said Gates.


No specific poverty alleviation projects were mentioned.