Book Description
The onset of the 21st century has coincided with mounting scientific evidence of the severe environmental impact of global energy consumption.In response, governments and environmentalists on every continent have begun to re-evaluate the benefits of nuclear power as a clean, non-emitting energy resource. Today nuclear power plants operate in some 30 countries, and nuclear energy has become a safe and reliable source of one-sixth of the worlds electricity.This base has the potential to be expanded widely as part of a worldwide clean-energy revolution.

Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century is an authoritative resource for educators, students, policy-makers and interested lay-people.This balanced and accessible text provides:

* An inroad into nuclear science for the non-specialist
* A valuable account of many aspects of nuclear technology, including industry applications
* Answers to public concerns about safety, proliferation, and waste management
* Up-to-date data and references

This edition comes with a Foreword by Dr. Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, which attests to todays worldwide re-evaluation of nuclear power.

The World Nuclear University (WNU) is a global partnership of industry, inter-governmental, and academic institutions committed to enhancing education in nuclear science and technology.WNU partners include the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the OECD, and the World Nuclear Association (WNA).With a secretariat staffed by government-sponsored secondees, the London-based WNU Coordinating Centre fosters a diversity of collaborative projects to strengthen nuclear education and rebuild future leadership in nuclear science and technology.

· Global in perspective and rich in data
· Draws on the intellectual resources of the World Nuclear Association
· Includes Physics of uranium; uranium enrichment; waste management
· Provides technical perspective with an understanding of environmental issues ... Read more

Book Description
This edited collection addresses whether nuclear power can or should make a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and examines both sides of the debate. ... Read more

Book Description

The resurgence of the nuclear power industry at a time when the nuclear plant I and C workforce is diminishing due to aging and retirements has been the motivation for writing this book. This book compiles 30 years of practical knowledge gained by the author and his staff in testing the I and C systems of nuclear power plants around the world. It focuses on process temperature and pressure sensors and the verification of these sensors calibration and response time.

Book Description
Power Shift is the first comprehensive account of the US Navy's Submarine Force transition from diesel to nuclear power. It represented the biggest, most costly and disruptive technological change in naval history. This was all done against the backdrop of intense Cole War operations where US submarines played a critical role in maintaining the peace. The story is told by the people who were part of the power shift. From seamen to admirals they tell the stories of how the technological and cultural changes affected them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Funny and candid, but not a useful reference.
This is a collection of relatively unpolished interviews with a few interesting people who were involved in the shift from diesel boats to nuclear power.Don't expect great amounts of detail, or even any editing, for that matter.

From One Who Was There
Dan's book is unique in presenting a picture, and understanding, of the submarine culture. As somebody who started as "George" on a diesel and ended up commanding a Polaris boat, I found the entire book "alive" with life as I knew it. I, too, wish that the book had been longer - but it is always nice when the author leaves you wanting more."BZ" Dan!

Submariner's View
As a submarine officer from 1963 to 1977, I personally witnessed the transition to nuclear power that Dan Gillcrist describes.I also knew several of the individuals that he interviewed for the book, so the book had a special meaning to me.Navy veterans will particularly enjoy it, while non-veterans can learn a good deal from it.

I thought Dan Gillcrist did a fine job of presenting this unique story.The book is well written and the subject matter was treated fairly and objectively, particularly his treatment of Admiral Rickover.Rickover had many enemies and many admirers.In this area, the book was well balanced in pointing out the good along with the bad.

That's How it Was
An intriguing book.The author collects interviews from the key players in a Navy transition at least as significant as that from sail to steam.(I was on active duty as a submarine medical officer during this entire period and observed the transition from the periphery.)The transition was not accomplished without cost.Some outstanding people were left standing in the station as the train roared by and for some the reason seemed no more than spite.Careers were made and careers were spoiled.Having said that, in retrospect it seems impossible that the transition could have been accomplished in any other way by any other people.A book well worth reading.

A surface weenie's review
Power Shift was a surprise for me. The interviewing skills and the access to all of the Players was something that no one but a dedicated, influential, ex-submariner could pull off. No journalist with a PhD. could achieve this goal. There is an intrinsic need to have that depth of understanding that only comes from being a member of that exclusive brotherhood of overachievers, aptly called The Silent Service. Moreover, Dan demonstrates this notion by spending years pursuing his goal of telling the intimate story of the Cold War transition from our WWII diesel submarines to the present day nuclear submarines. Power Shift is an amazing piece of documentary writing, with more than enough humor to make it fun to read. ... Read more

Book Description

At the world's some 440 nuclear power plants, experts continually monitor their wide safety margins, and at signs of trouble seek out the sources and recommend changes. Too often for their comfort, and for ours, a subsequent problem reveals that these changes were ineffective or never made. Why this self-defeating pattern? What in this technology's culture of control might undermine experts' best intentions? What kind of problem is it to reduce operating risks?

Following brief highlights of this industry's history over the last twenty years of accidents, near-accidents, and institutional changes, Shouldering Risks presents excerpts from interviews with some sixty experts about four relatively recent events at three U.S. plants. Drawing also on her earlier field studies at eleven plants in America and abroad, on industry documents, and others' research, Constance Perin identifies unacknowledged elements in this industry's culture of control; for example, control concepts for reactor design, construction, and regulation carry over to risk handling and event analysis, whose efficacy depends instead on recognizing and interpreting the significance of technical and contextual signals on daily display.

Far more than the sum of its parts, this highly knowledge-dependent technology operates along an axis of meanings, not only along an axis of functions. A culture of control is, like any culture, an intricate system of claims about how to understand the world and act in it. Here, claims pivot around the dynamics of control theory and productivity based on particular assumptions about the relationships of humans to machines, models to reality, certainty to ambiguity, rationality to experience. These four events and accident analyses show that such assumptions can confound control and produce misleading meanings.

Shouldering Risks reimagines a broader and deeper culture of control to reshape our understandings of the intellectual capital appropriate to designing, regulating, organizing, and managing this risky enterprise and, perhaps, other such technologies already here or to come.

Customer Reviews (2)

Alfred Marcus, professor of strategy and technological leadership Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesot
This is profoundly important work on the culture of safety, written from an anthropologists perspective which deconstructs the meaning of people in nuclear power plants who see extreme risk around them all the time and have created devices to identify threats and respond, sometimes more appropriately than others. I highly recommend this boo.

A unique presentation
I read this book in an effort to better understand the civilian nuclear industry (which I have worked in since 1986). Having held various technical and management positions in the US Navy nuclear program and civilian nuclear industry, my experience is broad enough to conclude that Constance Perin has done her homework. She brings a cultural anthropologist's view to the management of risk at nuclear power stations, which are often run by and for technocrats, so her perspective is refreshing. She takes a balanced approach and appears to have no personal agenda regarding nuclear power. Much of what she says rings true, although I found her writing style to be stilted and distracting. I do not recommend SHOULDERING RISKS for anyone looking for a casual read, but it is worth the effort for those seeking to learn more about humans perceive and manage risks in complex, high-stakes environments. ... Read more

Book Description
In a refreshingly light and conversational style, A Case for Nuclear-Generated Electricity provides a unique context for understanding the use of energy in our society and the positive role nuclear power can play in enabling our modern civilization. We need energy to power the technology that supports human civilization. However, continued reliance on coal, oil and natural gas and hoping that green alternatives will magically save the day are by themselves unrealistic long-term solutions.

This book advocates the use of nuclear energy for producing electricity. It speaks to the average American by addressing the current cultural bias against all technology and specifically nuclear technology. It shows technology, energy, and nuclear power in an enlightening context and examines our present energy use and future options.

Heaberlin describes, for the layperson, nuclear science and power reactor engineering to demystify nuclear energy and directly address the key aspects of the public's fears regarding nuclear power and radioactive waste. He discusses the current status of nuclear power and its potential future. His key message is that it is important to allow nuclear energy to play a role in the progress of the human species. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

No nonsense
Scott Heaberlin has produced a great source of information, not just on nuclear electricity generation, but on the entire energy landscape.Written in a conversational tone, the book is a quick read and keeps you interested.It is somewhat technical, especially in the beginning chapters, however, you cannot expect to have an appreciation or understanding of this topic without getting at least a little technical.Unlike most anti-nukes, he abstains from emotional arguments or clever language, leaving the reader with a clean look at a lot of good data and rock-solid explanations with no intention to deceive.

Highly recommended!
Provides an excellent discussion of the basics of nuclear fission. Then it covers the primary objections
to nuclear power - cost, accident potential, waste storage, and theft of bomb material.He makes a well
thought out case for nuclear, especially since coal is our only other major fuel with sufficient reserves to support
our growing long term need for electric power.

Why We Need Nuclear Power NOW!
With all of the furor about Carbon Dioxide, Ethanol, Solar and Windmill Power,etc., "Nuclear Power" is seldom mentioned.Yet it is the safest and most efficient source of electrical energy.And it does NOT create significant waste and pollution, especially when compared to almost all other sources of energy.The book offers the most balanced and technically accurate assesment of Nuclear Power, and should convince even the most rabid and/or ill informed anti-Nuclear fanatic that it is the best, and probably the ONLY way to go for this century.Our future will indeed be bleak without it. Well written, interesting reading, and very important for the future of our nation and the world.

Bud Weisbrod

When all you have is a hammer...
Well written, often well argued. But it doesn't succeed. Throughout you are hit with bias so blatant that it leaves you shaking your head. Clearly after a lifetime trying to justify this technology, he's not going to back-pedal at all.

What do you do with the radioactive waste? What do you DO with the radioactive waste? WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE RADIOACTIVE WASTE? Failed to answer, sidestepped, minimised... It ruined an otherwise interesting book.

Nuclear Power - still NOT the answer.

All You Need to Understand Nuclear
Although the topic is highly technical, it is written in a manner that is very understandable to a newbie reader.He explains some very complicated technical aspects in a clear and simple way using very helpful illustrations.This book is a great primer on nuclear energy.Covers the topic top to bottom.Kudos to the author. ... Read more

Book Description
Three Mile Island burst into the nation's headlines twenty-five years ago, forever changing our view of nuclear power. The dramatic accident held the world's attention for an unsettling week in March 1979 as engineers struggled to understand what had happened and to bring the damaged reactor to a safe condition. Much has been written since then about TMI, but it is not easy to find up-to-date information that is both reliable and accessible to the non-scientific reader. TMI offers a much needed "one-stop" resourcefor a new generation of citizens, students, and policy makers.

The legacy of Three Mile Island has been far reaching. The worst nuclear accident in U.S. history marked a turning point in our policies, our perceptions, and our national identity. Those involved in the nuclear industry today study the scenario carefully and review the decontamination and recovery process. Risk management and the ability to rationally and understandably convey risks to the general population are an integral part of implementation of new technologies. Political, environmental, and energy decisions have been made with TMI as a factor, and while studies reveal little environmental damage from the accident, long term studies of health effects continue. TMI presents a balanced and factual account of the accident, the cleanup effort, and the many facets of its legacy twenty-five years later.

The authors bring extensive research and writing experience to this book. After the accident and the cleanup, a significant collection of videotapes, photographs, and reports were donated to the University Libraries at Penn State University.Bonnie Osif and Thomas Conkling are engineering librarians at Penn State who maintain a database of these materials, which they have made available to the general public through an award-winning website. Anthony Baratta is a nuclear engineer who worked with the decontamination and recovery project at TMI and is an expert in nuclear accidents. The book features unique photographs of the cleanup and helpful appendixes that enable readers to further investigate various aspects of the story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

20 minutes from a complete core melt down.
1. The main feedwater system that supplies water to the steam generator malfunctioned and shutoff flow. "Water must be fed continually to the steam generators to make up for the flow of steam from the steam generators to the turbine.

2. Maintenance was being performed on the condensate polishing system. The polishing system is used to purify water in the feedwater system.

3. Alarms went off. An auxiliary feedwater system should have started automatically but it did not. The auxiliary system was to provide emergency source of cooling water to the steam generators, however, critical valves in the system were left closed. Without this critical water supply, the boiling water in the steam generators would boil away completely. A rapid rise in temperature and pressure occurred in the reactor's cooling system.

4. The turbine shutdown automatically.

5. Within seconds, the reactors control system shut down the reactor by dropping the control rods which insulate the neutrons generated from the U235 from striking other U235 atoms in adjacent fuel rods. The fission process stopped.

6. As temperatures and pressures rose water flowed into the pressurizer. The pressurizer is normal half full providing a cushion for expansion from the reactor. A power-operated relief valve also help control pressure during abnormal events.

7. A pressure-regulating valve opened to reduce pressure in the reactor and associated reactor systems.

8. Steam began flowing from the valve through piping into a collecting tank in the basement of the reactor containment building. The water was containinated with radioactive material. The flow caused the pressure to decrease.

9. The pressure regulating valve should have closed but it didn't. The operators had no way of monitoring the valve and therefore did not know it remained open.

10. Vital cooling water was flowing from the reactor out through the valve to the basement collecting tank. The tank overflowed spilling water on the basement floor and was pumped to storage tan in the adjacent building outside the containment building.

11. The emergency core cooling system started automatically.

12. The water level and volume in the reactor system was not measured directly. The operators relied on a measurement of the water level in the system's pressurizer. The operators thought there was adequate water inventory in the primary cooling system. Fearing the system might go solid (rupture from the reactor being 100 filled with water), they turned off the emergency core cooling system.

13. Pressure dropped from the escaping core water. By 5:30 am, the pressures had dropped so low that the large reactor coolant pumps used to circulate the water through the reactor and primary system began to vibrate.

14. The operators began shutting down the pumps to reduce damage.

15. Water began pouring onto the floor of the auxiliary building and radioactive gases found their way from the cooling water through the auxiliary building ventilation system to the outside world.

16. Despite the shutdown of the fission process at the beginning of the accident, energy was still being released in the fuel by the decay of the fission products generated during the operation of the reactor.

17. The rods eventual burst and melted, releasing large quantities of radioactivity into the cooling system.

18. When the fuel overheats the result is rapid oxidation of the zirconium alloy from which the fuel rods tubes are made. The process releases hydrogen. A hydrogen pocket formed at the top of the reactor, but did not ignite.

19. Radioactive gases normally contained in the rods were released into the cooling system, through the stuck valve, and to the reactor building. High radiation alarms began to sound. Radiation alarms began to sound at many points throughout the plant.

20. 6:22 am, the operators realized the power-operated relief valve was stuck open.

21. 6:55 am, a site emergency had been declared.

22. 9:00 am , TMI personnel discover water in the auxiliary building and stop the pumping from the containment building.

23. While operators were restoring the cooling system, the relief valve continued to release hydrogen into the containment-building atmosphere. The hydrogen combined with the oxygen and this mixture ignited. The building did not breach under the pressure of the igniting hydrogen.

24. The reactor system was cooled to a point where the reactor coolant pumps could be turned on and the normal process of heat removal resumed.

The Best Overview Of The Long-Term Effects Of TMI
I have read extensively on the Three Mile Island accident and believe that this book is probably the best introduction to the accident I have yet seen. The book is accurate and is scrupulously unbiased, which is a rarity in any book dealing with nuclear power. The first 32 pages of the book provide the best and most concise general overview of the accident I have read, and anyone wanting to understand the accident should start here.

The book is accessible to non-specialists, but does not make inaccurate generalizations simply for ease of explanation. There is information presented on the basic concepts of nuclear energy, which makes the book extremely valuable to someone just beginning to read on the issue. More knowledgeable readers, industry professionals, and policymakers benefit from this book as well, as it has chapters on the health effects of the accident (including recent data on ongoing longitudinal studies), environmental effects of the accident, policy effects of the accidents, and perhaps most usefully, excellent appendices which include a useful glossary, an accident timeline, and a list of common misconceptions about the TMI accident.

The authors have done an admirable job of writing a book that is useful to both professionals and the general public. It is extremely well documented, non-political, unbiased, and scrupulously accurate. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in nuclear power.

Excellent Information In An Easy-To-Read Format
"Objective knowledge will help provide guidance for the decisions that will need to be made as we go forward into the next quarter-century."So ends the book TMI 25 Years Later, an objective, inclusive compilation of information regarding the March 28, 1979 Loss-of-Coolant Accident in Reactor 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant near Middletown, PA.
The book, written by three Penn State University staffers, offers a balanced, condensed history of the events of the accident and the years of follow-up that have occurred.Sections cover all aspects of the accident, including rather extensive review and analysis of the role played by the media in the event.Other topics covered include short- and long-term physical and psychological health effects, industry regulatory and financial impacts, and environmental consequences, along with current and future power requirements in the United States and the options for meeting those requirements.
In order to properly understand exactly what caused the accident and what it's effects meant to the local population, a rudimentary understanding of nuclear processes and power generation are needed. Complex nuclear concepts are presented in an illustrated, easy-to-understand manner, and an in-depth minute-by-minute timeline of the accident is presented along with causes, effects, and notes that only the luxury of extensiveinvestigation and hind-sight can provide.
An excellent book for anyone interested in nuclear power generation, the TMI accident or the local populace of the plant, TMI 25 Years Later provides condensed information in an easy-to-read format.The information is not watered down (the book is well cited), but instead provided in a format that allows anyone to understand what happened on that fateful Wednesday morning, and more importantly what it means to our future. ... Read more

Book Description
Nuclear Implosions tells the story of a state government agency's failed attempt in the 1970s to build five large nuclear power stations in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Facing huge cost overruns and long construction delays, the agency completed only one plant and found itself unable to repay a $2.25 billion of municipal bonds. These projects reflect the tangled relationships between American nuclear power and nuclear weaponry, the emerging era of limits, and the nation's troubled attempts to resolve conflicts through complex legal cases. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The most insane thing I've ever seen
The author claims that we'd run out of oxygen if we stopped burning coal or oil.Apparently until the industrial revolution we all held our breaths or something.The author lacks even a basic understanding of elementary physics, biology, ecology, or anything. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Cross-spectrum discussion of nuclear policy
In Megawatts and Megatons, Garwin and Charpak collaborated on an excellent description of nuclear power and weapons, starting with discussions of nuclear physics and energy, and ending with a narrative of post WWII international relations, centered upon arms control and prevention of use of nuclear weapons.

The authors have strong opinions on the proper use of nuclear energy and the means to reduce dependence on nuclear weapons, as one would imagine from two scientific practitioners.As such, they have presented a well-developed argument that aims to convince the reader that the U.S. should modify its energy and nuclear weapons policies to reduce the threats of global warming and nuclear contamination as well as nuclear conflict and terrorism.

Unfortunately for the layman, the technical nature of the first portion of the book may make difficult reading for the reader without a background in science or engineering, although the authors do make an effort to describe the concepts so that the non-expert may understand.

I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the technical description of nuclear power and weapons, nuclear policy, and recommendations new policy directions.

Drop the politics and increase the economic sensibilities...
While I appreciate the discussion on nuclear arms I don't think it needed to be at the length the authors took it.

And while I really enjoyed the discussion on nuclear power I was disspointed that the authors took great care to detail and expound ideas (Rubia's for example) at the expense of othereconomical and safe technologies (Gen III+ and IV LWR for example).

There was no reason not to expand on the the available, decades-proven, and economical designs of today. Basically what I'm thinking is they could've done better to discuss evolutionary designs as opposed to completely new (relatively speaking) concepts. Either way it's a great book, -Ali

Different subtitles, same book?
You might think Megawatts and Megatons subtitled "The Future of Nuclear Power and Nuclear Weapons" (paperback) would have different contents than the one subtitled "A Turning Point in the Nuclear Age" (hardback), like I did; however, with the exception of a new couple-page "Note to the Paperback Edition," I saw no differences.I'd suggest not falling for Amazon's Buy Both on these two, because you'll probably be disappointed to find out you got two editions of the same book.

Hard to Recommend
This is a strange book. Actually, it's two books in one, with a dopey chapter for children thrown in for good measure. The first half is about nuclear power, both in energy production and weapons. The second half is an editorial for nuclear disarmament. The authors make no attempt to divorce their politics from the discussion. Even the first, more substantive half of the book is liberally laced with disarmament talking points.

Notwithstanding their views on disarmament, the authors support nuclear power and do a pretty good job explaining the scientific, financial and engineering aspects of the Peaceful Atom. If the portions on nuclear power were available separately as a pamphlet I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. On balance, however, those few chapters don't justify wading through the entire book. ... Read more

Book Description
Nuclear power provides approximately twenty percent of the electricity used in the United States.The construction of a nuclear power plant is a highly regulated, complicated, yet interesting process spanning many years from start to finish. ... Read more

Book Description

The world faces serious difficulties in obtaining the energy that will be needed in coming decades for a growing population, especially given the problem of climate change caused by fossil fuel use. This book presents a view of nuclear energy as an important carbon-free energy option. It discusses the nuclear fuel cycle, the types of reactors used today and proposed for the future, nuclear waste disposal, reactor accidents and reactor safety, nuclear weapon proliferation, and the cost of electric power. To provide background for these discussions, the book begins with chapters on the history of the development and use of nuclear energy, the health effects of ionizing radiation, and the basic physics principles of reactor operation.

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful book
I am amazed that nobody wrote yet a review of this book.

I liked this book a lot. David Bodansky's style is logical, concise and fun to read. What I liked most is that the author succeeds to attack with equal clarity a wide range of diverse subjects about nuclear energy:
- Economic considerations on nuclear energy.
- The physics principles behind nuclear reactions, and their relevance in reactor design, etc.
- Engineering considerations around nuclear reactor design and operations
- Administrative considerations around waste disposal.

To conclude: if you have some background in physics, math and/or economy, and you need a no-nonsense introduction in the field of nuclear energy, then this book is for you. However, if you just like to read prose, (and you don't enjoy technical details being sprinkled during the exposition) then the book migth be too high-level. ... Read more

Book Description
Nuclear Energy, Fifth Edition provides nuclear engineers, plant designers and radiation physicists with a comprehensive overview of nuclear energy and its uses, discusses potential problems and provides an outlook for the future

New and important trends are discussed including probabilistic safety analysis (PSA), deregulation of the electric power industry to permit competition in the supply of electricity; improvements in performance characteristics of nuclear power plants, such as capacity factor, production costs, and safety factors; storage and disposal of all types of radioactive wastes; advances in decontamination, decommissioning and reutilization; continued progress in evolutionary reactors; increased interest in the role of nuclear power in reducing pollution and global warming. Attention will also be given to the developments in such countries as Russia, Ukraine, France, Sweden, South Korea, China and Third World Countries. The author also looks at the problems of nuclear weapons proliferation and the potential threat from terrorist organizations or reckless countries. In addition, the author has identified Web sites and other electronic information sources to supplement all of the topics covered in this book.

* Latest edition with updated content in important subject areas
* Free downloadable software accompanies book contents
* Revised instructor's manual to accompany book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good introduction to nuclear energy
This introduction to nuclear physics is very clear and covers all the essential elements.

A student's perspective
This was used as the textbook for my introduction to nuclear engineering class. While the information as present and relevant, it is presented in a meandering way that doesn't tell you what's important. The problems presented at the end of each chapter expect you to remember numbers and formulas that may have only been mentioned in passing 7 chapters ago. Further, each step of the problems has been rounded, making the final answer very different from that gained by simply doing the entire equation all at once. This may have been understandable when the first edition was written, but we have progressed significantly beyond the slide-rule, and the new generation of nuclear engineers is operating with much more sophisticated technology. The available instructor's answer guide to the problems does not even give the location of equations and numbers, nor is there a comprehensive appendix with all forumlas and numbers.

I thought it was wonderful
it was incredable it was pack full of information it was great for my project I recamend it to anyone ... Read more

Book Description
How much will nuclear energy cost relative to other means of getting rid of carbon dioxide emissions? What will be the risks of catastrophic accidents if we build reactors at the rate of one a week or more, cookie-cutter style, around the world? What about the risks of proliferation and terrorist attacks and nuclear waste? This book provides a meticulously researched analysis of the risks of using nuclear energy to combat global warming. Were there no alternative, the severity of the threat facing humankind and other species from global climate change might warrant serious consideration of the risks of nuclear energy. But as Insurmountable Risks convincingly shows, there are far safer economical alternatives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What holds nuclear power back? As documented in this book:
1. It is more expensive today than renewables when decommissioning costs and waste disposal are included.
2. In the intermediate time frame, it is more expensive than LNG or (projected) coal gasification + CO2 sequestration.
3. Yucca Mt is a flawed repository. For example, it is an oxidizing not reducing environment, which will speed corrosion. Waste encapsulating materials are "exotic" man-made alloys that have existed for less than 100 years. These are supposed to operate normally for 100,000+ years. The site is riddled with cracks and clear evidence of past volcanism.
4. All reactor designs that could be deployed soon enough to even slightly mitigate climate change (Gen III+) generate copious amounts of waste that can be reprocessed to isolate and expedite to bomb-grade. "Just 1% of the enrichment capacity required by the global growth scenario's reference case would be enough to make between 175 and 310 nuclear weapons each year." (p. 114). If you think that the standoff with Iran over its NPT-rights are tricky, note that new reprocessing techniques are much less energy intensive and much more covert than centrifuges, heightening difficulties in detecting a parallel weapons program.
5. The industry has a history of "normalizing deviance", only to be surprised when e.g. corroded reactor vessels are found. Reactors are being relicensed for 40 years, and there are discussions of going to 60 years or more without evidence of a skeptical and cautious mindset.

This book is very impressive in its documentation and attempt at balance, and is remarkably cheap but well made with relatively few typos. It is a detailed and comprehensive summary, and should be read by anyone trying to assess our energy options and who cares about the world we are leaving for our children. With oil supplies set to decline from their current peak within the next 5 years, Mexican oil production crashing, natural gas supplies in North America no longer growing, all without official recognition of clear trends, we have few routes forward. Can wind and solar fill the gap as nuclear plants reach the point where they become recurring maintenance nightmares?

This book is best read with Megawatts and Megatons: The Future of Nuclear Power and (see my review), which examines some Gen IV concepts. Perhaps we can return to nuclear power in a few decades after more work on those designs, which rethink the problems while keeping sustainability and stewardship at the forefront. Perhaps a thorium based approach, with transmutation and other tricks? But this book made clear to this physicist that Gen III+ plants should not go forward in any number that would have a significant effect on net power generation or global climate change. ... Read more