this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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[–] coalie@piefed.zip 176 points 1 day ago (9 children)

Well nuclear power plants create something more useful than ai data centers, nuclear waste.

Nuclear waste can be reprocessed and reused. France has been doing it for decades. Or you could reuse it in a thorium reactor, which needs less reprocessing.

Another thing people forget about is that nuclear power is the main source for tritium, which we have a shortage of and it's getting worse as more nuclear plants are decommissioned. Tritium has a lot of uses, but it's most noteworthy use is fuel for fusion power. If decommission all nuclear plants, fusion research is effectively dead in the water

[–] call_me_xale@lemmy.zip 92 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Hell, some of the more modern designs barely produce that...

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 35 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I still remember learning that and about breeder reactors (they produce fissile material from common isotopes) and feeling so betrayed by the common zeitgeist

[–] call_me_xale@lemmy.zip 3 points 18 hours ago

Non-fissile material goes in, nuclear power comes out. Can't explain that.

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Indeed, nuclear is among the safest and cleanest forms of energy currently available to us! All the waste in the world for life barely fills a few football fields' worth of space, if I recall correctly.

[–] McTavern@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

One football field 10 meters high to be precise.

[–] zurohki@aussie.zone 26 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

One football field 10 meters high

You're mixing US and metric measurement systems there. You should either stick to meters or come up with a sports analogy for the height.

[–] arrow74@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

11.574 standard National Baseball League baseball bats high

[–] ferrule@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

One futball field 10 meters high to be precise.

FTFY

What if their from the parts of the world that call "soccer" football and also use metric? Which is basically everyone.

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I knew it was something around there, thanks!

[–] richardwallass@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The issue with waste is not the volume but the duration.

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

But surely you'd agree that we have more than enough space for even lifetime storage, no? Compare that to the junk emitted from nearly everything else. What is your proposed alternative?

[–] urandom@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

What’s the point then?!

[–] Shadowklaw@slrpnk.net 28 points 1 day ago

Some groups have started to extract materials from nuclear waste that can provide Targeted Alpha Therapy for cancer patients, so very true.

Loads depleted uranium rounds with militaristic intent

[–] Steve@communick.news 16 points 1 day ago

Electricity too

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Much of which can be used in hospitals for life saving medical uses! Double dunk on AI failures.

[–] Vespair@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago

Masterful comment delivery, kudos

[–] neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago

Came here to say that one gives and the other one takes.