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Arabia
Saoodis may join nuclear club
2006-04-10
DOHA, Qatar, April 9 (UPI) -- Kuwaiti researcher Abdullah al-Nufaisi told a seminar in Doha, Qatar, that Saudi Arabia is preparing a nuclear program, the Middle East Newsline reported. He said Saudi scientists were urging the government to launch a nuclear project, but had not yet received approval from the ruling family.
So they're not joining the club tomorrow.
Riyadh denies any intention to establish a nuclear energy program, but Gulf sources told the Middle East Newsline Saudi officials have been discussing a nuclear research and development program -- and that the program would be aided by Pakistan and other Riyadh allies.
Khhaaaaaaan!
"Saudi Arabia will not watch as its neighbors develop nuclear weapons," a Gulf source said. "It's a matter of time until a Saudi nuclear program begins."
A matter of time, and intel, and scientists, and facilities, and technicians, and ...
Posted by:Steve White

#2  A close to ideal non-proliferation agreement could be reached with nuclear-coveting 3rd world countries: pebble bed reactors.

Simply put, pebble beds are ceramic balls with radioactive material mixed in. They lie on a floor with indentations in it, like hundreds of eggs in cartons. They need miminal technical support and give off a fixed amount of heat.

Advantages are that they are smaller power plants, cannot become supercritical or meltdown, and are built over a deep pit, so that when the balls are exhausted, they drop straight down for permanent disposal--no reprocessing needed.

Though they produce enough energy for commercial use, they do not produce enough to enrich plutonium, and no other weapons grade isotopes are produced in their use.

This solves one big problem: if a country says it wants nuclear power for peaceful uses, then pebble bed reactors are the way to go. If it wants weapons, then it wants more conventional reactors.

The technology for pebble beds is easier than conventional reactors, and China is planning to produces hundreds of them. So there really is no excuse, or effective pretense that the larger, more powerful reactors are needed.

In fact, if the Chinese are successful with their reactors, pebble beds would be much more economical for the US to use in the future, now that most of our nuclear plants are far beyond their projected useful lifespans. Practically speaking, a typical US State could have one or two, and the more populous States could have half a dozen each.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-04-10 17:57  

#1  "Saudi Arabia will not watch as its neighbors develop nuclear weapons"

Fine and dandy. Be sure to turn your heads when we blast the snot out of Iran.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-04-10 10:57  

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