• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Archives
  • Links

Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Atomic Cathedrals

September 5, 2007 By Rod Adams

Argentina recently announced a plan to complete the Atchua II project that was started in 1980 and suspended in 1996 after completing approximately 80% of the project. Brazil, the United States, the Philippines, Iran, and probably several other countries are also taking a hard look at partially completed nuclear power plants to determine if economic and environmental considerations have changed enough to justify a decision to complete the projects and begin producing electricity.

There are many good reasons for following through with existing projects, especially if the equipment has been well cared for during the construction lapse.

As a recent returnee from a European vacation, where many of the towns and cities proudly show off their cathedrals, I started thinking about how many of those cathedrals were constructed over a very long time with lots of interruptions in the process. I also thought about the fact that nearly every cathedral that I have ever seen is in a constant state of refurbishment.

It seems to me that there is a lesson here for architects, engineers and taxpayers. Sometimes, if a structure supplies a valuable service, it is worth the effort to build it right and to keep maintaining it for future generations. If there is a temporary halt in the construction process, it is sometimes worthwhile to put the project into a safe storage mode where plans and partially completed structures are preserved for someone else to complete.

I wonder if there are any regrets that some partially completed or even fully completed projects (like Shoreham) were not well preserved and are not candidates for completion or restoration?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Avatar

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience, now serving as a Managing Partner at Nucleation Capital, an emerging climate-focused fund. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial discussion and analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology and policies for several decades. He is the founder of Atomic Insights and host and producer of The Atomic Show Podcast.

Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed.

Primary Sidebar

Search Atomic Insights

Follow Atomic Insights

The Atomic Show

Atomic Insights

Recent Posts

Five Myths about the Lone Star Blackout

Atomic Show #291 – Kalev Kallemets, Fermi Energia

Preliminary lessons available to be learned from Feb 2021 extended cold spell

South Texas Project Unit 1 tripped at 0537 on Feb 15, 2021

Atomic Show #290 – Myrto Tripathi, Voices of Nuclear

  • Home
  • About Atomic Insights
  • Atomic Show
  • Contact
  • Links

Search Atomic Insights

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Atomic Insights

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy