The pond isn't yet ready to declare an end to the reptile silly season for herpetology students.
Perhaps if the reptiles gave a sign - the return of the warrior bromancer to his armchair, or a heap of nattering "Ned" - the pond might give way ... but not on the basis of the current crop below the fold this day ...
There's hapless Jack rabbiting on about sliced bread and DNA in a pitiful attempt to be whimsical about red hair, and lo, Jimbo has decided yet again to act as a business model for the Chairman Emeritus - fork over shekels if you want to know what the Treasurer was thinking ...
As for poor old Tom"""K, apparently the reptiles couldn't be bothered digging up a thumb snap ...
The reptiles are currently pushing the republic as a new way to cause grief and commotion, and Tom, always a kind-hearted sucker, fell for it hook, line and reptile sinker ...
So how did the reptiles respond? The pond only asks, while knowing that climate science is a fraud, a delusion, an ideology, a religion, and perhaps a sign of a misspent youth ...
Waddya kno, Killer was on the loose, with a couple of cohorts ...
It seems that these days "SMR" is old hat, and the new buzz word is "microreactor", on the basis that if the old branding didn't work, change the name and downscale ...
That's a big couple of "ifs", but the Killer yarn featured a couple of snaps of heavyweights, though the notion that jolly Joe is a heavyweight in reptile la la land is a tad fanciful ...
Not to worry, the pond always seizes the chance to run a vaguely related cartoon when reptile snaps wander through the ether ...
Then it's on with Killer talk of "microreactors" ...
Meanwhile, what about the old SMR dream?
...Industry experts say SMRs are not commercially available, that nuclear energy is more expensive than alternatives and in a best-case scenario could not play a role in Australia for more than a decade, and probably not before 2040. The Australian Energy Market Operator found renewable energy could be providing 96% of the country’s electricity by that time.
The Coalition opposes Labor’s goal of reaching 82% renewable electricity by 2030. It has argued for a slower response to the climate crisis and amplified local concerns about new clean energy and electricity transmission connections.
The projected cost of the NuScale project had blown out from US$3.6bn for 720 megawatts in 2020 to US$9.3bn for 462MW last year. It had received about US$600m in government funding, but failed after securing subscriptions for only 20% of the required capital from a Utah-based consortium of electricity companies. NuScale’s share price fell nearly 30% after the announcement.
Simon Holmes à Court, a clean energy advocate and commentator and convener of political fundraising body Climate 200, said the estimated capital cost of the Idaho project before it was cancelled was 70% higher than CSIRO projections of what nuclear power plants could cost to build in 2030.
He said this undermined arguments by the Coalition and other nuclear advocates, who had accused the CSIRO of exaggerating the likely cost of nuclear energy.
Holmes à Court said Australia needed a rapid rollout of solar, wind and energy storage. He recently toured nuclear power projects in the US.
“The simple fact is that commercial SMRs don’t exist. There are zero in operation or even contracted for construction outside Russia and China. The cancellation of one of the three leading proposals underscores the speculative nature of this far-off technology,” he said.
“More than two thirds of our coal generators will retire in the next decade due to age. By pushing a unicorn technology the Coalition is posing a threat to the cost and security of Australia’s electricity grid.”
But the reptiles never give up, and this is the latest micro angle, with astonishing revelations by Westinghouse about the need not to reveal too much ...
...Small modular reactors are the nuclear industry’s next big hope, because no government can gain a mandate to build dozens of GW-scale reactors any more. They keep looking at examples like Hinkley, Flamanville, and other EPR sites, the close to a trillion USD impacts to Japan’s economy due to Fukushima, and the mounting price tags and durations of nuclear decommissioning, and then look at wind and solar’s proven reliability and low prices and having trouble, even in the most nuclear-committed countries, gaining sufficient political support for what works. And so the occasional reactor that gets green lit is inevitably a failed and troubled project, resulting in very high wholesale cost electricity.
The promise of SMRs is that they will be standardized, smaller reactors that can be manufactured in central locations, shipped to sites, and assembled on site. No bespoke engineering. This has some merit, but as noted, it was mostly the promise of the AP1000 as well. The only actually different idea is that they’ll be much smaller per reactor than the AP1000, from 50-300 MW instead of 1000 MW.
I’m on record with my opinion on SMRs, and my assessment has gained surprising global attention. The original article in CleanTechnica has been updated in Illuminem, published in a (minor, low-impact factor) peer-reviewed journal, included in a German clean technology engineering textbook series, and been the basis of a debate for a couple of hundred global institutional investors with an SMR advocate and analyst, Kirsty Gogan Alexander. What have I concluded about SMRs?
“Small modular reactors won’t achieve economies of manufacturing scale, won’t be faster to construct, forego efficiency of vertical scaling, won’t be cheaper, aren’t suitable for remote or brownfield coal sites, still face very large security costs, will still be costly and slow to decommission, and still require liability insurance caps. They don’t solve any of the problems that they purport to while intentionally choosing to be less efficient than they could be. They’ve existed since the 1950s and they aren’t any better now than they were then.”
But you can never keep a Killer angle down ...
And so we move from SMRs to dirt cheap microreactors, and meanwhile, the pond was left wondering how to fit in an infallible Pope from yesterday ...
What the heck, the pond really needed a breather, because that rant about diesel being dear went against everything the reptiles stood for ... and the lesser member of the Kelly gang was on hand to take up the cause ...
Joe's offering was much more in the spirit of the times ...
Splendid IPA sponsored stuff, and so it was pleasing to see the lesser member of the Kelly gang plead the cause, flapping around in a state of hysteria and shouting at sovereign risk clouds in a way worthy of senior members of the Kelly gang ...
The pond's only complaint? Why that gloomy snap at the top of the story? Why didn't the reptiles reach out to the IPA for something to lift the spirts?
That's the sort of uplifting IPA sponsored snap we need as we contemplate sovereign risk ...and please, no idle chat about sovereign risk to the planet, when everyone knows that climate science is either a religion or an ideology or both, and a clear sign of a misspent youth ...
Ah, the investment climate which isn't to say the actual climate or such like ...
Is it wrong for the pond to suggest that Japan look to SMRs and microreactors to sort out their problems? After all, they comes with Killer credentials and Killer recommendation ...
What's with all the Kelly gang bleating when there's a really sensible way to nuke japan?
Meanwhile, things seemed to be a bit murky elsewhere in the Oz ...
Say what? A cockroach rat in the ranks? And an EXCLUSIVE one at that ...
Ah, of course, he got done over by a teal, and so is a sudden convert, but prideful Little to be proud of, will no doubt put him back in his box ... with the party of Dr No always ready with a No ...
Yep, what's a world record when you've got Captain Spud Says No at the helm ...
Finally, the pond should take a moment to enjoy the latest reptile crusade ...
How does the pond know this is significant?
Well the ABC reads the lizard Oz each day, and the cardigan wearers dutifully lift stories to feature in their hourly news summaries, and this one made the cut ... and truth to tell, the reptiles offered up a snap of some splendid merch ...
The pond had only one complaint.
Was that the thong hill the reptiles wanted their latest war on woke to die on?
Couldn't they have supplied a snap of more exciting merch designed to lift the male spirit and whatever else? Go full onion muncher budgie smuggler perhaps?
At this point some might be wanting the reptile credit for the story, and here it is ...
Well done Blake, Queensland court reporter, bringing to the ABC and the pond the thongs that count ...
Is there any upside to all this, apart from realising yet again that the planet is comprehensively stuffed?
Well yes, it took the pond's mind off ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, gulags and apartheid ...only for the infallible Pope to bob up again and remind the pond of the mess ...
Is there any chance that Jimmy Kirby’s announcement of a compo scheme for victims of dodgy investment schemes might rescue anyone foolish enough to fall for Killer’s touting of SMRs - sorry, “micro reactors”?
ReplyDeleteOn second thought, forget it. Anybody dopey enough to fall for that one deserves to do their dough.
Now let's see - from KillerC:
Delete"I think long term it's going to be more challenging based on the demand and limited supply of resources for those that are the later movers" and "I think there's great benefit in being an early mover."
So, the 'microreactors' will not actually begin to appear until at least 2029 (and given historical precdent, maybe not until much later), and there's a "limited supply of resources" to manufacture the reactors, but it's all for the best if everybody rushes in right now and orders a worldwide total of many thousands of them. Yes ? Because eVinci Technologies can simply build thousands of reactors of undeveloped and unproven technology very quickly, yes ? And supply enough uranium (or polonium or whatever) fuel for them all.
Or will some get all the reactors they want and others will be long delayed anyway. Or will everybody just get a single reactor, or maybe two, while the manufacturer takes a decade or two to satisfy all the orders ?
Oh, but only "for at least eight years without refuelling". Incredible, a whole eight years ! And that means shutting down for an unspecified time for removal of 'used' fuel and refuelling every, count them, eight very short years.
DeleteHmm - lots of miscellanea this day - but 'New Scientist' for this week reminds us it is 70 years since USS Nautilus entered service. The 'Wiki' tells us that the reactor, designed by Westinghouse, pretty much became the standard type for subsequent nuclear-powered ships, and otherwise includes lots of good information.
DeleteThat mob who used to make luxury motorcars and still make areoplane jet engines also make naval nuclears and were supposedly at the forefront of SMR development (though, as I never tire of saying, they aren't "modular"). Haven't heard anything from them lately, though.
DeleteThis is off today's topics and was written in exasperated response to The Muncher's diatribe a few days ago. It took quite a while to assemble so I was waiting for his next spray to post it. But as that could be weeks here it is. Apologies to Bob.
ReplyDeleteBallad of a Thing-Man
(In the most sardonic Dylan voice you can muster)
You stalk us from your tomb
Like a vengeful bogeyman
You seethe and sulk with hatred
And you say - "I was PM!"
It's not so hard
But you don't understand
Just why you were sacked those years ago
And something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you...Mister Toad?
You stand with the bigots
And you see Jordan speak
Who immediately walks up to you
When he hears you squeak
And says "How does it feel to
Be such a creep?"
And you say "It’s comfortable!"
As he hands you a stone
And strange things are happening here
But you don't know why that is
Do you...Mister Toad?
You had many contacts
Among the Murdoch hacks
Who made up facts
When someone attacked
Your administration
But nobody has any respect
For a psychotic catholic pest
Who is at the behest
Of arch-conservative
Lunatic organisations
Aaaaah...you...
Tried out for the priesthood
But no one liked your looks
Then at The Australian
You met up with
Reptiles and crooks
You've been through all of
BA Santamaria's books
You're sick in the head
It's well known
And nothing is happening up there
And we all know why that is
Don't we...Mister Toad?
Delightful, Kez ! ✅✅✅🤪
DeleteCheers GB!
DeleteKez - any time is a good time for that piece. Happy to have reason to replay my early Dylans to muster and refine a mental 'YouTube' as you suggest.
DeleteCheers Chadders. There's nothing quite like singing along to classic Dylan...and if you're in the mood for a parody this is one my faves: https://youtu.be/gAfIikFnvuI
DeleteAnd this one too: https://youtu.be/tiQPkfS2Q84 - check the hilarious Dylan take off at 1:23.
Oops! That was me not Ananony...used the wrong DEVICE!
DeleteThe collected edition builds ...
DeleteKez - further thanks. The clip with the palindromes certainly belongs with a word fancier, as you obviously are.
DeleteCheers Chads!
DeleteToo good Kez. I've nominated you for a Nobel in Alternate Lyrics Literature.
DeleteThanks Anony!!
Delete“On 3 July 2018, Japan's government pledged to increase renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, from 15% to 22–24% by 2030. Nuclear energy will provide 20% of the country's energy needs as an emissions-free energy source. This will help Japan meet climate change commitments.
ReplyDeleteIn October 2021 Japan's cabinet approved a new target of 36-38% of renewable share in power generation by 2030. The nuclear target of 20-22% remained unchanged.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Japan
Yet Creighton quotes a vested interest (any salesperson who says buy now or you’ll miss out always sounds rather dodgy) who claims Japan is moving to extend nuclear facilities while Kelly must be either worried or unaware that Japan is moving to renewables rather than using Australian LNG.
The Creighton article is laughable really. There is the quote from Peter Jennings from the ASPI implying that the government don’t really have an energy strategy:
ReplyDelete“I think the big challenge with the government’s energy strategy, such as it is….”
when Creighton has only some paras earlier indicated Dutton and the Coalition have yet to decide whether to take nuclear to the next election. Meanwhile, Falinski and Littleproud cannot even agree on a target and the timeline to reach it and Sussan Ley doesn’t seem to have a clue what the Coalition will do.
Has she ever had any such 'clue', Anony ?
DeleteWoolworths goes woke! This looks like a job for Tony Abbott! He could whip into a phone box and take off his Western Civilization outfit to reveal those Australian-themed swimmers and stand outside his local Woolworths handing out protest brochures, like he handed out Liberal brochures at a train station one election. Seem to recall he didn't have many takers.
ReplyDeleteAn aside, but I thought that those who claim to be ‘conservative’ - a high proportion of actual readers of what flies from the Flagship - usually claim to revere the Australian flag. Not that they have a good grasp of the history of what is now our official flag - so many letters to editors about ‘the flag that our brave soldiers died under at Gallipoli (or name your battle from either world war, and you are still likely to be quite wrong about the flag under which they died)’ but they do assert reverence to the current one. I took a quick look at the official directions on use of this flag - which include -
Delete‘Any person may fly the Australian National Flag. However, the flag should be treated with the respect and dignity it deserves as the nation’s most important national symbol.
Flag protocol is based on longstanding international and national practice.
The flag should not be allowed to fall or lie on the ground.’
Which brings me to apparent hand wringing over named retail group no longer offering a version of that flag on - flip flops. Fall or lie on the ground ?
Oh dear - what has patriotism come to?
Fair go, Chadders, that Union Jack was made for treading on, wearing through sand and mud, and generally dissing it, treating it with the respect and dignity it deserves ...
DeleteAnd not a single one of them - before 26 Jan 1949 anyway - was an Australian citizen !
DeleteWhat the lesser Kelly has given us is essentially a repeat of the protestations of the then major oil and gas producers in the late 1960s/early 70s, in response to the rules Norway had laid down for anyone who wished to bid for the exploration areas they were about to offer in their waters. Much of that was the firm assurance that no company with any experience in the business would enter a bid; they would all take their business elsewhere. Phillips Petroleum’s vice president referred to one requirement as ‘immoral’.
ReplyDeleteSuch statements were made by CEOs, firm in the knowledge that, even as they said such things, their contracts division would be polishing the bids from their firm. And so it came to pass. All reported by Australian author (who even wrote for ‘The Australian’ at one time) Paul Cleary, in ‘Trillion Dollar Baby’, perhaps the best book overall on how Norway got a fair return for its people, for the resources that they, the people, ultimately owned.
From Kelly - INPEX citing ‘unprecedented government intervention’. Where? What our current government is proposing is as nothing compared with the Norway, um - precedent, which was largely followed by Qatar. Qatar, which ships about as much gas as Australia does, but holds on to 30 times the direct revenue as we do.
The Kelly continues with convenient cut’n’paste - ‘the government should actively work to attract the significant infrastructure investment required to expand the supply of natural gas and LNG.’ Yep. Again, Norway offers a convenient, and well-proven model - much of the immediate technology and infrastructure would be done in Norway, with Norwegian firms, at the cost of the exploring corporations.
If you want to see some outstanding national heavy industry capability, regardless of national population - look up Norway’s civil engineering works through the search engine of your choice. Even more impressive for a population of a little under 5.5 million.
So this lesser Kelly had the easy commission for this day - cut’n’paste the dire warnings of those people who are talking their personal performance bonuses when they try to convince us that Oz is drifting back to banana-republic status - although with some goodies a bit more attractive than banana plantations.
And Paul Cleary - well, amongst other things, he was an advisor to Timor-Leste in its resource policies, so - not to be recognised in a paper where the Dog Bovverer is a regular contributor, and Lord Downer is regularly praised.
Yeah well, Chad, when the richest person in your nation is Gina Rinehart who basically inherited it all, then clearly there's just no business acumen at all in the place.
DeleteGB - My Source has noted that Gina did not send her Gulfstream to fetch Capt Spud to do his little act; he was slumming it with Qantas. Source figured that Gina has worked out Spud's price, and it isn't all that much.
DeleteAh, The Graudian had him flying there by a different rite of passage: the Warburton Group.
DeletePeter Dutton was flown by a billionaire to Gina Rinehart’s Pilbara party – where he had a message for parents
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/10/peter-dutton-gina-rinehart-pilbara-party-flown-roy-hill-mine-warburton-group
But unless Tim Roberts (worth a mere $1.93billion, apparently and only 69th richest Aussie) has a private plane, Petey-boy probably did travel via Qantas. First class, I have no doubt.
Well, that’s Woolies done and dusted as a successful business then; Captain Spud has called for a boycott!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/11/woolworths-big-w-australia-day-merchandise-dropped-sale-peter-dutton-boycott-calls
Shows Dutton's poor economic sense insisting business purchase stock which will not bring in a profit. Besides, most of it is made overseas, often in China. There was Peter Jennings warning that Labor “...risks building an unacceptable level of dependence on Chinese solar and wind technology.” (you know, they're Commies and you can't trust 'em) while Dutton thinks Woolies should be boycotted for not purchasing Australiana gear which is most likely made in China. Almost as funny as knights and dames.
DeleteHi A,
DeleteI await with bated breath for the reptiles to denounce Dutton’s blatant attempt at Cancel Culture.
Well I hope he doesn't succeed, I shop at Woolworths (there's two Woolies closer than the nearest Coles, there's no Aldi within cooee - even Leo's is closer - and the large Ritchies IGA is quite distant).
DeleteHi Dorothy,
ReplyDeleteSamuel Johnson published his “A Dictionary of the English Language” in 1755. In 1785 the London periodical “ The Gentleman’s Magazine” (which presumably was read only for the articles) recounted a probably apocryphal encounter between the lexicographer and an admirer;
“A literary lady expressing to Dr. J. her approbation of his Dictionary and, in particular, her satisfaction at his not having admitted into it any improper words; “No, Madam,” replied he, “I hope I have not daubed my fingers. I find, however that you have been looking for them.””
250 years later and they are still looking for the dirty words in Florida.