January and February are the best months to hunker down and write. I get outside almost every day to take a brisk walk along the state park trail. Some mornings the landscape looks like this. Then it’s back indoors and to work.
Today we’ll experience ambient temperatures in the 40s. I decided to run the buckets of compost out to the garden composter. They started to stink in the garage, so it was time to go. On January 28, it should not be this warm, but it is.
NextEra Energy Resources filed a request with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to potentially restore the facility’s operating license as demand for electricity surges to power large data centers needed to handle the growth of artificial intelligence, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported on Saturday. The plant was damaged during the 2020 derecho and has not been repaired. If the license were issued, management expects the nuclear power plant to be back on line sometime in 2028. My question about this is who pays? Except for those parts of the operation paid by the Department of Energy, all costs should be paid by the potential customers. We shouldn’t pretend bringing Duane Arnold back on line serves the public good.
The other question, and I believe it is the right one, relates to re-starting the Duane Arnold Nuclear Power plant because of the big electricity needs to power Artificial Intelligence. What people are not talking about is using new power plants to generate electricity for another energy hog, crypto-currency, to the detriment of our economy. Shouldn’t we be talking about that?
I’m losing confidence in our local media to cover this issue. For the most part, they seem to be writing stories based on industry generated information and not any specific facts.
Well, at least the compost is out in the bin ready to make a soil conditioner. That, I know I can put to good use.
Journey Home 
You must be logged in to post a comment.