French nuclear plant overheating fear

Associated Press ^ | 08/04/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

Technicians sprayed cold water on a nuclear power plant in eastern France today to prevent it from overheating.

The teams doused a building that contains one of four reactors at the plant in Fessenheim, 45 miles south of Strasbourg, officials said.

Temperatures at the plant rose to 48.5 C (119 F), two degrees short of the point at which an emergency shutdown would be required.

Much of France has been sweltering under a hot and dry spell over the last month. The most visible fallout was a series of deadly forest fires near the Mediterranean resort of St Tropez last week that killed two Britons.

Also today, an Alpine gondola near Mont Blanc in the French Alps was shut down for two days amid fears an ice tunnel it passes through would collapse.

In Paris, police lowered speed limits because of a spike in ozone pollution. High temperatures mix with sunshine and pollution to form ozone, an odourless, colourless gas that is harmful to breathe.

Meteo France, the national weather service, has forecast no respite from the heat wave in the coming days.

AP

[biblewonk]

Nukes suck!

[Semper Paratus]

Good thing they didn't flambe it with brandy. Viola!

[ctlpdad]

so what do we do when the wind dies down. I know S. Dakota has a lot of windmills, dilligaf, they are NOT RELIABLE!

MORE NUKES - LESS KOOKS!

[Centurion2000]

Nukes suck!

Yep .. that's why they are safer than ALL petroleum based energy plants ... and produce less radiation than them as well.

[Wright is right!]

France gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear energy. I don't think they have ANY hydro.

Michael

[Shermy]

Sacre D'oh!

[dogbrain]

Boost Your Generating Efficiency!

(blow some of that hot air into your windmill)

[biblewonk]

Nukes Suck!

[ffusco]

Le China Syndrome

[dogbrain]

The Wind Blows!

[newgeezer]

Nukes suck!

Frankly, it sounds like they have everything under control. My only argument with nukes is that they don't spend more of the fuel before they look for a place to bury it.

[Arpege92]

"Technicians sprayed cold water on a nuclear power plant in eastern France today to prevent it from overheating."

Knowing the French, they were probably using hot water instead of cold water.

[biblewonk]

Well, that's actually true.

[OXENinFLA]

Technicians sprayed cold water on a nuclear power plant in eastern France today to prevent it from overheating.

Not a very good thing........

[eyespysomething]

Technicians sprayed cold water on a nuclear power plant in eastern France today to prevent it from overheating

What a technological advancement! Spraying cold water!!

[dogbrain]

Sounds like they were just cooling the building, not any pressure vessels.

[dogbrain]

...uh,...

(nevermind)

[Darksheare]

Umm.. doesn't Ozone have a metallic odor to it?

[gr8eman]

The teams doused a building that contains one of four reactors at the plant in Fessenheim

Wasn't that in a Clint Eastwood movie. Something about when the terrorist gang stole the missles from the warehouse. They sent a message to the cops that said "Remember Fessenheim". Maybe this is a Clint movie coming true!