After directing the physics laboratory of the high energy of the University of Bern and having received a Breakthrough Prize for the discoveries on the oscillations of the neutrino, for some years the physicist Antonio Ereditato is in Chicago, where Research Professor at the University is, under the gaze of Enrico Fermi. He has just written a book on The New Nuclear (Egea), the one called “Fourth Generation”, with Stefano Buono, also physical and founder of Newcleo (company that deals with new generation reactors).
Professor inherited, why is this “new nuclear” so important?
“For two reasons. First: it is an obligatory road on the path of decarbonisation. Nuclear is a green energy, since it does not produce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases; it is not renewable, but the amount of uranium present in the terrestrial crust is sufficient for billions of years”.
And then?
“Even if we were not obliged, it would converge. We are obviously talking about a balanced energy wallet: for Italy, 10-20 percent of nuclear in the coming years. The first prototypes will be working between 5-10 years”.
Why is it convenient?
“There is a race for energy 5.0 all over the world, not only in the public, also in the private individual: because investors know to earn … over 50 companies are investing in new generation nuclear power and, in this, we Italians are strong: we have exceptional brains, but then they go abroad and help other states to produce the new nuclear. And then, at a political and geopolitical level, energy independence is a warm question.”
What do these reactors have again?
“They are like today’s computers compared to the first models. So, from the great reactor of 1500 megawatt we have reached many small reactors of 100/200 megawatts of power: a Copernican revolution. We can build many and in series, and then they are modular, therefore made in the assembly line; and all this also has aspects of energy democracy, because it will allow a small mountain community, for example, to have its independence. of energy will be much simpler “.
Other?
“The costs, much lower: from tens of billions of dollars for a large reactor to hundreds of millions for a small modular. And the short times, 5 years, to build it. At the safety level, it combines both active and passive, and does not require interventions of human operators for extinguishing in critical cases. And then recycles”.
What recycles?
“To work, the new nuclear uses a cocktail consisting of a little fresh uranium and largely from waste buried in the exhausted combustible deposits of the reactors, still radioactive.
And in the end it produces small residues still radioactive for 100-200 years and a lot of rare lands. So these reactors not only act as brushes that degrade the slag, but produce, in addition to hydrogen and industrial heat, also rare lands, those for which wars are made today … “.