The Power in South Africa

We're having pretty severe power-outages in this Country, South Africa. Nuclear Power should have been the answer, but alas, we are informed that, and I quote "(Thursday, 18 January 2007) Eskom is currently experiencing a higher than planned number of generating unit outages along with a higher than expected demand for electricity during this period. This includes 900 MW from Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, which experienced an automatic and controlled shutdown of Unit 1 at 02:18 this morning."

Eskom is our Electricity provider. The only one in this Country. The only Nuclear Reactor in this Country. It's also an old reactor. It's also about 100 kilometers from where I live.

Am I concerned? A tad.

"an automatic and controlled shutdown" Wow, almost sounds credible, like Wag the Dog. Makes me wonder what really happened there.

I mean, think about it. An automatic AND controlled shutdown. Such systems, I would assume, are highly sophisticated and do not simply power-down a reactor unit on a whim. Was it a coolant failure ? Was it a faulty fuel-rod ? Is the core safe ? Hello Eskom ? Why did it shut-down ? "Overload" doesn't quite fit the scenario, not on Nuclear Reactors. Their power-generation mechanisms are well protected from the Nuclear Core. If there was an overload of power, the electrical circuits on the electrical generation plant would shutdown, not the Unit 1 Reactor Core.

So, what's really going on ? Will we ever find out what really happened ? They say "The automatic shutdown of Koeberg unit 1 was due to a trip of the turbine. The reactor is in a safe shutdown condition. The cause of the turbine trip is currently under investigation. "

Trip of the turbine indeed........

Anyone know where I can purchase a geiger-counter in Johannesburg ?
Fallout shelter for rent, anyone ?

It's crazy, the world is crazy. Nuclear power is THE BOMB! Pun intended.

We could have massive and highly productive Wind-turbine farms in this Country, ditto Solar farms, ditto Tidal generators. Eskom ? Ask the Government why not. "We're researching various alternative methods". Yeah, so did Noah, we all know how boats are built already.

So much for "Power to the People".

If you don't hear from me within a week, I will either have been
(a) Abducted by Aliens
(b) Abducted by Government Agents (there's a difference?)
(c) Paid to shut up
(d) Eliminated
(e) Some or all of the above

Keep tuned, more later.

'Nuff Said
Nibbler