Nuclear Ester, nuclear Alaska

Jamie Smith sent me this cartoon back in 2005, when Galena was considering Toshiba's offer of a small-scale, self-contained nuclear power plant. More recently, when John Reeves started a bit of a ruckus out here by proposing to install a similar underground self-contained nuclear power plant on his property near Ester, Jamie sent me another cartoon. One of the hazards of living in Alaska is that we are on the Ring of Fire—and that same summer, coincidentally, Ester was plagued with a LOT of earthquakes.

So, it may be of interest to Mr. Reeves and various Esterites that the Alaska Center for Energy and Power is holding a community lecture at the Blue Loon next Tuesday (January 18 at 6 pm) on the very subject of nuclear power in Alaska. Here's their blurb:

The lecture is titled “The Nuclear Option: Are Small Scale Nuclear Power Plants an Option for Alaska.” It will provide an overview of small-scale nuclear technology and its potential applications in Alaska. Design and permitting considerations, safety and security, economics, ownership, resource and environmental issues will be discussed.

Ought to be entertaining, at the least…
ACEP conducted a workshop on the feasibility small-scale nuclear power in Alaska in early December. The link provides some more info on the presentations, including both summaries and a full transcript.

Ester, contrary to previous thought, is not officially a nuke-free zone. The Ester Community Association has never revisited the question. Perhaps we'd best make it so?