“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw
Nov 02, 2024
LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (11/02/2024)
This story, no-doubt anything more than a “pie-in-the-sky investment” dream, that will probably never happen for reasons that are obvious to anyone with any common sense about the present day and future of Yellowstone National Park and its incredible caldera — at least definitely not in our lifetimes,
But the story is interesting, not necessarily for the “megatons of lithium” the caldera contains (which are most likely never to be mined), but more as a reminder that the steam generated by the caldera could easily provide our human needs for electrical power for the entire North American continent and more without needing nuclear power nor creating environmental damage to the magnificent beauty and future of our spectacular Yellowstone National Park is (unless it decides to create its own environmental damage).
That much more feasible and sensible concept of capturing Yellowstone’s wasted steam is one that I’ve previously posted on “LLAW’s All Things Nuclear” more than once, and the status of the story’s realistic possibility probably needs to be posted again with updated information and data . . . ~llaw
Biggest U.S. Drone Maker Gets Sanctioned By China
Written By Alex Koyfman
Posted November 2, 2024
About 15 million years ago, a cataclysmic event took place in what is now the Western United States. If repeated today, it would likely end human civilization.
The Yellowstone Supervolcano, with its 1300 square mile caldera, exploded, releasing an estimated 240 cubic miles of lava and enough ash to cover the state of Alaska in foot-deep soot.
Catastrophic as this eruption was, it’s something that happens on a fairly regular basis, with the three most recent eruptions occurring 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 600,000 years ago — each releasing similar amounts of energy and contaminants.
Today, geologists study the Yellowstone region very closely, monitoring the movement of the land with lasers and precision sensors in an attempt to analyze and perhaps even predict sudden changes in activity under the surface.
Whether knowing it’s about to happen or not will change anything is a question that remains to be answered, but since we’re living in a point in history where another eruption is statistically overdue, geologists are drawn to the Yellowstone Supervolcano the same way astronomers are drawn to black holes and pulsars.
The Yellowstone Supervolcano’s Gift: 120 Megatons of Lithium
Last summer, this fascination with the caldera led to a rather surprising discovery.
This is where geologists discovered what could be the world’s biggest concentration of lithium, ever.
Containing up to 120 million tons of the world’s premier battery metal, this ancient geological artifact has been lying dormant ever since.
It’s a massive resource that will require an equally massive amount of work to tap into. But earlier this week, the company operating this property announced that it had just closed on a huge, multi-billion dollar loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to start producing lithium for the American EV battery market.
This loan is exactly what’s needed to fund the enormous, and complex infrastructure required to mine the property, and it’s also a good indication of just how dire our domestic lithium situation is.
Unfortunately it’s not the only indication.
Earlier this week, the U.S.’s biggest drone maker, Skydio, announced that it would have to start ‘rationing’ its batteries to customers after the imposition of sanctions by the Chinese.
The Result Of 30 Years Of Unchecked Chinese Lithium Domination
According to Skydio, these sanctions are a blatant attempt by the Chinese to eliminate its competitors in the drone sector.
The fact that the Chinese government can exert such influence on companies as big and vital as Skydio is a testament to just how important the lithium industry has become.
The company on the receiving end of this loan has its work cut out for it. New lithium projects typically take about 10 years to go from planning to production, but with the level of urgency seen today, it’s likely that this one will be fast tracked at every possible turn.
Once things get rolling, the plan is to start producing about 40,000 tons of the metal annually, eventually scaling up as demand increases and the project expands.
Even at the most modest estimates, the total value of the resource exceeds $300B — or about 300x the company’s current market cap.
Of course, it will take many years for all of that value to be unlocked, but just based on the news of the loan closing, shares are already up more than 40%. And it’s likely heading even higher as this mountain of federal funding starts pushing the project towards realization.
We’ve been following this stock for a while now, ever since word of the potential loan first made the news.
The stock was beat up then, but now, with the lithium bubble long since passed, it looks like things are finally falling into place for the company, for this unique property, and for American lithium as a whole.
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There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
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TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Saturday, (11/02/2024)
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
Smart handling of neutrons is crucial to fusion power success | MIT News
MIT News
… things I’m excited about,” he says. “I was inspired by all the professors I had in physics and nuclear engineering at MIT, and I hope to give back …
VOX POPULI: It’s a pity North Korea’s leader is so unwilling to ‘learn’ | The Asahi Shimbun
asahi.com
I mean, pigeons–or doves, really–are symbols of peace, but to use them to guide missiles, of all things? … nuclear capabilities policy. Now …
How the next president could change the course of Israel’s wars – WUGA
WUGA
All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:30 PM Marketplace. 0:00. 0:00. All Things … nuclear weapons capabilities. Israel would need U.S. support to …
Nuclear Power
NEWS
Nuclear Power Is Poised for a Revival But Needs a Foundation to Stand | RealClearEnergy
RealClearEnergy
Nuclear power is back in vogue. Surging power demand driven by electrification and, most notably, the incredible energy needs of data centers has …
US Regulator Rejects Amazon-Talen Nuclear Power Agreement – Bloomberg
Bloomberg
… energy regulator rejected a special deal that would have allowed an Amazon.com Inc. data center to use more power from an adjacent nuclear power plant
Powering Up U.S. Nuclear Energy | The Regulatory Review
The Regulatory Review
Scholars discuss the role of nuclear power in the U.S.’s clean energy transition.
Nuclear War
NEWS
UN Committee Advances Study of Nuclear War Effects Without US Support
Union of Concerned Scientists
“We already look to international bodies of scientists for research and guidance on critical challenges like the climate crisis. Nuclear war would …
UN approves new study on effects of nuclear war – ICAN
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
… nuclear war, for the first time since 1989. With the risk of nuclear weapons use as high – or even higher – as it has ever been amidst wars in …
World War three warning to the US: ‘Take Russia’s nuclear warnings seriously,’ says Dmitry …
The Economic Times
Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian official, warned the U.S. to take Russia’s nuclear threats seriously to prevent World War Three.
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
UN Committee Advances Study of Nuclear War Effects Without US Support
Union of Concerned Scientists
“This resolution builds on a profound recognition by scientists early in the nuclear age that we need to make sure everyone understands the dangers …
World War three warning to the US: ‘Take Russia’s nuclear warnings seriously,’ says Dmitry …
The Economic Times
Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian official, warned the U.S. to take Russia’s nuclear threats seriously to prevent World War Three.
Medvedev warns US: Heed nuclear threats to avoid World War Three
sharjah24.ae
He emphasized that if Russia’s existence is threatened, it will have no choice but to respond. The ongoing war in Ukraine has reached a perilous phase …
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
Biggest U.S. Drone Maker Gets Sanctioned By China – Energy & Capital
Energy & Capital
The Yellowstone Supervolcano, with its 1300 square mile caldera, exploded, releasing an estimated 240 cubic miles of lava and enough ash to cover …
Obsidian: Not just a valuable Minecraft resource – YouTube
YouTube
… Yellowstone last month? Subscribe for more Yellowstone volcano content @usgs Read Caldera Chronicles https://usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/ …