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In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation

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Bill Gates and his energy firm have begun building on a next-generation nuclear power station in Wyoming, which he hopes will “revolutionize” power generation.

Gates was in the small town of Kemmerer on Monday to break ground on the project. TerraPower’s chairman is a Microsoft co-founder. In March, the business applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for construction permission to build an advanced nuclear reactor that cools with sodium rather than water. If allowed, it will operate as a commercial nuclear power facility.

The location is near to PacifiCorp’s Naughton Power Plant, which will finish burning coal in 2026 and natural gas ten years later, according to the utility. Nuclear reactors do not emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. PacifiCorp intends to acquire carbon-free power from the reactor and says it is considering how much nuclear to include in its long-term plans.

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Bill Gates | AP News Image

In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation

The work began on Monday with the goal of preparing the site so that TerraPower could begin construction as soon as it is feasible if its permission is approved. Russia is at the forefront of developing sodium-cooled reactors.

Gates reminded the crowd during the groundbreaking ceremony that they were “standing on what will soon be the bedrock of America’s energy future.”

“This is a big step toward safe, abundant, zero-carbon energy,” Gates stated. “And it’s important for the future of this country that projects like this succeed.”

Advanced reactors often use a non-water coolant and operate at lower pressures and greater temperatures. Although this technology has been known for decades, the United States has continued to build massive, traditional water-cooled reactors as commercial power facilities. According to the NRC, the Wyoming project is the first time a corporation has attempted to operate an advanced reactor as a commercial power plant in the United States in nearly four decades.

Chris Levesque, the company’s president and CEO, believes it is time to transition to advanced nuclear technology. This technology employs cutting-edge computer modeling and physics to create a simpler plant design that is less expensive, safer, and more efficient.

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Bill Gates | AP news Image

In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation

TerraPower’s Natrium demonstration project features a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt energy storage system.

“The industry’s nature has not been to innovate. It’s been about repeating prior performance rather than moving forward with new technology. And that was fantastic for dependability,” Levesque explained in an interview. “But the electricity demands we’re seeing in the coming decades, and also to correct the cost issues with today’s nuclear and nuclear energy, we at TerraPower and our founders really felt it’s time to innovate.”

A Georgia utility has completed the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation, at a cost of around $35 billion. The cost of expanding Plant Vogtle from two to four traditional big reactors is $11 billion, including cost overruns.

The TerraPower project is estimated to cost up to $4 billion, with half of that coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. According to Levesque, this figure includes the first-of-its-kind costs for designing and licensing the reactor so that subsequent ones will be substantially less expensive.

Most modern nuclear reactors in development in the United States employ a form of fuel known as high-assay low-enriched uranium, which contains a larger percentage of the isotope uranium-235 than normal reactor fuel. TerraPower has pushed back its Wyoming launch date by two years to 2030 because Russia is the sole commercial fuel supply, and it is collaborating with other companies to discover alternative suppliers. The United States Energy Department is seeking to develop it locally.

On Thursday, Edwin Lyman co-authored an article in Science that expressed worry that this fuel may be used to power nuclear bombs. Lyman, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ director of nuclear power safety, believes the risk posed by HALEU now is low because there isn’t much of it worldwide. But that will change if advanced reactor projects, which require far higher volumes, proceed, he said. Lyman stated that he wants to raise awareness of the hazard, hoping the world community will tighten security around the fuel.

NRC spokesperson Scott Burnell stated that the agency is convinced that its present procedures will ensure the security and public safety of any reactors built and their fuel.

In 2008, Gates co-founded TerraPower to help the private sector promote advanced nuclear energy and provide safe, abundant, carbon-free energy.

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Bill Gates | AP news Image

In Wyoming, Bill Gates Moves Ahead With Nuclear Project Aimed At Revolutionizing Power Generation

The company’s 345-megawatt reactor has the potential to generate up to 500 megawatts at its peak, enough to power 400,000 households. TerraPower stated that its first few reactors will focus on generating power. However, it foresee future reactors being built near industrial units to provide high heat.

Currently, almost all industrial activities that require high heat are powered by the combustion of fossil fuels. The Nuclear Energy Institute’s John Kotek stated that heat from modern reactors may be utilized to make hydrogen, petrochemicals, ammonia, and fertilizer.

It’s notable that Gates, a technology inventor and climate advocate, is counting on nuclear power to help address the climate catastrophe, said to Kotek, the industry group’s senior vice president of policy.

“I think this has helped open people’s eyes to the role that nuclear power does play today and can play in the future in addressing carbon emissions,” he stated. “There’s tremendous momentum building for new nuclear in the U.S. and the potential use of a far wider range of nuclear energy technology than we’ve seen in decades.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

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Baby Gorilla, Calgary Zoo
The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M

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Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

  1. Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
  2. Numbers cannot be repeated
  3. Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
  4. Each play buys 3 lines
  5. Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)

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