Monday, October 25, 2010

Nuclear morning

When it's cold and clear outside and there's not much wind, we can see this sight from out in the vineyard. On this particular morning, it looked eerily like a mushroom cloud. And the cloud does have atomic origins; it's the steam from the cooling towers of a nearby nuclear power generator.

It's a bit unnerving to see a mushroom cloud when you're out walking the dog.

This centrale nucléaire is in St.-Laurent-Nouan on the Loire River, about sixty kilometers (thirty-seven miles) north of here. It's one of the many plants in France that generate well over eighty percent of the nation's electricity. That's why I can say that my home appliances are nuclear powered.

8 comments:

  1. Are you sure it's just...steam?

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  2. Nuclear Power. Very disliked by image(s). Because IF something happens, it's horrible.

    But it's a very safe, reliable source of relative inexpensive energy.

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  3. Is St-Laurent-Nouan the same as St-Laurent-les-Eaux or is it a different one.

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  4. Pity you can't fill up your car with nuclear power and thus beat the fuel shortage! Martine

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  5. I envy France for making the wise decision to move away from fossil fuels.

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  6. This is the first nasty photo you have posted.

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  7. rick, it usually never looks like that, so it was kinda weird.

    starman, well, no. But it should be.

    tch, true, true.

    chm, I suppose. I read that they fused SLDE and Nouan in 1972 and now just call it St.-Laurent-Nouan.

    martine, if the car were electric...

    cubby, they did it decades ago.

    michael, oops. Nobody's perfect. :)

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