Look at the Three Mile Island accident
Which again happened in 1979, there is a recurring theme here, in the 70s and 80s nuclear energy was relatively new (as were computers for instance).
Have a look at the world and look how much technology has changed since then, you have to admit its a little absurd to use 40 year old technology as a yard stick? Would you talk about what is/isn't possible in computing based on some problems that happened on 1970's computers?
somebody decides to do something that is not according to the rules and you have a major disaster.
Sure, just like with the dam example (look at the death toll) or any other number of technologies if things go wrong people die.
However modern nuclear reactors are pretty much designed to be human proof, they have automatic fail safes on multiple levels most of which rely on closed loops (i.e. gravity and other physics) which pretty much cannot fail. While these older reactors were not, the whole meme of homer simpson slipping and blowing up a nuclear power station is out of date now and completely unrealistic.
Nuclear plants are not a bad idea, but there was no open process to get the best deal here. Just a decision to buy Russian nuclear plants. There was no comparison between Russia, French and US (and anyone alse) in terms of cost, safety, etc.
Sure, and I am equally as annoyed by that, I would like more transparency as well, I'm not even sure nuclear is the best option right now, which is sad because I'm actually a 'fan' of nuclear.
That still doesn't make knee jerk 'omgz chernobyl!' stuff any less wrong/pathetic though, these are two entirely separate issues.
If this deal goes ahead will there be corruption and lots of money stolen, almost certainly, will we all be glowing green from radiation, almost certainly not.
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