Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Fairewinds Update: Fukushima-Daiichi: An Accident Waiting to Happen


Fukushima-Daiichi: An Accident Waiting to Happen

Compilation of News Coverage on the Nuclear Energy Industry’s Response to Fukushima

Compilation of News Coverage on the Nuclear Energy Industry’s Response to Fukushima

Areva Announces Alliance with Etranco to Help Plants Implement NRC Orders

Areva Announces Alliance with Etranco to Help Plants Implement NRC Orders

Areva has announced an alliance with risk-consulting company Etranco as a way to assist utilities deal with the new orders issued by the NRC as part of their post-Fukushima review.

TVA Lays Off 430 Contractors On Bellefonte Project

TVA Lays Off 430 Contractors On Bellefonte Project

This Thursday, TVA announced it will lay off about 430 contractors working on the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant project, citing the slow place of work at Watts Bar unit 2.

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Webinar - Nuclear quality assurance in the post-Fukushima era

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

 

Webinar - Nuclear quality assurance in the post-Fukushima era

Free Industry Webcast: Setting a New Standard for Quality in Nuclear Power
 Date: March 29, 2012quality
Time: 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT

Learn how standards developing organizations are using lessons learned over the last 30 years to account for existing and next generation nuclear power plants and how standards management within nuclear facilities is imperative to nuclear operations.

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Florida group forms rapid response center on nuclear information

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

 

Florida group forms rapid response center on nuclear information


Experts will deal with incorrect statements about nuclear energy

Prompted by recent published misstatements about nuclear energy, a group of technical experts have formed the Energy Information Center (EIC) to communicate technically-accurate information about energy issues to the public.

Radiation Plume Hits Hawaii From Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown


Radiation Plume Hits Hawaii From Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown
The latest marine impact simulation shows the radioactive plume of ocean radiation from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown has now hit Hawaii.
blog.alexanderhiggins.com/.../radiation-plume-hits-hawaii-fuk...

TVA cuts contractors at Alabama Bellefonte nuclear site


TVA cuts contractors at Alabama Bellefonte nuclear site
Reuters
TVA has blamed the Watts Bar 2 delays on the likely regulatory changes expected to come out of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) task force on last year's Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, among other things. In March 2011, an earthquake ...

Washington Beat: US Nuclear Regulators May Lag Behind Dealines for Safety


Washington Beat: US Nuclear Regulators May Lag Behind Deadlines For Safety ...
NY1
Senators on Capitol Hill marked the first year anniversary of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear plant meltdown with a Thursday hearing on United States nuclear safety, but the country's nuclear regulators said it may take some time to implement key ...

Regulating Nuclear Power

Regulating Nuclear Power
New York Times
To the Editor: “Asleep at the Controls,” by Richard Brodsky (Op-Ed, March 12), accuses the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of being a captive of the nuclear power industry. Regulatory capture certainly was at the center of the Fukushima meltdown, ...

INPO - WANO News and Report

INPO - WANO News and Report



Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data: thorium

Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data: thorium
Results 1 - 10 of 22 ... Provides links to USGS information about thorium and related topics. Provides a topical browse interface into USGS mineral resource data ...
mrdata.usgs.gov/catalog/science.php?thcode=2&term...

How realistic is The Economist’s cool view of nuclear power? by Barry Brook

How realistic is The Economist’s cool view of nuclear power?

by Barry Brook

Friday, March 16, 2012

Canada Bruce Power Unit A2 reactor cleared to Restart

Canada Bruce Power Unit A2 reactor cleared to Restart

Canadian regulators have cleared Unit 2 of the Bruce A nuclear power plant in Ontario to restart after a nearly two-decade-long slumber.

Preparations for build at Vogtle

Preparations for build at Vogtle

Vogtle 3 rebar March 2011 (Southern) 80x48The latest pictures from the Vogtle 3 and 4 nuclear build project show workers preparing the simulator and installing rebar ahead of first concrete.

US NRC Blog: Steam Generator Tube Failures — Understanding the Situation

U.S. NRC Blog

Steam Generator Tube Failures — Understanding the Situation

by Moderator
Yesterday, NRC announced it was sending a team of additional inspectors to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to more fully understand why steam generator tubes are failing a pressure test. The tubes were isolated to Unit 3, which was safely shutdown on Jan. 31 when the tube leak was identified. There was no risk to the employees, the public, or the environment during the pressure test and both units are currently powered down.
In order to understand the situation a little better, think of a steam generator as a large egg filled with water and thousands of long, thin metal tubes in a U-shape formation attached at the bottom of the egg. The steam generator removes heat from the nuclear reactor as the hot radioactive water that surrounds the fuel rods passes through these tubes. As the hot water travels through the tubes, the rest of the water in the egg becomes steam. The steam is transferred to the turbine building where it forces the turbine to move and creates electricity.
A steam generator tube failing is a problem because radioactive water that passed over the nuclear reactor and into the steam generator may escape into the created steam through a hole in the tube. Then, the radioactive steam could end up at the turbine and eventually may escape to the environment.
The NRC inspectors will take a very comprehensive look at this Unit 3 condition, including looking at the manufacturer’s steam generator design, construction and shipment to the site located near San Clemente, California. While other steam generators have shown wear after one cycle of operation, the level of wear at Unit 3 is more than expected.
Currently, the plant’s operator is continuing pressure testing and so far seven tubes have failed. In addition to the resident inspectors, an NRC steam generator expert is on site and inspecting the ongoing testing. A public exit meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks where the team will share their preliminary results.
Lara Uselding
Public Affairs
Region IV

U.K. should build additional nuclear plants, expert says

U.K. should build additional nuclear plants, expert says
The U.K. should construct more nuclear plants to secure energy independence and meet its goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 80% by 2050, said David King, director of the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. "On existing sites we could place 27 new nuclear power stations by 2050, meaning that no other sites would be needed," King said. Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires

UAE praised for transparency in nuclear energy program

UAE is praised for transparency in nuclear energy program
Countries pursuing nuclear power should emulate the United Arab Emirates, which has been transparent about its nuclear program, said Dale Klein, a former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who is now associate director of the University of Texas' Energy Institute. "The United Arab Emirates has been very good at explaining to the public what nuclear means, why it's important for the country and what steps it's taking," Klein said. The National (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)

Senatjors are worried about pace of new nuclear-safety procedures

Email this Story
  • Senators are worried about pace of new nuclear-safety procedures
    New safety recommendations for U.S. nuclear plants in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan are critical, but they are occurring at a sluggish pace, members of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said. Senators want the recommendations to be implemented within five years. "Some of the proposed time lines allow plants to avoid meeting safety improvements for longer than five years," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the committee. The Epoch Times

NRC to update Indian Point environmental study

NRC to update Indian Point environmental study
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will update a study on the environmental effects of Entergy's Indian Point nuclear plant on New York's Hudson River, following the release of new data regarding marine life there. The study plays a crucial role in license-renewal efforts for the facility. SeattlePI.com/The Associated Press

Ameren defends relicensing of Missouri nuclear plant

Ameren defends relicensing of Missouri nuclear plant
Ameren's license-renewal bid for the Callaway nuclear plant in Missouri isn't necessarily dependent on post-Fukushima Daiichi safety rules, said Scott Bond, the company's manager for nuclear development. His remarks came in response to an environmental group's request to conduct additional studies on the relicensing effort. "NRC has looked at the issues with Fukushima and not seen any immediate threat to the U.S. public," Bond said. St. Louis Post-Dispatch/The Associated Press

Fukushima Daiichi: ANS Committee Report

Fukushima Daiichi: ANS Committee Report
http://fukushima.ans.org/
http://fukushima.ans.org/report/forward

K Sees Nuclear Plant Jitters Ahead of Summit


SK Sees Nuclear Plant Jitters Ahead Of Summit
Wall Street Journal (blog)
By Jaeyeon Woo A little over a week before South Korea hosts the 50-nation Nuclear Security Summit, the government is trying to reassure the public over the safety of nuclear power following a blackout at a nuclear plant on the south coast and a public ...

India Raises Nuclear Power Spending 18% to 66.1 Billion Rupees


India Raises Nuclear Power Spending 18% to 66.1 Billion Rupees
Bloomberg
India's government proposes to increase spending on nuclear power projects by 18 percent to 66.1 billion rupees ($1.3 billion) in the year starting April 1. The provision includes equity investment in Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd., ...

Cheap Natural Gas Unplugs US Nuclear Power Revival


Cheap Natural Gas Unplugs US Nuclear-Power Revival
Wall Street Journal
By REBECCA SMITH The US nuclear industry seemed to be staging a comeback several years ago, with 15 power companies proposing as many as 29 new reactors. Today, only two projects are moving off the drawing board. What killed the revival wasn't last ...

IAEA: "Signifcant" nuclear growth despite Fukushima


IAEA: "significant" nuclear growth despite Fukushima
Reuters
* Only three new reactor construction starts last year - IAEA * But "significant growth" in nuclear energy still anticipated * Some European states moving away from nuclear; Asia growth seen (Adds detail) By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA, March 16 (Reuters) ...

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Reports More Test Failures

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Reports More Test Failures
Wall Street Journal
AP LOS ANGELES—Four more tubes that carry radioactive water at a Southern California nuclear power plant failed pressure tests, bringing the number to seven and prompting new safety concerns, authorities said.

Set of Earthquakes Strike Japan, Fuel Concern of a Bigger Tremblor


Set Of Earthquakes Strike Japan, Fuel Concern Of A Bigger Temblor
Daily Gossip
One year after Japan was hit by one of the most powerful quakes in its history, the earth beneath their feet began to shake once again. This time, the temblors weren't as high on the Richter scale, but the set of earthquakes that struck Japan this week ...

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Weekly Review (With Unit 2 Torus Inspection Video)


Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review (With Unit 2 Torus Inspection Video)
Nuclear Street - Nuclear Power Portal (blog)
Workers manually inspected the wetwells inside two units at Fukushima Daiichi Wednesday – hours before another earthquake shook Japan but did not seem to affect its nuclear plants. Recent developments at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant severely ...

Nuclear Scientist Responds To Critics Of His Belief That Fukushima Refugees ... Forbes Last week on the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster we published a piece by James Conca (see: Fukushima's Refugees Are Victims of Fear, Not Radiation) where he explained his conviction that the potential threat to Fukushima refugees posed by ...


Nuclear Scientist Responds To Critics Of His Belief That Fukushima Refugees ...
Forbes
Last week on the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster we published a piece by James Conca (see: Fukushima's Refugees Are Victims of Fear, Not Radiation) where he explained his conviction that the potential threat to Fukushima refugees posed by ...

Chubu Electric to continue heavy LNG buys 2012/13

Chubu Electric to continue heavy LNG buys 2012/13
Reuters
Chubu, Japan's third-biggest utility, shut its 3617 megawatt nuclear plant in a quake-prone area in Hamaoka in May last year, following a rare government request on concerns it could be hit by an earthquake like the one that triggered the Fukushima ...

FAS In-Depth: March 19, 2012

Federation of American Scientists
FAS In-Depth: March 19, 2012   

Note: This is a new weekly newsletter which will be sent to FAS members, analyzing a current security threat and FAS work on this issue. If you have any ideas for upcoming content, please contact Katie Colten, Membership Coordinator, at kcolten@fas.org.


Last week, Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project, and Dr. Robert S. Norris, senior fellow for Nuclear Policy, published the new installment of the Nuclear Notebook in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists regarding Russia's nuclear forces.
With the ratification of New START in January 2011, Russia promised to be more transparent to allow the international community to monitor its nuclear arsenal. Unfortunately, this has become difficult as the Kremlin does not release full aggregate treaty numbers of the country's nuclear forces. Despite these obstacles, Kristensen and Norris estimate that Russia has 4,400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal.
Additionally, Kristensen and Norris write that Russia is planning to retire more than two-thirds of its current arsenal of nuclear land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles by early 2020. This arsenal includes some of the most iconic examples of the Soviet threat against the United States: SS-18 Satan, SS-19 Stiletto, and the world’s first road-mobile ICBM, the SS-25.
During the same period, Russia plans to deploy significant numbers of new missiles, but the production will not be sufficient to offset the retirement of old missiles. As a result, the size of Russia’s ICBM force is likely to decline over the next decade – with or without a new nuclear arms control treaty.
For more information on Russia's nuclear weapons stockpile, check out these FAS resources and much more on our website.

Russia's Nuclear Arsenal:
Russia/ Soviet Nuclear Forces Guide
Strategic Command and Control
ICBM Bases
Russia’s Nuclear Shield


New START:

New START Treaty Aggregate Numbers of Strategic Offensive Arms
Senate Approval of New START Moves Nuclear Arms Control Forward
New START Data Exchange: Will it Increase of Decrease International Nuclear Transparency?
US Releases Full New START Data
Letter Urges Release of New START Data
U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Reductions: The Next Round


Congressional Research Service Reports:
Nuclear Arms Control: The U.S.-Russian Agenda
U.S. Nuclear Weapons: Changes in Policy and Force Structure
The New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions
U.S.- Russian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress


Other Reports:

Annual Report to Congress on the Safety and Security of Russian Nuclear Facilities and Military Forces (National Intelligence Council)
Russia’s Crumbling Tactical Nuclear Weapons Complex: An Opportunity for Arms Control (USAF Institute for National Security Studies)
  About FAS: Founded in 1945 by scientists who built the first atomic bombs, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works from Washington, DC to ensure that public policy is informed by intelligent, accurate scientific research.
About the FAS In-Depth:   The FAS In-Depth is a weekly newsletter which will be sent to FAS members, analyzing a current security threat, and FAS work on this issue.  

Editor's Note

I am attending the MIT Energy Conference today and tomorrow in Boston so
posting will be limited while there. And then there is the matter of March Madness.

Best regards.

Michele Kearney

Kan hero, or irate meddler?


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Friday, March 16, 2012

Kan hero, or irate meddler?

Jury out on if he thwarted Tepco pullout at No. 1


Experts Form Center to Correct Misstatements About Energy

Experts Form Center to Correct Misstatements About Energy

http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=5057954&access=EH

Thursday, March 15, 2012

China will supply Westinghouse AP1000 components to Projects Worldwide

China will supply Westinghouse AP1000 components to Projects Worldwide

China Daily - Most of the Westinghouse AP1000 reactors that are being built in the world are being built in China. Chinese nuclear companies will become suppliers for Westinghouse Electric Co's AP1000 reactor projects in other countries as the nation approaches completion of the world's first AP1000 project.

Savannah River's Reactor Development Race Begins | Break Bulk

Savannah River's Reactor Development Race Begins | Break Bulk
Three firms to develop small modular reactors. The U.S. Department of Energy signed three agreements to develop small modular reactors at its Savannah River ...
www.breakbulk.com/.../savannah-rivers-reactor-development-...

Chief Nuclear Regulator Admits Safety Goals Are 'Insufficient'


Chief Nuclear Regulator Admits Safety Goals Are 'Insufficient'
AOL Energy
By Margaret Ryan Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Gregory Jaczko delivers remarks at the Regulatory Information Conference on March 13, 2012 in Rockville, Maryland. US nuclear safety goals are insufficient, and don't address effects ...

Key nuclear plant safety order likely to be delayed, NRC tells Senate

Key nuclear plant safety order likely to be delayed, NRC tells Senate
Washington Post (blog)
By Timothy R. Smith The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely fall behind schedule in issuing a key safety measure designed for US power plants in the wake of Japan's nuclear reactor meltdown last year, the agency's chairman told a Senate committee ...

Experts Form Center to Correct Misstatements About Energy


Experts Form Center to Correct Misstatements About Energy
MarketWatch (press release)
VENICE, Fla., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Prompted by recent published misstatements about nuclear energy, a group of technical experts have formed the Energy Information Center (EIC) to communicate technically-accurate information about ...
See all stories on this topic »

Industry Webcast: Quality assurance for nuclear energy in the post Fukushima era

 Industry Webcast: Setting a New Standard
 for Quality in Nuclear Power One Year
 after Fukushima

Date: March 29, 2012
Time: 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT

http://images.ihs.com/eloquaimages/tinydot.gif
American Nuclear
                                            Society logo         ASME_logo.jpg
Learn how standards developing organizations are using lessons learned over the last 30 years to account for existing and next generation nuclear power plants and how standards management within nuclear facilities is imperative to nuclear operations.

This webcast will cover:

With the recent vote by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to give license approval for the nation's first two new nuclear power plants in 30 years, the U.S. nuclear industry took a major step toward returning to expansion after a long period of stability and safe operations. However, in the wake of the March 2011 incident at Japan's Fukushima plant, safety and quality assurance continues to be a paramount issue in the nuclear supply chain and facility operations.
Industry standards such as ASME NQA-1 and ANS-3.2 are continually being modified to improve support for next generation nuclear power plant operations. The existing generation of U.S. nuclear power plants has one standard for the design and construction of a nuclear facility and a separate standard for the operations of that facility. It became evident that this model would not apply to newer nuclear facilities.
Join the American Nuclear Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and IHS as they give you an exclusive opportunity to view the current state of managerial, administrative and quality assurance in the industry, and the critical role of standards in ensuring quality throughout nuclear operations.  Don't miss this opportunity to understand the history of nuclear standards for managerial, administrative and quality assurance and the changes needed to support the next generation of nuclear power plant operations. Register now for this complimentary webcast.

SpacerSpeakers


   Kevin Ennis
   Director, Nuclear Codes and StandardsAmerican Society
   of Mechanical Engineers

Smith_70x95
   Marion Smith
   Chair, ANS-3.2 Working GroupAmerican Nuclear Society

Hawkinson_70x102
   Chad Hawkinson
   Vice President, Product Design SolutionsIHS, Inc.


Yurman_70x95
   Dan Yurman – Moderator
   Consultant
http://images.ihs.com/eloquaimages/tinydot.gif

The Gas Price Blame Game

By Peter Lehner, March 15, 2012
Every year when gas prices rise, politicians and pundits like to play the blame game. On Fox & Friends, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal blamed the Obama administration's "radical environmental ideology" for high gas prices. (The latest Bloomberg poll, however, showed that most Americans do not blame the White House.) The Christian Science Monitor points the finger at India. It might be reassuring...  » Continue...

A New Global Economic & Energy Narrative (Part One)

By Charles Arthur, March 15, 2012
Internet technology and renewable energies are merging to create a powerful new infrastructure. Jeremy Rifkin explains how the five pillars of a third energy-communications revolution will create the foundations for the next great wave of economic growth * Our industrial civilization is at a crossroads. Oil and the other fossil fuel energies that make up the industrial way of life are dwindling,...  » Continue...

Nuclear options

News

Nuclear options

Nuclear engineer Gundersen describes aftermath of Fukushima-Daiichi disaster

Why Nuclear Is Regulated at the National Level

Why Nuclear Is Regulated at the National Level

Japanese officials to tackle restart of Ohi reactors

Japanese officials to tackle restart of Ohi reactors
Japanese ministers will hold discussions about the possible restart of Kansai Electric's Ohi reactors, according to a report. A technical review of the units was completed by an independent nuclear agency earlier in the week, paving the way for a decision from authorities. Reuters

Korea Electric Power plans 2012 export of 2 nuclear reactors

Korea Electric Power plans 2012 export of 2 nuclear plants
Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires (3/14)

Lawmakers insert funding for Ohio nuclear project in Senate bill

Lawmakers insert funding for Ohio nuclear project in Senate bill
Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, inserted $150 million in the Senate's transportation bill for USEC's American Centrifuge Project in Ohio. The bill cleared the Senate by a 74-22 vote. The project "isn't just an important job creator in southern Ohio, it's also a critical component of our national security. That's why we see bipartisan support in the Senate for continued research and development," Brown said in a statement. The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) (3/14), FuelFix.com
Nuclear energy has a future
Sound policy reforms and learning the right lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan are key to nuclear energy's future, writes Jack Spencer, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Reforms should focus on introducing market forces to the management of radioactive waste and broadening the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's technical expertise. "Though there are no guarantees, nuclear power -- despite much adversity -- has proved to be much more than a survivor," Spencer writes. The Washington Times

Fertel: Safety is U.S. nuclear industry's top priority

Fertel: Safety is U.S. nuclear industry's top priority
The U.S. nuclear industry is working to enhance the safety of its nuclear plants and is proactively applying lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan, writes Marvin Fertel, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Nuclear plants are already equipped with several emergency generators, backup off-site power supplies and battery banks, yet their operators are still increasing safety layers by adding or ordering major equipment. "To continue to reap its benefits and move toward American energy independence, we must and we will ensure that nuclear energy facilities operate safely," Fertel writes. CNN

Three tubes fail testing at San Onofre nuclear plant

L.A. NOW

Southern California -- this just in

Three tubes fail testing at San Onofre nuclear plant

Chinese Nuclear Firms To Become Global Suppliers For Westinghouse's AP1000 Reactor

Chinese Nuclear Firms To Become Global Suppliers For Westinghouse's AP1000 Reactor

NRC Gives Even Sensitive Matters a Full Legal (If Not Public) Hearing

U.S. NRC Blog

NRC Gives Even Sensitive Matters a Full Legal (If Not Public) Hearing

by Moderator
The NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board plays a very important part in the agency’s consideration of requests for licenses to build and operate new facilities. The Board’s administrative law judges conduct independent hearings to consider arguments over whether the applications and the NRC’s reviews meet regulatory standards and comply with laws such as the Atomic Energy Act and National Environmental Policy Act. The judges then issue legally binding decisions on these matters.
Three Board judges held an evidentiary hearing last week to consider arguments by three citizens groups regarding a facility now under construction at South Carolina’s Savannah River Site. The NRC issued the U.S. Dept of Energy a permit, through the department’s Shaw Areva MOX Services contractor, to build the facility in order to convert plutonium from former nuclear warheads into mixed plutonium and uranium fuel for civilian nuclear reactors. The facility is being built as part of a US-Russian treaty to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in each country.
The citizen groups argue the facility cannot comply with NRC regulations to control and account for nuclear material. They say that the facility cannot track the plutonium going into the fuel accurately enough to properly account for it, and, therefore, some plutonium could be subject to diversion.
These arguments touch on very important requirements, but at the same time the arguments involve documents and live testimony on very sensitive information. Federal law and regulations require the Board and all the participants in the hearing to protect that information, so the Board held this hearing behind closed doors.
One of the citizens groups, Nuclear Watch South, was present at the hearing and all the groups participated fully through their lawyer and their expert witness. The three-judge panel expects to issue its decision in this case by the end of June.
Scott Burnell
Public Affairs Officer

MIT: Renewable Electricity Will Cost More

MIT: Renewable Electricity Will Cost More

Margaret Ryan, AOL Energy
Integrating more renewables into the US grid will be costly and have unintended consequences, including potential for increased carbon emissions, that policymakers need to plan for, warns a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative study.

NRC/Fukushima Hearing in US Senate Today 10AM ET

NRC/Fukushima Hearing in US Senate Today 10AM ET

NRC Commissioners Magwood, Svinicki, Chairman Jaczko, Apostolakis, Ostendorff
A hearing titled “Lessons from Fukushima One Year Later: NRC’s Implementation of Recommendations for Enhancing Nuclear Reactor Safety in the 21st Century” will be held in the U.S. Senate this morning at 10:00 AM EDT.  Witnesses will include NRC chairman Gregory Jaczko and fellow NRC commissioners Kristine Svinicki, George Apostolakis, William Magwood, and William Ostendorff.
The hearing will be webcast live starting at 10:00 AM ET.  The hearing will also be broadcast live on C SPAN cable television.  XM satellite radio subscribers can listen to the audio broadcast of the hearing on C-Span Radio on Channel 119. Please see this earlier Nuclear Cafe post for more details.

China plans to focus less on solar and wind Energy and more on Nuclear and Hydro Power

China plans to focus less on solar and wind Energy and more on Nuclear and Hydro Power

China will accelerate the use of new-energy sources such as nuclear energy and put an end to blind expansion in industries such as solar energy and wind power in 2012, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says in a government report published on March 5.

"Insight and Innovation in Uncertain Times"

"Insight and Innovation in Uncertain Times"
March 16-17, 2012
MIT Campus, Boston Park Plaza Castle, and The Westin Copley Place
Dear 2012 Conference Attendees:

The organizing team is excited to host you for the seventh annual MIT Energy Conference. The information in this email is intended to help you plan your weekend.
Friday Events
Friday's events are free and open to the public (no registration required). Workshops will take place on MIT campus (see map) starting at 11 AM. See the full Friday Workshop schedule on our website.

The first ever Friday fireside chat will take place with Mark Vachon (GE, VP ecomagination) at 4 PM in 32-123 (see map).

Complimentary shuttles will run between the Workshops on campus and the Showcase (more info).

The Friday Showcase will take place from 5-8 PM at the Boston Park Plaza Castle (learn more about our venues).  

Saturday Events
Ticketed Conference, 8 AM - 7 PM, Westin Copley Place
Registration and breakfast begin at 8 AM. We're kicking off our content with the MIT Perspectives on Energy Innovation Roundtable shortly thereafter at 9 AM.
See the full Saturday Conference schedule on our website. A copy of the agenda will also be provided to you during registration.    

Twitter at the 2012 MIT Energy Conference (#mitenergyconf)

We will use Twitter in multiple ways to encourage interaction among speakers, attendees, and the public. Join the conversation! 

What do you need to know?
First, if you don't already use Twitter, then you need to:
  1. Sign up for a free Twitter account
  2. Learn the basics
  3. Install a free Twitter app on your mobile device.
Second, there are three ways to use Twitter at the Conference:
  1. Share your thoughts, speaker quotes, and more by including the Summit's Official Twitter Hashtag, #mitenergyconf, in your tweets.
  2. Ask questions during panel session Q&A.
  3. Incorporate Twitter language basics
  • @Reply: The @ symbol on Twitter is followed by a Twitter username (i.e. @mitenergyconf). Including a @Reply publicly tags that user and is meant to imply the message is directed to them or related to them.
  • Retweet: A retweet, or RT, is used when you wish to repost something another person said on their Twitter feed. Retweeting sends their message to your followers and notifies them that you are quoting them.
  • Hashtag: A hashtag is created when the pound (#) symbol comes before a word or phrase (i.e. #mitenergyconf). A hashtag is used in a message so other people can follow related sets of tweets.
Throughout the 2012 Conference, we will pose questions to the audience to answer via Twitter (i.e. "What has been your favorite panel so far?"). Attendees will be able to  tweet their answers to these questions which will then be moderated and displayed as part of the Twitter waterfall on Saturday.  

We look forward to seeing you at the Conference! Please let us know if there are any questions in the meantime.

The Directors Team

Veteran of China Natural gas and Oil Companies pushes for slower restart to Nuclear Reactor Approvals in China

Veteran of China Natural gas and Oil Companies pushes for slower restart to Nuclear Reactor Approvals in China

U.S. GAO - Nuclear Nonproliferation: Further Actions Needed

U.S. GAO - Nuclear Nonproliferation: Further Actions Needed by ...
What GAO Found. The President's 4-year initiative is a worthwhile effort designed to accelerate U.S. and international efforts to secure nuclear material ...
www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-512T