Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

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

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Iran sees China major partner in post-nuclear-deal era: Rouhani

Iran sees China major partner in post-nuclear-deal era: Rouhani



http://www.globalpost.com/article/6638753/2015/08/29/iran-sees-china-major-partner-post-nuclear-deal-era-rouhani

IAEA reports Iran broadly complying with nuclear accords

IAEA reports Iran broadly complying with nuclear accords


http://www.dispatchtimes.com/iaea-reports-iran-broadly-complying-with-nuclear-accords/68757/

Iran already has atomic weapon, making nuke deal 'moot,' says US military expert

Iran already has atomic weapon, making nuke deal 'moot,' says US military expert


http://www.christiantoday.com/article/iran.already.has.atomic.weapon.making.nuke.deal.moot.says.us.military.expert/63250.htm

PLANT MAKERS DENY RESPONSIBILITY IN COURT FOR FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT

PLANT MAKERS DENY RESPONSIBILITY IN COURT FOR FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT


http://www.newsunited.com/plant-makers-deny-responsibility-in-news/18211313/

Plant makers deny responsibility in court for Fukushima nuclear accident


http://www.topix.com/world/japan/2015/08/plant-makers-deny-responsibility-in-court-for-fukushima-nuclear-accident

Tochigi town residents rally against selection as candidate site for final disposal of radiation-tainted waste

Tochigi town residents rally against selection as candidate site for final disposal of radiation-tainted waste


http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/29/national/plant-makers-deny-responsibility-court-fukushima-nuclear-accident/#.VeIg4ZflxbI

Fukushima: The Price of Nuclear Power Michael Ignatieff

Fukushima: The Price of Nuclear Power



http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/aug/12/fukushima-price-nuclear-power-namie/

Can the IAEA’s New Nuclear Fuel Bank Prevent a Future Iran Crisis?

Can the IAEA’s New Nuclear Fuel Bank Prevent a Future Iran Crisis?



https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/28/can-the-iaeas-new-nuclear-fuel-bank-prevent-a-future-iran-crisis/

Processing spent nuclear fuel becoming an urgent issue for China

Processing spent nuclear fuel becoming an urgent issue for China



http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150829000097&cid=1202

Fukushima Commentary 8/29/15

Fukushima Commentary 8/29/15

Japan’s Press Remains Infected by the Hiroshima Syndrome

On August 26th, Japan’s Kyodo News reported on the Nuclear Regulation Authority revising its guidelines on medical preparedness during a nuclear accident. The report confuses radiation exposure with contamination. While not mutually exclusive, the differences are of biblical proportion. However, the Press cannot be blamed for this. Culpability lies with the wide-spread infection of the Hiroshima Syndrome.

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-commentary.html

IAEA:Women in Nuclear Meet Atoms for Peace

Women in Nuclear Meet Atoms for Peace

More than 450 mostly female professionals took part in the 23rd Women in Nuclear Global Annual Conference at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 24 to 28 August 2015. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
Too little has happened in terms of gender equality in the nuclear field since the days of Marie Curie, and now is the time to change that, argued participants at a Women in Nuclear conference organized in cooperation with the IAEA this week.
Women, as scientists, engineers, safeguards inspectors, managers and lawyers play a key role in the IAEA, form an invaluable resource for a sustainable future of nuclear fields, and they must be better integrated in the workforce, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement to the more than 450 mostly female professionals taking part in the worldwide non-profit association’s annual conference hosted this year at the IAEA.
“It is very important that women should be well-represented in the nuclear field. The IAEA is committed to increasing the representation of women at all levels within the Agency, and especially in senior positions,” he said in his message.
Women in Nuclear (WiN) has chapters across the globe, with one based at the IAEA. The Middle East and Africa recently saw new chapters established, highlighting that opportunities for female nuclear professionals are expanding.
“Despite radioactivity being discovered by a woman, nuclear science is dominated by men,” said Margaret Mkhosi, president of WiN South Africa and senior specialist in nuclear engineering at the country’s National Nuclear Regulator. “For Africa to progress there is a need for greater awareness of women’s central role in contributing towards the development of each country.”
Speakers from the IAEA and national governments, regulatory bodies, research centres, and non-governmental organizations discussed topics such as nuclear technology, environment and climate change, as well as safeguards and non-proliferation, during plenary meetings and topical sessions.
IAEA Deputy Director General Janice Dunn Lee, the first female Head of the Agency’s Department of Management, highlighted the importance of using networking opportunities such as this conference.
“Networks are an extremely effective way of reaching a diverse pool of qualified candidates, many of whom might never have considered working in the nuclear field,” she said. “Probably very few women with a humanities background like mine would think of making a career in the nuclear field. Maybe not too many with a science background would either. And this is something that I — and I hope many others here today — would like to change.”
Striking a Gender Balance
Statistics on gender equality paint a bleak picture for science, technology, engineering, and math fields, but female participation rates in the nuclear sector are slowly rising. The IAEA recorded an increase in the numbers of female applicants: applications for regular posts, including science and engineering positions, increased from a quarter to almost a third of the total over the last six years. Yet, considerable efforts are still needed to fill the gender gap. The IAEA is committed to increasing the representation of women at all levels within the Agency, and especially in senior positions, Dunn Lee said.
Women in Nuclear: A Global Movement for a Global Change
WiN Global has 25 000 members from more than 100 countries that are organized in chapters. The association, founded in 1992, aims to be a support network to women working in nuclear-related fields around the world.
--------------------------------
Luisa Milani contributed to this article.

NASA's Next Nuclear-Powered Mars Rover: Building the Beast

NASA's Next Nuclear-Powered Mars Rover: Building the Beast

Editorial: More DOE bungling at WIPP

Editorial: More DOE bungling at WIPP


http://www.abqjournal.com/635423/opinion/more-doe-bungling-at-wipp.html

Wind of Change Challenging Utilities

Wind of Change Challenging Utilities


http://whchronicle.com/?p=2918

Some Reflections on Nuclear Weapons by William R. Polk

Some Reflections on Nuclear Weapons by William R. Polk

 
Discussion of nuclear weapons is and will remain the most important part of our national security agenda since even small mistakes would probably be catastrophic.  So I want particularly to emphasize four points and then raise a few other general considerations:
 1)        Mistakes are always possible.  More have happened than is generally known.  In the Eisenhower administration, NORAD at least once spotted on radar a flight of geese over Iceland and went to Red Alert.  It took a critical period of minutes to recognize the cause and stand down the alert.  During that time, the danger of a missile launch or an aircraft attack was clear and present.   Some years later, a nuclear bomb was actually dropped on America (by a US Air Force bomber flying where it should not have been while carrying a weapon it should not have been carrying).  Fortunately, the firing mechanism was faulty and the bomb did not go off.  Had it detonated, in the confusion SAC and other formations would have been hard to stop from reacting to the supposed attacker.  These are just two of many incidences of dangerous times.  I fear that we are again heading into dangerous times.

2)             Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is often said to be “stable” under certain conditions.  It follows that it becomes unstable under others.  Thus, we can predict that since our world is in rapid transformation, we cannot rely upon temporary stability.  
For years, as former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara has observed, we have had at least 500 missiles armed with nuclear weapons on “hair trigger” alert in Europe. If you multiply the number of missiles by the number of months, the scattering of sites over a large area and continuous changes of personnel, it is obvious that even the best designed systems of command and control are always fragile.

Much more fragile is the situation in countries that do not spend the enormous amount of money (and talent) required to maintain missiles and nuclear weapons. Without “upkeep,” both missiles and bombs are inherently dangerous.  And dangerous both to the country in which they are located and to their assumed targets.  I find this particularly worrisome in the confrontation between India and Pakistan.

3)             Decisions on war and peace are often discussed in the abstract.  That is, the assumption is that decision on their use is determined by “national” interests.   As has been said, “The risk and consequences of nuclear war are so great as to outweigh any possible advantage in trying to use them.”  That gives some analysts and practitioners a sense of security.  They should not have it.

  That is because decisions are not made by “nations” but by men.  And, as I have pointed out elsewhere, in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the deadly serious war game (designed by Thomas Schelling) played in the Pentagon (by teams of the most senior US officials) demonstrated that there were circumstances in which even sober, well-informed and intelligent men would find that their less ruinous choice would be opting for general war.

Ironically, I think we owed much of the “success” we had in the Cuban Missile Crisis not to the agreement to withdraw the Jupiter missiles from Turkey, although this was clearly necessary and I had long been advocating it, but to the bravery or even foolhardiness of  Nikita Khrushchev.  He risked a coup d’état and certain death by accepting the humiliation we necessarily imposed on him.  And Kennedy, of course, deserves great credit for partially masking the Russian defeat.  That was the real significance of the withdrawal of the Jupiters.  Had other men been in the White House or the Kremlin, the outcome might have been very different.  I might not have been writing or you reading.  We both would probably have long since been dead.

4)             Since men make the decisions, we must be aware of decision makers’ vulnerability.  During the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was one of about 25 civilians fully engaged in the events. I was not at the center but in the 2nd or 3rd “echelon.”  So I did not feel the full strain, but by the Thursday of the Crisis I was thoroughly exhausted.  My judgment must have been impaired even though I was not aware of it.  I do remember, however, a terrible episode – fortunately lasting only a few minutes – at which I thought to myself, “let’s just get it over with.”  When later, I met with my Soviet counterparts, I got the impression, although they denied it, that my feelings were not unique.  How the strain impacted on the inner group I can only guess.  But reading McNamara’s later remarks, I suspect they were far stronger than on me.

             Now, please consider a few other random issues:

  First,  contrast North Korea and Iraq: the logical deduction from the contrast of our approach to North Korea (which does have weapons) and Iraq (which did not) is that having a nuclear arsenal is the ultimate, sometimes the only,  defense.  If  defense is decided upon as a national objective, as presumable all governments will decide, nuclear weapons must   be acquired covertly to avoid attack in the acquisiton phase.  This is presumably and logically still a danger in the Iran case if the Congress turns down the current agreement. 
  Second,  Iran (along with Japan and other countries) illustrates that the division between nuclear bomb possession and nuclear bomb potential is fungible:  If the Bush administration had pushed even harder toward a war with Iran or had  Israeli threats been even more dire, Iran might have added to its extant and growing nuclear establishment, which then did not produce weapons, weapons from North Korea or Pakistan.  And/or gone all out to build its own.  That would not have been an irrational act by “mad mullahs” but, under the circumstances, a wise move.  Under parallel circumstances, the United States certainly would have done it.  Russia, China, India and Pakistan did it.  Israel is a different but comparable case. all know what it did. 

Third,  the India-Pakistan confrontation raises another related question. Even though Pakistan took much punishment in three wars without using its nuclear weapons,  we should not be deluded into thinking that it never will.  There  must be be a “red line” beyond which a nuclear war is inevitable.

Fourth, some commentators have argued that  the risks of escalating to nuclear exchanges are so obvious and so well known that they will have a conservative effect on everyone.  Generally, that is true, but we have seen situations where decision making   is variable, unpredictable, even irrational.  And, events which appear “singular” are actually steps in a process. Thus, when an act is taken and fails to produce the desired result or calls for a reaction, it may and usually does become step “A.” Step “B” becomes the logical extension.  And somewhere down the alphabet successive steps became inevitable.
In the Cuban Crisis, JFK was acutely aware of this.  He was determined not to be trapped by sequence, but it was difficult to avoid.  Our military, as I had reason personally to see, was not so aware or so guided by concern with “process.”  Would the Pakistani general staff be smarter than ours?  Does Pakistan have a civilian commander to take the place of JKF?  And, finally, does Pakistan have a group that could perform like the Crisis Management Committee and other advisers in and around the presidency?  If so, I have not seen them.

Fifth,   Americans, and presumably all other peoples,  have  very short memories.  This may be less true of officials than of the general public, but my reading of history and my experience in government make me doubt it. I would wager that if one tested even supposedly well-informed college students on the report Carl Sagan orchestrated with some our leading scientists on the effects of nuclear weapons he would find little knowledge, understanding – or fear.  And beyond students, I shudder to think what the result would be.  (It would be a very useful contribution to world peace to republish Sagan’s report.  I summarized it in a previous message.)  To call it horrifying is to mince words.

Since we cannot predict how our own successors will act – and certainly cannot predict how other governments in the future will act – I argue that  in anyone’s hands, nuclear weapons are deadly threats to us all.  It follows that we must try, as we intermittently and feebly have tried in the past, to get rid of them before they get rid of us.

The argument is often made that reduction to a  “sufficient” deterrent number could work, but what that number would be, who could determine it for the several nation-states and how it could be enforced is, I think at best, problematical. Beyond zero, everything is slippery.

Sixth, Henry Kissinger to the contrary, there is no such thing as limited nuclear war. Kissinger, Schelling, Kahn, Wolhstetter et al were perhaps deluding themselves,  but they  certainly were deluding us.  This was the major result of the Pentagon war game I cited above.  The war game showed conclusively that the basis of our Cold War strategy was perhaps just lucky but certainly was not decisive.  However, no one wanted to consider the result.  We had invested in a whole industry of cold war rhetoric and were determined not to give it up. 

             Last, while the minute hand on the clock on the cover of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is probably now a bit further from midnight than at various times in the past,  there are warning signs that

— we are moving back toward a confrontation with Russia.  And, while Russia is not so formidable as it appeared a generation ago, it still has a nuclear arsenal as large and as deployable as ours. Led by us, NATO is moving into areas of great sensitivity;
--   while North and South Korea seem to have reached a sort of deal over at least propaganda and artillery exchanges, all the elements are in place for further trouble;
—  while the fate of Kashmir and the division of water between  India and Pakistan catch at least our attention less often for the present time n their confrontation; 
—  while Israeli threats to Iran appear to have worn somewhat thin; and 

—  while we have backed off from our blockade and sanctions program —unless the Congress refuses to recognize the Kerry-Zarif agreement

We had better use the “minutes” before midnight, rather than just sitting back and relaxing, to get our act in better shape if we want our children and grandchildren to live.  We have much to do and now is the best time to get started.

William R. Polk

Experience in independent verification of safety analyses

Experience in independent verification of safety analyses

Please have a look also at the relevant IAEA requirements in IAEA GSR Part 4 (http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1375_web.pdf) – Requirement 21 and paragraphs 4.66 – 4.71. 
 See below the IAEA GSR Part 4 requirements on independent verification of safety analyses:

Requirement 21: Independent verification The operating organization shall carry out an independent verification of the safety assessment before it is used by the operating organization or submitted to the regulatory body.

* The operating organization is to carry out an independent verification to increase the level of confidence in the safety assessment before it is used by the operating organization or submitted to the regulatory body.

* The independent verification is performed by suitably qualified and experienced individuals or a group different from those who carried out the safety assessment. The aim of independent verification is to determine whether the safety assessment has been carried out in an acceptable way.

* The decisions made on the scope and level of detail of the independent verification have to be reviewed in the independent verification itself, to ensure that they are consistent with the graded approach and reflect the possible radiation risks associated with the facility or activity, and its maturity and complexity (see para. 3.4).

* The independent verification has to combine an overall review, to determine whether the safety assessment carried out is comprehensive, with spot checks in which a much more detailed review is carried out that focuses on those aspects of the safety assessment that have the highest impact on the radiation risks arising from the facility or activity. It also has to be considered in the independent verification whether there are any contributions to the radiation risks that have not been taken into account.

* It has to be determined in the independent verification whether the models and data used are accurate representations of the design and operation of the facility or the planning and conduct of the activity.

* In addition, the regulatory body has to carry out a separate independent verification to satisfy itself that the safety assessment is acceptable and to determine whether it provides an adequate demonstration of whether the legal and regulatory requirements are met. The verification by the regulatory body is not part of the operating organization’s process and is not to be used or claimed by the operating organization as part of its independent verification.
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1375_web.pdf

Friday, August 28, 2015

A Broken Well Has Been Leaking Oil Into The Gulf Of Mexico For The Last 10 Years | ThinkProgress

A Broken Well Has Been Leaking Oil Into The Gulf Of Mexico For The Last 10 Years | ThinkProgress

Nuclear Innovation: Necessity of Test Beds

Nuclear Innovation: Necessity of Test Beds


http://www.theenergycollective.com/todd-allen/2264306/nuclear-innovation-necessity-test-beds

US regulators, Millstone nuke plant settle dispute | News OK

US regulators, Millstone nuke plant settle dispute | News OK

NSP/Xcel Energy Falsified Welding Test Documents on Rad Waste Casks

NSP/Xcel Energy Falsified Welding Test Documents on Rad Waste Casks

Three Mile Island fails to sell future energy production, causing speculation of shut down

Three Mile Island fails to sell future energy production, causing speculation of shut down


http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/08/three_mile_island_fails_to_sel.html

NRC Rejects Recommendation to Require Nuclear Plant Owners to Establish Plans to Address a Core-Melt Accident

NRC Rejects Recommendation to Require Nuclear Plant Owners to Establish Plans to Address a Core-Melt Accident

Commissioners Ignore Lessons of Fukushima
Washington (August 28, 2015)—The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has rejected the recommendation of the high-level task force it convened after the March 2011 Fukushima disaster to require nuclear plant owners to develop and maintain plans for coping with a core-melt accident. This decision will allow nuclear plants to continue to maintain those plans voluntarily and deny the agency the authority to review those plans or issue citations if they are deficient.http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/NRC-Rejects-Requiring-Core-Melt-Plans-0522#.VeDThs6KI-8

Pipe dream or possibility? Eliminating nuclear weapons while keeping nuclear power safe


Pipe dream or possibility? Eliminating nuclear weapons while keeping nuclear power safe

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/pipe-dream-or-possibility-eliminating-nuclear-weapons-while-keeping-nuclear/2015-08-28

The leading power: China to take charge in Iran’s nuclear plant revamp


The leading power: China to take charge in Iran’s nuclear plant revamp

Beijing also expected to help Tehran build two smaller reactors, says Iranian vice-president

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853610/leading-power-china-take-charge-irans-nuclear-plant

Conditions and safety the focus at Fukushima site

Economic hurdle for major miner

BHP posts 86 percent profit drop as commodity prices tumble

$subtitles.get($x) BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, reported an 86 percent drop in annual profit on Tuesday amid plummeting commodity prices, as the company warned that China's slowing economy would lead to further market volatility. … Continue Reading
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Presidential support for renewable power

Solar and wind power draw Obama support at Vegas energy summit

$subtitles.get($x) President Barack Obama brought presidential star power to tout the benefits of solar electricity in Western states during an annual green power conference Monday in Las Vegas hosted by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. … Continue Reading
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More power headlines

China, US to talk "clean coal" as industry struggles

DC regulators reject proposed merger of Exelon, Pepco

NICOLAS produces self-propelled nacelle transporter with hybrid drive for Alstom

DTE Energy to build solar power array in Ypsilanti

Sensonics delivers machinery protection to UAE nuclear power plant

Southern Company to acquire AGL Resources, creating leading U.S. electric and gas utility

Backers of wind power, solar seeking Nebraska tax credits

PennEnergy Jobs and Career Insights

A Morning Routine Sets The Tone For A Work Day

It’s oh-so-easy to hit Snooze on your alarm clock. It’s even easier on an iPhone, which goes into snooze mode with a quick tap of the screen, as opposed to the slide motion required to disable the alarm. An easy trap to fall into is the repeated snooze. While it might seem like a good idea in the moment, repeated snoozes only delay the inevitable. The longer you lay in bed, the more arduous the inevitable becomes. … Continue Reading
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Heat on the Job Site

It can start with a dry mouth, in addition to feeling weak or lightheaded. Muscle cramps, nausea, and vomiting are also other symptoms. These symptoms are signs of dehydration. Heat-related illnesses could escalate from there. … Continue Reading
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Energy & Technology Jobs

Project Engineer (Controls Engineer) - temporary

Senior Substation Project Engineer

Letter: Nuclear power is central to Clean Power success

 

Letter: Nuclear power is central to Clean Power success

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/letter-nuclear-power-is-central-to-clean-power-success-20150828

Moniz sees end to subsidies for solar

Moniz sees end to subsidies for solar


http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/moniz-sees-end-to-subsidies-for-solar/article/2570901

Letter from Kazakhstan: Why we believe in the nuclear fuel bank

Letter from Kazakhstan: Why we believe in the nuclear fuel bank



http://thebulletin.org/letter-kazakhstan-why-we-believe-nuclear-fuel-bank8687

World's first nuclear fuel bank, hosted by Kazakhstan, part-financed by Warren Buffett


http://www.smh.com.au/world/worlds-first-nuclear-fuel-bank-hosted-by-kazakhtan-partfinanced-by-warren-buffett-20150827-gj9o6d.html

ANS Nuclearcafe Update: How Do Nuclear Reactions Work?

How Do Nuclear Reactions Work?

By ansnuclearcafe on Aug 27, 2015 01:45 pm

It’s that time! Popcorn in hand? Let’s watch ANS member Kaylee Yuhas as she talks about how nuclear reactions actually work.
Read in browser »
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Louisiana approve Entergy bid to merge 2 in-state utility subsidiaries

Louisiana approve Entergy bid to merge 2 in-state utility subsidiaries


http://www.utilitydive.com/news/louisiana-approve-entergy-bid-to-merge-2-in-state-utility-subsidiaries/404754/

CPUC launches PG&E investigation, but has yet to comply with search warrant for its own documents


CPUC launches PG&E investigation, but has yet to comply with search warrant for its own documents

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/cpuc-launches-pge-investigation-but-has-yet-to-comply-with-search-warrant/404788/

Cross-Border Infrastructure And Presidential Permits

Cross-Border Infrastructure And Presidential Permits



http://breakingenergy.com/2015/08/27/cross-border-infrastructureand-presidential-permits/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=21647326&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8I_ILAwFHdKhnbsRXKVTIvOkXOcp4cGkZTxYHSEWWVPXOQ5wO8Y-kdRmn-akBNwUWRQABigitq-8fqSGos7AcDhNX6eA&_hsmi=21647326

Saudi Arabia Hangs On With Cheap Oil—But For How Long?

Saudi Arabia Hangs On With Cheap Oil—But For How Long?
By Nicholas Wells | CNBC, Thursday, August 27, 2015 2:00 PM
Kuwait Promises To Increase Oil Production In Case  Of War
Mark the date on your calendars: Aug. 28, 2018. That’s when Saudi Arabia goes broke. Or at least that’s the date according to one model of the oil-rich nation’s reserves, crude production and the price of oil. If crude stays around $40, America’s Middle Eastern ally will run out of money on that date. Obviously,… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2015/08/27/saudi-arabia-hangs-on-with-cheap-oil-but-for-how-long/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=21647326&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_vOIlWTzJLN8yrFOZsz4OkB44x5gbvYSRwfE57ErGSDrGMrsVscOxw7rzyRLDylVFxoTxISOO0GhwE6TXuZZv4LEfpcw&_hsmi=21647326

Power Engineering E-Newsletter 8/28

Welcome!
Power Points: Black & Veatch discusses transition to natural gas generation
Chief Editor Russell Ray talks with Black & Veatch about how U.S. power producers are using more natural gas-fired generation.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/video-gallery/featured-videos.html?bcpid=1525031358001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAEheacc~,POub7blnBC_T7nKGnYts8AuVedJt4mSv&bclid=1538833180001&bctid=4434873758001

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Video Highlights
 



Top Stories
Exelon-Pepco merger in doubt after D.C. regulators reject $6 billion proposal
The D.C. Public Service Commission on Tuesday rebuffed a multi-billion dollar proposed merger between power companies Exelon and Pepco.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/exelon-pepco-merger-in-doubt-as-d-c-regulators-reject-6-billion-dollar-proposal.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481

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Xcel Energy reduces GHG emissions by 20% in past decade
Xcel Energy has become the first utility in the country to register nearly a decade’s worth of greenhouse gas emissions data with The Climate Registry.http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/xcel-energy-reduces-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-more-than-20-percent-in-past-decade.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481
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PJM increases payments to power plants, seeks to avoid grid blackouts
In an effort to avoid blackouts, PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid, will increase payments to power generators by 37 percent.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/pjm-increases-payments-to-power-plants-seeks-to-avoid-grid-blackouts.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481

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Deal for AGL comes at time of increasing "risk profile" for Southern, Moody finds
Now that Southern (NYSE:SO) has announced plans to buy AGL Resources (NYSE:GAS), Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed the Southern rating for commercial paper, but changed its outlook to “negative” on the utility holding company.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/deal-for-agl-comes-at-time-of-increasing-risk-profile-for-southern-moody-finds.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481

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Industry News
Louisiana regulators approve merger of Entergy utilities
The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved the merger of Entergy Louisiana LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana LLC into a single utility.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/louisiana-regulators-approve-merger-of-entergy-utilities.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481

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California utility reports record production of green energy
San Diego Gas & Electric broke its own record last week for production of renewable electricity.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/california-utility-reports-record-production-of-green-energy.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481

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IAEA says it needs money to continue Iran nuclear oversight
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it is running out of money to help Iran implement its international nuclear deal and is asking member countries to increase funding.
Read Morehttp://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/08/iaea-says-it-needs-money-to-continue-iran-nuclear-oversight.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-august-28-2015&eid=288118515&bid=1163481

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EDF Renewable Energy owns wind energy developer
EDF Renewable Energy closed the acquisition of OwnEnergy Inc., a developer of mid-sized wind power projects.
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Industry Trends
Henry Hub Average Natural Gas Spot Prices
The Henry Hub is the pricing point for natural gas futures contracts. Here's a look at how prices have changed up to August 19, 2015.
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