Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

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

Friday, December 13, 2024

Georgia has set a precedent that could undermine EU enlargement | European Union | Al Jazeera

Georgia has set a precedent that could undermine EU enlargement | European Union | Al Jazeera

Syria's Fragile Hope Is Being Battered by Israel's Predatory Campaign of Destruction - Opinion - Haaretz.com

Syria's Fragile Hope Is Being Battered by Israel's Predatory Campaign of Destruction - Opinion - Haaretz.com

NRC draft fusion rule fails to address safety risks | Union of Concerned Scientists

NRC draft fusion rule fails to address safety risks | Union of Concerned Scientists

A Nuclear War in Ukraine Would Be a Disaster for America | The Heritage Foundation

A Nuclear War in Ukraine Would Be a Disaster for America | The Heritage Foundation

U.S. Department of Energy Grants Tentative Site for Aalo Atomics Experimental Microreactor | Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Energy Grants Tentative Site for Aalo Atomics Experimental Microreactor | Department of Energy

French Nuclear Power Giant Secures Groundbreaking U.S. Contract

French Nuclear Power Giant Secures Groundbreaking U.S. Contract

Democrats seek to take away nuclear weapons from Trump before he is sworn in - Must Read Alaska

Democrats seek to take away nuclear weapons from Trump before he is sworn in - Must Read Alaska

Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program - WSJ

Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program - WSJ

Pakistan Requested Nuclear Weapons Assistance From China in Talks Over Strategic Port

Pakistan Requested Nuclear Weapons Assistance From China in Talks Over Strategic Port

Hundreds of New Gas-Fired Power Units Planned as U.S. Gas Output Soars

Hundreds of New Gas-Fired Power Units Planned as U.S. Gas Output Soars

Iran accepts tougher oversight at Fordow enrichment plant, IAEA reports | Reuters

Iran accepts tougher oversight at Fordow enrichment plant, IAEA reports | Reuters

Iran's Nuclear Leap Is Close To Bomb-Grade: Report - Newsweek

Iran's Nuclear Leap Is Close To Bomb-Grade: Report - Newsweek

Sodium-cooled prototype fast breeder reactor could massively boost energy production

Sodium-cooled prototype fast breeder reactor could massively boost energy production

Big Tech Backs Small Nuclear - IEEE Spectrum

Big Tech Backs Small Nuclear - IEEE Spectrum

Israel's Nuclear Program Has Been Cleared for Publication (According to Foreign Reports) - Opinion - Haaretz.com

Israel's Nuclear Program Has Been Cleared for Publication (According to Foreign Reports) - Opinion - Haaretz.com

[Salon] Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program - Guest Post

Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program Advisers to the president-elect, concerned economic pressure isn’t enough to contain Tehran, are considering military action By Alexander Ward in Washington and Laurence Norman in Berlin The Wall Street Journal Iranian ballistic missiles on display during a military parade in Tehran in September. Photo: Rouzbeh Fouladi/Zuma Press President-elect Donald Trump is weighing options for stopping Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon, including the possibility of preventive airstrikes, a move that would break with the longstanding policy of containing Tehran with diplomacy and sanctions. The military-strike option against nuclear facilities is now under more serious review by some members of his transition team, who are weighing the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad—Tehran’s ally—in Syria, the future of U.S. troops in the region, and Israel’s decimation of regime proxy militias Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran’s weakened regional position and recent revelations of Tehran’s burgeoning nuclear work have turbocharged sensitive internal discussions, transition officials said. All deliberation on the issue, however, remains in the early stages. Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent calls that he is concerned about an Iranian nuclear breakout on his watch, two people familiar with their conversations said, signaling he is looking for proposals to prevent that outcome. The president-elect wants plans that stop short of igniting a new war, particularly one that could pull in the U.S. military, as strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities have the potential put the U.S. and Iran on a collision course. Iran has enough highly enriched uranium alone to build four nuclear bombs, making it the only nonnuclear-weapon country to be producing 60% near-weapons-grade fissile material. It would take just a few days to convert that stockpile into weapons-grade nuclear fuel. A jet fighter lands on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Gulf. Photo: U.S. Navy/Reuters U.S. officials have previously said it could take Iran several months to field a nuclear weapon. The president-elect’s transition team is devising what it calls a “maximum pressure 2.0” strategy against the regime, people familiar with the planning said, the sequel to his first-term approach centering on strict economic sanctions. This time, the president-elect and his aides are fleshing out military steps that could be central to its anti-Tehran campaign, though still paired with tighter financial penalties. Two broad options have come up in discussions, including in some talks that have taken place with Trump, four people familiar with the planning said. One path, described by two people familiar with the plan, involves augmenting military pressure by sending more U.S. forces, warplanes, and ships to the Middle East. The U.S. could also sell advanced weapons to Israel, such as bunker-busting bombs, strengthening its offensive firepower to take Iranian nuclear facilities offline. The threat of military force, especially if paired with U.S.-imposed sanctions that manage to cripple Iran’s economy, may convince Tehran that there is no choice but to diplomatically resolve the crisis. The alternative path is to seek to use the threat of military force, especially if paired with U.S.-imposed sanctions, to drive Tehran into accepting a diplomatic resolution. That is the strategy Trump employed with North Korea in his first term, although the diplomacy eventually faltered. It isn’t clear which option Trump, who has talked about avoiding a third World War and brokering deals with Tehran, would choose. While Trump has insisted that he seeks to avoid massive escalation in the Middle East, he told Time in an interview published Thursday that there is a chance the U.S. could go to war with Iran, partly because Tehran plotted to assassinate him. “Anything can happen,” he said. “It’s a very volatile situation.” Some incoming administration officials have yet to fully weigh in on the issue, and Iran-related proposals could shift as cabinet officials get into place, classified information becomes available, and discussions are held with regional allies like Israel. Crucially, Trump rarely delves deep into details about foreign-policy matters until he is presented with finalized options and a decision needs to be made, former Trump administration officials say. Iran’s United Nations mission didn’t respond to requests for comment. Leaders in Tehran have long denied that they seek to acquire a nuclear weapon. The Israeli government also didn’t respond to requests for comment about whether it would pre-emptively attack Iran during the Trump administration. But in November, after holding three calls with Trump, Netanyahu said he and Trump “see eye to eye on the Iranian threat in all its components, and the danger posed by it.” Trump weighed the idea of pre-emptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear program toward the end of his first term, former officials said, shortly after international inspectors revealed Iran’s stockpile of nuclear material had grown. But Trump, after he left office, has since disputed he ever considered military action seriously, claiming senior defense aides developed war plans and pushed him to authorize a strike. President-elect Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in July. Photo: Alex Brandon/Associated Press Trump aides and confidants supporting military options for his second term said the main idea would be to support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities like Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, and even potentially have the U.S. participate in a joint operation. Many current and former Israeli officials say there are huge uncertainties of how successful Israel would be in mounting a solo attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, some of which are buried deep underground. Still, some of Trump’s allies insist his first months back in office present him with the rare opportunity to counter Iran’s nuclear buildup while the regime is in a weakened position. “If you were going to actually do something to neutralize the nuclear-weapons program, this would be it,” said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who speaks regularly with top Trump aides, including some set to enter the new administration. Should Trump reach for a serious military option, he would be breaking with recent U.S. policy, and that of his first presidency. The Obama administration aimed to settle Iran’s nuclear rise with a multinational deal, culminating in 2015’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which temporarily constrained Tehran’s nuclear work. Trump withdrew the U.S. from that pact and mounted economic pressure on Iran in hopes it would abandon the nuclear program. President Biden sought to revive the 2015 agreement, but Iran ended up walking away, leading his administration to keep many of the Trump-era sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Israel, meanwhile, has for years considered attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities but hasn’t done so, in part, because of U.S. caution against it. The Obama administration in 2012 warned Netanyahu off launching attacks as Iran built its nuclear program before the 2015 nuclear deal. The Biden administration has consistently said it seeks a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear advances. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS What steps should the U.S. take to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions? Join the conversation below. Discussions of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be different this time around. “There is strong support for Israel to take military action as they deem in their interests,” said Gabriel Noronha, who worked on Iran policy at the State Department during the first Trump administration. “Iran does not have much room to go before they hit [Israel’s] red lines, and they still seem intent on escalating further.” Officials on Trump’s transition say they intend to enforce current sanctions and impose new ones, including redesignating the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization and prohibiting countries that buy Iranian oil from purchasing American energy. But more needs to be done than increased economic and financial pressure because Iran “is actively trying to kill President Trump,” a person on the transition said. “That certainly influences everybody’s thinking when it comes to what the relationship is out the gate.” Iran has given the U.S. assurances it wouldn’t assassinate Trump in retaliation for his 2020 order to kill top Iranian paramilitary leader Qassem Soleimani. The killing of Soleimani was the most aggressive military action by the U.S. against Iran in years. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has signaled that he is open to diplomatic talks with the incoming Trump administration. Photo: Iran’s Presidency/Reuters The incoming administration insists Tehran’s network of proxies can’t be fully countered unless Iran is starved of economic and military resources. “It’s the head of the octopus,” the transition official said. “We’re not going to solve all these issues where they are. We’re going to solve them in how we deal with Tehran.” Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, appears to be appealing to Trump’s appetite for high-profile agreements. Pezeshkian “is ready to manage tensions with the United States” and “hopes for equal-footed negotiations regarding the nuclear deal—and potentially more,” Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, wrote in Foreign Affairs last week. But the diplomatic approach has its pitfalls. Iranian officials say they won’t negotiate with the U.S. under pressure, and they told European officials in Geneva last month that they wouldn’t take any unilateral steps to clip back their nuclear program. Tehran already has enough fissile material to produce more than 12 nuclear bombs, according to a U.S. intelligence estimate released last week. Although Iran isn’t currently building a bomb, the report said, it is better prepared to do so thanks to research it has carried out in recent months. Iranian officials have long made it clear their reaction to a strike would be to kick out U.N. inspectors and leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which commits Tehran to not develop nuclear weapons. The only country that has ever done that is North Korea, which went on to covertly start producing nuclear weapons—a path Tehran has hinted it could take. Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com

Hegseth Offers to Connect Breathalyzer to Nuclear Arsenal

Hegseth Offers to Connect Breathalyzer to Nuclear Arsenal

Exxon Plans to Sell Electricity to Data Centers - The New York Times

Exxon Plans to Sell Electricity to Data Centers - The New York Times

How Nuclear Power Could Help Decarbonize Industrial Steam Needs

How Nuclear Power Could Help Decarbonize Industrial Steam Needs

Amid Russian bombing, Ukraine is planning more nuclear reactors

Amid Russian bombing, Ukraine is planning more nuclear reactors

Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program - WSJ

Trump Team Weighs Options, Including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program - WSJ

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Exxon's AI Power Play Aims to Beat Nuclear - Bloomberg

Exxon's AI Power Play Aims to Beat Nuclear - Bloomberg

IDF sees chance for strikes on Iran nuke sites after knocking out Syria air defenses | The Times of Israel

IDF sees chance for strikes on Iran nuke sites after knocking out Syria air defenses | The Times of Israel

Are You Comfortable with the Idea of a U.S. Tactical Nuclear Exchange with Russia?

Are You Comfortable with the Idea of a U.S. Tactical Nuclear Exchange with Russia?

US power use to reach record highs in 2024 and 2025, EIA forecast says | Reuters

US power use to reach record highs in 2024 and 2025, EIA forecast says | Reuters

An inside look at work to restart Palisades nuclear plant | WOODTV.com

An inside look at work to restart Palisades nuclear plant | WOODTV.com

Nuclear industry tiptoes toward renaissance

Nuclear industry tiptoes toward renaissance

(24) How Does China Build Nuclear So Fast? Can You Do it Too? | LinkedIn

(24) How Does China Build Nuclear So Fast? Can You Do it Too? | LinkedIn

Japan’s idled nuclear plants increasingly eyed as a clean energy source - Cipher News

Japan’s idled nuclear plants increasingly eyed as a clean energy source - Cipher News

U.S. Department of Energy Grants Tentative Site for Aalo Atomics Experimental Microreactor | Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Energy Grants Tentative Site for Aalo Atomics Experimental Microreactor | Department of Energy

Legislators unveil measure focused on cutting red tape for nuclear fuel waste recycling - Daily Energy Insider

Legislators unveil measure focused on cutting red tape for nuclear fuel waste recycling - Daily Energy Insider

Study: Fusion energy could play a major role in the global response to climate change | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Study: Fusion energy could play a major role in the global response to climate change | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT NSE: News: 2024: Can a nuclear energy challenge stall decarbonization goals?

MIT NSE: News: 2024: Can a nuclear energy challenge stall decarbonization goals?

Aligning economic and regulatory frameworks for today’s nuclear reactor technology | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Aligning economic and regulatory frameworks for today’s nuclear reactor technology | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(7) Youyeon Choi: Making small modular reactors more cost-effective - YouTube

(7) Youyeon Choi: Making small modular reactors more cost-effective - YouTube

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

AP300™ SMR | Westinghouse Nuclear

AP300™ SMR | Westinghouse Nuclear

Westinghouse: eVinci Microreactor Gains Approval from US Regulators - energynews

Westinghouse: eVinci Microreactor Gains Approval from US Regulators - energynews

Transforming fusion from a scientific curiosity into a powerful clean energy source | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Transforming fusion from a scientific curiosity into a powerful clean energy source | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

NANO announces flurry of microreactor MoUs - World Nuclear News

NANO announces flurry of microreactor MoUs - World Nuclear News

Big Tech Embraces Nuclear Power to Fuel AI and Data Centers - IEEE Spectrum

Big Tech Embraces Nuclear Power to Fuel AI and Data Centers - IEEE Spectrum

In a shift, Biden to bar most fossil fuel financing overseas - E&E News by POLITICO

In a shift, Biden to bar most fossil fuel financing overseas - E&E News by POLITICO

Six Companies Tapped for $2.7 Billion LEU Push to Boost Domestic Nuclear Fuel Supply

Six Companies Tapped for $2.7 Billion LEU Push to Boost Domestic Nuclear Fuel Supply

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Contracts to Buy U.S.-Sourced Low Enriched Uranium | Department of Energy

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Contracts to Buy U.S.-Sourced Low Enriched Uranium | Department of Energy

Google, Intersect Power to develop co-located energy parks with $20B of renewables, storage | Utility Dive

Google, Intersect Power to develop co-located energy parks with $20B of renewables, storage | Utility Dive

Tokamak Energy teams up with the U.S. and U.K. for $52M fusion project -- ANS / Nuclear Newswire

Tokamak Energy teams up with the U.S. and U.K. for $52M fusion project -- ANS / Nuclear Newswire

General Atomics’ SiGA-cladded test rods complete irradiation testing in the ATR -- ANS / Nuclear Newswire

General Atomics’ SiGA-cladded test rods complete irradiation testing in the ATR -- ANS / Nuclear Newswire

Hawley vows to block any CR containing stripped-down radiation compensation funds

Hawley vows to block any CR containing stripped-down radiation compensation funds

Drone hits IAEA vehicle on road to Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, agency says | Reuters

Drone hits IAEA vehicle on road to Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, agency says | Reuters

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Musk and Ramaswamy Must Investigate Fraudulent Nuclear Subsidies | RealClearEnergy

Musk and Ramaswamy Must Investigate Fraudulent Nuclear Subsidies | RealClearEnergy

Head Of Congressional AI Task Force Urges Regulators To Allow Data Centers At Nuclear Power Plants

Head Of Congressional AI Task Force Urges Regulators To Allow Data Centers At Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear weapons must never be used, Nagasaki survivor tells Putin before Nobel ceremony | Reuters

Nuclear weapons must never be used, Nagasaki survivor tells Putin before Nobel ceremony | Reuters

Grid Strategies report: U.S. power demand dramatically increases yet again - Daily Energy Insider

Grid Strategies report: U.S. power demand dramatically increases yet again - Daily Energy Insider

(27) The deepening links between energy and AI | LinkedIn

(27) The deepening links between energy and AI | LinkedIn

Artificial Intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? : NPR

Artificial Intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? : NPR

Opinion | Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump - The New York Times

Opinion | Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump - The New York Times

Has Nuclear Energy Finally Overcome the Chernobyl Disaster? | OilPrice.com

Has Nuclear Energy Finally Overcome the Chernobyl Disaster? | OilPrice.com

FERC rejects plan to shift PJM’s transmission planning protocol in win for state regulators | Utility Dive

FERC rejects plan to shift PJM’s transmission planning protocol in win for state regulators | Utility Dive

More nuclear energy could be coming to New York | WXXI News

More nuclear energy could be coming to New York | WXXI News

US regulators approve eVinci microreactor I&C platform - World Nuclear News

US regulators approve eVinci microreactor I&C platform - World Nuclear News