Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Saturday, February 26, 2011
U.S. Nuclear Waste Never Sees Its Full Potential
U.S. Nuclear Waste Never Sees Its Full Potential
Spent nuclear fuel rods are more Energizer Bunny than sloth. In fact, says Dale Klein, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Texas System, in this news release, 95 percent of the energy in a spent rod is reusable. But in the United States, it's often just called waste and treated as such.
Energy sector deals to increase, PwC says
Energy sector deals to increase, PwC says
Consolidation in the global power and gas sector sped up last year thanks to an increase in deals in the United States and stabilization in Europe, a new study suggests. The volume of mergers and acquisitions in 2010 rose to $116 billion, a 19 percent increase from the previous year, auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a power deals study released Wednesday.
PwC said it expects this trend to continue this year.
"The reaction to date of U.S. regulators to the 2010 announced deals suggests that the door is now more open to a greater flow of regulated utility deals in the United States as companies scale up to deliver renewal and expansion programs," PwC wrote in the study. "Leading European companies will be weighing up moves to step up their international presence in growth markets. We also expect to see a continuation of outbound Chinese and Asia Pacific investment in Europe, the United States and other regions in 2011."
Consolidation in the global power and gas sector sped up last year thanks to an increase in deals in the United States and stabilization in Europe, a new study suggests. The volume of mergers and acquisitions in 2010 rose to $116 billion, a 19 percent increase from the previous year, auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a power deals study released Wednesday.
PwC said it expects this trend to continue this year.
"The reaction to date of U.S. regulators to the 2010 announced deals suggests that the door is now more open to a greater flow of regulated utility deals in the United States as companies scale up to deliver renewal and expansion programs," PwC wrote in the study. "Leading European companies will be weighing up moves to step up their international presence in growth markets. We also expect to see a continuation of outbound Chinese and Asia Pacific investment in Europe, the United States and other regions in 2011."
Russia vows to sell missiles to Syria
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Moscow (AFP) Feb 26, 2011 Russia announced Saturday that it intended to fulfil its contract to supply Syria with cruise missiles despite the turmoil shaking the region and the furious condemnation of the deal by Israel. "The contract is in the implementation stage," news agencies quoted Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying.
IBERDROLA Records €2.87 Billion Net Profit in 2010, Highest in its History
IBERDROLA Records €2.87 Billion Net Profit in 2010, Highest in its History
Note this paragraph:
"The Group has benefited from more than $1 billion in U.S. government incentives for wind power, the largest obtained to date by any renewables company."
KONEPA working on SMRs
Korea Nuclear Energy Promotion Agency (KONEPA) Chairman Rhee Jae-hwan said in a recent interview with The Korea Times that the nation is working on the development of small-sized commercial nuclear power generation systems.
“Local researchers have finished much work on small-sized SMART nuclear reactors and have applied for global approval, which will be reviewed next year.
South Korea's SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor) is a 330 MWt pressurised water reactor with integral steam generators and advanced safety features. It is designed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) for generating electricity (up to 100 MWe) and/or thermal applications such as seawater desalination. Design life is 60 years, with a three-year refuelling cycle. While the basic design is complete, the absence of any orders for an initial reference unit has stalled development. KAERI is now intending to proceed to licensing the design by 2012
Several countries have already expressed keen interest in SMART plants. For instance, Kazakhstan has agreed with the South Korean government to undertake a joint safety study on the SMART as part of its programme to introduce nuclear power generation.
“Local researchers have finished much work on small-sized SMART nuclear reactors and have applied for global approval, which will be reviewed next year.
South Korea's SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor) is a 330 MWt pressurised water reactor with integral steam generators and advanced safety features. It is designed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) for generating electricity (up to 100 MWe) and/or thermal applications such as seawater desalination. Design life is 60 years, with a three-year refuelling cycle. While the basic design is complete, the absence of any orders for an initial reference unit has stalled development. KAERI is now intending to proceed to licensing the design by 2012
Several countries have already expressed keen interest in SMART plants. For instance, Kazakhstan has agreed with the South Korean government to undertake a joint safety study on the SMART as part of its programme to introduce nuclear power generation.
Nuclear Roundup - Hyperion power generation, Korean Smart Reactor, Kazakhstan uranium deal with China
Nuclear Roundup - Hyperion power generation, Korean Smart Reactor, Kazakhstan uranium deal with China
With development of large-scale reactors in the United States slowed by constrained debt capital markets, the absence of climate legislation, low gas prices and flagging power demand, talk in the nuclear industry has shifted to next-generation reactors that are smaller, less capital-intensive and therefore more flexible. These small and modular reactors (SMRs), generally 300 MW or less, can serve remote locations, small power grids and large process heat needs, such as oil production from the Alberta tar sands.
Friday, February 25, 2011
UN concern over 'military angle to Iran nuclear plan'
UN concern over 'military angle to Iran nuclear plan'
Iran has always denied its nuclear programme is aiming to develop weapons IAEA has new info on alleged nuclear weapons work by Iran -- AFP
IAEA says gets info on possible Iran military work -- Yahoo News/Reuters
IAEA Obtains New Details on Potential Iranian Nuke Work -- Global Security Newswire
Iran Broadens Search for Raw Uranium: Intel -- Global Security Newswire
IAEA says gets info on possible Iran military work -- Ynet News
Iran hunts for uranium – IAEA report -- Voice Of Russia
UN agency says it has new info on possible Iran work on nuclear arms -- Canadian Press
AP Exclusive: Iran hunts for uranium -- AP
Israel could still strike Iran, despite Mideast unrest -- Haaretz
Moscow Advocates Modernizing the Russian Oil Sector
Moscow Advocates Modernizing the Russian Oil Sector
The Impact Of Surging Oil Prices On The US Consumer: A Primer
The Impact Of Surging Oil Prices On The US Consumer: A Primer
Site work to start for Turkish plant
Site work to start for Turkish plant
25 February 2011
Engineering and survey work at the site of the planned Akkuyu nuclear power plant on Turkey's Mediterranean coast will begin next month, the Russian supplier of the plant has said.
UPDATE 2-Chubu Electric: to launch new nuclear plant by 2030
UPDATE 2-Chubu Electric: to launch new nuclear plant by 2030
Russian inks deal with Bangladesh to help develop nuclear power
Russian inks deal with Bangladesh to help develop nuclear power
UAE-US nuclear cooperation aims to mitigate carbon pollution
UAE-US nuclear cooperation aims to mitigate carbon pollution
US Deputy Energy Secretary said UAE-US nuclear cooperation aims to ultimately mitigate carbon pollution
NRC could hold new reactor license hearings this summer: Jaczko
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission could hold its first so-called "mandatory" hearing this summer on an application to build and operate new nuclear power reactors, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko told Senator James Inhofe in a February 16 letter released Thursday.
The agency is reviewing 12 applications for combined construction permit-operating licenses, or COLs, to build up to 20 new nuclear units.
The agency is reviewing 12 applications for combined construction permit-operating licenses, or COLs, to build up to 20 new nuclear units.
Unstable Momentum in Middle East Causes More U.S. Need for Missile Defense
Unstable Momentum in Middle East Causes More U.S. Need for Missile Defense
Pentagon Official: We Didn't Need Test of Bunker-Buster Bomb
Pentagon Official: We Didn't Need Test of Bunker-Buster Bomb
Future U.S. Nuclear-Armed Vessel to Use Attack-Submarine Technology
Future U.S. Nuclear-Armed Vessel to Use Attack-Submarine Technology
Saudis Hold Talks With Refiners Amid Warnings of Oil Crisis and Rationing
Saudis Hold Talks With Refiners Amid Warnings of Oil Crisis and Rationing
By: Simon Bowers and Julia Kollewe | The Guardian
By: Simon Bowers and Julia Kollewe | The Guardian
Japan Urged to Reject Funding New Nuclear Reactors in United States
Japan Urged to Reject Funding New Nuclear Reactors in United States
NRC's 'Wishful Thinking' That Geologic Disposal Site Will Be Available When Needed for Highly Radioactive Used Nuclear Reactor Fuel Challenged in Federal Court
NRC's 'Wishful Thinking' That Geologic Disposal Site Will Be Available When Needed for Highly Radioactive Used Nuclear Reactor Fuel Challenged in Federal Court
PR Newswire
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
“Transitioning to a Clean Energy Future” of the 2011 Economic Report of the President
Referenced: Chapter 6 (“Transitioning to a Clean Energy Future”, pp. 125-141) of the 2011 Economic Report of the President, which includes justification and a few other details regarding the President’s Clean Energy Standard (CES) proposal.
CES references appear on pp. 127-128, pp. 131-132, and especially pp. 134-136.
The entire Report, or other individual chapters, can be downloaded via this link:
Photos point to second Syrian nuclear site
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Washington (AFP) Feb 24, 2011 Satellite photos published by a Washington think tank on Wednesday appear to show Syrian efforts to conceal a second suspected nuclear site allegedly linked to a reactor bombed by Israel in 2007. The photos acquired by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) indicate Syria tried to cover up its nuclear activities after the air raid, and could lead the UN nuclear watchdog to step up demands for inspections.
The photos show heightened activity and the pouring of a concrete foundation around the site near Marj as Sultan, outside Damascus, shortly after a May 2008 request for inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"The facility's operational status is unknown. However, there is suspicion that Syria may have emptied the buildings prior to mid-2008 and taken steps to disguise previous activities at the site," the ISIS report said.
"Laying down a new foundation could be an attempt to defeat the environmental sampling that IAEA inspectors would likely carry out to see if uranium was present in the event of a visit to these suspect sites."
Citing the IAEA and the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, ISIS said the Marj as Sultan facility was one of three sites that were "functionally related" to the bombed reactor at Dair Alzour, in the east of the country.
The full report is online at www.isis-online.org
US, S. Korea envoys discuss N. Korea nuclear program
South Korea's nuclear negotiations chief met Thursday with US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Bosworth to discuss Pyongyang's uranium enrichment program, officials said Thursday. The program disclosed last November potentially gives the North a second way to make nuclear weapons, in addition to its plutonium stockpile and envoy Wi Sung-Lac's visit came a day after the North's main ally China blocked publication of a United Nations report criticising the program.
Wi also held talks with Robert Einhorn, the US State Department's special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, and with his US counterpart Sung Kim, according to a spokesman.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Wi would hold talks Friday with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kurt Campbell.
Prior to his departure, Wi told reporters his trip would focus on how to cope with the uranium program at the UN Security Council and consider ways to create the right conditions for resuming long-stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear disarmament.
The sanctions panel report blocked by China calls for tougher implementation of the measures and outlines the progress the North has made on uranium enrichment, according to diplomats.
It describes the enrichment as a new violation of sanctions imposed following atomic tests in 2006 and 2009.
Wi also held talks with Robert Einhorn, the US State Department's special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, and with his US counterpart Sung Kim, according to a spokesman.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Wi would hold talks Friday with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kurt Campbell.
Prior to his departure, Wi told reporters his trip would focus on how to cope with the uranium program at the UN Security Council and consider ways to create the right conditions for resuming long-stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear disarmament.
The sanctions panel report blocked by China calls for tougher implementation of the measures and outlines the progress the North has made on uranium enrichment, according to diplomats.
It describes the enrichment as a new violation of sanctions imposed following atomic tests in 2006 and 2009.
Boeing wins massive US air tanker contract
Boeing wins massive US air tanker contract
Washington (AFP) Feb 24, 2011
US aerospace giant Boeing on Thursday won a massive contract to supply aerial refueling tankers to the Air Force, defeating European rival EADS in a long-running contest. Announcing the first part of $30-billion-plus contract, the Pentagon said: "Boeing was a clear winner." The verdict capped a nearly 10-year attempt by the Air Force to begin to replace an aging Boeing-built fleet of tan
US aerospace giant Boeing on Thursday won a massive contract to supply aerial refueling tankers to the Air Force, defeating European rival EADS in a long-running contest. Announcing the first part of $30-billion-plus contract, the Pentagon said: "Boeing was a clear winner." The verdict capped a nearly 10-year attempt by the Air Force to begin to replace an aging Boeing-built fleet of tan
Getting China to Sanction Iran
Getting China to Sanction Iran
China, which invests heavily in Iran's energy sector, is the linchpin of the sanctions regime against Iran.Viewing Federal Research Spending An interactive chart shows how little the U.S. spends on R&D.
Viewing Federal Research Spending
An interactive chart shows how little the U.S. spends on R&D.
21st Century Nuclear Challenges: 1 Mass Deployment, C. Renewables
21st Century Nuclear Challenges: 1 Mass Deployment, C. Renewables
The 21st century nuclear challenges series looks at the challenges facing any plan to impliment any massive deployment of nuclear energy in 21st century America. In the first section of the series, Part A looked at the challenges posed by coal. A strong case can be made that any rational plan for energy in the 21st century United States will call for the elimination of coal as a major energy source. Part B of this first section looks at natural gas, and finds doubts that ambitious plans for expanding the natural gas supply can be realized. In addition the usefulness of natural gas as a carbon mitigation tool must be questioned. Thus the future value of natural gas as an energy/carbon mitigation tool cannot be determined at the present time. We now must turn to the potential of renewable energy sources, to replace carbon emitting fossil fuels.
Slow progress towards US use of MOX
Slow progress towards US use of MOX
Environmental News: Battle over nuclear power subsidies heats up
Environmental News: Battle over nuclear power subsidies heats up
RWE Full-Year Profit Rises 6.2% to $5.2 Billion on Power Prices, Dutch Arm
RWE Full-Year Profit Rises 6.2% to $5.2 Billion on Power Prices, Dutch Arm
Russian inks deal with Bangladesh to help develop nuclear power
Russian inks deal with Bangladesh to help develop nuclear power
Brighton to set up Rs 2,880 cr nuclear power plant at Vizag
Brighton to set up Rs 2,880 cr nuclear power plant at Vizag
Scientists Build World's First Anti-Laser
More than 50 years after the invention of the laser, scientists at Yale University have built the world's first anti-laser, in which incoming beams of light interfere with one another in such a way as to perfectly cancel each other out. The discovery could pave the way for a number of novel technologies with applications in everything from optical computing to radiology.
Conventional lasers, which were first invented in 1960, use a so-called "gain medium," usually a semiconductor like gallium arsenide, to produce a focused beam of coherent light-light waves with the same frequency and amplitude that are in step with one another.
Conventional lasers, which were first invented in 1960, use a so-called "gain medium," usually a semiconductor like gallium arsenide, to produce a focused beam of coherent light-light waves with the same frequency and amplitude that are in step with one another.
Promise And Limits Of Biomass Energy In The Northeast
 This is an aerial view of logging activity in the Adirondack region of New York state. Credit: Charles Canham |
Millbrook, NY (SPX) Feb 24, 2011 Forest biomass could replace as much as one quarter of the liquid fossil fuel now being used for industrial and commercial heating in the Northeastern United States. That's according to a new report released by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. But the report also has sharp caveats: The potential for forest biomass varies widely within the region, and forest resources must be carefully managed to protect the other important services and goods they provide. Under the right circumstances, however, the report found that forest biomass can provide a domestic energy resource, create local jobs, and provide incentives to forest owners.
"In targeted applications, the heat generated by locally-grown biomass can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support local economies," said Dr. Charles D. Canham, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute and co-author of the report. "But each forested landscape is different, and regional variation in forest conditions and energy infrastructure means there is no one-size-fits-all solution."
The report analyzed U.S.D.A. Forest Service Forest data from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
It found that using forest biomass for heat in the region was far more effective in replacing liquid fossil fuels than converting it to cellulosic ethanol for road transport. Biomass burned in combined heat and power plants reduced fossil fuel use more than five times more effectively than substituting gasoline with cellulosic ethanol.
Under best-case scenarios, however, the energy generated sustainably from forest biomass in the Northeast could replace only 1.4% of the region's total fossil fuel energy. But for some states, biomass energy could be much more compelling when replacing fossil fuel use in certain sectors.
Enhancing Nuclear Security: Training And International Collaboration
While a world free of nuclear weapons remains a goal for governments around the world, nuclear security constitutes a major challenge for the 21st century, as recognised at the 2010 nuclear security summit in Washington. Citizens are generally aware of international efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but they are often unaware of nuclear security research and the important role science in this field. A new European nuclear security training centre and enhanced international collaboration are good examples.
UAE announces $3.09 bn in defence deals
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Dubai (AFP) Feb 23, 2011 The United Arab Emirates has announced 11.68 billion dirhams (3.09 billion dollars/2.249 billion euros) in defence deals in three days, the official WAM news agency reported on Wednesday. Major General Obaid al-Ketbi announced 3.68 billion dirhams (about $1 billion) on Wednesday, according to WAM.
"With the 8 billion dirhams worth of defence deals... on the second and third day of the event, today's announcements brought to 11.680 billion dirhams the total value of contracts" announced at a defence expo in Abu Dhabi, WAM said.
Among other contracts announced on Wednesday, the "Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company was awarded an 800.5 million dirham ($218.1 million) contract for purchase of RAM missiles," Ketbi said.
The 10th International Defence Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi runs until Thursday.
Areva’s Wolfgang Däuwel: “most operating LWRs to aim at life extension”
Areva’s Wolfgang Däuwel: “most operating LWRs to aim at life extension”
Saudi Oil Minister Says Oil Supply Losses Will be Offset
Saudi Oil Minister Says Oil Supply Losses Will be Offset
PR Newswire
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2011
Advanced nuclear power systems to mitigate climate change (Part III) Barry Brook
Advanced nuclear power systems to mitigate climate change (Part III) Posted on 24 February 2011 by Barry Brook This is a modified version of the full conference paper. This is the most up-to-date executive summary available, written for a general — albeit technically conversant – audience, of the Integral Fast Reactor:91st American Meteorology Society Annual Meeting, Jan 23-27, 2011, Seattle, WA Second Conference on Weather, Climate, and the New Energy Economy Tom Blees1, Yoon Chang2, Robert Serafin3, Jerry Peterson4, Joe Shuster1, Charles Archambeau5, Randolph Ware3, 6, Tom Wigley3,7, Barry W. Brook1,7 1Science Council for Global Initiatives, 2Argonne National Laboratory, 3National Center for Atmospheric Research, 4University of Colorado, 5Technology Research Associates, 6Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences, 7University of Adelaide  Abstract Fossil fuels currently supply about 80% of humankind’s primary energy. Given the imperatives of climate change, pollution, energy security and dwindling supplies, and enormous technical, logistical and economic challenges of scaling up coal or gas power plants with carbon capture and storage to sequester all that carbon, we are faced with the necessity of a nearly complete transformation of the world’s energy systems. Objective analyses of the inherent constraints on wind, solar, and other less-mature renewable energy technologies inevitably demonstrate that they will fall far short of meeting today’s energy demands, let alone the certain increased demands of the future. Nuclear power, however, is capable of providing all the carbon-free energy that mankind requires, although the prospect of such a massive deployment raises questions of uranium shortages, increased energy and environmental impacts from mining and fuel enrichment, and so on. These potential roadblocks can all be dispensed with, however, through the use of fast neutron reactors and fuel recycling. The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), developed at U.S. national laboratories in the latter years of the last century, can economically and cleanly supply all the energy the world needs without any further mining or enrichment of uranium. Instead of utilizing a mere 0.6% of the potential energy in uranium, IFRs capture all of it. Capable of utilizing troublesome waste products already at hand, IFRs can solve the thorny spent fuel problem while powering the planet with carbon-free energy for nearly a millennium before any more uranium mining would even have to be considered. Designed from the outset for unparalleled safety and proliferation resistance, with all major features proven out at the engineering scale, this technology is unrivaled in its ability to solve the most difficult energy problems facing humanity in the 21st century. |
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
What U.S. utilities can learn from China’s smart grid expansion
What U.S. utilities can learn from China’s smart grid expansion
Oil Aside: Saudi Arabia Signs First Nuclear Energy Accord With France
Oil Aside: Saudi Arabia Signs First Nuclear Energy Accord With France
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is seeking the aid of France in creating their nuclear energy program, and reducing oil consumption
Yamani: Nuclear pact to help meet growing energy needs
Hashim Yamani, chairman of the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE), and the French minister in charge of industry and energy, Eric Besson, sign a bilateral agreement for developing the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in Riyadh on Tuesday. (AN photo)
Yamani: Nuclear pact to help meet growing energy needs
Sixty Thousand Tons of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Stored at U.S. Reactors for 60 Years?
Sixty Thousand Tons of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Stored at U.S. Reactors for 60 Years?
India an attractive partner for UK nuclear business community
India an attractive partner for UK nuclear business community
MUMBAI: The UK nuclear business community is very optimistic about nuclear commerce with India in the form of joint ventures.
Describing the collaboration between India and UK as a win-win situation, Lady Barbara Thomas Judge, the business ambassador who leads the UK business delegation here, said, "With the joint ventures like 10-year transfer of technology deal between UK-based Sheffield Forgemasters and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to build huge forgings; and signing of MoUs like one between Rolls Royce and L&T for instrumentation and control systems or that between Nuvia and Punj Lloyd , are very significant."
"We look forward to more such deals," she said. India and UK signed civil nuclear cooperation last year. "India's role in global nuclear renaissance is very significant. If all nuclear plants come up simultaneously in different parts of the world, there will be a long queue for the huge forgings (reactor pressure vessel) as there are only two companies globally supplying.
Missouri House committee advances nuclear plant bill
Missouri House committee advances nuclear plant bill
The bill would let power companies recoup from customers the cost of getting an early site permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A 1976 voter-approved law currently bars utilities from charging customers for the costs of a new power plant before it starts producing electricity.Rethinking America's energy security By Bernard L. Weinstein
Rethinking America's energy security
Last month, amid fears the Suez Canal might be closed by the political turmoil in Egypt, the price of oil briefly topped $100 per barrel. As a result of ongoing clashes in Bahrain and Libya, oil prices are again approaching the century mark.
The revolutions in North Africa, along with other evidence of political instability across the Middle East, should remind us that America’s lack of a coherent domestic energy policy is putting our economy and our national security at risk.
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, perhaps best summarized these risks when he recently stated, “The current political unrest in Egypt and its unstable neighbors strongly reinforces America’s need to reduce our dependence on turbulent regions of the word and produce more energy at home.”
Disposal job could be given to SRS It's one of seven sites under review by DOE
Disposal job could be given to SRS
It's one of seven sites under review by DOE
Savannah River Site is among seven locations identified by the U.S. Energy Department as potential sites for a new facility to dispose of a specific category of low-level radioactive waste.
Nuclear units can operate beyond 60 years, with R&D: DOE official Platts
Nuclear units can operate beyond 60 years, with R&D: DOE official
No reason has yet been discovered why light-water power reactors could not operate beyond 60 years, but coordinated, near-term research efforts should address the issues, industry and government officials said Tuesday.
Co-sponsored by the US Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Energy Institute, the three-day workshop in Washington examined "life beyond 60" issues for power reactors. The event followed on a DOE-NRC workshop held in February 2008.
NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko told the workshop that "it's very important that we guard against any potential sense of complacency about aging management and license renewal."
Some 61 of the 104 operating US power reactors have had their initial 40-year licenses renewed by NRC for an additional 20 years.
No reason has yet been discovered why light-water power reactors could not operate beyond 60 years, but coordinated, near-term research efforts should address the issues, industry and government officials said Tuesday.
Co-sponsored by the US Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Energy Institute, the three-day workshop in Washington examined "life beyond 60" issues for power reactors. The event followed on a DOE-NRC workshop held in February 2008.
NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko told the workshop that "it's very important that we guard against any potential sense of complacency about aging management and license renewal."
Some 61 of the 104 operating US power reactors have had their initial 40-year licenses renewed by NRC for an additional 20 years.
TVA aiming for more 'low-cost,' clean power
TVA aiming for more 'low-cost,' clean power
NORRIS, Tenn. —
With no clear national energy policy but new regulations expected, Tennessee Valley Authority executives say they're hedging their bets, hoping to be one of the nation's leading providers of low-cost and cleaner energy by 2020."We know changes are coming," including changes in emissions standards, said John McCormick, TVA senior vice president of river operations.
During a recent media tour of Norris Dam, McCormick said the nation's largest public utility wants to lead the country in providing additional power through new nuclear plants, including small modular reactors, and reduce its heavy reliance on coal. In a revised vision approved last August, TVA board members also said they want to lead the nation in improving air quality and lead the Southeast in increasing energy efficiency.
Areva and Mitsubishi Submit ATMEA1 Reactor Design to Canadian Regulators from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team
Areva and Mitsubishi Submit ATMEA1 Reactor Design to Canadian Regulators
Last week Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries submitted their new ATMEA1 reactor design to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for a pre-project design review.
According to a company release issued Tuesday, the ATMEA1 is being considered for a project near the Point Lepreau nuclear plant in New Brunswick. Areva, New Brunswick Power and the province of New Brunswick signed a letter of intent last July forming a Clean Energy Park project that would feature a mid-sized reactor and renewable generation.
Mitsubishi and Areva formed their ATMEA partnership in 2007 to capitalize on the market for mid-sized reactors. The ATMEA1 design has a net electrical output of between 1,000 and 1,150 megawatts, according to the company’s website. Its design life is 60 years. The design is under certification in France, where Areva is based, and the company indicated it also could be selected for other Canadian projects.
According to a company release issued Tuesday, the ATMEA1 is being considered for a project near the Point Lepreau nuclear plant in New Brunswick. Areva, New Brunswick Power and the province of New Brunswick signed a letter of intent last July forming a Clean Energy Park project that would feature a mid-sized reactor and renewable generation.Mitsubishi and Areva formed their ATMEA partnership in 2007 to capitalize on the market for mid-sized reactors. The ATMEA1 design has a net electrical output of between 1,000 and 1,150 megawatts, according to the company’s website. Its design life is 60 years. The design is under certification in France, where Areva is based, and the company indicated it also could be selected for other Canadian projects.
U.K. Seen Downplaying Aircraft Threat to Nuclear Sites
U.K. Seen Downplaying Aircraft Threat to Nuclear Sites
The United Kingdom has understated the risk of aircraft hitting a nuclear facility, possibly freeing a deadly quantity of radioactive material, the London Guardian on Monday quoted opponents of a proposed airport expansion as saying (see GSN, Jan. 20, 2010).An aircraft collision has "the potential to lead to significant radiological release," according to a 2007 report prepared for the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive by contracting firm ESR Technology. Atomic specialist John Large submitted a redacted version of the document to a public examination launched last week of a potential runway expansion at London Ashford Airport.
Boeing And Fluor Team To Pursue Sandia National Laboratories Contract
Boeing And Fluor Team To Pursue Sandia National Laboratories Contract
St. Louis MO (SPX) Feb 21, 2011 - Boeing and Fluor Corp. have formed a team to pursue a contract to manage and operate the Sandia National Laboratories if the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) decides to hold a competition. Sandia is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility that is managed on behalf of the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Sandia has major facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., and an annual operating budget of approximately $2.5 billion. The current contract expires in September 2012."The Boeing Company has a long history of managing large-scale research and development programs," said Greg Deiter, vice president of Boeing Defense and Government Services.
"We will draw on that experience to offer innovative approaches to meet the NNSA's objectives of strengthening performance on national security missions; reducing costs; and supporting operations as an integrated Nuclear Security Enterprise.
"We also offer a unique capability to evolve our support to broader national security tasks in a way that will be complementary to the nuclear security mission," Deiter added.
Boeing has supported national nuclear programs at Sandia and elsewhere for more than five decades.
Fluor, a longtime DOE contractor, applies its program management expertise to provide safe, dependable, and value-added operations services across the department's complex at Savannah River in South Carolina, Hanford in Washington state, and Portsmouth in Piketon, Ohio.
For more than six decades, Fluor has assisted the DOE and international government agencies in addressing their urgent national nuclear priorities.
"We believe that the complementary resources and skill sets of two world-class companies like Fluor and Boeing offer the NNSA an extremely compelling value proposition," said Greg Meyer, senior vice president of Fluor Government Group.
China FM pledges efforts to revive stalled nuke talks
China FM pledges efforts to revive stalled nuke talks
Seoul (AFP) Feb 23, 2011 China will work to revive stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament and to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Wednesday during a visit to South Korea. But Yang, in comments made before he began private talks with his counterpart Kim Sung-Hwan, did not mention the North's uranium enrichment programme which has sparked international concern.
China will seek an early resumption of the talks "to realise denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and normalisation of relations between related countries", Yang said.
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Seoul (AFP) Feb 23, 2011 China will work to revive stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament and to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Wednesday during a visit to South Korea. But Yang, in comments made before he began private talks with his counterpart Kim Sung-Hwan, did not mention the North's uranium enrichment programme which has sparked international concern.
China will seek an early resumption of the talks "to realise denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and normalisation of relations between related countries", Yang said.
$7 bn UAE missile deal expected this spring
$7 bn UAE missile deal expected this spring
Abu Dhabi (AFP) Feb 22, 2011 A Lockheed Martin official said on Tuesday that he expects an agreement to be concluded this spring for the United Arab Emirates to buy an anti-ballistic missile system reputedly worth about $7 billion.
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Abu Dhabi (AFP) Feb 22, 2011 A Lockheed Martin official said on Tuesday that he expects an agreement to be concluded this spring for the United Arab Emirates to buy an anti-ballistic missile system reputedly worth about $7 billion.
Taiwan pushes for U.S. arms: Interview
Taiwan pushes for U.S. arms: Interview
Washington (UPI) Feb 22, 2011 Taiwan has revived calls for an arms deal with the United States, saying it was crucial for the survival of the country. In an interview with The Washington Post, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said the deal was critical despite his attempts to ease relations with China. "Taiwan is a sovereign state; we must have our national defense," Ma said.
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