| NRC wants more information about concrete condition at Seabrook Station Foster's Daily Democrat By JIM HADDADIN SEABROOK — Federal inspectors have confirmed a concrete condition found in an underground tunnel at Seabrook Station poses no immediate safety threat, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is calling for more information about how the ... |
Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Saturday, March 31, 2012
NRC wants more info about concrete condition at Seabrook
NRC approves new SCE&G nuclear units 4-1 vote
| US NRC approves new SCE&G nuclear units in 4-1 vote Platts The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Friday approved licenses for South Carolina Electric & Gas and partner Santee Cooper to build and operate two new nuclear generating units at their Summer station. The five-member commission voted 4-1 to approve the ... |
NRC Rules Against Riverkeeper's Post-Fukushima Contention
NRC Rules Against Riverkeeper's Post-Fukushima Contention ...
By Liz Giegerich
Riverkeeper's contention that the relicensing application does not take into consideration lessons learned from Fukushima was too generic, NRC decided.
Bedford-Katonah Patch
By Liz Giegerich
Riverkeeper's contention that the relicensing application does not take into consideration lessons learned from Fukushima was too generic, NRC decided.
Bedford-Katonah Patch
Progress Energy Reactor Review May Be Delayed, NRC Chief says
| Progress Energy Reactor Review May Be Delayed, NRC Chief Says BusinessWeek While the NRC has approved plans by Scana Corp. (SCG) (SCG) and Southern Co. (PEG) (PEG) to build reactors, its review of Progress's bid to construct identical units may be slowed by an agency analysis of US plant safety after meltdowns at Tokyo ... |
Japan's Near Miss
| Japan's Near Miss Dissident Voice In fact, the 3/11 earthquake led to a total of 14 reactors at 4 sites in Japan being directly affected. Such a malfunction is not unusual for the nuclear industry, which excels in keystone cops antics, and worse, lying to regulators. |
Nuclear energy could hold the key to the fabled "hydrogen economy"
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Major quake impact on Tokyo could be worse than thought: study
| Major quake impact on Tokyo could be worse than thought: study Reuters The study by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology comes just over a year after one of the biggest tremors on record struck Japan's northeast coast, triggering a massive tsunami and the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 ... |
Japan Opens Three Evacuated Towns After Tepco's Disaster
Japan Opens Three Evacuated Towns After Tepco's Disaster
Bloomberg
Japan will partially open three towns in the evacuation zone in Fukushima prefecture next month for the first time since a record earthquake last March caused the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. Residents of the towns Kawauchi, Tamura and Minami ...
Bloomberg
Japan will partially open three towns in the evacuation zone in Fukushima prefecture next month for the first time since a record earthquake last March caused the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. Residents of the towns Kawauchi, Tamura and Minami ...
ANS Update: NRC approves two new reactors in South Carolina
NRC approves two new reactors in South CarolinaBy lscheele on Mar 30, 2012 01:04 pmThe U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on March 30 voted to clear the way for its Office of New Reactors to issue two licenses for two new AP1000 reactors at the V.C. Summer site in Parr, S.C. This marks the NRC’s … Continue reading → Read in browser » |
More to read:Nuclear Matinee: Sustainable energy choices for the 21st centuryANS & ASME webinar on nuclear quality assurance March 29: Register Now! ANS President Eric Loewen kicks off March Madness tour of student sections Celebrating at Vermont Yankee: A successful rally on St Patrick’s Day For your reference: Nuclear News magazine |
"The EPA's coal mandate: An opportunity for nuclear, a giveaway for natural gas"
from The Neutron Economy:
"The EPA's coal mandate: An opportunity for nuclear, a giveaway for natural gas"
This week, the EPA announced a carbon cap of 1000
lbs CO2 per MWh electricity generated from all new power plants. While
such a mandate provides an obvious opportunity for nuclear, upon
inspection it looks suspiciously like a giveaway to the natural gas
industry.
Could China run Britains' net nuclear reactor?
Could China run Britain's next nuclear reactor?
SmartPlanet.com
There are several viable, safer alternatives, such as thorium fuel and molten salt reactor designs, among others (many related links below).
SmartPlanet.com
There are several viable, safer alternatives, such as thorium fuel and molten salt reactor designs, among others (many related links below).
NEA / OECD Report of the Survey on the Review of New Reactor Applications
NEA / OECD Report of the Survey on the Review of New Reactor Applications
Available here: http://www.oecd-nea.org/html/nsd/docs/2011/cnra-r2011-13.pdf
Friday, March 30, 2012
California Slammed With Fukushima Radiation
California Slammed With Fukushima Radiation
The Journal Environmental Science and Technology reports in a new study that the Fukushima radiation plume contacted North America at California “with greatest exposure in central and southern California”, and that Southern California's seaweed tested over 500% higher for radioactive iodine-131 than anywhere else in the U.S. and Canada:Projected paths of the radioactive atmospheric plume emanating from the Fukushima reactors, best described as airborne particles or aerosols for 131I, 137Cs, and 35S, and subsequent atmospheric monitoring showed it coming in contact with the North American continent at California, with greatest exposure in central and southern California. Government monitoring sites in Anaheim (southern California) recorded peak airborne concentrations of 131I at 1.9 pCi m−3Anaheim is where Disneyland is located.
EneNews summarizes the data:
Corona Del Mar (Highest in Southern California)In addition, radioactive debris is starting to wash up on the Pacific Coast. And because the Japanese are burning radioactive materials instead of disposing of them, radioactive rain-outs will continue for some time … even on the Pacific Coast.
Santa Cruz (Highest in Central California)
- 2.5 Bq/gdwt (gram dry weight)= 2,500 Bq/kg of dry seaweed
Simon Fraser University in Canada also tested North American seaweed after Fukushima:
- 2.0 Bq/gdwt = 2,000 Bq/kg of dry seaweed
- “In samples of dehydrated seaweed taken on March 15 near the North Vancouver SeaBus terminal, the count was zero; on March 22 it was 310 Bq per kilogram; and by March 28 it was 380 Bq/kg.” -Vancouver Sun
- Seaweed in Seattle also tested positive for iodine-131; levels were not reported -KIRO
- No results after March 28 were reported
Nuclear helped UK cut emissions in 2011
Nuclear helped UK cut emissions in 2011
An
8% drop in carbon dioxide emissions in the UK in 2011 was helped by an
11% increase in electricity output from the country's nuclear power
plants, provisional figures from the government indicate.
Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil Plays -- EIA
Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil Plays -- EIA
Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil Plays is a report from the Energy Information Administration explains the use of horizontal drilling in conjunction with hydraulic fracturing has greatly expanded the ability of producers to profitably recover natural gas and oil from low-permeability geologic plays—particularly, shale plays. Application of fracturing techniques to stimulate oil and gas production began to grow rapidly in the 1950s, although experimentation dates back to the 19th century. Starting in the mid-1970s, a partnership of private operators, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and predecessor agencies, and the Gas Research Institute (GRI) endeavored to develop technologies for the commercial production of natural gas from the relatively shallow Devonian (Huron) shale in the eastern United States. This partnership helped foster technologies that eventually became crucial to the production of natural gas from shale rock, including horizontal wells, multi-stage fracturing, and slick-water fracturingModern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer -- EIA
Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer -- EIA
Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer from the Energy Information Administration explains how "natural gas production from hydrocarbon rich shale formations, known as “shale gas,” is one of the most rapidly expanding trends in onshore domestic oil and gas exploration and production today.atomic power review Nuclear Renaissance alive and well
atomic power review
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Posted: 30 Mar 2012 12:57 PM PDT
Today,
we find that the NRC has voted to allow construction of two new
Westinghouse AP1000 reactor plants at the V.C. Summer site in South
Carolina. There are now two new nuclear energy construction projects
underway (Summer, and Vogtle in Georgia) with a total of four ~1000 MWe
plants.
Read the NRC press release here. Read the Shaw Group's release here (this firm is architect-engineer for Vogtle and Summer AP1000 projects.) Read a statement from Westinghouse (reactor vendor for Summer and Vogtle projects) here. Read the South Carolina Electric & Gas press release here. NuStart Energy has written a press release, and it has been sent to some sources but isn't on NuStart's site yet; click here to check NuStart Energy's press page. APR will link more press releases when they're available. 4:00 PM Eastern Friday March 30, 2012 ATOMIC POWER REVIEW |
Expert: Nuclear Power Is On Its Deathbed
Expert: Nuclear Power Is On Its Deathbed
U.S. News & World Report
By Jason Koebler After the Fukushima power plant disaster in Japan last year, the rising costs of nuclear energy could deliver a knockout punch to its future use in the United States, according to a researcher at the Vermont Law School Institute for ...
U.S. News & World Report
By Jason Koebler After the Fukushima power plant disaster in Japan last year, the rising costs of nuclear energy could deliver a knockout punch to its future use in the United States, according to a researcher at the Vermont Law School Institute for ...
Radioactive Iodine from Fukushima Found in California Kelp
Radioactive Iodine from Fukushima Found in California Kelp
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=radioactive-iodine-from-from-fukushima-found-in-california-kelp
I-NUCLEAR UPDATE: NRC issues construction & operating licenses for two AP1000s to South Carolina Electric & Gas by I-Nuclear
i-NUCLEAR |
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NRC Blog: Last-Minute Location Change for Next Week’s Seismic Meeting by Moderator
U.S. NRC Blog |
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Nuclear Power: Japan's Sunset, Will We See Another Sunrise?
| Nuclear Power: Japan's Sunset, Will We See Another Sunrise? International Business Times AU It's a move full of symbolism in Japan, just over a year after the terrible quake and tsunami which helped create the Fukushima disaster and the nuclear power crisis. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) the owners of Fukushima, cut the power output to ... See all stories on this topic » |
Japan's Tepco scraps plans for new reactors at stricken plant
Japan's Tepco scraps plans for new reactors at stricken plant
Reuters
| TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, said on Friday it had notified Japan's trade ministry it was dropping plans for two more nuclear reactors at its Fukushima Daiichi plant, paralyzed last year by a devastating earthquake.
Reuters
| TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, said on Friday it had notified Japan's trade ministry it was dropping plans for two more nuclear reactors at its Fukushima Daiichi plant, paralyzed last year by a devastating earthquake.
JAPAN HEADING FOR ENERGY DEATH SPIRAL?
Dear Colleagues & Friends:
I spent some time last week with former International Energy Agency Exec Director NOBUO TANAKA who has some grim views on the direction of Japan’s economy and energy situation. I just wrote up my chat with Tanaka, who I consider to be Japan’s Daniel Yergin (without the books or the Pulitzer).
Hope you find this of interest.
http://www.theatlantic.com/
JAPAN HEADING FOR ENERGY DEATH SPIRAL?
by Steve Clemons
All best,
Steve Clemons
Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
I spent some time last week with former International Energy Agency Exec Director NOBUO TANAKA who has some grim views on the direction of Japan’s economy and energy situation. I just wrote up my chat with Tanaka, who I consider to be Japan’s Daniel Yergin (without the books or the Pulitzer).
Hope you find this of interest.
http://www.theatlantic.com/
JAPAN HEADING FOR ENERGY DEATH SPIRAL?
by Steve Clemons
All best,
Steve Clemons
Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
EPA Proposals: End of Coal or Dawn of New Energy?
EPA Proposals: End of Coal or Dawn of New Energy?
The
Environmental Protection Agency this week proposed measures that it
said would cut emissions for new power plants. Critics are lining up to
say this marks the end of coal-fired power generation in the United
States and in some ways they may be right. Despite the fervor over
things like the Keystone XL oil pipeline and the fracking of natural
gas, coal still dominates the energy sector and has been since at least
the 1960s. While critics of the EPA's proposals may have a point, is
that necessarily a bad thing? The Supreme Court in 2007…Read more...
Camera Can “See” Radiation
Mar 29, 2012 (12 hours ago)
Camera Can “See” Radiation
http://www.japanprobe.com/2012/03/30/camera-can-see-radiation/
Nuclear Matinee: Sustainable energy choices for the 21st century
Nuclear Matinee: Sustainable energy choices for the 21st century
Climate change and sustainability of the global human enterprise are two of the most critical issues of the 21st century. If we are to tackle these problems effectively, we need to make prudent, evidence-based choices about energy. This is the story told in this short animated video.Companies Revise Cost Estimate for New V.C. Summer Reactors
Companies Revise Cost Estimate for New V.C. Summer Reactors
While still below the projection approved by state regulators, the companies building two new reactors at South Carolina’s V.C. Summer nuclear plant announced Thursday they had agreed to revise the project’s cost.Sandia's Ion Beam Laboratory looks at advanced materials for reactors
Sandia's Ion Beam Laboratory looks at advanced materials for reactors
Albuquerque NM (SPX) Mar 30, 2012
Sandia National Laboratories is using its Ion Beam Laboratory (IBL) to
study how to rapidly evaluate the tougher advanced materials needed to
build the next generation of nuclear reactors and extend the lives of
current reactors.
Reactor operators need advanced cladding materials, which are the alloys
that create the outer layer of nuclear fuel rods to keep them separate
from the cooling
NRG Energy to Build Unprecedented Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Infrastructure
NRG Energy to Build Unprecedented Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Infrastructure
Princeton NJ (SPX) Mar 30, 2012
The California Public Utilities Commission and NRG have entered into an
agreement where NRG will build a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV)
charging network in California, investing approximately $100 million
over the next four years.
This fee-based charging network will consist of at least 200 publicly
available fast-charging stations-installed in the San Francisco Bay
area, the San Joaq
The California Public Utilities Commission and NRG have entered into an
agreement where NRG will build a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV)
charging network in California, investing approximately $100 million
over the next four years.
This fee-based charging network will consist of at least 200 publicly
available fast-charging stations-installed in the San Francisco Bay
area, the San JoaqGerman utilities retreat from U.K. new build
German utilities retreat from U.K. new build
E.ON and RWE pack it in for Wylfa and OldburyA Brief History of the Light Water Reacto to Three Mile Island by Charles Barton
A Brief History of the Light Water Reacto to Three Mile Island
The Light Water Reactor is both cooled and moderated by purified ordinary water. While heavy wateer, rgat is water that contains a large amoumy of Duterium is a better moderator than Light Water, it is far more expensive to produce. Moderators determine how much U-235 is required to start a chain reaction. A reactor that is moderated by heavy water or graphite can produce a chain reaction in purified Uranium, while a light water reactor requires uranium enriched to 3% U-235. The enrichment lecel can actually be lower, but this requires more frequent refulings.PennEnergy Update: Top Oil & Gas News 3/30
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Offshore oil platform shut down and fully evacuated due to leak Total is reporting it has shut down production at three fields and evacuated a drilling platform after a leak was discovered in the North Sea. Full Article Share: |
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Potential oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet The Department of the Interior is seeking input from industry to determine interest in oil and gas exploration off the coast of South-Central Alaska. Full Article Share: |
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This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News
• Seaway crude oil pipeline expansion to proceed
• API, Joint Industry Task Forces release final reports on offshore safety
• Kenya discovers oil for the first time
• Bakken and Three Forks acquisition for Ante5 Oil & Gas
• Southern Corridor pipeline construction project documents ready
• Polish natural gas wells fall short of expectations
• LNG production plant ready for start-up in Australia
• Digital oilfield gets thumbs up in BP poll
• Environmentally friendly pipeline scraping process tested
• Natural gas discovery offshore Mozambique for Eni
• Mobil SHC Gear Delivers Significant Energy Savings
• BP agrees to sale of southern gas assets to Perenco
• Seaway crude oil pipeline expansion to proceed
• API, Joint Industry Task Forces release final reports on offshore safety
• Kenya discovers oil for the first time
• Bakken and Three Forks acquisition for Ante5 Oil & Gas
• Southern Corridor pipeline construction project documents ready
• Polish natural gas wells fall short of expectations
• LNG production plant ready for start-up in Australia
• Digital oilfield gets thumbs up in BP poll
• Environmentally friendly pipeline scraping process tested
• Natural gas discovery offshore Mozambique for Eni
• Mobil SHC Gear Delivers Significant Energy Savings
• BP agrees to sale of southern gas assets to Perenco
i-Nuclear Update Lithuania and Hitachi sign concession agreement on Visaglinas Nuclear Power Plant
i-NUCLEAR |
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Japan Nuclear Plant May Be Worse Off Than Thought
Japan Nuclear Plant May Be Worse Off Than Thought
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/
AEA Issues Report on Mission to Review Japan's Nuclear Power Plant Safety Assessment Process
AEA Issues Report on Mission to Review Japan's Nuclear Power Plant Safety Assessment Process
The IAEA Press Release: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/2012/prn201209.html
Link to the report: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/actionplan/reports/nisa-mission-report0312.pdf
Link to the report: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/actionplan/reports/nisa-mission-report0312.pdf
IAEA Press Releases iaea.org
27 March 2012 | A team of
international nuclear safety experts has delivered its report on a
mission it conducted from 21-31 January 2012 to review Japan's process
for assessing nuclear safety at the nation's nuclear power...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
NEI Questions Associated Press Reporting on Gundersen Radiation Claims
NEI Questions Associated Press Reporting on Gundersen Radiation Claims
By now I'm sure most of you have seen the AP story that ran earlier this week that quoted Arnie Gundersen saying that soil samples he took in Tokyo would be classified as low level radioactive waste in the U.S. Yesterday, I published a short blog post on the subject after speaking with NEI's Chief Health Physicist, Ralph Andersen.After discussing the situation further with our media relations staff, we decided to take our case directly to the AP. The following note was sent to AP Editors Karen Testa and Evan Berland in Philadelphia this afternoon. We'll provide updates once we hear back from them.
PetroChina passes ExxonMobil in 2011 crude oil production
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MIT PhD's Startup Envisions Molten Salt SMR Burning Spent Fuel
| MIT PhDs' Startup Envisions Molten Salt SMR Burning Spent Fuel Nuclear Street - Nuclear Power Portal (blog) Among the emergent companies exploring the potential for small modular reactors and nuclear plants that use different fuel technology than conventional light water reactors, two PhD candidates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are making ... |
UK Feels the Fallout from Nuclear Industry Woes
| UK Feels the Fallout From Nuclear-Industry Woes Wall Street Journal By ANDREW PEAPLE Nuclear power has fallen out of fashion fast since last year's Fukushima accident; now even supportive governments can't catch a break. German utilities RWE and E.ON on Thursday scrapped plans to invest £15 billion ($23.8 billion) ...
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Report: Addressing Flaws in Nuclear Safety Likely to Drive the Already High , ,
| Report: Addressing Flaws in Nuclear Safety Likely to Drive the Already High ... MarketWatch (press release) The high cost of addressing nuclear power safety concerns that are steadily multiplying in number is now the Number 1 factor guiding new nuclear reactor construction decisions, as well as the plans for retiring old reactors in the US, according to a ... |
Japan Admits Nuclear Plant Still Poses Dangers
Japan Admits Nuclear Plant Still Poses Dangers
New York Times
The results of the inquiry, released this week by the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, also cast doubt over the Japanese government's declaration three months ago that the ravaged site is now under control.
New York Times
The results of the inquiry, released this week by the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, also cast doubt over the Japanese government's declaration three months ago that the ravaged site is now under control.
NRC schedules Friday vote for SCE&G nuclear expansion
| NRC schedules Friday vote for SCE&G nuclear expansion The Augusta Chronicle By Rob Pavey Seven weeks after licensing two new reactors at Plant Vogtle, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will act on a second request Friday for a similar project in South Carolina. The commission issued the first-ever combined operating license ... |
Group plans panel to discuss risks at Pilgrim nuclear power plant
| Group plans panel to discuss risks at Pilgrim nuclear power plant Wicked Local Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is 40 years old, and its owner Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. has applied to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to operate another 20 years. The NRC is expected to rule on this matter by June 8. |
Things are Tough All Over for San Onofre Nuclear Plant
| Things are Tough All Over for San Onofre Nuclear Plant OC Weekly (blog) 29 2012 at 8:30 AM Perhaps you've heard the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) ordered the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) to remain shut down until plant operator Southern California Edison (SCE) can satisfy the feds that it knows ... |
Troubled Southern Calif. Nuclear power plant remains offline until safety
| Troubled Southern Calif. nuclear power plant remains offline until safety ... Power Engineering Magazine Southern California Edison (SCE) confirmed that it has received the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Confirmatory Action Letter outlining actions it must complete at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station before seeking permission from the ... |
Bill Gates: Make Energy Cheap, Clean
Posted: 29 Mar 2012 08:13 AM PDT
What
does energy have to do with ending poverty? Bill Gates -- whose
philanthropic largesse has made him one of the most prominent advocates
for the world's poor -- should know.At the recent Wall Street Journal
ECO:nomics forum, Gates made a pitch for making energy cheap and clean
around the world.
Donald Sadoway: The missing lik to renewable energy
| Donald Sadoway: The missing link to renewable energy ... It's called the liquid metal battery. It's a new .... I made the battery all liquid -- liquid metals for both electrodes and a molten salt for the electrolyte. I'll show you ... dotsub.com/view/9be9dcdc-ae65-
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NRC: SCE MUST ADDRESS UNUSUAL TUBE WEAR AT SAN ONOFRE BEFORE RESTARTING
NRC: SCE MUST ADDRESS UNUSUAL TUBE WEAR AT SAN ONOFRE BEFORE RESTARTING
Southern California Edison (SCE), operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station near San Clemente, Calif., must understand and address unusual wear on steam generator tubes before it can be allowed to restart the beleaguered two-reactor nuclear plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said on Tuesday. California officials are meanwhile preparing contingency plans to prevent power outages this summer that could result from the plant’s indefinite shutdown. Read More »
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