Gail Marcus / Nuke Power Talk
"Too Cheap to Meter"
At Nuke Power Talk, Gail Marcus recaps the history of the phrase "too
cheap to meter" that has haunted the industry for so many years. She
was spurred to write on this topic this week by her husband, Mike
Marcus, who writes a blog on telecommunications issues. After their
recent stay in a hotel in Phoenix where they had free long-distance
phone calls, Mike concluded that maybe Lewis Strauss should have said
that telecommunications would become too cheap to meter! Gail links to
Mike's blog so the historical evolution of pricing in the two industries
can be contrasted.
Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Japan: Power crisis 'can be averted': Govt says restarting Oi reactors key to preventing blackouts
Japan: Power crisis 'can be averted': Govt says restarting Oi reactors key to preventing blackouts
This summer's expected power shortage in Kansai Electric Power Co.'s service area may be averted if two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant are restarted in combination with power-saving efforts by businesses and households, according to the government's new power supply projection released Thursday.This is the first time the government has presented a power demand-supply outlook on the assumption that a nuclear reactor will resume operations.
With no nuclear reactors operating in the country, KEPCO's service areas are expected to suffer a particularly serious power shortage this summer.
PSEG Nuclear's Hope Creek reactor returns to service after refueling outage
PSEG Nuclear's Hope Creek reactor returns to service after refueling outage
The plant began sending out electricity over the regional power grid at 4:37 p.m. Wednesday, according to Joe Delmar, spokesman for the plant’s operator, PSEG Nuclear.
Hope Creek, one of three nuclear reactors at the Artificial Island generating site here along the Delaware River, was shut down on April 13 to begin the refueling outage, the 17th for the plant since it went online in 1986.
As of Thursday, Hope Creek was operating at 37 percent power. Operators were conducting routine start-up testing of the unit as the reactor continues to ascend to full power.
Germany energy giant RWE hit hard by nuclear exit
Germany energy giant RWE hit hard by nuclear exit
Berlin (AFP) May 10, 2012
Germany's second-biggest power supplier RWE said Thursday its net
profits had fallen by more than a quarter in the first three months of
the year, hit by Berlin's decision to scrap nuclear power.
Net profits fell by 28 percent in the first quarter of the year to 1.3
billion euros ($1.7 billion) on broadly flat earnings of 15.6 billion
euros, the firm said in a statement.
OPEC hikes 2012 world oil demand forecast
OPEC hikes 2012 world oil demand forecast
Vienna (AFP) May 10, 2012
OPEC revised its 2012 world oil demand outlook slightly upwards on
Thursday citing a stable US economy and the shutdown of nuclear plants
in Japan, which boosted demand.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries predicted 2012 demand
at 88.67 million barrels per day (bpd), up 0.90 million bpd from 2011,
in its latest monthly report.
This represented a minor hike from its previou
OPEC revised its 2012 world oil demand outlook slightly upwards on
Thursday citing a stable US economy and the shutdown of nuclear plants
in Japan, which boosted demand.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries predicted 2012 demand
at 88.67 million barrels per day (bpd), up 0.90 million bpd from 2011,
in its latest monthly report.
This represented a minor hike from its previou
Two suspects for Italy nuclear boss shooting
Two suspects for Italy nuclear boss shooting
Rome (AFP) May 10, 2012
Italian police are searching for two men linked to the far-left Red
Brigades militant group who are suspected of carrying out an attack on
the head of a nuclear energy company, media reports said Thursday.
The suspects, who tried to recreate a former Red Brigades cell in 2000,
are thought to be behind Monday's attack in Genoa, when a gunman shot
the head of Ansaldo Nucleare in the ankle, bef
Italian police are searching for two men linked to the far-left Red
Brigades militant group who are suspected of carrying out an attack on
the head of a nuclear energy company, media reports said Thursday.
The suspects, who tried to recreate a former Red Brigades cell in 2000,
are thought to be behind Monday's attack in Genoa, when a gunman shot
the head of Ansaldo Nucleare in the ankle, bef
China's CNOOC starts deepwater drilling
China's CNOOC starts deepwater drilling
Beijing (UPI) May 10, 2012
China National Offshore Oil Corp. has started China's first deep-sea
drilling project in the South China Sea amid heightened territorial
tensions over the disputed area.
The $839.9 million CNOOC 981 - the country's first domestically
manufactured deepwater drilling rig - drilled its first well Wednesday.
The well, Liwan 6-1-1, is 199 miles southeast of the Hong Kong Special
Adm
China National Offshore Oil Corp. has started China's first deep-sea
drilling project in the South China Sea amid heightened territorial
tensions over the disputed area.
The $839.9 million CNOOC 981 - the country's first domestically
manufactured deepwater drilling rig - drilled its first well Wednesday.
The well, Liwan 6-1-1, is 199 miles southeast of the Hong Kong Special
Adm
Russia and Japan to build gas pipeline
Russia and Japan to build gas pipeline
Moscow (Voice of Russia) May 11, 2012
The former Foreign Minister of Japan, Seiji Maehara now the Chairman of
the Council for political studies of the ruling Democratic Party of
Japan says that Russia and Japan are studying the possibility of jointly
constructing a gas pipeline. He was speaking at the end of his talks at
the office of the Russian Gazprom.
The issue of building a gas pipeline on the seabed was raised by Russia
The former Foreign Minister of Japan, Seiji Maehara now the Chairman of
the Council for political studies of the ruling Democratic Party of
Japan says that Russia and Japan are studying the possibility of jointly
constructing a gas pipeline. He was speaking at the end of his talks at
the office of the Russian Gazprom.
The issue of building a gas pipeline on the seabed was raised by RussiaWhen Global Warming Hits Home (Literally)
When Global Warming Hits Home (Literally)
In
a recent PBS documentary, the mayor of Norfolk, Virginia, Paul Fraim,
talks about how flooding has become a monthly occurrence in his town,
and how global warming and sea level rise are as much a daily issue for
him as education and fighting crime. In some parts of Norfolk, streets
turn into rivers at high tide. Homes are flooded five out of six years.
People lose their carpets, their appliances, their savings. And they
can't afford to move elsewhere.
NRC meeting on Laser Enrichment
NRC meeting on Laser Enrichment
Last night, I went to the NRC public meeting regarding licensing of a laser enrichment facility at the GE-Hitachi site north of Wilmington, NC. I’d never been to such a meeting before so I was curious to hear what was said and see who attended the meeting.The meeting was set up in a space at UNCW, the local university. That was the first fun thing, I don’t know all the buildings on campus, so just finding the building and a place to park was amusing. School is still in session at UNCW (finals week, I believe) so there were lots of students around.
The NRC brought in a retired NRC staff person to act as a moderator, which I thought was very effective. It prevented any one individual or group from dominating the proceedings. The meeting started with introductions and presentations by the NRC staff.
Oil Companies Buy Oil at West Texas Intermediary Price, and then Sell It at the Higher Brent Crude Price Used In Europe
Oil Companies Buy Oil at West Texas Intermediary Price, and then Sell It at the Higher Brent Crude Price Used In Europe
We noted yesterday that major U.S. oil companies are artificially raising gas prices to U.S. consumers by using the European Brent crude oil pricing yardstick.
Push from Mississippi kept Deepwater Horizon oil slick off shore
Geoscientists
offer an explanation for why the Deepwater Horizon oil spill didn't
have the environmental impact that many had feared. Using publicly
available datasets, their study reveals that the force of the
Mississippi River emptying into the Gulf of Mexico created mounds of
freshwater which pushed the oil slick off shore.
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