Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

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

Saturday, May 19, 2012

What Happens During a Nuclear Meltdown?: Scientific American

  1. What Happens During a Nuclear Meltdown?: Scientific American

    www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nuclear-energy-primer
    Mar 15, 2011 – Nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi station in Japan are critically endangered but have not reached full meltdown status. Our nuclear ...
  2. What Is Nuclear Meltdown? - Business Insider

    articles.businessinsider.com/.../29995952_1_nuclear-reactor-nuclear-...
    Mar 12, 2011 – There has been an explosion at Fukushima Nuclear Plant. Meltdown has not occured, but it is a definite possibility. Here's a primer from ...
  3. Nuclear meltdown at Fukushima plant - Telegraph

    www.telegraph.co.uk › NewsWorld NewsAsiaJapan
    May 12, 2011 – One of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant did suffer a nuclear meltdown, Japanese officials admitted for the first time ...
  4. Video: Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown | Watch FRONTLINE Online ...

    video.pbs.org/video/2202847024Feb 27, 2012 - 55 min
    In the desperate hours and days after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the fate of thousands of Japanese ...
  5. Hazards of Storing Spent Fuel - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

    www.nytimes.com/.../the-explosion-at-the-japanese-re...Mar 14, 2011
    Sources: Nuclear Energy Institute; David A. Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists; Margaret Harding, 4 ...
  6. TEPCO Data Reveals Nuclear Meltdown in Reactor 4 Spent Fuel

    michelekearneynuclearwire.blogspot.com/.../tepco-data-reveals-nucle...
    2 days ago – The latest TEPCO handout reveals the release of radioactive iodine 131, and hence a nuclear meltdown, at the Fukushima nuclear reactor 4 ...
    YouYou shared this · Public
  7. FP Explainer: What Happens During a Nuclear Meltdown? - By ...

    www.foreignpolicy.com/.../what_happens_during_a_nuclear_meltdo...
    Mar 14, 2011 – It's an inexact term, but "meltdown" generally refers to the complete melting of a plant's nuclear fuel rods. These rods are about half an inch in ...
  8. "NUCLEAR MELTDOWN" AIRS MAY 18TH AND MAY 22ND ON ...

    www.cnbc.com/.../NUCLEAR_MELTDOWN_AIRS_MAY_18TH_A...
    May 10, 2011 – (ALL TIMES ARE IN ET) "Nuclear Meltdown" will air Wednesday, May 18th at 10pm and 1am (pre-empts "American Greed"). It will repeat on ...
  9. One Year Later, 'Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown' : NPR

    www.npr.org › NewsWorldRebuilding Japan
    Feb 28, 2012 – A small group of engineers, soldiers and firemen risked their own lives to help prevent a complete meltdown after the quake and tsunami hit.
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China Energy Update 5/19


US-China trade tensions worsen amid solar energy row
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
On Friday, China's government rejected a US anti-dumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment and Chinese manufacturers warned proposed punitive tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy. By Joe McDonald / The Associated Press ...
Stiff tariffs in works on China solar panels
Manteca Bulletin
The companies are struggling against fierce competition from China as well as weakening demand in Europe and other key markets, just as President Barack Obama is working to promote renewable energy. US companies' complaints about their Chinese rivals ...
China Recycling Energy Corporation Reports 2012 First Quarter Financial Results
Sacramento Bee
XI'AN, China, May 18, 2012 -- /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- China Recycling Energy Corp. (NASDAQ: CREG; "CREG" or "the Company"), a leading industrial waste-to-energy solution provider in China, today announced its financial results for the 2012 first quarter ...
There Goes the Sun
Wall Street Journal
Washington has long ensured that American taxpayers subsidize solar power as much or more than any energy source. Now the political class wants consumers to pay even more in the form of tariffs on imports of Chinese solar cells
China glares at trade tariffs
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
JOE McDONALD | AP BEIJING – China's government on Friday rejected a US anti-dumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment, and Chinese manufacturers warned possible higher tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy.See all stories on this topic »
China protests US ruling on cheap solar gear
HeraldNet
China's government Friday rejected a US antidumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment and Chinese manufacturers warned possible higher tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy. "The US ruling is unfair, and the Chinese side ...See all stories on this topic »
Will Conservatives Support American Companies... Or Chinese Companies?
Huffington Post
Green energy is one such technology of the future. Producing solar panels, wind turbines, etc. will bring millions and millions of jobs and trillions of dollars, and several countries are competing to win a share of this new industry. China is fighting ...
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ANS Update: 105th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers

105th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers

By dyurman on May 19, 2012 08:52 am

The Carnival is the collective voice of blogs with legendary names which emerge each week to tell the story of nuclear energy. If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear renaissance, the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Blogs is … Continue reading
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share on Twitter Like 105th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers on Facebook

Fukushima daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

As summer approaches, Japan’s prime minister promised a decision soon on restarting the Ohi reactors, which would be the first units to return to service since the station blackout at Fukushima Daiichi.

IAEA: Electric Grid Reliability and Interface with Nuclear Power Plants

New IAEA Publication: Electric Grid Reliability and Interface with Nuclear Power Plants

IAEA: Project Management in Nuclear Power Plant Construction

New Scientist Thorium feature


New Scientist Thorium feature | ThorEA
Next week's edition of New Scientist (cover date 26 May 2012) will include a feature article by James Mitchell Crow entitled “Waste not, want not” about the ...
thorea.hud.ac.uk/new-scientist-thorium-feature/

Safe nuclear: UK eyes thorium

Safe nuclear: UK eyes thorium
SmartPlanet.com (blog)
Will thorium be part of the mix in Britain? Welcome back to the thorium trail, the long and winding road to an altogether different and safer way of generating nuclear power by using thorium instead of uranium as fuel. Today, we pull into the UK, ...

Nonproliferation Update

Nazarbayev: WMD nonproliferation "key idea" of Kazakh-US partnership
Gazeta.KZ
"Nonproliferation and reduction of mass destruction weapons is the key idea of Kazakh-US partnership. Our cooperation in this important area over the years has risen to the highest level of trust and effective collaboration.
US charity secretly funds Israeli nukes
The Nation, Pakistan
The core issue is whether Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory Iran will agree to abandon uranium enrichment and open its hardened facilities to more intrusive international inspections. Israel and its western lobbying organisations have ...

The Nation, Pakistan
Ex-foreign minister heads presidential field in Egypt
UPI.com
Moussa previously stressed Iran's significant role in the Middle East and Persian Gulf regions, emphasizing that any nuclear bid within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was legal and acceptable. (UPI Photo/Eco Clement) CAIRO, ...

UPI.com
House votes to limit Obama on nuclear weapons reductions, cooperation with Russia
The Hill (blog)
By Pete Kasperowicz - 05/18/12 10:48 AM ET The House on Friday voted to limit the Obama administration's flexibility to reduce the US nuclear stockpile or work with Russia on nuclear nonproliferation activities. Approval of the Republican amendments to ...
House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing
Insurance News Net (press release)
I also research Iranian financial, human rights, and non-proliferation sanctions and have co-authored six extensive studies on Iran sanctions issues provided to the Obama administration and Congress . The topic of my testimony is sanctions relief as ...





Friday, May 18, 2012

Mid-Atlantic States now have enough Solar Capacity to Power 1 Million Homes

Mid-Atlantic States now have enough Solar Capacity to Power 1 Million Homes

Over recent years many nations around the world have acknowledged the need to employ a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Whether it be due to the threat of diminishing oil supplies, or in an attempt to reduce their carbon emissions and the rate of climate change. In this fashion the number of renewable energy installations, such as wind and solar farms have exploded, with gigawatts of clean energy being developed each year.In the US, the total solar capacity in the Mid-Atlantic states has doubled for the past two years consecutively,…Read more...

How the Export of Coal and Natural Gas in the U.S. has Developed over time

How the Export of Coal and Natural Gas in the U.S. has Developed over time

The beaten and bruised US coal industry got up off the floor from the body blows of US EPA’s regulations and got back in the race as an export champion serving energy hungry Asian markets. Fourth quarter 2011 US coal exports increased 6.6 percent from the Q3: 2011 and 32.6 percent from Q4: 2010 to 27.7 metric short tonnes (mst) with exports going mostly to Europe and Asia continuing to climb.Meanwhile, total U.S. coal consumption decreased by of 18.8 percent from third quarter 2011 and 9.4 percent from fourth quarter 2010 to 227.1 mst. …Read more...

Setting the Record Straight on the Spent Fuel Pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit #4 by Eric McErlain

Setting the Record Straight on the Spent Fuel Pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit #4

At the end of April, former Department of Energy official Robert Alvarez sounded the alarm about the safety of the spent fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit #4 (click here for his piece from the Huffington Post). Here at NEI, we've long been familiar with Alvarez's position on the disposition of  used nuclear fuel, and it's safe to say that not only do we disagree with his assessment, we also believe that it is needlessly alarmist.

We're not the only ones who have said that, something that's become abundantly clear in recent weeks as independent bloggers have decided to take on Alvarez on their own initiative. The first to step to the plate was Dan Yurman of Idaho Samizdat:
One of his (Alvarez's) favorite rhetorical strategies is to total up the mass of material at a nuclear site and then make the assumption that all of it will blow up through some mysterious and unspecified mechanism spewing its contents far and wide. This is a great stuff for a B- movie on the SciFi channel, like an imaginative idea for a script of Mega-Shark meets Atomic Octopus, but it doesn't match reality.
Yurman was quickly followed by Rod Adams over at Atomic Insights. Rod even went so far as to record his own video rebuttal:
Popout
But the crescendo came earlier this week on Wednesday when a group of bloggers, headed by Will Davis at Atomic Power Review, debunked Alvarez's claims very thoroughly over at the ANS Nuclear Cafe:
These articles are highly deceptive. The occurrence of a cataclysmic release of radioactive material as surmised is hinged upon the occurrence of so many statistically impossible events that it is certain to be a practical impossibility. Since the assertions continue to gain a wider audience, however, it is necessary to examine them and make a realistic assessment of their likelihood.
Please take the time to read the rest right now. Once you finish that, be sure to stop by The Neutron Economy for a great followup piece.

Reviewing nuclear reactors restarting and new nuclear reactors stating in 2012

Reviewing nuclear reactors restarting and new nuclear reactors stating in 2012

We had listed the nuclear reactors that are expected to start or restart in 2012.

All 14 are on track for commercial operation in 2012.

Utilities join Westinghouse SMR alliance

Utilities join Westinghouse SMR alliance

Westinghouse SMR plant 72x48Three major US nuclear utilities have joined an alliance formed by Westinghouse and Ameren to support the licensing and deployment of Westinghouse small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

China Warns Solar-Panel Tariff May Backfire


China Warns Solar-Panel Tariff May Backfire
Wall Street Journal
A spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry said the ruling sent a protectionist signal to the world and provoked trade friction in clean energy, hurting both Chinese and US companies in the sector. "US tariffs will hurt both countries because China ...
 US orders tariffs on Chinese solar panels
Los Angeles Times
In just a few years, China has grabbed about half the US market for solar panels. Above, Chinese workers inspect a solar panel at the Tianxiang Solar Energy Equipment Factory in Huaibei, China. (AFP/Getty Images / March 20, 2012) By Don Lee, ...

China rejects US solar dumping ruling, companies warn tariffs might hurt clean ...
Washington Post
BEIJING — China's government on Friday rejected a US antidumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment and Chinese manufacturers warned possible higher tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy. The conflict has worsened ...

China Rejects US Ruling in Solar Dumping Case
TIME
China's government on Friday, May 18, 2012, rejected a US antidumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment and Chinese manufacturers warned proposed punitive tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT 
China rails at 30 percent tariff on solar panels
Christian Science Monitor
China says the US is "deliberately provoking trade friction in the clean energy sector." The US says Chinese exporters were dumping cut-price solar panels in the US market. By Matt Daily and Leonora Walet, Reuters / May 18, 2012 Chinese workers examine ...


China Criticizes US Solar Trade Decision; Says May Hurt US
Fox Business
"We fear that if these tariffs are levied in full, Chinese companies may have no choice but to exit the US market," an anchorwoman with China Central Television said. The Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association, which acts as an intermediary ...
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Utilities join Westinghouse SMR alliance

Utilities join Westinghouse SMR alliance
World Nuclear News
Three major US nuclear utilities have joined an alliance formed by Westinghouse and Ameren to support the licensing and deployment of Westinghouse small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Exelon, Dominion Virginia and FirstEnergy are among a dozen power ...Utilities join Westinghouse SMR alliav

How Close Is Japan to Pushing the "on" Button on Reactors


How Close Is Japan to Pushing the “On” Button on Reactors?
Wall Street Journal (blog)
2011 photo of Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Nos. 3, rear, and 4 units of the Oi nuclear power station, located at Oi, in the western Japanese prefecture of Fukui. So what's the controversial decision going to be and where does it stand?
   

Japan Prime Minister: Decision On Restarting Oi Nuclear Reactor Is Near

Wall Street Journal - ‎May 17, 2012‎
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--The Japanese government is close to deciding whether to restart the reactor at Oi nuclear power plant, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Thursday. "The time to make the decision is near," Noda said during a televised ...
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NRC documents Seabrook Station's effort to remedy concrete degradation

Timetable set for probing nuclear plant's wall woes

The Daily News of Newburyport - ‎12 hours ago‎
By Angeljean Chiaramida Staff writer SEABROOK — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has confirmed the timetable and actions that the Seabrook nuclear plant will take to address concrete degradation problems found in some of its sub-basement walls.

NRC documents Seabrook Station's efforts to remedy concrete degradation

Hampton Union - ‎14 hours ago‎
By Shir Haberman SEABROOK — While stating the deterioration of concrete structures at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant has not reached a critical state, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday it wants to ensure future operations at ...

NRC issues confirmatory action letter to Seabrook Nuclear Plant to address ...

Enformable - ‎May 17, 2012‎
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) to NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC, confirming regulatory commitments made by the company to address concrete degradation at the Seabrook nuclear power plant.
NRC documents Seabrook Station's efforts to remedy concrete degradation
Hampton Union
By Shir Haberman SEABROOK — While stating the deterioration of concrete structures at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant has not reached a critical state, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday it wants to ensure future operations at
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