Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

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

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Westinghouse touts progress in China


Westinghouse touts progress in China

Butler Eagle (subscription) -
BEIJING — Westinghouse Electric announced the successful setting of a AP1000 containment vessel top head for the nuclear island of Unit 1 at the Sanmen site in China. The containment vessel top head weighs about 659 tons. Placement of it was finished ...

Westinghouse Westinghouse Electric Co. crowned …

Tribune-Review -
Westinghouse Electric Co. crowned the world's first AP1000 nuclear reactor on Jan. 29, setting the top head of the reactor containment vessel in China, the Cranberry-based company said Friday. Positioned on unit 1 at the Sanmen site, the top head weighs ...http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3407992-74/000-reactors-westinghouse#axzz2JnWLoiD9

First AP1000 nuclear plant containment vessel top head successfully installed in ...

PennEnergy (press release) - ‎Feb 1, 2013‎
Westinghouse announced Feb. 1 that the containment vessel top head was successfully installed for the nuclear island at Unit 1 of China's Sanmen facility, on track to be the world's first-ever fully operational AP1000 nuclear power plant. The containment ...http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pe/2013/02/first-ap1000-nuclear-plant-containment-vessel-top-head-successfu.html

Self-developed nuclear reactor ready for export


Self-developed nuclear reactor ready for export
China.org.cn
Ma Lu, vice-president of State Nuclear Power, said conditions would be mature for the technology to be exported once it gets the green light from authorities. As market exploration will be done in cooperation with Westinghouse, the company can take the ...http://www.china.org.cn/business/2013-02/02/content_27867951.htm

Self-developed nuclear reactor ready for export

AsiaOne - ‎21 hours ago‎
China's self-developed nuclear reactor, known as the CAP1400, will be ready for export this year, an executive from State Nuclear Power Technology Corp said on Friday. The design of CAP1400 is based on the AP1000 reactor made by Westinghouse ...http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Science%2Band%2BTech/Story/A1Story20130202-399560.html

China`s first AP 1000 nuclear power reactor getting ready

Zee News - ‎Feb 1, 2013‎
China`s first AP 1000 nuclear power reactor getting ready Beijing: China's first nuclear power reactor using US-based Westinghouse Electric AP 1000 technology is expected to begin operations in October 2014, the manager of a Chinese nuclear power ...

China readies its own nuclear reactor for export this year

La prensa - ‎2 hours ago‎
A protester wearing a costume participates in a protest demanding the Chinese authorities to cancel their nuclear power plan, outside the office of the Central Government in Hong Kong (China). EFE/File. Beijing, Feb 2 (EFE).- The nuclear reactor being ...

Ukraine Nuclear Power Industry to 2025 - Capacity, Generation, Regulations etc.


Ukraine Nuclear Power Industry to 2025 - Capacity, Generation, Regulations ...
Environmental Expert (press release)
GlobalData's 'Nuclear Power in Ukraine, Market Outlook to 2025, 2012 Update – Capacity, Generation, Regulations, Power Plants, Companies' report deals with the nuclear power market analysis including energy mix, nuclear capacity and generation ...http://www.environmental-expert.com/news/ukraine-nuclear-power-industry-to-2025-capacity-generation-regulations-power-plants-companies-352958

Commission Meeting: Briefing on Steam Generator Tube Degradation

Commission Meeting: Briefing on Steam Generator Tube Degradation

NRC Staff Presentation
External Panel:
Jim Benson, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Hitoshi Kaguchi, San Onofre Nulear Generating Station (SONGS) Project & Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Jeff Fleck, AREVA, Inc.
Damian Testa, Westinghouse Electric Company
Pete Dietrich, Southern California Edison
Michel Pettigrew, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) & Consultant to Southern California Edison
Daniel Hirsch, Committee to Bridge the Gap: Slides | San Onofre Reporthttp://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/slides/2013/20130207/

Southern California Edison Provides Responses to NRC Technical Questions



Media Contact: Media Relations, (626) 302-2255
 
Southern California Edison Provides Responses to NRC Technical Questions
 
ROSEMEAD, Calif., Feb. 1, 2013 — Southern California Edison (SCE) has begun sharing its technical responses to requests for additional information from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as part of the ongoing thorough review of SCE’s repair, corrective actions and restart proposal for Unit 2 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

“We are very confident in our safe restart plan for Unit 2,” said Pete Dietrich, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer “This technical question and answer process is an important part of safety-based technical solutions in the nuclear industry, and it strengthens our ability to communicate the safety principles and proven industry operating experience that the plan was built on.”

The responses will be posted at www.SONGScommunity.com as they are available.

SCE’s restart analyses includes evaluations from independent international experts who completed more than 170,000 inspections to understand the tube wear issues and confirm the effectiveness of corrective actions. SCE’s proposal includes preventive tube plugging and operating Unit 2 at 70 percent power for a five-month period.

San Onofre is the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region and is a critical asset in meeting California’s clean energy needs. Both units at San Onofre are currently safely shut down. Unit 2 remains shut down since it was taken out of service Jan. 9, 2012, for a planned outage. Unit 3 was safely taken offline Jan. 31, 2012, after station operators detected a leak in a steam generator tube.

More information is available at www.edison.com/SONGSupdate and at www.SONGScommunity.com. San Onofre is jointly owned by SCE (78.21 percent), San Diego Gas & Electric (20 percent) and the city of Riverside (1.79 percent). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/SCE) and like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SCE).

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

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Top Pak scientist warns of extremist threat to n-weapons

Top Pak scientist warns of extremist threat to n-weapons


http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/top-pak-scientist-warns-of-extremist-threat-to-nweapons/article4372723.ece

Nuclear regulator sacked for leaking information to nuclear operator

Nuclear regulator sacked for leaking information to nuclear operatorhttp://www.power-eng.com/news/2013/02/02/nuclear-regulator-sacked-for-leaking-information-to-nuclear-operator.html

Energy Collective Update 2/2

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 04:40 AM PST
Instead of attacking research it doesn’t like, the ethanol industry should welcome information that could help more and more auto manufacturers adapt future vehicles to accommodate higher levels of ethanol.
Posted: 02 Feb 2013 01:00 AM PST
"We are in a global race to develop and deploy clean energy technologies," Steven Chu wrote in his White House blog in 2011. "We can either sit on the sidelines and watch the competition pass us by, or we can get in the race and play to win."
Posted: 02 Feb 2013 01:00 AM PST
This year, the Baltimore Ravens will take on the San Francisco 49ers at the newly renovated Superdome. With $336 million worth of renovations, the Superdome is more modern, luxurious, and energy efficient than ever.
Posted: 01 Feb 2013 10:53 AM PST
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced his resignation today in a letter to staff of the Department of Energy he helmed for the last four years. Chu's departure had been anticipated, but today's official announcement now begins the process of assessing his legacy and the speculation as to his replacement.
Posted: 01 Feb 2013 10:00 AM PST
The poll results bolster the calls for the federal government to move forward with Tier 3 sulfur and pollution standards.
Posted: 01 Feb 2013 10:00 AM PST
A recent bounty offered $5,000 to anyone who could definitely prove that more than 5 percent of credible scientists disagreed with the connection between climate change and human actions.

Fukushima Update 2/2

Here is the summary for today's Fukushima Commentary. For the full op-ed piece, pease click the link.
 
Japan Believes America Has the Better Regulatory Mouse-trap - Over the past two weeks, Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority has revealed the specifics of their proposed new rules for nukes. Japan's NRA says they are using America’s NRC as their model of change – and by all accounts they are doing exactly that. Even with its warts and wrinkles, the US NRC is the better regulatory mouse-trap.
 

"Biomass"

From Things Worse Than Nuclear Power:

"Biomass"
http://www.thingsworsethannuclearpower.com/2013/02/biomass.html

Biomass is, literally, the biggest flaming crock in the energy business.
The world is deciding between harnessing the energy of the atom, developed
by the smartest minds of the modern age (like Einstein), and reverting to
the technology of a caveman.

Geopolitics of China: Energy


Geopolitics of China: Energy

The Geopolitics of China series will focus on different aspects of one of the most influential countries in the coming century. Here we will look at how China is approaching energy scarcity and security - and its regional impacts in E Asia.
http://learni.st/users/jesse.parent/boards/12824-geopolitics-of-china-energy

News Update and Coverage of Chu Resignation

Energy Secretary Steven Chu resigning

Washington Post (blog) -
... Loop. @ feliciasonmez : RT @heatherhaddon: NJ Dem chair fundraising appeal: "we've had three straight years of Groundhog Day, as Gov. Christie continuously prom ... @ VP : VP greets @SenJohnMcCain, head of U.S. CODEL to the @MunSecConf, at a ...

Energy Secretary Steven Chu Resigns, Chastises Climate Deniers And Clean ...

Huffington Post -
In a wide-ranging and sometimes defiant letter to staff announcing his resignation on Friday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, while highlighting his agency's achievements over the last four years, blasted critics of the administration's investments in the ...

Chu praises Gregoire, possible choice for Obama energy team

Chicago Tribune -
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu resigned on Friday, he singled out for praise a former governor who has worked to clean up nuclear waste, a move that raised Christine Gregoires' profile as a possibility for the Obama ...

Energy Secretary Chu announces plan to resign

MarketWatch -
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Friday that he plans to resign. Chu detailed his intention not to serve a second term in a letter to employees posted on the agency's website. Chu said he will remain in his post until the ...

Energy Department secretary Chu will leave post soon

Boston Globe -
In this section : Politics. political notebook. Energy Department secretary Chu will leave post soon. February 02, 2013. Article · Comments · Subscribe. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize winner, was the first scientist to lead the Energy Department. Reprints; E-mail ...

Steven Chu to leave as energy secretary

San Francisco Chronicle -
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the Bay Area academic who became President Obama's point man on green jobs and renewable power, announced Friday that he will step down and return to California. Rumored for months, Chu's exit gives Obama a ...

Energy Secretary Chu to step down

Salt Lake Tribune -
Washington • Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who won a Nobel Prize in physics but came under questioning for his handling of a solar energy loan, is stepping down. Chu offered his resignation to President Barack Obama in a letter Friday. He said he will stay ...

CORRECTED-UPDATE 2-US Energy Secretary Chu is latest Obama Cabinet ...

Reuters -
Fri Feb 1, 2013 8:08pm EST. * Tenure marred by controversy over loans to failed Solyndra. * Obama to craft new team to address energy, climate. * Physicist not well schooled in Washington rough and tumble (Adds dropped word in second paragraph, ...

Energy secretary Steven Chu resigns

Washington Post -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu resigned Friday after a four-year tenure during which he handed out tens of billions of dollars of grants and loans to foster renewable energy technologies — and ended up fostering controversy over whether the money was well ...

US Energy Secretary To Step Down

Voice of America -
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is stepping down after a tenure marked by criticism of a clean energy program. Chu, who is a Nobel Prize winner in physics, offered his resignation to President Barack Obama Friday. Chu was criticized by Republican ...

Energy Secretary Is Resigning After 4 Years Focused on Clean Technologies

New York Times -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu will step down soon, possibly by the end of the month, he said in a statement on Friday, ending a four-year tenure in which he concentrated on fostering research and development of clean energy technologies, and opponents ...

US Energy Secretary Chu is latest Obama cabinet departure

Business Recorder (blog) -
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize winner who oversaw a nearly $40 billion effort to help spur a US clean energy economy, will step down after a tenure rocked by the high profile failures of some of those investments. For the last two years Chu ...

Why Steven Chu Was One Of Obama's Most Intriguing Choices

NPR (blog) - ‎18 hours ago‎
Of all the individuals in President Obama's first-term Cabinet, physicist Steven Chu was arguably the least likely to be found in official Washington. The Energy Department secretary, after all, was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist from the University of California ...

Outgoing Energy Secretary Warns Of Dangers Of Climate Change

NPR -
Secretary Chu is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who came into office with high hopes. He was selected to help the president pursue his green energy agenda and fight climate change. It turned out to be a rocky road. Some of the green companies that got big ...

Obama's energy secretary stepping down

Channel News Asia -
WASHINGTON: US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who has served under President Barack Obama since 2009, is stepping down, the White House said Friday. Obama praised Chu for helping him "move America towards real energy independence," in a ...

DOE Chief Steven Chu Makes It Official: He's Stepping Down

The Atlantic -
makes a speech during the 55th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference at the UN headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 19, 2011. (Reuters). It's different on the way out. Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu is, ...

Letter from Energy Secretary Steven Chu announcing decision to step down

San Jose Mercury News -
WASHINGTON -- In a letter to Department of Energy employees Friday, Secretary Steven Chu highlighted the progress made in the past four years and announced his decision not to serve a second term. Text of the letter follows: Serving the country as ...

Steven Chu to resign from top post at Energy Department

Christian Science Monitor -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mr. Chu will earn the title of longest-serving Energy secretary by the time he officially steps down. Evan Vucci/AP/File. Enlarge. Steven Chu announced Friday he will resign his position at the ...

Energy Secretary Steven Chu steps down

San Jose Mercury News -
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a well-known figure in Silicon Valley, announced Friday that he is stepping down from President Barack Obama's Cabinet and is "eager to return to California" and an academic life of teaching and research. With Chu's ...

Steven Chu to step down from energy post

Nature.com (blog) - ‎1
In his letter to Energy Department employees, Chu highlighted a string of accomplishments, including starting the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), founding Energy Innovation Hubs for applied research, and overseeing a doubling in ...

Obama credits Chu with designing cap for Gulf oil spill

Politico (blog) - ‎1
President Barack Obama took time out from an awards ceremony Friday afternoon to say a few personal words about outgoing Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "Steve has been a great friend, a tremendous colleague…, over the past four years working on a ...

Steven Chu steps down as energy secretary. So how did he do?

Washington Post (blog) -
On Friday, Steven Chu announced that he was stepping down as head of the Department of Energy. You can read his farewell letter to the agency here. Chu has garnered plenty of headlines over the years for a variety of reasons. A physicist by training, he ...

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu resigns

The Province -
FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2011 file photo, Energy Secretary Steven Chu testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Friday, the White House announced that Chu would be resigning his post. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File). WASHINGTON - U.S. Energy Secretary ...

Outgoing Energy Secretary Steven Chu's Parting Warning on Warming

TIME -
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today that he would be stepping down. Chu's departure is not unexpected, and it's not rare—most second Presidential administrations feature a lot of Cabinet turnover, and a number of Chu's colleagues had ...

Energy Chief Defends US Green-Energy Loans in Resignation

Businessweek -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu, whose tenure was marked by questions about a troubled green-energy program, said in a letter to department employees today that he plans to step down and return to California and academics. Chu was criticized by ...

Energy Sec. Chu resigns: Another Gregoire possibility?

Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) -
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced his resignation early Friday, giving the Obama administration the third major environment-energy-public lands Cabinet-level vacancy to fill as it begins its second term in office. Chu is a Nobel laureate in physics ...

Energy secretary resigning from Obama Cabinet

CNN (blog) -
Washington (CNN) – Energy Secretary Steven Chu will resign from President Barack Obama's Cabinet in coming weeks, he told Energy Department staff in a letter on Friday. Chu, who turns 65 this month, was a leading advocate in the Obama administration ...

Energy Secretary Steven Chu to resign

Detroit Free Press -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday he will leave the administration when a successor is confirmed. "I would like to return to an academic life of teaching and research, but will still work to advance the missions that we have been working on together for ...

US Energy Secretary Chu says will stay at post past end-February

Reuters -
WASHINGTON | Fri Feb 1, 2013 12:03pm EST. WASHINGTON Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a resignation letter on Friday that he intends to remain in his post past the end of February to help the department find a successor.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu Will Resign

NPR (blog) -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu will resign once his replacement has been confirmed. Politico, which broke the news this morning, reports that Chu made the announcement in a memo to colleagues. Politico adds: "'While I will always remain dedicated to the ...

No 'Solyndra' in Chu's Long Goodbye Letter

Wall Street Journal (blog) -
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced his resignation Friday in a 3,800-word letter to Energy Department employees, but the single word that may be most associated with Mr. Chu's tenure is not to be found: Solyndra. That's the California solar-panel ...

Report: Louisiana businessman Bernhard in talks about top energy position

Alexandria Town Talk - ‎1 hour ago‎
Shaw Group Chairman Jim Bernhard, seen in August 2008, speaks during a news conference in Lake Charles, La., as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, left, listens. Bernhard, who sold the company recently for $3 billion, is reportedly being considerd as the next ...

Cabinet role for former Sen. Dorgan?

Dickinson Press -
GRAND FORKS — A former member of North Dakota's congressional delegation is reportedly being considered for a role in President Barack Obama's Cabinet. By: Christopher Bjorke , Forum News Service. Dorgan. image. Former Sen. Byron Dorgan shares ...

Nuclear Energy Institute responds to Chu's departure

Power Engineering Magazine -
The Nuclear Energy Institute President and CEO Marvin Fertel issued a statement Friday in response to the news that U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu confirmed he will leave the Obama cabinet in the coming weeks. Fertel praised Chu for his “strong belief ...

Statement from President Obama on Secretary Steven Chu

eNews Park Forest -
I want to thank Secretary Chu for his dedicated service on behalf of the American people. As a Nobel Prize winning scientist, Steve brought to the Energy Department a unique understanding of both the urgent challenge presented by climate change and the ...

DOE Secretary Chu, who battled Yucca project, resigns

DOE Secretary Chu, who battled Yucca project, resigns
Las Vegas Review - Journal
"During his tenure he also led our nation away from the failed Yucca Mountain project and toward a new nuclear waste management policy that gives states and communities a meaningful role in the decision-making process," Reid said. He was referring to ...http://www.lvrj.com/news/doe-secretary-chu-resigns-battled-yucca-project-189463781.html

GE introduces first 'brilliant' wind turbine with energy storage

GE introduces first 'brilliant' wind turbine with energy storage
Renewable Energy Magazine (press release)
General Electric has unveiled its new 2.5-120 wind turbine that includes an integrated energy storage feature and a data-driven system that the firm says could boost the turbine's efficiency as much 25 percent higher than its most efficient current ...http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/article/ge-introduces-first-brilliant-wind-turbine-with-20130201

Report: US will have to bury 70,000 tons of nuclear waste


Report: US will have to bury 70,000 tons of nuclear waste

http://dailycaller.com/2013/02/01/report-u-s-will-have-to-bury-70000-tons-of-nuclear-waste/

Critics Say Proposed Guidelines for Japan’s Nuclear Industry Will Hinder Business

 

Critics Say Proposed Guidelines for Japan’s Nuclear Industry Will Hinder Business

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/world/asia/proposed-rules-for-japans-nuclear-industry-called-too-strict.html?_r=0

Friday, February 1, 2013

Five designs compete for next Olkiluoto build

Five designs compete for next Olkiluoto build

All invited bidders have submitted proposals for a new reactor at the Olkiluoto power plant, said owner TVO. The competition is between Areva, GE-Hitachi, KHNP, Mitsubishi and Toshiba.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN_Five_designs_compete_for_next_Olkiluoto_build_0102132.html

Nuclear News Round Up (28th Jan – 1st Feb)

Nuclear News Round Up (28th Jan – 1st Feb)

DOE Loses Nerd in Chief

DOE Loses Nerd in Chief

Energy secretary Steven Chu announced his departure today. He leaves behind a markedly different DOE. http://www.technologyreview.com/view/510681/doe-to-lose-nerd-in-chief/

Is Anyone Funding U.S. Energy R&D?

Is Anyone Funding U.S. Energy R&D?

Walter R. Mead, American Interest
Yesterday the Financial Times reported that in the energy sector neither private firms nor the government are spending as much on R&D as is spent in other tech-reliant industries. . .http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/01/29/is-anyone-funding-us-energy-rd/

Mystery Surrounding Fusion Unlocked

Mystery Surrounding Fusion Unlocked

Editors, Science Daily
The research of a multi-institutional team from the U.S., Japan, and France, led by Predrag S. Krstic of the Joint Institute for Computational Sciences and Jean Paul Allain of Purdue University has answered the question of how the behavior of plasma -- the extremely hot gases of nuclear fusion -- can be controlled with ultra-thin lithium films on graphite walls lining thermonuclear magnetic fusion devices.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130131095316.htm

Energy Funding Outlook Looks Bleak as Obama Begins Second Term

Energy Funding Outlook Looks Bleak as Obama Begins Second Term

Cuts and a decade of stagnation loom ahead for renewed clean energy funding.

Obama Faces Angry Liberals over Pipeline

Obama Faces Angry Liberals over Pipeline

Joe Garofoli, SF Chronicle
As he begins his second term, President Obama is barreling toward what one Bay Area activist predicts could be "all out warfare" with environmentalists who want him to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, the transcontinental conduit for tar sands fuel from Canada that many scientists say could expedite climate change.Obama's political dilemma lies in the pipeline's potential upside: The State Department projects that it could deliver 6,000 temporary jobs to the U.S., where 12.2 million people are unemployed. Bay Area liberals leading the Keystone opposition say...http://www.sfgate.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/Obama-faces-angry-liberals-over-pipeline-4241843.php
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NRC Licenses New Transnuclear Waste Cask With Highest Capacity of Its Kind

NRC Licenses New Transnuclear Waste Cask With Highest Capacity of Its Kind

Transnuclear has won a key regulatory approval for its new waste cask that will allow larger shipments and can accommodate fuel from Areva's EPR plant design.http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2013/01/31/nrc-licenses-new-transnuclear-waste-cask-with-highest-capacity-of-its-kind-013001.aspx

Westinghouse Adds Local Steel Agreements As Reason It Should Build Czech Reactors

Westinghouse Adds Local Steel Agreements As Reason It Should Build Czech Reactors

Westinghouse has sweetened the pot in its bid to build two AP1000 reactors in the Czech Republic, announcing agreements this week that would source the majority of steel for the project from Czech suppliers.http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2013/01/31/westinghouse-adds-local-steel-agreements-as-reason-it-should-build-czech-reactors-013002.aspx

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review 2/1

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

The last week saw Japan's new prime minister promise to reconsider plans to abandon nuclear power, and new statistics indicate travelers visited the country last year at levels near those before the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Recent developments related to the accidents at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant include:http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2013/02/01/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-weekly-review-020102.aspx

Iran to Install Faster Uranium Enrichment Machines

Iran to Install Faster Uranium Enrichment Machines

Iran plans to place a quantity of advanced IR-2M uranium enrichment centrifuges in the main production area of its Natanz complex, the International Atomic Energy Agency quoted the nation as saying last week.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog on Tuesday requested various specifics about the scheduled action revealed on Jan. 23 by the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, according to an IAEA statement to the member nations reported by Reuters on Thursday. It was uncertain how many machines are slated for installation in Unit A-22 of the Natanz site; one unit can hold in excess of 3,000 devices.http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/iran-upgrade-uranium-enrichment-machinery/

U.S. Nuclear Marketers Visited Saudi Arabia, As Trade Talks Under Way

U.S. Nuclear Marketers Visited Saudi Arabia, As Trade Talks Under Way

Saudi King Abdullah, shown in May 2012, has reportedly warned that his nation would seek nuclear weapons if Iran acquired an atomic arsenal. Such statements have worried U.S. lawmakers as the Obama administration presses forward on a possible nuclear trade pact with Riyadh (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar). By Elaine M. Grossman
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. nuclear industry delegation traveled to Saudi Arabia in November, as Washington and Riyadh launched negotiations toward sealing a controversial atomic trade agreement, according to government and business officials.
An industry official on Wednesday described the Saudi trade mission as “a first-of-a-kind, industry-led” trip. It follows a 2012 announcement by the Persian Gulf nation that it intends to build 16 reactors by 2030.
“On the nuclear side, that represents an investment of approximately $112 billion that they’re planning to make to bring those plants to reality,” the energy marketing representative said at a Nuclear Energy Institute forum on atomic fuel.http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/us-nuclear-marketers-visited-saudi-arabia-trade-talks-under-way/

Aging Technology Endangers Pantex Nuclear Plant Security, Auditors Warn

Aging Technology Endangers Pantex Nuclear Plant Security, Auditors Warn

Technicians at the Pantex Plant in Texas ready a B-61 nuclear gravity bomb for a 2007 surveillance test. The U.S. Energy Department inspector general reported this week that a key security system at the nuclear arms assembly and disassembly site was at the end of its intended service life (National Nuclear Security Administration photo). By Diane Barnes
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON -- A deteriorating nuclear-weapon security system at the Pantex Plant in Texas could malfunction if it does not receive maintenance, the U.S. Energy Department inspector general warned in a report made public on Friday.http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/aging-defenses-endanger-pantex-plant-nukes-auditors-warn/

Pakistan Requests IAEA to Conduct Cancer Assessment Mission

Pakistan Requests IAEA to Conduct Cancer Assessment Mission

Khursid Anwar, Yusuf Zafar and Yukiya Amano
H.E. Mr. Khursid Anwar, Ambassador of Pakistan (right), and Mr. Yusuf Zafar, Minister (Technical), Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the IAEA (left), present the request for an IAEA imPACT Review Mission to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano (centre). (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
Recognizing that cancer is an increasing public health concern in Pakistan, the Government of Pakistan formally requested an IAEA imPACT Review Mission to the country. On 17 January, H.E. Mr. Khursid Anwar, Ambassador of Pakistan and Mr. Yusuf Zafar, Minister (Technical), Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the IAEA, presented an official request for an imPACT Review Mission to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.
The imPACT Review is an IAEA service that provides a country with a comprehensive assessment of its cancer control capacity and needs, and is conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partner organizations.
This mission is of considerable importance as Pakistan has began to decentralize specific health functions in mid-2011 to provincial health departments. The imPACT Review will help identifying country-wide plans, strategies and approaches to effectively address the cancer burden. The aim is to establish a national assessment of institutional capacites and needs related to the full range of cancer control areas, including cancer control planning, information and registration, prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, palliative care, training and civil society activies.
In order to accomplish this task the IAEA will assemble a team of experts who will meet with a broad range of cancer control stakeholders from the relevant federal ministries and provincial health departments, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), oncology centres, regional hospitals, public and private institutions, primary health care facilities and university training institutions. The imPACT Mission to Pakistan is expected to be conducted within the next twelve months, subject to availability of resources.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Pakistan has an annual cancer incidence of almost 140 000 with a mortality rate of just over 100 000. The most common cancers for women are breast and cervical with a combined annual incidence of over 31 000; while lung and lip/oral cavity cancers top the list among men at roughly 14 000 cases annually.
-- By IAEA PACT Programme Office

IAEA Director General Briefed on UAE Nuclear Power Plant Construction

IAEA Director General Briefed on UAE Nuclear Power Plant Construction

UAE
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano is briefed on the progress of construction at the UAE's first Nuclear Power Plant at Barakah by Mohamed Al Hammadi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, 29 January 2013, Barakah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo: Arun Girija/ENEC)
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano visited the UAE from 28-29 January 2013. The visit served as an important opportunity for the Director General to see first-hand the progress made in the construction of the UAE's first Nuclear Power Plant at Barakah. The Director General also discussed with the UAE authorities the advancement of their nuclear programme and on-going close cooperation with the IAEA.
During the visit the Director General met Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. They discussed the on-going strong cooperation between the Agency and the UAE on its nuclear power programme and other areas. The Director General provided an overview of the IAEA's activities in supporting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as well as nuclear non-proliferation and the situation in Iran.
During his visit to the construction site of the Barakah Nuclear Facility, the Director General discussed the development of the project with Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the IAEA, and Mohamed Al Hammadi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), as well as senior officials from ENEC and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), which is leading the construction consortium building the Power Plant. They also discussed the IAEA's work in strengthening nuclear safety.
Noting the progress achieved in the construction of the Barakah Nuclear Facility thus far, the Director General stressed the importance of the UAE project, as the first country in 27 years to start construction on its first Nuclear Power Plant. He stated that the IAEA has supported the UAE programme since it was launched in 2008, and that the Agency would continue to work closely in cooperation with the UAE. He said that the UAE's safe and consistent progress in the introduction of nuclear power can serve as a model for other countries considering a nuclear power program.
The Director General also emphasized that the Barakah Nuclear Facility's construction is only the beginning of an extensive, long-term commitment that requires safe operation, emergency preparation and a plan to manage waste. He expressed the hope that the UAE would share its experience with other nations, as well as its experience in the use of nuclear technology in cancer therapy and agricultural development.
During his visit, the Director General also met officials from the Executive Affairs Authority and the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation.
Background
The UAE cooperates closely with the IAEA in the introduction of nuclear power. The country plans to supply up to 20% of the electricity consumed nationally through nuclear power by 2020 to help meet the rising demand for energy.
With a construction start in July 2012, the UAE was the first country to commence the construction of its first Nuclear Power Plant in 27 years, since China began construction of its first nuclear power plant in 1985.
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) poured the first nuclear safety-related concrete at the Barakah Nuclear Facility on 18 July 2012, after receiving a construction license from the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR). The first APR1400 unit, an advanced pressurised water reactor capable of producing 1 400 megawatts of electricity, is being constructed by a Korean consortium led by KEPCO, and is scheduled to be in operation in 2017. Three additional units are planned to be operational by 2020 and will deliver 5.6 GWe (A gigawatt, or GW, is equal to one billion watts or 1 000 megawatts. In the electric power industry, gigawatt electrical (GWe) refers to an amount of electric power).
-- By Conleth Brady and Peter Kaiser, IAEA