Nuclear News Round Up (20th May – 24th May 13)

20th May 2013

• Dounreay waste retrieval deal
  
• Box project will help clean-up Sellafield and grow economy

22nd May 2013

• Resurgence of the Nuclear Reactor, The Coming Uranium Bull Market
  
• Wylfa: Anglesey nuclear reactor ‘could run until 2015

23rd May 2013

• Fallon: Horizon nuclear project will boost investment and jobs
  
• Senior/ Principal Software/ Commissioning Engineer, Derby
  
• Shale gas could be ‘a new North Sea’ for Britain

24th May 2013

• The ITER Project: Adventures in Remote Handling
• IEA commends renewables’ role in Finnish policy
• Sellafield Ltd selects partners for Enabling Innovation Framework
• Stress Engineer, Derby
• Mechanical Designer, Risley

http://energyandnuclear.com/2013/05/24/nuclear-news-round-up-20th-may-24th-may-13/?goback=.gde_1851527_member_243929332

Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod Going Solar Thanks to $120M in Financing

Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod Going Solar Thanks to $120M in Financing

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2013/05/marthas-vineyard-cape-cod-going-solar-thanks-to-120m-in-financing?cmpid=SolarNL-Saturday-May25-2013

Tracking and Analyzing Energy Legislation Across the US

AELTracker: One Database to Rule Them All

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/05/tracking-and-analyzing-energy-legislation-across-the-us?cmpid=SolarNL-Saturday-May25-2013

If you really think its a planetary emergency then go nuclear

http://decarbonisesa.com/2013/05/24/if-you-really-think-its-a-planetary-emergency-then-go-nuclear/

The Unclear Fate of Nuclear Power Two years after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi, can the nuclear renaissance regain its momentum?

The Unclear Fate of Nuclear Power

Two years after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi, can the nuclear renaissance regain its momentum?

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/The-unclear-fate-of-nuclear-power-208386481.html#ixzz2UJLDlqg8
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/The-unclear-fate-of-nuclear-power-208386481.html

Draft Legislation Fails to Provide Solution for U.S. Stockpile of Nuclear Radioactive Waste 

http://ecowatch.com/2013/draft-legislation-fails-solution-for-u-s-stockpile-nuclear-radioactive-waste/

Feds pull plug on Ky. uranium plant and 1,000 jobs

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/energy/article/Feds-pull-plug-on-Ky-uranium-plant-and-1-000-jobs-4546687.php#ixzz2UJJker00

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/energy/article/Feds-pull-plug-on-Ky-uranium-plant-and-1-000- jobs-4546687.php

Energy Storage Update 5/25

US Senators Introduce Bill for Energy-Storage Tax Incentives Businessweek “Building out more energy storage will increase the amount of renewable power on the grid, reduce our country's need for new power plants and make the U.S. energy system more reliable,” Wyden said in the statement. “With all of the attention given to ...http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-24/u-dot-s-dot-senators-introduce-bill-for-energy-storage-tax-incentives

Smart grid energy storage innovation: New AES storage "operating system" Smart Grid News Quick Take: AES has announced a new "operating system" for storage. The announcement points to the future of energy storage in at least two ways. First, the idea of a platform or an operating system for storage. Or, put another way, standards for ...http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-24/u-dot-s-dot-senators-introduce-bill-for-energy-storage-tax-incentives

Plug-and-Play Grid Energy Storage Thanks to 1Energy's Software Energy Collective energy storage Why do batteries for the grid cost so much more, on a per-kilowatt-hour basis, than batteries for laptops, or even for electric vehicles? It's not the cost of the battery technologies themselves, or even necessarily what grid customers ...http://theenergycollective.com/jeffstjohn/228866/grid-energy-storage-software

Posted by: Geoffrey Styles Energy Collective Energy storage is often portrayed as the killer app for overcoming the intermittency of renewables, and a number of interesting developments have occurred on this front, including a new "hybrid" wind turbine with integrated storage from GE. To what ...http://theenergycollective.com/geoffrey-styles/228741/can-energy-storage-make-wind-and-solar-power-reliable-coal

Study looks at storing wind energy in Mid-Columbia Yakima Herald-Republic Wind energy could be stored underground among volcanic rock formations in two places in Eastern Washington, making the seasonal and intermittent power that wind generates more practical, according to a new study. Sites north of Boardman in Benton ...http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/latestnews/1159744-8/study-looks-at-storing-wind-energy-in-mid-columbia

Gildemeister, American Vanadium Finalize Mass Storage Battery Pact Today's Energy Solutions Officials at American Vanadium Corp. announce the company has entered into a master sales agreement with GILDEMEISTER energy solutions of Germany whereby American Vanadium will market and sell GILDEMEISTER's CellCube vanadium redox flow ...http://www.onlinetes.com/gildemeister-american-vanadium-battery-energy-solutions-52413.aspx

PG&E Unveils Battery Storage System In San Jose, California CleanTechnica pge california energy commission The grid storage space is really starting to heat up. We've already featured a couple of promising-looking energy storage companies getting close to commercialization (and claiming to offer safe, reliable, nontoxic grid ...http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/24/pge-unveils-battery-storage-system-in-san-jose-california/

American Vanadium to sell Gildemeister's storage battery in NA Reuters NEW YORK May 24 (Reuters) - American Vanadium Corp. announced this week a deal with Gildemeister AG to market and sell the German company's vanadium energy storage battery and create a new power storage market in North America. The CellCube ...http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/24/metals-vanadium-batteries-idUSL2N0E42JQ20130524 See all stories on this topic »

4 MW battery storage system installed to support wind, solar in California solarserver.com According to PG&E, the Yerba Buena Battery Energy Storage System Pilot Project has the potential to support increased penetration of wind and solar resources on California's electric grid, and is currently undergoing testing. At 4 MW, the system is ... http://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/current/2013/kw21/4-mw-battery-storage-system-installed-to-support-wind-solar-in-california.html

Compressed Air Technology To Store Wind Energy Northwest Public Radio Renewable energy storage is one step closer becoming a reality in the Northwest. Researchers are proposing a new system that could store enough wind energy to power 80,000 homes for a month. But researchers aren't proposing fields lined with batteries.http://www.nwpr.org/post/compressed-air-technology-store-wind-energy

Fukushima Updates 5/24

Today's Fukushima updates topics -

Airborne Cesium radioactivity on the F. Daiichi plant site is non-detectible at all but one monitoring point... IAEA will open an emergency response training center in Fukushima... A senior UN official says Japan’s exposure threshold for Fukushima repopulation is too high... Tepco will install PARs inside Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s units #1 and #7... Tepco has taken bids to build three coal-fired power plants before 2021... Seawater samples far from F. Daiichi taken in 2012 show a wide variety of Cesium concentrations.

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-accident-updates.html

 

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Radiation leak reported after experiment

Radiation leak reported after experiment
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130525_13.html

The Problem with Yucca Mountain - State & Local Energy Report

The Problem with Yucca Mountain - State & Local Energy Report
Congress legislated a solution in 1987, when Nevada's Yucca Mountain was designated the nation's repository for nuclear waste. It was to be paid for by a fee ...
www.stateenergyreport.com/.../the-problem-with-yucca-mount...http://www.stateenergyreport.com/2013/05/21/the-problem-with-yucca-mountain/

Goldman Sachs to invest in Japan green energy

 Goldman Sachs to invest in Japan green energy
http://www.winddaily.com/reports/Goldman_Sachs_to_invest_in_Japan_green_energy_999.html

Nuclear Waste web update: 5/25

Federal Nuclear Waste Rules Need To Be Improved, Attorneys ... MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Attorneys general in Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut announced Thursday they are petitioning the Nuclear ... www.huffingtonpost.com/.../federal-nuclear-waste-rules_n_33...

States to NRC: Better nuclear waste rules needed - WSJ.com MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut are petitioning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a more thorough review of ... online.wsj.com/.../APdb3f8e98448b4e0196ebd50e0b2b06b2....

New Energy Secretary: Nuclear Waste Cleanup Among Top Priorities The Obama administration's new secretary of energy says his top priorities are responding to climate change, safely managing the nation's nuclear stockpile. nwnewsnetwork.org/.../new-energy-secretary-nuclear-waste-cl...

Solar Industry Capital Spending Hits Seven-Year Low in 2013

Solar Industry Capital Spending Hits Seven-Year Low in 2013

El Segundo CA (SPX) May 24, 2013 - Although global capital spending this year in the photovoltaics (PV) supply chain is expected to fall to its lowest level since 2006, indications signal that the downturn in investment has hit bottom and that purchases of equipment may soon rebound. Capital spending among PV companies is set to drop to $2.3 billion in 2013, down 36 percent from $3.6 billion in 2012, according to the PV Man ... morehttp://www.solardaily.com/reports/Solar_Industry_Capital_Spending_Hits_Seven_Year_Low_in_2013_999.html

Can Energy Storage Make Wind and Solar Energy as Reliable as Coal?

http://theenergycollective.com/geoffrey-styles/228741/can-energy-storage-make-wind-and-solar-power- reliable-coal?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

US Oil Boom Shifts Focus to North Dakota Bakken Shale

http://theenergycollective.com/ecsjessica/228451/us-oil-boom-shifts-focus-north-dakota-bakken-shale?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Our Energy Use In Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC]

http://theenergycollective.com/matstc/228791/our-energy-use-numbers?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

ANS Update 525 Nuclear Matinee: VC Summer Nuclear Construction Update

Nuclear Matinee: VC Summer Nuclear Construction Update

By pbowersox on May 24, 2013 01:00 am

America’s first new commercial nuclear energy reactors in 30 years are under construction at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in Fairfield County, South Carolina, and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia. Let’s catch … Continue reading →
Read in browser »

More to read:

Japan’s NRA determines Tsuruga Nuclear Plant built over active fault
Nuclear Engineering PE Exam Workshop at June ANS Meeting
ANS Young Professionals Congress November 2013
Carnival of Nuclear Energy 157
Nuclear Matinee: Taylor Wilson’s radical plan for small nuclear fission reactors

CBO: Carbon Tax Would Raise Revenues and Costs

CBO: Carbon Tax Would Raise Revenues and Costs

A US carbon tax could generate sizeable revenues, but could also have a negative impact on the country’s economy, depending on how those revenues were deployed, according to a report from the United States Congressional Budget Office. The CBO report noted that neither it nor the Joint Committee on Taxation had developed estimates for carbon… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2013/05/24/cbo-carbon-tax-would-raise-revenues-and-costs/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=e4c470988d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-e4c470988d-407304281

Penn Energy's Top Oil & Gas News 5/24

Top Oil & Gas News
	South Sudan says oil exports being blocked by Sudan   Six months after South Sudan seceded from Sudan, the south is accusing the Sudanese government of blocking its crude oil exports. South Sudan claims Sudan blocked 3.4 million barrels of exports and diverted more than 500,000 barrels to its refineries and built a pipeline to continue diverting South Sudan's oil. Full Article   Share:
	PennEnergy Video News Update   From the pipeline extension in Oklahoma   , to the offshore bid by New Zealand's Green Party   , to the fracking focus of the EU   , all of the week's biggest headlines are in the PennEnergy Video News Update. Full Article   Share:

This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News
• EU to review fracking

 

• New Zealand Green Party fighting offshore oil drilling

 

• Plains announces pipeline extension in western Oklahoma

 

• Soil cleanup begins at Pacific Pipeline Superfund site

 

• Texas sues BP, Transocean for Deepwater Horizon oil spill

 

• WEC announces new refinery project in Texas

 

• Saudi Aramco gas/oil separation plant gets GE advanced compressor technology

 

• Black & Veatch completes Cameron LNG boil-off gas reliquefaction facility

 

• Saipem engineering & construction contracts on track with 2013 targets

 

• Coffeyville Resources refinery to pay $300,000 to settle Clean Air Act violations

 

• Texas Vanguard to sell oil and gas properties in Texas

 

• Natural gas powering hydraulic fracturing equipment in northeastern Pennsylvania

 

• GE opens oil & gas customer solutions center in PA

 

Missile Defense with Chinese Characteristics

Missile Defense with Chinese Characteristics

By Michael S. Chase

On January 27, 2013, China conducted its second mid-course missile defense interceptor test, leading to considerable speculation among Chinese and Western analysts about Beijing’s motives and intentions as well as its plans for further development of mid-course intercept technology and possible deployment of its own missile defense system. Given Beijing’s longstanding and vehement opposition to U.S. missile defense programs, which it charges damages strategic stability and undermines China’s security by raising doubts about the effectiveness of its nuclear deterrent, it would seem logical that China would refrain from pursuing similar capabilities (“China Steps Up Rhetoric Against U.S. Missile Defense,” China Brief, October 19, 2012). Somewhat ironically, however, even as Chinese officials have continued to criticize the United States for conducting research on and activities related to missile defense, China has been developing its own missile defense technology. Indeed, over the past three years, Beijing has conducted two missile defense interception tests—both of which were accompanied by brief official statements—and Chinese analysts have suggested a number of potential directions for China’s missile defense program.

 

READ MORE

 http://www.jamestown.org/programs/chinabrief/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=40915&tx_ttnews[backPid]=25&cHash=37e9eb10feb3980014ffb5628a988974

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Russia: Can The Gas Empire Strike Back?

http://thediplomat.com/2013/05/24/russia-can-the-gas-empire-strike-back/?utm_source=The%20Diplomat%20List&utm_campaign=c896ba6cba-Diplomat%20Brief%202012%20vol19&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_359f367095-c896ba6cba-280258325

Environmentalists Debunk 'Myth' About High Costs of Nuclear Power

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/US/nuclear-power-costs-environmentalists/2013/05/23/id/506078#ixzz2UF0GjRGW
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!

http://www.newsmax.com/US/nuclear-power-costs-environmentalists/2013/05/23/id/506078

Reactors Designed by Argonne National Laboratory Integral Fast Reactor

Reactors Designed by Argonne National Laboratory

Integral Fast Reactor

http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/reactors/integral-fast-reactor.shtml

Nation's largest nuclear fleet

 Nation's largest nuclear fleet
 Exelon Nuclear, a business unit of Exelon Generation, owns/operates the largest nuclear fleet in the nation and the third largest fleet in the world.
http://www.exeloncorp.com/energy/generation/nuclear.aspx

Greenpeace: Fact not fiction: Renewable energy is safer than nuclear power

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fact-not-fiction-renewable-energy-is-safer-th/blog/45281/

 

Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep workers in setback for decommissioning

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/stricken-japan-nuke-plant-struggles-to-keep-workers-in-setback-for-decommissioning/2013/05/23/052afba0-c382-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html

GOP lawmakers question nuclear commission's cost calculus

http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/301609-gop-lawmakers-question-nuclear-commission-cost-calculus

Republicans press NRC chair for answers on Yucca Mountain

Read more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/may/23/republicans-press-nrc-chair-answers-yucca-mountain/#ixzz2UEwyzUXL

Post-Fukushima Radiation Reality Check: Benefits of Nuclear Power vs Radiation Risk http://breakingenergy.com/2013/05/23/post-fukushima-radiation-reality-check-benefits-of-nuclear-power-vs-radiation-risk/

Post-Fukushima Radiation Reality Check: Benefits of Nuclear Power vs Radiation Risk

http://breakingenergy.com/2013/05/23/post-fukushima-radiation-reality-check-benefits-of-nuclear-power-vs-radiation-risk/

French company won't set date for Idaho nuclear facility

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/05/french_company_wont_set_date_f.html

NRC should finish probes before CA nuclear restart - Senator

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/utilities-nuclear-macfarlane-idUSL2N0E42KY20130523

States to NRC: Better nuclear waste rules needed

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/science/article/States-to-NRC-Better-nuclear-waste-rules-needed-4542906.php#ixzz2UEvgOeRr

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/science/article/States-to-NRC-Better-nuclear-waste-rules-needed-4542906.php

US Nuclear Generation Falls as Exelon Slows Two Reactors

US Nuclear Generation Falls as Exelon Slows Two Reactors Businessweek U.S. nuclear-power generation dropped from an 11-week high after Exelon Corp. (EXC) slowed output at reactors in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Nationwide production fell 0.8 percent to 84,275 megawatts, or 83 percent of capacity, from yesterday's 84,982 ...http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-24/u-dot-s-dot-nuclear-generation-falls-as-exelon-slows-two-reactors

Germany must spread cost of energy shift fairly: IEA

Germany must spread cost of energy shift fairly: IEA Platts London (Platts)--24May2013/1241 pm EDT/1641 GMT. The International Energy Agency said Friday that Germany must shield its consumers from paying too much of the cost of its ambitious switch from nuclear power and fossil fuels toward renewable energy.http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/26971621

Nuclear versus solar

Nuclear versus solar
Power Engineering Magazine (blog)
Nearly all environmentalists love nuclear power. What they're divided on, really, is where to locate the reactor(s). Should we be building nuclear reactors distributed around our little planet where they'll produce energy for the surrounding area? Or ...http://www.power-eng.com/blogs/energy-matters/2013/05/nuclear_versus_solar.html

Nuclear power the future for India: Russian Ambassador

Nuclear power the future for India: Russian Ambassador
Business Standard
Nuclear power is the future of energy for India, said Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, contending that even if the country buys all the oil in the world, it will not be sufficient for its energy requirements in the near future. Kadakin was ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/nuclear-power-the-future-for-india-russian-ambassador-113052400974_1.html

Fukushima Updates 5/24

Today's Fukushima updates topics -

 

Airborne Cesium radioactivity on the F. Daiichi plant site is non-detectible at all but one monitoring point... IAEA will open an emergency response training center in Fukushima... A senior UN official says Japan’s exposure threshold for Fukushima repopulation is too high... Tepco will install PARs inside Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s units #1 and #7... Tepco has taken bids to build three coal-fired power plants before 2021... Seawater samples far from F. Daiichi taken in 2012 show a wide variety of Cesium concentrations.

 

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-accident-updates.html

 

Chinese companies unveil their nuclear energy offers to South Africa

 Chinese companies unveil their nuclear energy offers to South Africa
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/chinese-companies-unveil-their-nuclear-energy-offers-to-sa-2013-05-24

NRA forges new trail in judging reactor risk

Regulators seek greater authority, assets for the job

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/25/national/nra-forges-new-trail-in-judging-reactor-risk/#.UZ-GACvwJ74

⌂ Business Energy & Green Plant restart won't wait on investigations

---

Plant restart won't wait on investigations

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/23/nuclear-restart-awaiting/

The Unclear Fate of Nuclear Power Two years after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi, can the nuclear renaissance regain its momentum?

The Unclear Fate of Nuclear Power

Two years after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi, can the nuclear renaissance regain its momentum?

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/The-unclear-fate-of-nuclear-power-208386481.html#ixzz2UEq2bAOE
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/The-unclear-fate-of-nuclear-power-208386481.html

Federal Nuclear Waste Rules Need To Be Improved, Attorneys General Petition NRC

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/federal-nuclear-waste-rules_n_3328495.html?utm_hp_ref=green

Bidding reopens on major Angra 3 contracts

Bidding reopens on major Angra 3 contracts (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Bidding_reopens_on_major_Angra3_contracts_240513a.html
)
Two consortia will now compete for contracts worth BRL3 billion ($1.5 billion) to assemble the nuclear and conventional island of Brazil's Angra 3 after owner Electronuclear re-opened bidding.

Netherlands to sell Urenco stake

Netherlands to sell Urenco stake (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Netherlands_to_sell_Urenco_stake-2405134.html

)
The Dutch government has confirmed its intention to sell its one-third stake in Urenco, clearing the way for its possible full privatization of the world's second-largest uranium enrichment company.

Federal grants addressing energy-water nexus

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/federal-grants-addressing-energy-water-nexus/2013-05-24?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

The #1 issue facing energy execs

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/1-issue-facing-energy-execs/2013-05-24?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

US NRC Blog Update 5/24 Fort Calhoun – A Mixed Report Card

L

Fort Calhoun – A Mixed Report Card

Lara Uselding

Public Affairs Officer, Region IV

 

NRC inspectors held a public meeting in Omaha, Neb., on May 17, to share preliminary information from a recent restart readiness inspection at the Fort Calhoun Station, operated by the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). The plant entered into the NRC’s increased oversight category in 2011 after it shut down for a refueling outage. The outage was extended due to historic Missouri River flooding followed by an electrical fire and other restart complications.

The meeting is one in a series we’re holding to keep the public informed. The 15-member team of inspectors looked at 169 out of more than 450 items that need to be resolved prior to the NRC making a decision on restart. The team recommended closing three of the 18 main categories known as the restart checklist

. The three areas the team believes OPPD has appropriately addressed are third-party safety culture assessment, quality assurance, and integrated organizational effectiveness.

In essence, the plant’s officials have made improvements on some of the causes that led to the performance decline.

It’s important to note that as the team prepared for the inspection and began its review of the 169 items, they identified that 66 of those items were not fully ready for inspection as plant management stated. That means NRC inspectors were only able to fully inspect 60 percent of the original scope and will go back for a follow-up inspection.

While OPPD has made progress, there is still a lot of work to be done. The team found the plant hadn’t done a good job of evaluating whether a discovered condition exists in other areas of the plant and then implementing actions to address it. Because of this, the NRC has determined a number of restart checklist items are not ready for closure. In addition, NRC inspectors identified new performance deficiencies. Those preliminary findings still need to be evaluated by NRC management and results will be documented in the team’s inspection report. The report will be issued within 45 days.

The NRC will conduct follow-up inspections to look at the remaining open performance areas and to determine if plant personnel, equipment, and processes are ready to support the safe restart and continued safe operation. There will be additional public meetings in the local area before any decision about restart.

Moderator | May 24, 2013 at 1:20 pm | Tags: Fort Calhoun Station, NRC, nuclear power plants | Categories: Operating Reactors | URL: http://wp.me/p1fSSY-158

Chinese Military Renews Cyber-Attacks, Focusing on US Electrical Grid

Chinese Military Renews Cyber-Attacks, Focusing on US Electrical Grid

In February the US government named and shamed Chinese hackers who had been attacking, and stealing secret data from US companies. A report compiled by Mandiant, a private security company that helps companies and government agencies defend themselves from hackers, listed the organisations that had stolen numerous government documents, and items of intellectual property over the past five years.Fo

3 by burgessj@oilprice.com ... / 3h http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Chinese-Military-Renews-Cyber-Attacks-Focusing-on-US-Electrical-Grid.html

PG&E, California commissioners unveil battery energy storage system

PG&E, California commissioners unveil battery energy storage system

Pacific Gas and Electric and the California Energy Commission held the official ribbon-cutting for the Yerba Buena Battery Energy Storage System Pilot Project in California Thursday.

4h http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2013/05/pge-california-commissioners-unveil-battery-energy-storage-syste.html?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+power-engineering-latest-news-rss+%28PE+-+Power+Engineering+Latest+News%29

Sempra U.S. Gas and Power, Consolidated Edison Development announce solar partnership

Sempra U.S. Gas and Power, Consolidated Edison Development announce solar partnership
http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Sempra_US_Gas_and_Power_Consolidated_Edison_Development_announce_solar_partnership_999.html?utm_source=feedly

Going Green

Going Green

The world is on track to consume two to three times the amount of primary energy it does today by century's end, driven largely by urbanization and energy demand growth in China, India, and other developing countries. Energy efficiency will only go so far in dampening global energy demand growth, as the billions on the planet without abundant access to energy begin to benefit from the same e

by Michael Shellenberger ... / 1d http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/programs

The Climate-Change Wars Begin This Summer

The Climate-Change Wars Begin This Summer

Jonathan Chait, NY MagThe biggest piece of President Obama's second-term agenda is his widely expected plan for the Environmental Protection Agency to issue new carbon regulations for power plants, a move that could bring the United States in line with the greenhouse-gas-reduction goals it agreed to in Copenhagen and open the way for an international treaty to control climate change. If th

by Jonathan Chait, NY Mag / 7h http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/05/climate-change-wars-begin-this-summer.html

IAEA calls for defining "end state" of crippled Fukushima plant

IAEA calls for defining "end state" of crippled Fukushima plant

GlobalPost - ‎8 hours ago‎

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the "end state" following decommissioning of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to be defined, indicating it would help the plant operator to deal with the difficult issue of waste ...http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130523/iaea-calls-defining-end-state-crippled-fukushima-plant

IAEA Delivers Final Report to Japan After Initial Review of Plans to Decommission Fukushima Daiichi

23May 2013

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IAEA Delivers Final Report to Japan After Initial Review of Plans to Decommission Fukushima Daiichi

Two IAEA experts examine recovery work on top of Unit 4 of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on 17 April 2013 as part of a mission to review Japan's plans to decommission the facility. (Photo: G. Webb/IAEA)

Story Resources

• Photo Gallery: IAEA Experts Visit Fukushima Daiichi Site, 17 April 2013
• IAEA International Peer Review Mission on Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap Towards Decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Units 1-4 (15-22 April 2013), Mission Report
• IAEA Team Completes Initial Review of Japan's Plans to Decommission Fukushima Daiichi, 22 April 2013
• In Focus: IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety
• In Focus: Fukushima Nuclear Accident
• Listen to this story

An IAEA expert team completed its initial review of Japan's efforts to plan and implement the decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The team visited Japan from 15 to 22 April 2013, provided a draft report to Japanese officials on the last day of that mission, and delivered to the Government of Japan its final report, which has just been made available on-line (in Japanese).
The visit was the first of what is planned to be a two-mission International Peer Review of Japan's Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap towards the Decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Units 1-4, at the request of the Government of Japan. The 13-member IAEA team met in Tokyo with officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Tokyo Electric Power Company, and the team also visited the nuclear accident site to gain first-hand information about conditions at the plant.
"Our final report reflects that the Roadmap was developed early after the accident and that Japanese workers have achieved reasonable stable cooling of the damaged reactor cores and spent fuel pools," said Team Leader Juan Carlos Lentijo, Director of the IAEA's Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology, "but the continuing accumulation of contaminated water at the site is influencing the stability of the situation and must be resolved in the near term before other recovery and decommissioning steps can begin."
The final report acknowledges Japanese accomplishment and provides advice on a range of issues, including overall strategy and planning, stakeholder involvement, and the management of reactor fuel.
"I hope that Japan will benefit from our mission, and also that nuclear operators around the world can learn important lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi accident," Lentijo said. "In this context, I'm pleased by the Government of Japan's clear intention to make this report publicly available, which will contribute to disseminating the lessons learned to the international community."
Japan's request for the mission came in the context of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, endorsed by all IAEA Member States in September 2011. The Action Plan defines a programme of work to strengthen the global nuclear safety framework, and it encourages the use of peer review missions to take full advantage of worldwide experience.
-- By Greg Webb, IAEA Division of Public Information

AKME Receives Construction License for Modular Reactors

AKME Receives Construction License for Modular Reactors ...
Russia's AKME-Engineering received license from regulators to provide construction services for new plants, using SVBR-100 modular reactors.
www.breakbulk.com/.../akme-receives-construction-license-fo...

States to NRC: Better nuclear waste rules needed

States to NRC: Better nuclear waste rules needed
Wall Street Journal
Thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel are piling up at reactors like New York's Indian Point, the Vermont Yankee plant and the Pilgrim nuclear station in Massachusetts, as the federal government's 30-year-old promise to find a permanent waste site ...http://online.wsj.com/article/APdb3f8e98448b4e0196ebd50e0b2b06b2.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Case for ANWR Oil Part I: How Much Oil is There?

The Case for ANWR Oil Part I: How Much Oil is There?

Opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration and development has long been a contentious issue, and Alaska Governor Sean Parnell made a push earlier this week to reopen the debate. Parnell presented Interior Secretary Sally Jewell with a detailed proposal for a seven-year program to conduct 3-D seismic exploration of ANWR area 1002… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2013/05/23/the-case-for-anwr-oil-part-i-how-much-oil-is-there/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=bc89bb8de5-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-bc89bb8de5-407304281

Environmentalists for Nuclear Power

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/05/environmentalists-for-nuclear-power.php

CBO: CARBON TAX COULD BE COSTLY TO ECONOMY BUT GENERATE TRILLIONS, AVERT CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS

CBO: CARBON TAX COULD BE COSTLY TO ECONOMY BUT GENERATE TRILLIONS, AVERT CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS
A carbon tax or cap-and-trade programs could raise trillions of dollars within the first 10 years of their enactment and avert climate change effects, but without accounting for how these revenues will be used, they could take a toll on the U.S. economy, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says in a report released on Tuesday. Read More »http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/5661.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2678482&hq_l=7&hq_v=30108e0773

Utility CEOs Slam EU Energy Policy

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324659404578498800443007898.html

US energy secretary urges renewables development amid gas boom

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/21064072?sf373316=1&sf373641=1

Interview w @euractivsk (in Slovak): Private sector to play important role in nuclear energy future

Interview w @euractivsk (in Slovak): Private sector to play important role in nuclear energy future

Súkromný sektor bude hrať v budúcnosti jadrovej energie významnú rolu euractiv.sk

Ayhan Evrensel explains what factors and potential barriers must be taken into account by investors in nuclear power plants. He talked about the development of nuclear energy projections and a new action plan, which the IAEA member states have adopted.

Time for greens to embrace nukes

Renewables cannot solve our energy needs; to seriously address climate change, nuclear energy must be in the conversation

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-nukes-20130522,0,1644148.story#ixzz2U8cyDDYb

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-nukes-20130522,0,1644148.story

Areva inks deal with 20 Finnish suppliers

Areva inks deal with 20 Finnish suppliers

from Power Engineering Latest News

Areva signed a Memorandum of Understanding this week with 20 Finnish suppliers in connection with the Olkiluoto 3 European Pressurized Reactor construction project.http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2013/05/areva-inks-deal-with-20-finnish-suppliers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+power-engineering-latest-news-rss+%28PE+-+Power+Engineering+Latest+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Bound by the Chains of Oil: The Need for Energy Innovation

http://theenergycollective.com/gsitty/227191/bound-chains-oil?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

IEA praises nuclear's role in Finnish policy

IEA praises nuclear's role in Finnish policy (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Key_role_for_nuclear_in_Finnish_energy_policy-2305134.html)
Finland's energy policy framework - including the expanded use of nuclear energy - paves the way for a more sustainable energy system in the longer term, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report concludes.

Swedish plants look to 60 year

Swedish plants look to 60 years (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Swedish_plants_look_to_60_years-2305138.html)
Vattenfall has announced it is planning to operate its newest nuclear units at Forsmark and Ringhals for up to 60 years thanks to an extensive upgrade program that will take place over the next four years.

Terrorists target Areva site

Terrorists target Areva site (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Terrorists_target_Areva_site-2305137.html)
Areva has confirmed that thirteen people have been injured in a terrorist attack at its Somair uranium mine in Niger. The site was the target of one of two simultaneous attacks in the north-west of the country.

US NRC Blog Update: An Update on Taking the Next Step – Building a 21st Century Digital Government

An Update on Taking the Next Step – Building a 21st Century Digital Government

by Moderator

Stu Reiter

Senior Advisor, E-Government

 

Last August, we noted our efforts in support of President Obama’s May 23, 2012, memorandum on Building a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People. That memorandum launched a comprehensive Digital Government Strategy to make government services and information available anywhere, anytime, and on any device, and in formats that facilitate additional use by public developers and entrepreneurs.

The NRC took this memo seriously and in March we implemented the agency's first mobile solution for the 2013 Regulatory Information Conference, allowing attendees to access the conference agenda and download conference publications from their own mobile devices. We plan to further grow capabilities for future conferences.

To improve access to information, we have also used RSS feeds to make a number of NRC resources more readily available. These include reports on the operating status and power output of commercial power reactors, daily events and activities occurring at commercial power reactors, power reactor inspection reports, and NRC daily news releases.

In addition, through our newly available Developer’s Page we are providing the ability to search and retrieve NRC documents from NRC’s documents collections, operating reactor inspection reports and other NRC information resources.

As part of our Digital Government Strategy program, we are developing plans that will continue to focus on making high value data and content available for application developers and opportunities to use mobile devices to improve existing services. So stay tuned.

Moderator | May 23, 2013 at 11:07 am | Tags: digital government, NRC, nuclear power plant | Categories: General | URL: http://wp.me/p1fSSY-151