Inspector General Report Finds EPA Should Act to Protect Texans' Drinking Water From Oil and Gas Operations

http://theenergycollective.com/amymall/321501/new-inspector-general-report-finds-epa-needs-act-protect-texas-residents-drinking-wat?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Abu Dhabi races to recruit first generation of nuclear workers

Abu Dhabi races to recruit first generation of nuclear workers The National Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec), the government company charged with building and operating the Arab world's first civil nuclear power ...http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/energy/abu-dhabi-races-to-recruit-first-generation-of-nuclear-workers

Nuclear pact talks to start with Saudis

Nuclear pact talks to start with Saudis The Japan Times

The Abe administration will launch talks with Saudi Arabia next spring to conclude a nuclear power pact and allow Japanese businesses to export ...http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/28/national/nuclear-pact-talks-to-start-with-saudis/#.Ur92DRmENDQ

Your View: Nuclear power can really be 'green'

Your View: Nuclear power can really be 'green' SouthCoastToday.com While it may be theoretically possible to stabilize the climate without nuclear power, in the real world there is no credible path to climate stabilization ...http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131228/OPINION/312280305

Why Jordan is still pursuing the nuclear (power) option

Residual fears from the Fukushima disaster and low natural gas prices have tempered enthusiasm for nuclear power in many countries, but not Jordan.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2013/1228/Why-Jordan-is-still-pursuing-the-nuclear-power-option

What Energy, Environment Issues to Watch in 2014

http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/what-energy-environment-issues-to-watch-in-2014-20131227

Coakley, other AGs blast NRC on nuclear waste storage

http://www.enterprisenews.com/topstories/x1907235689/Coakley-and-3-other-AGs-blast-NRC-on-nuclear-waste-storage

With federal grant, INL aims to help companies improve small reactors' control rooms

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f3b47c6ec40f49fcbf34220e69d87489/ID--Small-Nukes-Grant

Fukushima Updates 1218

From The Hiroshima Syndrome/Fukushima Commentary -

The Fukushima “Hot Particle” Myth

One of the incorrectly used terms often used concerning the Fukushima accident is “hot particle”. It unquestionably has an alarming sound to it, but what does it really mean? By examining its most-possible meaning, we find the application of the phrase to the atmospheric releases from Fukushima is entirely inappropriate.

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-commentary.html

The Terrestrial Energy Integrated Molten Salt Reactor and a supercritical CO2 turbine are both under development and should be commercially ready in about ten years

. One interesting aspect is that
they have far higher power density. They would enable a reactor and
turbine that is about 50 times more power dense than the ones that are
currently in nuclear submarines.
http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/12/molten-salt-reactor-about-50-times.html

http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/12/could-molten-salt-reactor-be-power.html

Japan's politics is shifting to pro-nuclear. Various pro-nuclear mayors are being elected.

http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/12/japan-politics-shifts-to-pro-nuclear.html

Proud nuclear-enthusiast bubble dweller

http://nuclearstreet.com/pro_nuclear_power_blogs/b/atomic_insights/archive/2013/12/27/proud-nuclear-enthusiast-bubble-dweller.aspx#.Ur7lKrTBOAg

GREENS vs THORIUM and Nuclear Power to Curb Global Warming

http://thoriumforum.com/greens-vs-thorium-and-nuclear-power-curb-global-warming

The Future of Nuclear at UC Berkeley

http://nuclearliteracy.org/future-nuclear-uc-berkeley/

Iran nuclear chief: Country is pressing ahead with uranium enrichment

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-nuclear-chief-country-is-pressing-ahead-with-uranium-enrichment-9027459.html

Where On Earth Do We Put Spent Nuclear Fuel?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2013/08/29/where-on-earth-do-we-put-spent-nuclear-fuel/

New Energy Struggles on Its Way to Markets By MATTHEW L. WALD

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/us/new-energy-struggles-on-its-way-to-markets.html?_r=0

Command and Combust America's Secret History of Atomic Accidents

Command and Combust
America's Secret History of Atomic Accidents
By Gregory D. Koblentz

Eric Schlosser's Command and Control is really two books in one. The first is a techno-thriller, narrating a shocking nuclear accident in gripping detail. The second is more analytic, exploring the challenge at the heart of nuclear command-and-control systems: how...http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/140357/gregory-d-koblentz/command-and-combust?sp_mid=44708169&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2

Arab monarchies eye stronger ties with China

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Arab_monarchies_eye_stronger_ties_with_China_999.html

Transmission Investment Gets Largest Boost Since 2000

http://theenergycollective.com/katherinetweed/320261/transmission-investment-gets-largest-boost-2000?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Chugoku Electric files for reactor safety checks toward resumption

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131225p2g00m0dm047000c.html

Guest: Find a permanent solution for Hanford nuclear waste

The leaking radioactive waste from Hanford poses health risks, writes guest columnist Tom Carpenter.

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2022520609_tomcarpenteropedhanfordwaste25xml.html?cmpid=2628

Watchdogs criticize nuclear storage study; A.G. says NRC didn't focus on Indian Point

http://www.lohud.com/article/20131225/NEWS/312250023/Watchdogs-criticize-nuclear-storage-study?nclick_check=1

NRC: SAN ONOFRE OPERATOR VIOLATED RULES

No penalties for Edison; financial recovery efforts could be complicated

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/25/tp-nrc-san-onofre-operator-violated-rules/

US NRC Blog Update 12/27 Keeping Proper Track of Spent Fuel Pool Conditions

Keeping Proper Track of Spent Fuel Pool Conditions

by Moderator

Lauren Gibson

Project Manager

Japan Lessons-Learned Directorate

 

While “spent fuel pool #4” at Fukushima Daiichi did keep its contents safe during the March 2011 accident, no one could confirm that during the accident. The plant’s staff and other experts, including the NRC, simply didn’t have enough information to know what was going on in the pool. Why not? There was no reliable way to measure the pool’s water level.

Knowing the water level is important because if the pool had boiled dry, it would have damaged the fuel and added to the accident’s radiation release. The Japanese plant’s staff did the right thing in assuming the worst and making many attempts to add water to the pool. They even dropped water from helicopters. If they had known the pools were OK, however, they would have been able to focus on addressing the real problem: the damaged reactors.

This experience led the NRC to order U.S. nuclear power plants to add instrumentation to their spent fuel pools. That way, if an accident occurs at a U.S. reactor, plant staff will be able to tell when the spent fuel pool needed attention. Spent fuel pool instrumentation will help plant staff properly prioritize their accident response and keep the public safe.

U.S. reactors already monitor a small fraction of the water level in the spent fuel pool. However, this system may not work if power is lost, as it was at Fukushima, and can’t provide advance warning of low water levels.

The NRC’s order requires U.S. reactors to be able to tell whether water is at or above certain important levels. The highest level means enough water is available for the normal cooling system to work. The second level marks the level of water needed to protect someone standing next to the pool from the fuel’s radiation. The lowest level is still enough to cover the fuel, but the plant staff should begin adding more water to the pool.

Of course, water may be added—and most likely would be—prior to reaching this point. The order also requires that plant staff must be able to read these levels from somewhere away from the pool, such as in the control room.

U.S. reactors must install the new instruments no later than two refueling cycles after they submit their plan to the NRC or by the end of 2016, whichever comes first. All U.S. plants submitted their instrumentation plans in February 2013. We’ve been reviewing the plans and we recently issued interim staff evaluations. These documents give the plants feedback so they can continue on the right track for implementing the order.

The evaluations also ask plants for additional information we need to complete our review. While the agency’s final approval is yet to come, the interim evaluations give plants the confidence to order equipment and move forward with installing the instruments. We’ll provide the plants a final staff evaluation when we can conclude that they’ll comply with the order by the deadline by following their plan. We’ll continue inspecting plants to confirm they’ve finished complying with the order.

Our website’s Japan Lessons Learned section has a page with more information about the order and related guidance.

Moderator | December 26, 2013 at 9:02 am | Tags: Fukushima, NRC, nuclear power plant, spent fuel, spent fuel pools | Categories: Radioactive Waste | URL: http://wp.me/p1fSSY-1gZ

Southeast Asia Going Nuclear

Southeast Asia Going Nuclear Asian Scientist Magazine Southeast Asian countries are pushing forward in the use of nuclear power technology, says Barry Desker, Dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of ...http://www.asianscientist.com/features/southeast-asia-going-nuclear-2013/

Russia to hand over most modern nuclear technology to Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge

In May 2010, Russia was selected as the provider of technology for the nuclear power plant 1 in Ninh Thuan province. This is one of two plants under ...http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/92446/russia-to-hand-over-most-modern-nuclear-technology-to-vietnam.html

High cost of nuclear power puts DAE in a fix

High cost of nuclear power puts DAE in a fix Firstpost New Delhi: As the cost of electricity generation by nuclear power plants, to be set up with the help of French and American companies, is turning out to ..http://www.firstpost.com/india/high-cost-of-nuclear-power-puts-dae-in-a-fix-1306675.html

IAEA Recent Research papers

Radiological objectives and severe accident mitigation strategy for the generation II PWRs in France in the framework of PLE
506 KB - http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/43/070/43070828.pdf - Text Version
by Cenerino, G.; Dubreuil, M.; Raimond, E.; Pichereau, F. (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN) - Nuclear Safety Division, B.P. 17, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex (France))

[en]

 In France, EDF is involved in the construction of a first generation III (Gen III) reactor (European Pressurized Reactor - EPR) on Flamanville site next to two PWRs. Plant Life Extension (PLE) of reactors will consequently lead to simultaneous operation of Gen III and Gen II reactors during a long period of time. As a consequence, EDF was requested by the French Nuclear Safety Authority to prepare a PWR life management program including, in addition to an ageing management of Systems, Structures and Components, a consequent reactor safety enhancement program. The objective was stated to EDF by the French Nuclear Safety Authority: 'the safety objectives of the Gen III reactors should be used as a reference for all studies undertaken in the frame of PLE'. One part of the EDF program deals with additional arrangements able to reduce more drastically the consequences of any accident. The relevance, according to IRSN, of the EDF radiological objectives for Design Basis Accidents, of the new EDF objectives for Severe Accidents (SA) and of the EDF potential modifications for SA mitigation are presented. (author)
Orig. TitleIAEA-CN-194-027_Cenerino
SubjectGENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS (S22)
Source/ReportInternational Atomic Energy Agency, Division of Nuclear Power and Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, Vienna (Austria), European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC/JRC), Brussels (Belgium), OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) (France), 3. International Conference on Nuclear Power Plant Life Management (PLiM) for Long Term Operations (LTO). Keynotes, papers, presentations, posters, vp, 2012, 8 p, 3. International Conference on Nuclear Power Plant Life Management (PLiM) for Long Term Operations (LTO), Salt Lake City, Utah (United States), 14-18 May 2012, IAEA-CN--194, IAEA-CN--194-027, Also available on-line: http://www-pub.iaea.org/iaeameetings/41982/3rd-International-Conference-on-NPP-Life-Management-PLIM-for-Long-Term-Operations-LTO, Full paper, 2 figs, 1 tab, 6 refs
Record TypeReport
Country/Org.International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
DECACCIDENTS, DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS, EUROPE, MAGNETIC RESONANCE, OPERATION, POWER REACTORS, REACTOR ACCIDENTS, REACTORS, RESONANCE, SAFETY, THERMAL REACTORS, WATER COOLED REACTORS, WATER MODERATED REACTORS, WESTERN EUROPE
DEIAGING, DESIGN BASIS ACCIDENTS, ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE, FRANCE, MANAGEMENT, MITIGATION, PWR TYPE REACTORS, RADIATION PROTECTION, REACTOR OPERATION, REACTOR SAFETY
LanguageEnglish
Ref. Number43070828
Rel. Record43070792
Publ. Year2012
INIS Volume43
INIS Issue32

REC Market Jumps, but Still a Long Way to Go

http://breakingenergy.com/2013/12/26/rec-market-jumps-but-still-a-long-way-to-go/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=aafb0069d7-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-aafb0069d7-407304281

Power Engineering ELetter Update 12/27

	COAL-GEN 2014 call for abstracts The deadline to submit abstracts for COAL-GEN 2014 is just around the corner. You have until Jan. 3 to submit an abstract under three tracks (Emissions Control; New Plants: Design & Construction; and Plant Management & Operation). COAL-GEN is scheduled for Aug. 20-22 in Nashville, Tenn. Read More Share:

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