Saturday, May 31, 2014

AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY March 2012 Revised June 2012 FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI: ANS Committee Report

AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY

March 2012

Revised June 2012

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI:

ANS Committee Report

http://fukushima.ans.org/report/Fukushima_report.pdf

Plutonium Disposition by Downblending and Disposal

http://www.aaas.org/event/plutonium-disposition-downblending-and-disposal

Friday, May 30, 2014

MIT Technology Review: How the NSA eavesdropping scandal could balkanize the Internet or make it safer.

How the NSA eavesdropping scandal could balkanize the Internet or make it safer.

In this report:

1. Spying is Bad for Business
2. Cyberspying Targets Energy Secrets
3. Before Snowden, There Was Huawei

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USA at 1-800-877-5230. From outside the USA, call 818-487-2088. Representatives are available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern.

Reported bid for Duke Energy's Midwest power plants could hit $2.5B

Reported bid for Duke Energy's Midwest power plants could hit $2.5B • 6:33 PM

Blackstone Group (BX) and Riverstone Holdings have teamed up to bid on Duke Energy's (DUK) portfolio of 11 power plants in the Midwest, which could fetch ~$2.5B, WSJ reports.
Energy-focused P-E firms Energy Investors Funds and Energy Capital Partners also reportedly submitted bids.
Potential buyers are betting the business is positioned to benefit from a recovery in electricity prices, which have been driven down in part by the shale boom that has lowered the cost of natural gas.

Read commentshttp://seekingalpha.com/news/1779113-reported-bid-for-duke-energys-midwest-power-plants-could-hit-2_5b?uprof=46

Oil Change International: New Report Outlines the Rise of Crude-by-Rail in North America

Oil Change International: New Report Outlines the Rise of Crude-by-Rail in North America
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2014/05/30

'Runaway Oil Trains': A Metaphor for Our Fossil Fuel Failure

'Runaway Oil Trains': A Metaphor for Our Fossil Fuel Failure
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/05/30-1

Shinseki Resigns Defense One Breaking News - May 30, 2014

Shinseki Resigns

Defense One Breaking News - May 30, 2014

CRE calling for a "war by coal"

CRE calling for a "war by coal" http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/cre-calling-war-coal/2014-05-29?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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For more:
- see this letter
Related Articles:
EPA win has coal industry in an uproar
Proposal to reduce carbon pollution under fire
Coal: More upside than down

Russia helps Kazakh nuclear power plans

Kazakhstan's return to nuclear power is to be aided by Russian cooperation. An agreement on a new plant project was signed in front of the countries' presidents.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Russia-helps-Kazakh-nuclear-power-plans-3005141.html

Renewable Energy Standards Put On Hold in Ohio

Renewable Energy Standards Put On Hold in Ohio *by Renewable Energy World Editors* \| May 29, 2014 \| Post Your Comment
	Ohio can no longer be counted as one of the 29 U.S. states that is working to satisfy its renewable portfolio standard. Yesterday the Ohio general assembly approved a bill to freeze the standards for electricity efficiency and gen... Full Articlehttp://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/05/ohio-freezes-standards-for-renewable-energy-in-landmark-vote?cmpid=WNL-Friday-May30-2014

Harnessing the Power of the Tides

Harnessing the Power of the Tides *by Peter Kydd, Parsons Brinckerhoff* \| May 28, 2014 \| Post Your Comment
	Tidal power remains one of the great engineering challenges yet to be fully exploited in the modern world and yet it was first mooted more than a century ago. The oceans hold enormous quantities of potential energy that can be de... Full Articlehttp://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/05/harnessing-the-power-of-the-tides?cmpid=WNL-Friday-May30-2014

Speaker Madigan, Exelon Declare “Nuclear War” on Renewables, Pass HR1146

http://neis.org/speaker-madigan-exelon-declare-nuclear-war-on-renewables-pass-hr1146/

MIT Offshore Floating Nuclear Plant group to crowdsource ideas for new reactor design

http://web.mit.edu/nse/news/2014/ofnp_wiki.html

Electricity Supply

http://www.nei.org/Why-Nuclear-Energy/Reliable-Affordable-Energy/Electricity-Supply

Full transcript of President Obama’s commencement address at West Point - The Washington Post

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Thoughts On Nuclear

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/05/17/federal-energy-regulatory-commissions-thoughts-on-nuclear/

Wind and solar can’t equal nuclear power’s capacity

http://www.app.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/05/29/wind-solar-equal-nuclear-powers-capacity/9736135/

IHS report highlights benefits of lifting US oil export ban

IHS report highlights benefits of lifting US oil export ban
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/658cb9f8-e71b-11e3-aa93-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=crm/email/2014530/nbe/EnergyMining/product#axzz33DBU0tXG

US politics: Permanent campaigner - FT.com

PennEnergy's Tops Power News 5/30

Top Power Headlines

MIT: Record Breaking Solar Cells
A team at MIT has set a new record for the most efficient quantum-dot cells — a type of solar cell that is seen as especially promising because of its inherently low cost, versatility, and light weight
Full Article
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GE extends proposal deadline for Alstom acquisition
General Electric has extended the deadline for consideration of its $16.9 billion offer to acquire French conglomerate Alstom's power and grid segments
Full Article
Share:

Top Power News
• Ute Tribe looks to build 1,000 MW gas-fired power station
• Duke signs agreement with EPA on Dan River coal ash cleanup
• EnerVault deploys grid-scale flow battery for energy storage
• Saudi Aramco to boost solar power investments
• EIA: U.S. wood pellet exports double in 2013
• Road to restoration at Drake coal-fired power plant
• Regional response center enhances U.S. nuclear power safety (Video)
• DOE funds projects to advance CSP systems (Video)
• NTPC mulls import fueled 2,400 MW coal-fired power plant
• UK proposals to simplify access for shale gas, geothermal energy

ANS Update: Plutonium Disposition by “Downblending and Disposal”

Updates from ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog

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Plutonium Disposition by “Downblending and Disposal”

By ansnuclearcafe on May 29, 2014 04:21 pm

By Adam Hoffman The subject of plutonium disposition has a long history that dates back to the end of the Cold War, combining complex technical, policy, and diplomatic issues. A discussion of this history is timely because the Department of … Continue reading →
Read in browser »

The Coming Struggle Over Iran Nuclear Pact

Interviewee: George Perkovich, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
May 21, 2014
Iran and the so-called P5+1 [the United States, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany] are unlikely to reach an agreement on the former's controversial nuclear program by the stated goal of July 20, says George Perkovich, director of Carnegie's Nuclear Policy program, but he feels a partial accord is possible by the end of the year. The biggest challenge, he explains, is on the issue of uranium enrichment—Iran wants to more than double its nineteen thousand centrifuges while the P5+1 wants to limit this number to about four thousand. Perkovich says that opponents to nuclear diplomacy in both countries will likely try to leverage the missed deadline to derail the process.http://www.cfr.org/iran/coming-struggle-over-iran-nuclear-pact/p33012

Creepy Photos Surface of First American Suicide Bomber in Syria

Where to Invest Around the World, 2014 Edition

Earthly Conflicts Threaten US-Russia Space Cooperation

Earthly Conflicts Threaten US-Russia Space Cooperation
Washington DC (SPX) May 29, 2014 - Angered over U.S. sanctions against Russian officials involved in the annexation of Crimea, and unrest in Eastern Ukraine, Russian deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Moscow may retaliate by re-assessing the space cooperation between the two countries. If his threat becomes reality, it could affect future space explorations aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Russia h ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Earthly_Conflicts_Threaten_US_Russia_Space_Cooperation_999.html

Grid storage solutions could soon become multibillion-dollar industry

Grid storage solutions could soon become multibillion-dollar industry
http://www.miningweekly.com/article/grid-storage-solutions-to-become-multi-billion-dollar-industry-soon-2014-05-29

Final Nuclear, Coal, Oil, and Gas Effluent Guidelines Rule Delayed Until 2015

A final rule establishing national technology-based effluent limitations guidelines and standards to reduce discharges of pollutants from nuclear and fossil fuel power plants to U.S. waters won’t be issued until at least September 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed.
http://www.powermag.com/final-nuclear-coal-oil-and-gas-effluent-guidelines-rule-delayed-until-2015/

Thursday, May 29, 2014

IAEA: Strengthening Arab Network of Nuclear Regulators

Strengthening Arab Network of Nuclear Regulators

Messrs. Denis Flory, IAEA Deputy Director General for the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security (left), and Hafedh Belmabrouk, ANNuR Chairperson, at the signing ceremony of the "Practical Arrangements" on 13 May 2014. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

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The Arab Network of Nuclear Regulators (ANNuR) gathers Member States from the Arab region who use nuclear technology in a variety of ways. While some Arab countries have a nuclear power programme or are interested in developing their nuclear energy capacity, most focus their uses on other nuclear applications (e.g. medical, industrial, research and agricultural applications). Nuclear safety and security capabilities being sometimes limited in the region, there has been a clear need for consolidation of national infrastructures and capacity building at the institutional, organizational and technical levels; especially with regard to the development of national legislative and regulatory frameworks.
As the secretariat for several multinational regulatory networks, the IAEA facilitates sharing knowledge, best practices and common experiences as well as advice among international regulators facing similar problems. Created in 2010, ANNuR is the most recent IAEA nuclear regulatory network, gathering 22 member countries, with the purpose of enhancing, strengthening and harmonizing the regulatory infrastructure among Arab countries as well as exchanging regulatory knowledge and experiences with other international and regional networks that comprises the IAEA Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network (GNSSN). The ANNuR network will play a key role in sharing and maintaining nuclear safety and security knowledge within the international nuclear community.
To further this endeavour, on 13 May 2014, during the International Conference on Human Resource Development for Nuclear Power Programmes: Building and Sustaining Capacity, Mr. Denis Flory, IAEA Deputy Director General for the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, and Mr. Hafedh Belmabrouk, ANNuR Chairperson signed a "Practical Arrangements" agreement to further strengthen IAEA's support, capacity building and cooperation with the ANNuR network. This agreement is designed to better facilitate current and future education, training as well as the advisory mission needs of Arab regulatory bodies in the production and sustainability of relevant regulations and guidelines. Mr. Abdelmajid Mahjoub, Director General of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA), also attended the signing. The AAEA is a sub organization of the Arab league and is structured similarly to that of the IAEA and also shares the same principles and objectives; it comprises a total of 15 Arab states.
Background
Launched in March 2010, the Arab Network of Nuclear Regulators (ANNuR) focuses on enhancing, strengthening and harmonizing the radiation protection, nuclear safety and security regulatory infrastructure and framework among the ANNuR's Members. As a part of the Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network (GNSSN), ANNuR's objective - to be carried out partially through the use of an IAEA internet portal within the GNSSN platform, is to facilitate regional cooperation, with a focus on capacity building and infrastructure development as well as exchange regulatory experiences and practices among the nuclear regulatory bodies in the region. ANNuR also serves as a forum for an exchange of ideas to find innovative approaches on issues of common interest.
Presently the ANNuR knowledge network comprises eight thematic working groups, gathering experts working together on issues of common interest, sharing knowledge, and developing solutions to address common problems and working towards filling common gaps.
ANNuR Member States are Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

- By Ruth Morgart, IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
(Note to Media: We encourage you to republish these stories and kindly request attribution to the IAEA)

Dr. Stephanie Morrow, “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Oversight of Safety Culture”

Delivered By:

Dr. Stephanie Morrow

Delivered On:

5/28/2014

Related Public Hearing(s):

Presentation:

PDF

http://www.dnfsb.gov/dr-stephanie-morrow-%E2%80%9C-nuclear-regulatory-commission%E2%80%99s-oversight-safety-culture%E2%80%9D

NJ needs a nuclear power expansion: Opinion

http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/05/nj_needs_a_nuclear_power_expansion_opinion.html

Florida Utilitys Nuclear Plan Passes Important Milestone

http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/power_industrial/2014/0602-florida-utility8217s-nuclear-plan-passes-important-milestone.asp

Fossil fuel execs could face personal legal liability for climate change

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/fossil-fuel-execs-could-face-personal-legal-liability-climate-change/2014-05-29?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

A Pushback on Green Power By DIANE CARDWELL

A Pushback on Green Power

By DIANE CARDWELL
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/business/energy-environment/a-pushback-on-green-power.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

The Rise of the Personal Power Plant

Smart and agile power systems will let every home and business generate, store, and share electricity

http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/the-smarter-grid/the-rise-of-the-personal-power-plant

Fukushima given UN report on effects of radiation

Fukushima given UN report on effects of radiation
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140528_27.html

MIT announces new initiative on environment

Fukushima updates 5/29/14 -

Fukushima updates 5/29/14 -

A leak has been discovered coming from F. Daiichi unit #1 primary containment (PCV)... Tokyo has nominated two replacement Nuclear Regulation Authority Commissioners... Shimane Prefecture has inked an evacuation accord with two neighboring prefectures... Kansai Electric Co. might restart the Oi nukes despite the recent Fukui court order... Radiophobia has struck Ibaraki Prefecture... Tritium has been found above Tepco’s ridiculously low limit in a groundwater well at F. Daiichi.

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

EU lays out energy plan, to reduce Russia dependence

Brussels (AFP) May 28, 2014 - The European Commission laid out plans Wednesday to cut the EU's costly reliance on energy imports, especially from Russia which has threatened to halt gas supplies to Ukraine, a key transit point for Europe. A report prepared for European Union leaders recommended a broad series of measures to promote indigenous sources, including renewables and nuclear energy, and to make progress on a sin ... more
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/EU_lays_out_energy_plan_to_reduce_Russia_dependence_999.html

New York coast could be site of new wind farms, U.S. government says

Washington (UPI) May 28, 2013 - The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it was calling on companies to submit their interests for wind energy leases off the coast of New York. BOEM said it was moving forward with plans to lease wind energy areas in a region about 11 nautical miles south off Long Beach, N.Y. Walter Cruickshank, acting BOEM director, said in a statement the agency would decide whether or not t ... morehttp://www.winddaily.com/reports/New_York_coast_could_be_site_of_new_wind_farms_US_government_says_999.html

Federal funding agreed for NuScale

Federal funding agreed for NuScale
NuScale will receive up to $217 million in funding over five years to develop its small modular reactor under an agreement finalised with the US Department of Energy.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Federal-funding-agreed-for-NuScale-2905144.html

Europe looks to boost energy security

Europe looks to boost energy security
Nuclear power enhances energy security and should be expanded with support from a variety of fuel suppliers, said a European Commission study. Heads of government will discuss the report in June.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Europe-looks-to-boost-energy-security-2905141.html

Monitoring and Surveillance of Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities - IAEA Safety Standards Series

Monitoring and Surveillance of Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities - IAEA Safety Standards Series...

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1640_web.pdf ; ...

Democracy ain't always a good export

Antarctic ice-sheet less stable than previously assumed

Antarctic ice-sheet less stable than previously assumed
Honolulu HI (SPX) May 29, 2014 - The first evidence for massive and abrupt iceberg calving in Antarctica, dating back 19,000 to 9,000 years ago, has now been documented by an international team of geologists and climate scientists. Their findings are based on analysis of new, long deep sea sediment cores extracted from the region between the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The study in Nature bears witness t ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Antarctic_ice_sheet_less_stable_than_previously_assumed_999.html

New study finds Antarctic Ice Sheet unstable at end of last ice age
Corvallis OR (SPX) May 29, 2014 - A new study has found that the Antarctic Ice Sheet began melting about 5,000 years earlier than previously thought coming out of the last ice age - and that shrinkage of the vast ice sheet accelerated during eight distinct episodes, causing rapid sea level rise. The international study, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, is particularly important coming on the heels of rece ... more http://www.terradaily.com/reports/New_study_finds_Antarctic_Ice_Sheet_unstable_at_end_of_last_ice_age_999.html

NRC: Exchanging Information on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Exchanging Information on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Leave a comment Posted by Moderator on May 29, 2014

Maria Guardiola

Chemical Engineer

Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

If you follow the NRC closely, you’ve probably heard about our annual Regulatory Information Conference, which brings together a couple thousand people from around the world to discuss a wide range of topics related to the NRC’s work. This type of conference is an invaluable forum for the NRC and a variety of stakeholders—licensees, the public, other government officials—to discuss emerging issues, policy initiatives and nuclear safety.
In a couple weeks we’ll hold a similar but much smaller and more focused conference. The Fuel Cycle Information Exchange will be held June 10-11 at our Rockville, Md., headquarters. It allows the NRC to talk to and hear from industry, the public and government officials about issues related to the nuclear fuel cycle. By that we mean facilities that process uranium ore, meaning they convert it into a form that can be enriched (concentrated), enrich the uranium and fabricate it into nuclear fuel.
The ability to exchange information with stakeholders is so important to the work the NRC does. We value input from all our stakeholders, even from our critics. This format allows open dialogue and a free exchange of views that strengthens the safety basis for our decisions and fosters a greater awareness of important regulatory issues.
Much like the RIC, the fuel cycle conference is heavy on technical details but also features higher level policy talks from senior-level NRC managers. This year’s program includes remarks from Chairman Allison Macfarlane, chief executive Mark Satorius, and his deputy for materials, Mike Weber. Here are just some of the items on the agenda:

NRC’s Yucca Mountain activities
Analyzing chemical hazards
Radiation protection standards
Decommissioning planning
Nonproliferation and security
Considering spent fuel storage when designing nuclear fuel

Participants are also invited to tour the NRC’s Emergency Operations Center, where managers and staff would converge to monitor a licensee’s response to an emergency.
Join us if you can, or tune into our webcast of the executive remarks. If it doesn’t fit into your plans, though, you can rest assured we will use this conference to talk through important issues that will help us to keep you safe. You can find more information here.

China’s anti-corruption drive focuses on energy industry

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5379486c-e608-11e3-a7f5-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=published_links/rss/world_asia-pacific_china/feed//product&siteedition=uk&utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&utm_campaign=5f11eed562-Sinocism05_29_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_171f237867-5f11eed562-29615013&mc_cid=5f11eed562&mc_eid=5935182a65#axzz333wwAJpR

Related: 能源行业反腐或还有大动作：几名领导早已被盯上_网易新闻中心 this report says bigger moves to come in the corruption crackdown in the energy industry...Luo Changping wrote in his 2013 account of the takedown of Liu Tienan (《打铁记》第15章：山西“西山会”_真话) about a Shanxi "club" of officials…a group now getting pulled apart in corruption probes --不晚于2007年，一个名叫“西山会”的高官圈子悄然成型，由进入或候补进入中委的晋籍官员组成。除了官员，只有个别获得身份认可的同籍商人，才能拥有埋单的资格，刘铁男身后的温商倪日涛不在其列。尽管刘铁男从未在公开场合表露自己的祖籍，但在这个私密场合，却以特殊的方式强化。在京西郁郁葱葱的丛林之中，他们定了不止一间会所，以不低于三月一次的聚会频率保持联络。每迎聚会，会有豪车负责接送，手机、秘书、情人必须隔离。红墙绿瓦，豪车美女，紫檀黄金……织造出了隐蔽、幽静的权贵交际平台。谁手握着那张通往西山饭局的门票，似乎也就坐上了权力晋级的直梯。那种权力膨胀的速度，并亚于他们故乡——煤都老板的财富迭增。一名大内管家成为他们名副其实的“党鞭”，正是通过他，郭静华为自己的丈夫刘铁男获得了那张门票

Related: 能源领域今年已有近16名官员和国企高管落马 _新闻_腾讯网 16 officials and SOE execs taken down so far in corruption investigations into energy industry

Related: 山西吕梁原副市长张中生被查_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 another Shanxi official under investigation//山西省吕梁市原副市长张中生涉嫌严重违纪违法，目前正接受组织调查。（山西省纪委）

PennEnergy's Top Power Headlines 5/29

Top Power Headlines
Ute Indian Tribe looks to build 1,000 MW gas-fired power station The Ute Indian Tribe has announced plans for the development of a 1,000 megawatt gas-fired power plant on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah …more>>

Road to restoration at Drake coal-fired power plant Colorado Springs Utilities outlines restoration efforts and financial considerations in the wake of a four-alarm fire at its coal-fired Martin Drake power plant …more>>

Xcel, SunPower to build new 50 MW solar power project Xcel Energy and SunPower to build new 50 megawatt solar power plant in Colorado's San Luis Valley …more>>

EIA: U.S. wood pellet exports double in 2013 Analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration reveals U.S. wood pellet exports doubled in 2013 in response to growing European demand …more>>

ABB to upgrade plant controls in the Philippines One of the world’s largest bunker-fueled diesel power plants upgrades to ABB’s Symphony Plus solution …more>>

DOE funds projects to advance concentrating solar power systems The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds six new research and development projects to advance innovative concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies and releases new 2014 CSP report …more>>

Westinghouse to fuel three Vattenfall nuclear reactors in Sweden Westinghouse has been selected to fuel three Vattenfall nuclear reactors in Sweden during a four-year period …more>>