Saturday, September 27, 2014

Updates from ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog

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Seven Decades Past, A New Dawn

By Will Davis on Sep 26, 2014 01:47 pm

by Will Davis Shortly before midnight on September 26, 1944, a sustained chain reaction was begun for the first time in a nuclear reactor whose purpose was not merely to prove that fission could be achieved or sustained. The brand new … Continue reading →
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Regulators: Nuclear plant not ready to operate without special oversight

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/regulators-nuclear-plant-not-ready-to-operate-without-special-oversight/article_848228b3-1ca0-5643-98bc-d0fcb634ea55.html

Building of units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear-power plant by a Chinese company, in early 2015

http://actmedia.eu/daily/building-of-units-3-and-4-of-the-cernavoda-nuclear-power-plant-by-a-chinese-company-in-early-2015/54380

Nuclear construction surges in developing world

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Nuclear+construction+surges+developing+world/10241690/story.html

A Plea to Tepco and Tokyo – Just Do It!

A Plea to Tepco and Tokyo – Just Do It!

What would be the best possible way to reduce the wastewater problem at F. Daiichi? Tepco and Tokyo should start dumping the stored waters already run through ALPS as soon as the local fishermen and the public have been fully informed. Wait a minute…they already have! Damn the radiophobic fears and unfounded rumors…JUST DO IT!

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

Nuclear liability law signal before take-off for US

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140926/jsp/nation/story_18874469.jsp#.VCbZwxmjHgo

Is U.S. Gas Really Expensive, And Will It Get Cheaper?

http://oilprice.com/Energy/Gas-Prices/Is-U.S.-Gas-Really-Expensive-And-Will-It-Get-Cheaper.html

U.S. Crude Production to the Rescue

Supply matters. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) chief Adam Sieminski, crude oil could cost at least $150 a barrel today because of supply disruptions in the Middle East and North Africa – if not for rising U.S. crude production. - See more at: http://energytomorrow.com/blog/2014/september/us-crude-production-to-the-rescue#sthash.9iH7fePe.dpuf

http://energytomorrow.com/blog/2014/september/us-crude-production-to-the-rescue

Environmentalism Is Dead

How America abandoned its role as leader of the fight to save the planet -- and killed a movement.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/09/25/environmentalism_is_dead_climate_change_united_nations_united_states

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2014/09/26/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-weekly-review-092602.aspx#.VCbX3RmjHgo

Finland Rejects Extension For Olkiluoto-4 Construction Licence Application

http://www.nucnet.org/all-the-news/2014/09/26/finland-rejects-extension-for-olkiluoto-4-construction-licence-application

Is This $7.6 Billion Deal A Sign of Things Coming?

http://oilprice.com/Finance/investing-and-trading-reports/Is-This-7.6-Billion-Deal-A-Sign-of-Things-Coming.html

Japan: Utilities should have nuclear waste storage facilities as prerequisite for reactor restarts, panel says

Utilities should have nuclear waste storage facilities as prerequisite for reactor restarts, panel says

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/26/national/utilities-nuclear-waste-storage-facilities-prerequisite-reactor-restarts-panel/#.VCbWuxmjHgo

Going Forward: Women's Role in All Things Nuclear

IAEA General Conference

The side event on Women in All Things Nuclear - The Way Forward addressed the roles and opportunities that women can have in the nuclear sector in areas such as nuclear law, regulation, technology, policy, diplomacy and management. (Photo: C. Hofilena/IAEA)

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On the second day of the 58th IAEA General Conference, IAEA Deputy Director General, and Head of the Department of Management, together with representatives of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), Women in Nuclear (WIN) and the International Network for Emerging Nuclear Specialists (INENS), organized the second round table discussion on Women in All Things Nuclear - the Way Forward.
This early morning event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and France to the IAEA, and also saw the participation of Angela Kane, the United Nations (UN) High Representative for Disarmament Affairs; Allison M. Macfarlane, Chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission; the IAEA Resident Representatives from France, Philippines, the United Kingdom; and eminent experts in the field of nuclear science and technology.
The round table event was moderated by Laura Rockwood, a former IAEA staff member, who is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. In her introductory remarks, Ms Rockwood focused on the roles and opportunities for women in areas such as nuclear law, regulation, technology, policy, diplomacy and management.
IAEA Deputy Director General Janice Dunn Lee, in welcoming the attendees, provided an overview of the good progress made since last year's event, that included the proactive outreach efforts undertaken, such as the IAEA Division of Human Resources' new candidate sourcing strategy which employs social media and networking tools to reach out to women in the nuclear sector; promotional activities that highlighted the work of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in health, water, nutrition and agriculture - all of which are issues of interest for women; and her passion to help "find the next Marie Curie". Emphasizing the need for an intense and inter-disciplinary approach to achieve these objectives, Ms Dunn Lee also reiterated the importance of early education and the promotion of science and technology among young girls, who can make a difference to international peace and security in the future.
Ms Angela Kane, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, pointed to the importance that the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon places on gender balance at the UN, including his requirement that there should be at least one female candidate among three top choice candidates in every recommendation for appointment to senior posts. She also highlighted the importance given at the UN to the critical role women play in sustaining peace and security.
Other key issues raised by the participants pertained to the following:

The use of social media to generate women's interest in developing a career in the field of nuclear science and technology;
Encouraging young girls and mentoring them to take the challenge in a field of expertise that they tend to avoid;
Having programmes that would raise the confidence of women that they are competent to work in law, management, policy, diplomacy, as well as in scientific and technical fields in the nuclear sector;
The role of IAEA Member States and other key stakeholders in being more supportive and energetic in promoting opportunities for women and emerging specialists; and
Encouragement (from a male participant) for women to help build a pipeline of support and to "interfere" in the process when it is noticed that young females are losing an academic and a professional interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Round table participants agreed to proactively continue to strengthen and cement their outreach efforts among women to raise awareness about the benefits of nuclear sciences and technologies; to be receptive to new ideas that would enable women to move forward together with men, as equal partners in making the world a better place for future generations.

-- By Aabha Dixit, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

Siemens: we will be in fossil fuels 'for the really long-term'

Coal still key to future growth despite strong focus on renewables, says company
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/26/siemens-we-will-be-in-fossil-fuels-for-the-really-long-term

Tennessee as Radioactive Waste Dumping Ground – Fact Sheet

http://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/tennessee-as-radioactive-waste-dumping-ground-fact-sheet/

Technical Requirements in the Bidding Process for a New Research Reactor - IAEA Nuclear Energy Series NP-T-5.6

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1659_web.pdf ;

http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/IAEABooks/10606/Technical-Requirements-in-the-Bidding-Process-for-a-New-Research-Reactor-

www-pub.iaea.org www-pub.iaea.org

www-pub.iaea.org

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1659_web.pdf

Why It Matters That Statoil Just Shelved Its Multi-Billion-Dollar Tar Sands Project

Why It Matters That Statoil Just Shelved Its Multi-Billion-Dollar Tar Sands Project by Emily Atkin, 15 hours ago An aerial view of a mining site for Canadian tar sands in Alberta, Canada. Tar sands are the type of fuel that would be transported in Keystone XL

Electricity Prices Soar in New England. And Soon in Vermont.

http://yesvy.blogspot.com/2014/09/electricity-prices-soar-in-new-england.html#.VCaoMShCqvI

Friday, September 26, 2014

Victor Gilinsky Guest Post: NIXON AND THE ISRAELI BOMB: DID HE COMMIT THE US TO OMERTÁ?

Here's something I wrote in response to the FP article:

NIXON AND THE ISRAELI BOMB: DID HE COMMIT THE US TO OMERTÁ?

Victor Gilinsky

The US government’s recent declassification of documents relating to the Nixon administration’s review on what to do about Israel’s nuclear weapons has revived the myth of a secret 1969 pact between Richard Nixon and Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir, one that still binds US policy: if Israel kept mum about its bomb the United States would, too.[1] What really happened in 1969—in midst of the Cold War—was that the United States and Israel both remained silent so as not to provoke Arab pressures on the Soviet Union to provide them with nuclear help, a rationale that has no relevance today. The insidious aspect of the current “pact-of-silence” interpretation of the Nixon-Meir September 1969 meeting is that it justifies a continued gag on America that only Israel can remove.
The United States needs to be free to speak clearly if it is to gain support for controlling the spread of nuclear weapons. The subject bears most immediately on America’s ability to participate in the international conference on weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, mandated by a unanimous vote of the 2010 Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference. You can’t very well participate in such a conference if you pretend ignorance about Israel’s nuclear status, which is what the US government has been doing. It has also been dragging its feet about having a Mideast weapons conference at all, but with the 2015 NPT Review Conference around the corner, there is increasing international pressure on the United States to participate.
A good place to start is by unraveling the claimed obligations to maintain silence regarding Israel’s bomb stemming from the 1969 Nixon-Meir meeting. What frequently goes unmentioned is that the meeting was strictly one-on-one. No one else was present, not even Henry Kissinger, the president’s national security advisor. There is no known written record describing what took place, not even a second-hand one, so we can only speculate.
Kissinger’s absence from the meeting vitiates the interpretations of Nixon’s actions in light of the (now declassified) interagency study on Israeli nuclear weapons and proliferation that Henry Kissinger had conducted for the president in advance of the meeting. Nixon had his own ideas on the subject, and they didn’t have much to do with Kissinger’s study. When it came to dealing with Israel, Nixon mainly had other things on his mind than proliferation. A strong clue as to what they were is in a March 1970 Nixon memorandum to Kissinger, which Nixon quotes almost entirely in his Memoirs.
Nixon told Kissinger that, in further talks with Meir and Rabin, Kissinger needed to “lay it on the line” that the key to Nixon’s own pro-Israel stance was opposition to Soviet expansion. He was committed to helping Israel maintain a military “edge,” but also counting on Israel to stand with the United States in the Cold War. Nixon complained that he did not get many Jewish votes. He was especially annoyed that US Jews were hawks on Israeli defense but doves on Vietnam; he expected Israeli help in straightening out their co-religionists. (He added grimly, “Unless they [the Israelis] understand it and act as if they understood it beginning now they are down the tubes.”) If there was an explicit Nixon-Meir deal, this is what it would likely have been about—the US supply of advanced weapons in return for Israeli support on opposing Soviet expansion and help in shifting US Jewish voters to the Republican column.
As to secrecy about Israel’s bomb, there was no need at the time for anything more than a wink and a nod, as both Nixon and Meir had parallel interests in avoiding Arab efforts to match Israel’s capability. The Soviets, who undoubtedly had their own sources within Israel, had an interest in secrecy, too.
The relevant question today is: Does any residual US obligation for silence about Israel’s bomb remain from the 1969 meeting? The Soviets are history, and everyone knows the Israelis have nuclear weapons, so the logic that initially supported the US pretense of ignorance about Israel’s status has evaporated. In any case, the notion of an obligation growing out of an unrecorded meeting over forty years ago, whose content no one can know, is just plain silly.
While it remains convenient from the Israeli point of view to maintain that the United States remains obligated by a 1969 Nixon-Meir deal until released by Israel, it makes no sense from a US point of view. Whether US presidents have obligated themselves subsequently to protect Israel’s nuclear status with American silence is something we don’t know. One thing we do know: that at this point, the United States is not keeping a secret; it is just making itself look ridiculous and hypocritical in the eyes of the world.

[1] September 12, 2014, online Foreign Policy, “If you don’t like Israeli Nuclear Weapons: Blame Nixon,” by Avner Cohen and William Burr; see also September 16, 2014 online Atlantic article “Israel's Worst-Kept Secret,” Douglas Birch and R. Jeffrey Smith, (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/09/israel-nuclear-weapons-secret-united-states/380237/2/). Most of the declassified material had already been available for some years in the Nixon Library, but the addition provides added detail to what was known.

On September 12, 2014 at 2:45 PM Michele Kearney <micheletkearney@gmail.com> wrote:

Dept Of Secrets

Don't Like That Israel Has the Bomb? Blame Nixon.

Newly declassified documents reveal how the Nixon White House looked the other way while Israel built the Middle East’s first nukes.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/09/12/richard_nixon_kissinger_israel_nuclear_weapons_history

IAEA Scientific Forum Highlights Responsibility for Radioactive Waste

Establish Comprehensive Disposal Plans, Says Amano

Showing a stainless steel capsule used for conditioning disused sealed radioactive sources, which would have been used in medical, food, construction and other industries, IAEA Director General Amano emphasizes that radioactive waste is an issue for all States. (Photo: A. Evrensel/IAEA)

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A two-day Scientific Forum during the IAEA's annual General Conference emphasized the need for a comprehensive, integrated, cradle-to-grave approach for management of radioactive waste.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano closed the event on Wednesday, 24 September 2014, by highlighting that anyone using any form of nuclear technology should start with the end of the fuel cycle in mind. "All Member States should embrace, from the start, their responsibility for radioactive waste management," he said. "It is imperative that each country establish a comprehensive plan for waste disposal as soon as they begin to use nuclear technologies." He added that the issue of radioactive waste disposal was a very important one, and that the IAEA has a role to play in disseminating information and accelerating research.
At the closing high-level panel of this year's Forum, entitled Radioactive Waste: Meeting the Challenge - Science and Technology for Safe and Sustainable Solutions, Director General Amano was joined by Mr. David Huizenga, President of the 5th Review Meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel, and Mr. Massimo Garribba, Director of the European Commission (EC) Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Fuel Cycle of the Directorate General for Energy.
Mr. Huizenga said that the Joint Convention was an essential tool for reaching a higher level of safety worldwide, but that responsibility for implementation rests with Member States. Mr. Garribba explained the close relation between the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel and Euratom's Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Directive, and outlined the resulting obligations for the European Union (EU) Member States. Among these is the requirement of a decennial peer review of national waste management programmes, and the EC-IAEA cooperation to ensure that a viable peer review service will be available to assist EU Member States.
More than 300 participants attended the event at the IAEA Headquarters, and included in the audience were waste management experts, as well as diplomats and journalists. Overall, 29 speakers took part in the four sessions and three panels that followed a journey metaphor: Getting Started; Along the Journey; Destination; and the Path Ahead. Live webcasting allowed audiences across the world to pose questions to the speakers during the animated discussions. Ms. Melinda Crane, chief political correspondent at Deutsche Welle TV, moderated the event.
The Forum's second day focused on disposal solutions and concepts for all types of radioactive waste, as well as spent nuclear fuel. Disposal of high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel, although not yet licensed anywhere, is progressing successfully in several countries, the Forum heard. Finland and Sweden have submitted such licence applications and France is preparing its submission within two years, with a few other countries moving toward siting.
Why we can have confidence in long-term safety was also looked at with great attention, through a review of how safety of deep geological disposal are assessed, and how the use of underground research facilities and engineering demonstrators contribute to establishing a solid basis for developing such safe solutions.
The Forum also addressed some of the scientific and technological developments pertaining to deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
The Path Ahead panel looked into how evolving nuclear technologies, such as better use of nuclear fuel, more effective waste forms and advanced reactors and fuel cycles, including thorium fuel cycle and fast reactors, could affect future waste management. While such developments indeed hold promise to reduce the volume and radiotoxicity of waste managed, they are not yet in place. Hence, the Forum was informed that implementing available safe waste management solutions should remain a priority.
The Forum also heard that that there was a fundamental political and societal component of establishing successful radioactive waste management solutions, as risk perceptions influence people's decisions.
All the presentations made at the Forum can be found here.

-- By Ayhan Evrensel, IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy

(Note to Media: We encourage you to republish these stories and kindly request attribution to the IAEA)

Going Forward: Women's Role in All Things Nuclear

IAEA General Conference

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The use of social media to generate women's interest in developing a career in the field of nuclear science and technology;
Encouraging young girls and mentoring them to take the challenge in a field of expertise that they tend to avoid;
Having programmes that would raise the confidence of women that they are competent to work in law, management, policy, diplomacy, as well as in scientific and technical fields in the nuclear sector;
The role of IAEA Member States and other key stakeholders in being more supportive and energetic in promoting opportunities for women and emerging specialists; and
Encouragement (from a male participant) for women to help build a pipeline of support and to "interfere" in the process when it is noticed that young females are losing an academic and a professional interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

58th Annual Session of IAEA General Conference Concludes

IAEA General Conference

IAEA General Conference. (Photo: D. Calma//IAEA)

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The 58th annual session of the IAEA General Conference concluded today in Vienna. More than 3 000 delegates from 162 Member States, international organizations, NGO's and the media attended the event held at IAEA headquarters in Vienna from 22 to 26 September 2014.
At its closing session, General Conference delegates adopted resolutions aimed at strengthening the IAEA's work in the areas of nuclear science and technology, safety, security, safeguards and technical cooperation. The adopted resolutions will be posted on the Resolutions page of the 58th General Conference website as they become available.
Also at the General Conference, a special Scientific Forum on Radioactive Waste: Meeting the Challenge - Science and Technology for Safe and Sustainable Solutions, as well as a number of side events on the Agency's work in areas such as nuclear energy, safety and security, nuclear sciences and applications and technical cooperation, were held.
Following are selected highlights from the week-long event:
The General Conference elected Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka as President. It also approved the applications of the Union of the Comoros, Republic of Djibouti, Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Vanuatu for membership in the IAEA. Membership will take effect once the appropriate legal instruments are deposited with the Agency.
The 2014 IAEA Scientific Forum on Radioactive Waste: Meeting the Challenge - Science and Technology for Safe and Sustainable Solutions, was conducted over a two day period, 23-24 September 2014. It featured presentations and discussions from scientists, experts and policy makers in this field of expertise. The Forum's goal was to explore the importance of an integrated approach to waste management, from its generation to disposal, including anticipation of future developments. It emphasized the need for a comprehensive, integrated, cradle-to-grave approach for management of radioactive waste.
Exhibitions by IAEA Member States were displayed at several venues around the Vienna International Centre, and highlighted specific national projects on the peaceful uses of nuclear applications, as well as its benefits for sustainable development.
On 25 September 2014, the General Conference elected 11 new countries to serve on the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors for the period 2014-2015. The newly elected Board members are Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The 59th IAEA General Conference will be held from 14 to 18 September 2015 at the Agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

-- By Rodolfo Quevenco, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

(Note to Media: We encourage you to republish these stories and kindly request attribution to the IAEA)

IAEA: Promoting Strong and Independent Regulation

Promoting Strong and Independent Regulation

Senior Nuclear Regulators Meet at IAEA General Conference for the 30th Year
IAEA General Conference

The Senior Regulators' Meeting, where information on current regulatory issues and trends is exchanged, is an annual event organized by the Agency during the General Conference. (Photo: S. Henriques)

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Senior nuclear regulators met on 25 September 2014 in Vienna, Austria, on the margins of the 58th IAEA General Conference to discuss issues central to creating more adaptive and robust nuclear regulation.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano opened the meeting by emphasizing the importance of a properly established legal and regulatory framework in order to ensure continued nuclear safety and nuclear security. "Improving nuclear safety is a never-ending story and regulators play an essential role," he said.
"Strong and independent regulators, operating under a robust legal framework, are vital for ensuring a high level of nuclear safety and nuclear security," said Amano.
The morning session of the day-long meeting was chaired by Pierre-Franck Chevet, President of the French Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN). The afternoon's proceedings were chaired by Raoul Awad, Director General of the Directorate of Security and Safeguards at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Both sessions included Member State presentations, presentations from the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security about the publications and services the Agency provides to bolster countries' regulatory efforts, and lively interactive panel discussions.
The first session of the Senior Regulators' Meeting focused mainly on the role of the regulatory body in strengthening the implementation of defence in depth, the need for regulators to address human and organizational factors as well as engineered protection, and the use of different deterministic and probabilistic tools to achieve a balanced design.
Defence in depth is the primary means of preventing and mitigating the consequences of accidents, and it is implemented through the combination of a number of consecutive and independent levels of protection that would have to fail before people or the environment could be harmed.
The second session addressed the regulatory needs and challenges in nuclear security.
Several Member States presented their experiences in licensing facilities for nuclear security, and the IAEA set out its programme for nuclear security for nuclear material and nuclear facilities. Presenters spoke about their experience in the use of INFCIRC/225/Rev. 5 (IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13), which was found to be a good basis for regulating the nuclear industry. Newcomers to nuclear power were also encouraged to work closely with the IAEA and with those Member States that have experience in threat characterization.
Evolution Over 30 Years
Denis Flory, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, then presented a special additional session celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Senior Regulators' Meeting, which looked back at topics spanning the last three decades and considered how the meeting has evolved over the last 30 years, from addressing only nuclear power plant safety matters, to covering nuclear safety and radiation protection, to addressing both nuclear safety and security at every meeting.
Background
The Senior Regulators' Meeting is an annual event organized by the Agency during the General Conference. It is a forum for the exchange of information on current regulatory issues and trends among senior government officials involved in regulatory matters in the fields of nuclear, radiation, transport and radioactive waste safety and security.

-- By Sasha Henriques, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

Fukushima, Japan rocked by two earthquakes in one hour; epicenter near nuclear plants

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/fukushima-japan-rocked-by-two-earthquakes-in-one-hour-epicenter-near-nuclear-plants/

New Formulation Leads to Improved Liquid Battery

http://theenergycollective.com/energyatmit/579736/new-formulation-leads-improved-liquid-battery?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

South Africa’s Zuma Negotiated Russian Nuclear Deal, M&G Says

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-26/south-africa-s-zuma-negotiated-russian-nuclear-deal-m-g-says.html

Changes ordered at Los Alamos over nuke waste leak

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/changes-ordered-at-los-alamos-over-nuke-waste-leak/2014/09/26/79cfb120-45af-11e4-8042-aaff1640082e_story.html

How Used Fuel Is Managed at Reactor Sites

http://www.nei.org/News-Media/News/News-Archives/How-Used-Fuel-Is-Managed-at-Reactor-Sites

Future of Nuclear Energy: Japan

Future of Nuclear Energy: Japan

http://forumonenergy.com/2014/09/26/future-of-nuclear-energy-japan/

Hopeful message as nuclear energy conference ends

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/hopeful-message-as-nuclear-energy-conference-ends

Exelon touts nuclear to meet EPA Clean Power Plan

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/exelon-touts-nuclear-meet-epa-clean-power-plan/2014-09-26

Building of units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear-power plant by a Chinese company, in early 2015

http://actmedia.eu/daily/building-of-units-3-and-4-of-the-cernavoda-nuclear-power-plant-by-a-chinese-company-in-early-2015/54380

Russia to start nuclear power plant in Jordan

http://www.globalconreview.com/news/russia-start-nuclear-power-plant467897654323jordan/

Energy shortfall: Pakistan needs to build more nuclear power plants: Dr Ansar Parvez

http://www.brecorder.com/fuel-a-energy/193/1227899/

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

https://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2014/09/26/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-weekly-review-092602.aspx#.VCX21edH1FU

DOE to Break Out Cleanup Work at Los Alamos, LANL Cleanup Managers Relieved of Duties

From: EM Publications [mailto:empublications@exchangemonitor.com]

Sent: Friday, September 26, 2014 7:01 AM

Subject: Weapons Complex Monitor -- Special Bulletin (9-26-2014)

DOE to Break Out Cleanup Work at Los Alamos, LANL Cleanup Managers Relieved of Duties

The Department of Energy will break out the cleanup work at Los Alamos National Laboratory from the National Nuclear Security Administration to be managed by the Office of Environmental Management, WC Monitor has learned. DOE is expected to announce its plans for the cleanup work currently included in the Los Alamos National Security contract as soon as today, though the exact contract vehicle or vehicles to be used remains unclear.

The decision comes as LANL Director Charlie McMillan yesterday relieved several managers of their duties in relation to the site’s transuranic waste processing problems that have been linked to the radiological release at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, WC Monitor has learned. The impacted managers include Dan Cox, LANL deputy associate director of environmental programs, Jeff Mousseau, associate director of environmental programs, Kathy Johns-Hughes, Director of the LANL TRU Program, Tori George, program director for regulatory management.

LANL’s cleanup program has been the focus of scrutiny after a drum processed at LANL was found to be the source of the Feb. 14 radiological release at WIPP. The New Mexico Environment Department has cited LANL for permit violations and also called for breaking out cleanup work at LANL to be managed by DOE EM as a condition for the restart of operations at WIPP.

Is Ocean Acidification Affecting Squid?

The rise in carbon dioxide in the ocean from fossil-fuel burning may have insidious impacts on marine life.
Is Ocean Acidification Affecting Squid?
A key animal in the marine food web may be vulnerable
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/is-ocean-acidification-affecting-squid
Thank you for your interest in Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Oceanus Magazine.

DOE Energy Calculator: Coal, Dynamite, Burritos, and Nuclear Candy

DOE Energy Calculator: Coal, Dynamite, Burritos, and Nuclear Candy

The Department of Energy just posted an interesting online tool for calculating the average amount of energy you consume each year in energy-equivalent terms of coal, dynamite, and burritos (yes, burritos). Turns out the average American burns up the annual energy equivalent of 15,370 pounds of coal (7.7 tons). But the DOE tool lacks a crucial alternative comparison: The energy in 7.7 tons of coal is equal to about 4 inches of uranium nuclear fuel pellets the width of your little finger. In other words, eight gummy-bear-size pieces of nuclear fuel would reliably power every hour of your life for a year – without climate impact emissions.

http://us.arevablog.com/2014/09/26/doe-energy-calculator-coal-dynamite-burritos-and-nuclear-candy/

Natural gas usage will have little effect on CO2 emissions

Natural gas usage will have little effect on CO2 emissions
Irvine CA (SPX) Sep 26, 2014 - Abundant supplies of natural gas will do little to reduce harmful U.S. emissions causing climate change, according to researchers at UC Irvine, Stanford University, and the nonprofit organization Near Zero. They found that inexpensive gas boosts electricity consumption and hinders expansion of cleaner energy sources, such as wind and solar. The study results, which appear in the journal En ... morehttp://www.oilgasdaily.com/reports/Natural_gas_usage_will_have_little_effect_on_CO2_emissions_999.html

Vessel installed at Fangchenggang 2

Vessel installed at Fangchenggang 2
The reactor pressure vessel has been installed at the second unit of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in China's Guangxi province. The unit is scheduled to begin operating in 2016.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Vessel-installed-at-Fangchenggang-2-2609145.html

Pakistan aspires to international role

Pakistan aspires to international role
Pakistan would like to be a full member of export control regimes and to play a part in the international nuclear industry, according to the country's statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 58th General Conference.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Pakistan-aspires-to-international-role-2609147.html

TVO denied extension to decision in principle

TVO denied extension to decision in principle
The Finnish government has decided not to grant Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) an extension to its 2010 decision in principle for the construction of a fourth unit at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-TVO-denied-extension-to-decision-in-principle-2609144.html

Rostechnadzor outlines used fuel targets

Rostechnadzor outlines used fuel targets
Russia expects to reprocess all of its 'damaged' used nuclear fuel - at Mayak Production Association in Ozersk - by 2030, and to open the second stage of its centralized dry storage facility - at the Mining and Chemical Combine in Zheleznogorsk - by 2016.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-Rostechnadzor-outlines-used-fuel-targets-26091401.html

Outcome could affect proposed Calvert Cliffs Unit 3

http://www.somdnews.com/article/20140926/NEWS/140929573/1057/nrc-takes-fresh-look-at-foreign-ownership-of-nuclear-reactors&template=southernMaryland

My Turn: Time to take fresh look at nuclear recycling By HOWARD SHAFFER

My Turn: Time to take fresh look at nuclear recycling

By HOWARD SHAFFER

http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/columns/13574278-95/my-turn-time-to-take-fresh-look-at-nuclear-recycling

China Nuclear Power submits binding offer for CNE reactors

http://business-review.eu/featured/china-nuclear-power-submits-binding-offer-for-cne-reactors-70872

Technology revolution in nuclear power could slash costs below coal

A report by UBS said the latest reactors will be obsolete by within 10 to 20 years, yet Britain is locking in prices until 2060

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/11120003/Technology-revolution-in-nuclear-power-could-slash-costs-below-coal.html

views The Nuclear Weapons States: Who Has Them And How Many

views

The Nuclear Weapons States: Who Has Them And How Many

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/09/25/the-nuclear-weapons-states-who-has-them-and-how-many/

Consider nuclear fuel recycling in U.S.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/09/25/consider-nuclear-fuel-recycling-in-us/16205325/

Fighting Ebola with Data, Satellites and Drones

Fighting Ebola with Data, Satellites and Drones // Patrick Tucker

Some of the intelligence tools that militaries use to gather intelligence could play a growing role in preventing the worst-case scenario. By Patrick Tucker http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2014/09/fighting-ebola-data-satellites-and-drones/95171/?oref=defenseone_today_nl

PennEnergy's Top Oil & Gas News 9/26

Top Oil & Gas News
Oil reps say ND has proper rail shipment rules Oil producers in North Dakota are objecting to any new state regulations that would require them to reduce the volatility of crude before it's loaded onto rail cars. …more>>

PennEnergy Video News Update From a new partnership aiming to aid E&P, to Juneau Energy's acquisition in the Eagle Ford Shale, to a delay for a liquified natural gas plant in Angola, all of the week's biggest headlines are in the PennEnergy Video News Update. …more>>

This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News BP starts major pipeline project construction in Azerbaijan Angola LNG plant project delayed Juneau Energy, LLC acquires more land in Eagle Ford Shale Western Refining to acquire natural gas liquids plant Schramm and Femco announces 24/7 service center for drilling rigs Déjà vu: soft legal constraints and oil Canada's Veresen acquires 50 percent stake in Ruby pipeline system Taming Crude Behavior: Understanding production additives Total to sell interest in Cardinal Gas Services 4 injured in natural gas tank blast in Wyoming Statoil: New compressor = 220 million extra barrels Emergency response adapts to remote ND oil patch Agency can look at rig owner's role in oil spill EIA: Russia looks beyond West Siberia for future oil and gas growth

Energy Insights
Five steps to find the best employees before the Big Shift Change The oil and gas industry is facing a bigger workforce challenge than ever before. The recent boom has resulted in a widespread labor shortage, the baby boomer generation is near retirement, and studies have found that the oil and gas industry is struggling with effective leadership – with just one in 20 professionals fitting the profile of an effective leader today. …more>>

Governing Energy: Man Machine Codependency One of the emerging trends in automobile design is the intelligent-car. This vehicle comes close to driving itself by alerting the driver to vehicles in blind spots, providing assistance backing up and automatic breaking as examples. Some even put forth the construct of “self-driving.” …more>>

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Disquiet over nuclear ‘deal’

Entergy outlines post-shutdown plans for Vermont Yankee

Seven Decades Past, A New Dawn

More to read:

Regulators: Nuclear plant not ready to operate without special oversight

Building of units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear-power plant by a Chinese company, in early 2015

Nuclear construction surges in developing world

Could Iran Be Trading Oil With Russia For Nuclear Support?

Nuclear liability law signal before take-off for US

Is U.S. Gas Really Expensive, And Will It Get Cheaper?

How America abandoned its role as leader of the fight to save the planet -- and killed a movement.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

Finland Rejects Extension For Olkiluoto-4 Construction Licence Application

Is This $7.6 Billion Deal A Sign of Things Coming?

Utilities should have nuclear waste storage facilities as prerequisite for reactor restarts, panel says

Going Forward: Women's Role in All Things Nuclear

Story Resources

Siemens: we will be in fossil fuels 'for the really long-term'

Tennessee as Radioactive Waste Dumping Ground – Fact Sheet

Technical Requirements in the Bidding Process for a New Research Reactor - IAEA Nuclear Energy Series NP-T-5.6

www-pub.iaea.org www-pub.iaea.org

Related articles

Friday, September 26, 2014

Newly declassified documents reveal how the Nixon White House looked the other way while Israel built the Middle East’s first nukes.

IAEA Scientific Forum Highlights Responsibility for Radioactive Waste

Establish Comprehensive Disposal Plans, Says Amano

Story Resources

Going Forward: Women's Role in All Things Nuclear

Story Resources

58th Annual Session of IAEA General Conference Concludes

Story Resources

Promoting Strong and Independent Regulation

Senior Nuclear Regulators Meet at IAEA General Conference for the 30th Year IAEA General Conference

Story Resources

New Formulation Leads to Improved Liquid Battery

South Africa’s Zuma Negotiated Russian Nuclear Deal, M&G Says

Changes ordered at Los Alamos over nuke waste leak

How Used Fuel Is Managed at Reactor Sites

Hopeful message as nuclear energy conference ends

Exelon touts nuclear to meet EPA Clean Power Plan

Building of units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear-power plant by a Chinese company, in early 2015

Russia to start nuclear power plant in Jordan

Energy shortfall: Pakistan needs to build more nuclear power plants: Dr Ansar Parvez

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to deliver spent fuel pool monitors in Japan

Nuclear Plants Across Emerging Nations Defy Japan Concern

NRC takes fresh look at foreign ownership of nuclear reactors

Outcome could affect proposed Calvert Cliffs Unit 3

My Turn: Time to take fresh look at nuclear recycling

China Nuclear Power submits binding offer for CNE reactors

Technology revolution in nuclear power could slash costs below coal

A report by UBS said the latest reactors will be obsolete by within 10 to 20 years, yet Britain is locking in prices until 2060

views

The Nuclear Weapons States: Who Has Them And How Many

Consider nuclear fuel recycling in U.S.

Fighting Ebola with Data, Satellites and Drones // Patrick Tucker

Senior Nuclear Regulators Meet at IAEA General Conference for the 30th Year
IAEA General Conference