Fukushima police sends nuclear contamination case against TEPCO execs to prosecutors

http://www.rt.com/news/317474-fukushima-tepco-contamination-prosecution/

Dozens of U.S. companies bet on nuclear power revolution: report

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/15/us-usa-nuclear-advanced-idUSKBN0OV1YW20150615

FUD: Why Bernie and Hillary Must Address America’s Dying Nuke Reactors

http://ecowatch.com/2015/10/03/sanders-clinton-nuclear-power/

Poroshenko Ends Cooperation With Russia on Nuclear Plant Construction

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151003/1027966237/poroshenko-russia-ukraine-nuclear.html#ixzz3nXqL7pEY

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151003/1027966237/poroshenko-russia-ukraine-nuclear.html

Next generation nuclear reactors being approved for new construction projects in U.S.

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2015/10/03/next-generation-nuclear-reactors-being-approved-for-new-construction-projects-in-u-s/id=61660/

Fukushima Commentary 10/3/15

Fukushima Commentary 10/3/15 –

Japan’s Press accentuates the bad and intentionally ignores the good

Japan’s public deserves to hear the positive about nuclear energy along with the negative. But, Japan’s Press has become so decidedly antinuclear that it seems its one-sided, negative-only reporting will continue unabated. http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-commentary.html

ANS Nuclear Cafe Update: Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival 280

Updates from ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival 280 By ansnuclearcafe on Oct 02, 2015 09:40 pm The 280th edition of the Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival has posted at The Next Big Future. •Click here to access Carnival 280. Each week, a new edition of the Carnival is Continue Reading → Read in browser » More to read: VIDEO: ANS Member Meredith Angwin on Vote for Vermont Mutant daisies, Godzilla, and The Incredible Hulk: The pervasive lack of expert opinion in Hollywood and pop culture Vermont Yankee Closes: The Consequences Were 100% Predictable COP21: The World Needs Nuclear to End Energy Poverty, Address Climate Change Friday Nuclear Matineehttp://ansnuclearcafe.org/2015/10/02/nuclear-energy-blog-carnival-280/?utm_source=ANS+Nuclear+Cafe&utm_campaign=a3ecaa4911-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_94ab53d916-a3ecaa4911-222942885

The End of China’s Play in the Canadian Oil Sandbox?

The End of China’s Play in the Canadian Oil Sandbox?

By Wenran Jiang

Only three years ago, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), China’s third-largest national oil company (NOC), launched the largest-ever Chinese overseas takeover bid, offering $15.1 billion to buy Nexen Inc., Canada’s ninth-largest oil company. Together with China National Petroleum Corporation and Sinopec Group, China’s two largest NOCs, and other state-owned financial institutions, Chinese firms invested around $35 billion in Canada’s energy sector between 2009 and 2013, making Canada the destination of one-third of Chinese overseas energy investment in this period . But the “Great Leap Forward” of Chinese investment in Canada has proven controversial, as evidenced by the intense debate over CNOOC’s acquisition of Nexen in the fall of 2012, and the recent criticism of the company’s oil leaks in Alberta.

[Read More]http://www.jamestown.org/programs/chinabrief/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=44449&tx_ttnews[backPid]=25&cHash=7e42341b8c465850fecf64c76f3ea496#.Vg_Q986KI-8

US NRC IN 2015-09 - Mechanical Dynamic Restraint (Snubber) Lubricant Degradation Not Identified Due to Insufficient Service Life Monitoring

US NRC IN 2015-09 - Mechanical Dynamic Restraint (Snubber) Lubricant Degradation Not Identified Due to Insufficient Service Life Monitoring

http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1512/ML15126A531.pdf ;

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/info-notices/2015/

NRC Information Notices: 2015 Index

nrc.gov•The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, protecting people and the environment.

AES To Securitize $100 Million in U.S. Solar Power Projects

AES To Securitize $100 Million in U.S. Solar Power Projects
Brian Eckhouse
September 29, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	AES Corp., a U.S. power producer with operations in 18 countries, is planning to securitize its first portfolio of solar projects. The deal will comprise $92.5 million of Class A notes and $7.5 million of Class B notes, according to a report from Kroll Bond Rating Agency Inc., Full Article http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/aes-to-securitize-100-million-in-u-s-solar-power-projects.html?eid=288118515&bid=1192847

Berkeley Lab: Utility-Scale Solar Power Selling for US $0.05 Per Watt

Berkeley Lab: Utility-Scale Solar Power Selling for US $0.05 Per Watt
Renewable Energy World Editors
September 30, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	Installed utility-scale solar project costs have fallen by about 50 percent, from $6.3 per AC-W to $3.1 per AC-W, since 2009 for solar projects completed in 2014, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) said on Sept. 30. Full Article http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/berkeley-lab-utility-scale-solar-project-costs-down-50-since-2009.html?eid=288118515&bid=1192847

Global Forecast: Solar Installation Capacity To Top 57 GW in 2015

Global Forecast: Solar Installation Capacity To Top 57 GW in 2015
Renewable Energy World Editors
October 2, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	Solar installations globally could grow by between 25 percent and 30 percent in 2015 compared to last year, according to Mercom Capital Group. Full Article http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/10/global-forecast-solar-installations-to-grow-by-25-30-percent-in-2015.html?eid=288118515&bid=1192847

EXCLUSIVE: Exelon, DC Mayor reach settlement on Pepco merger

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/exclusive-exelon-dc-mayor-reach-settlement-on-pepco-merger/406686/

Michael Shellenberger gets the message right on. How we can…

We need to share this message widely from Michael Shellenberger, president of the Breakthrough Institute. It is vital and desperately needed. The timing is good when so many are looking to the Paris Summit this December 2015 for answers. It is not the heady intellectual ecomodernist jargon about “decoupling” that was present in the Ecomodernist Manifesto, that would risk losing people. Michael modestly and effectively delivers a great script telling us a message that sounds like we should have known this all along, yet it is original, straight forward, and the message makes it seem like fear is a real burden and that we need to grow up without saying that. Bravo Michael Shellenberger.
http://energyrealityproject.com/michael-shellenberger-gets-the-message-right-on-how-we-can/

Russia details ambitious effort to modernise nuclear-powered submarines to bolster order of battle

http://www.janes.com/article/54981/russia-details-ambitious-effort-to-modernise-nuclear-powered-submarines-to-bolster-order-of-battle

Fusion reactors hailed as the future of nuclear energy

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fusion-reactors-hailed-future-nuclear-energy-115625807.html#4kTCRGs

Japan to restart second reactor on Oct. 15 under post-Fukushima rules

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/10/02/national/japan-to-restart-second-reactor-on-october-15-under-post-fukushima-rules/#.Vg8GN5flxbJ

Former NRC counsel attacks quoted source used in “Radiation isn’t the Real Risk”

http://atomicinsights.com/former-nrc-counsel-attacks-quoted-source-used-in-radiation-isnt-the-real-risk/

TEPCO gets closer to robot probe of No.2 reactor

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20151002_03.html

FORATOM on PINC: maintaining nuclear’s current capacity to reach EU energy goals 2050

http://www.foratom.org/newsfeeds/377-foratom-on-pinc-maintaining-nuclear-s-current-capacity-to-reach-eu-energy-goals-2050.html

US new nuclear plants coming in regulated markets: Southern Company CEO

 

http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/washington/us-new-nuclear-plants-coming-in-regulated-markets-21220805?hootpostid=96e6bfc2a5304170e66fca983637bf09

Pursuing contradictory goals The United States and Russia go at it over the Middle East

Pursuing contradictory goals

The United States and Russia go at it over the Middle East

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/1/ken-allard-us-russia-pursing-different-goals-in-mi/

Obama rejects Russian approach to ending Syrian war

http://nypost.com/2015/10/02/obama-rejects-russian-approach-to-ending-syrian-war/

ISIS nuke alert: Terror group could unleash WMD after Russian bombing campaign

ISIS could unleash weapons of mass destruction in retaliation to the Russian bombing campaign.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/467876/Russia-ISIS-nuclear-weapons-bombing

Senators: US-SKorea pact may open door to nuke reprocessing

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11522598

North Korea calls for peace treaty with the United States

The North Korean diplomat said the time has come for Washington to pursue a peace treaty in order to prevent war and conflict on the Korean peninsula.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/10/02/North-Korea-calls-for-peace-treaty-with-the-United-States/2021443793126/

South Korea To Develop 800 Km Ballistic Missiles To Target North's Nuclear

http://www.iusbpreface.com/2015/10/02/south-korea-to-develop-800-km-ballistic-missiles-to-target-1538/

Exelon weighs options for Three Mile Island after plant's failed bid

Flat demand and natural gas competition threaten nuclear industry's profitability

http://www.ydr.com/business/ci_28906902/exelon-weighs-options-three-mile-island-after-plants

US new nuclear plants coming in regulated markets: Southern Company CEO

 

http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/washington/us-new-nuclear-plants-coming-in-regulated-markets-21220805

Norway loves electric cars

http://www.businessinsider.com/norway-loves-electric-cars-2015-10?nr_email_referer=1&utm_content=COTD&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28sai%29:%20Norway%20loves%20electric%20cars&utm_term=Tech%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day

Iran’s invisible opportunity by Amory B. Lovins

Iran’s invisible opportunity

Amory B. Lovins

http://thebulletin.org/iran%E2%80%99s-invisible-opportunity8774

Survey Shows Support For Nuclear Power Boosted By Low Carbon Footprint

Survey Shows Support For Nuclear Power Boosted By Low Carbon Footprint

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2015/10/01/survey-shows-support-for-nuclear-power-boosted-by-low-carbon-footprint-100101.aspx#.Vg7kdZflxbI

Nuclear industry execs bemoan nukes role in Clean Power Plan

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/10/01/nuclear-industry-execs-bemoan-nukes-role-in-clean-power-plan/

EDF bullish on Hinkley Point nuclear deal

Christopher Adams, Energy Editor

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/912b70e4-683f-11e5-97d0-1456a776a4f5.html#axzz3nRWvs9J2

SA: Treasury urged to release studies on SA nuclear power plants

Treasury urged to release studies on SA nuclear power plants

Treasury was approached to release as key studies & reports to SA's plans to build nuclear power plants.

http://ewn.co.za/2015/10/01/Treasury-asked-to-release-studies-on-SA-nuclear-power-plants

Clouds hang over South Africa’s nuclear power plans

By:

Miriam Mannak

1 Oct 15

Critics say plans to end South Africa’s energy crisis by spending billions on nuclear power are being hatched in the dark

 http://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/feature/2015/10/clouds-hang-over-south-africa%E2%80%99s-nuclear-power-plans

Africa Banking On Nuclear Power

http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Africa-Banking-On-Nuclear-Power.html

Bill Gates Making Progress On Next Generation Of Nuclear Power -- In China

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/10/02/bill-gates-forges-nuclear-deal-with-china/

Bringing together military veterans and the energy industry

http://northwestcleanenergy.com/2015/10/02/bringing-together-military-veterans-and-the-energy-industry/

-Nuclear-Regulator-Commission-hold-public-meeting-Brewster-October-

Nuclear Regulator Commission to hold public meeting in Brewster October 7 - See more at: https://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/10/01/226417-Nuclear-Regulator-Commission-hold-public-meeting-Brewster-October-7#sthash.jRrYzWfc.dpuf

https://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/10/01/226417-Nuclear-Regulator-Commission-hold-public-meeting-Brewster-October-7

Issa Addresses Need To Find Alternative Storage For Nuclear Waste

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/oct/01/issa-addresses-need-find-alternative-storage-spent/

ANS Cafe: VIDEO: ANS Member Meredith Angwin on Vote for Vermont

VIDEO: ANS Member Meredith Angwin on Vote for Vermont By ansnuclearcafe on Oct 02, 2015 09:55 am For today’s Friday Nuclear Matinee: ANS member Meredith Angwin was interviewed on Vote for Vermont hosted by Pat McDonald. Listen as Meredith talks about nuclear fuel safety and the economic impact Continue Reading → Read in browser »

More to read: Mutant daisies, Godzilla, and The Incredible Hulk: The pervasive lack of expert opinion in Hollywood and pop culture Vermont Yankee Closes: The Consequences Were 100% Predictable COP21: The World Needs Nuclear to End Energy Poverty, Address Climate Change Friday Nuclear Matinee Friday Matinee Special Feature: Atomic Venture

Netanyahu’s 44 seconds of silence at UN are being widely mocked — ‘pathetic,’ ‘creepy’

Netanyahu’s 44 seconds of silence at UN are being widely mocked — ‘pathetic,’ ‘creepy’

By Philip Weiss and Adam Horowitz

Netanyahu sneered at the world for 44 seconds of canned silence at the UN General Assembly today, assailing the silence over Iranian threats . . . and the world laughed.

Read in browser »http://mondoweiss.net/2015/10/netanyahus-silence-pathetic?utm_source=Mondoweiss+List&utm_campaign=32968a3957-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b86bace129-32968a3957-398529985

Chinese reprocessing plant to start up in 2030

24 September 2015

The construction of a used fuel processing and recycling facility in China is expected to begin in 2020 and be completed by 2030. The facility will be based on French technology.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-Chinese-reprocessing-plant-to-start-up-in-2030-2409155.html#.VgUo3xjiERw.linkedin

NextEra to Invest $100 Million in Energy Storage Technology

NextEra to Invest $100 Million in Energy Storage Technology
Christopher Martin and Jim Polso
September 30, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	NextEra Energy Inc. plans to invest $100 million in energy-storage systems over the next year to back up its fleet of solar and wind energy plants. Full Article http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/nextera-to-invest-100-million-in-energy-storage-technology.html?eid=288118515&bid=1191737

Berkeley Lab: Utility-Scale Solar Power Selling for US 0.05 Per Watt

Berkeley Lab: Utility-Scale Solar Power Selling for US 0.05 Per Watt
Renewable Energy World Editors
September 30, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	Installed utility-scale solar project costs have fallen by about 50%, from $6.3 per AC-W to $3.1 per AC-W, since 2009 for solar projects completed in 2014, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) said on Sept. 30. Full Article http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/berkeley-lab-utility-scale-solar-project-costs-down-50-since-2009.html?eid=288118515&bid=1191737

Beyond Utility 2.0: Part 2 “The Present”

Beyond Utility 2.0: Part 2 “The Present”
John Farrell
September 30, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	Aggressive state policy and cost reductions for clean energy have created two business model crises for electric utilities: stagnant sales and exponentially rising production from distributed renewable sources. Full Article http://blog.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/blogs/2015/09/beyond_utility_200.html

Who's Leading the Charge in Stationary Energy Storage?

Who's Leading the Charge in Stationary Energy Storage?
Andrew Burger
September 30, 2015 | Post Your Comment
	Stationary battery storage has evolved rapidly, and in short order, has become a crowded and highly competitive clean energy market and industry sector, not only in the U.S., but in Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Full Article http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/who-s-leading-the-charge-in-stationary-energy-storage.html?eid=288118515&bid=1191737

15 EU nations opt to stay GMO-free

15 EU nations opt to stay GMO-free
Brussels (AFP) Oct 1, 2015 - Fifteen of the 28 EU member nations are seeking to keep genetically modified organisms out of all or part of their territory, as the deadline for opting out of new European legislation on GMO crops nears, the bloc's executive arm said Thursday. The growing list of members which in a blow to the biotech industry want a total ban on GMO cultivation in their fields, includes EU heavyweights Ger ... morehttp://www.seeddaily.com/reports/15_EU_nations_opt_to_stay_GMO-free_999.html

World headed for too-high 2.7 Celsius warming: experts

World headed for too-high 2.7 Celsius warming: experts
Paris (AFP) Oct 1, 2015 - Earth could warm 2.7 degrees Celsius this century, warned a review Thursday which judged national carbon-cutting pledges insufficient to stave off worst-case-scenario predictions for climate change. The goal of limiting overall planet warming to 2.0 C (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels is still out of reach, the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) analysis found - though there are ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/World_headed_for_too-high_27_Celsius_warming_experts_999.html

NYC risks future flooding during hurricanes

NYC risks future flooding during hurricanes
University Park PA (SPX) Oct 02, 2015 - Whether or not a coastal city floods during a hurricane depends on the storm, tide and sea level, and now a team of climate scientists show that the risk of New York City flooding has increased dramatically during the industrial era as a result of human-caused climate change. "We wanted to look at the impact of climate change on sea level and storm characteristics to see how that has affec ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/NYC_risks_future_flooding_during_hurricanes_999.html

Extreme Pacific sea level events to double in future

Extreme Pacific sea level events to double in future Manoa HI (SPX) Oct 02, 2015 - Many tropical Pacific island nations are struggling to adapt to gradual sea level rise stemming from warming oceans and melting ice caps. Now they may also see much more frequent extreme interannual sea level swings. The culprit is a projected behavioral change of the El Nino phenomenon and its characteristic Pacific wind response, according to recent computer modeling experiments and tide-gauge ... more

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Extreme_Pacific_sea_level_events_to_double_in_future_999.html

Four hours in Apple Store hell: What iPhone Upgrade customers need to know | ZDNet

Four hours in Apple Store hell: What iPhone Upgrade customers need to know | ZDNet

India commissions guided missile destroyer

India commissions guided missile destroyer
New Delhi (UPI) Sep 30, 2015 - The Indian Navy's newest Kolkota-class guided missile destroyer, the INS Kochi, was commissioned into service on Wednesday at a shipyard in Mumbai. The ship, the second of three destroyers built under Project 15A, is 538 feet long, displaces 8,267 tons and can achieve a speed of more than 30 knots. It is fitted armed with active phased array radar and carries BrahMos surface-to-s ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/India_commissions_guided_missile_destroyer_999.html

France tests updated submarine nuclear missile

France tests updated submarine nuclear missile
Paris (UPI) Oct 1, 2015 - France reports it has successfully conducted an underwater launch of a new variant of its M-51 strategic ballistic missile. The M-51 is currently carried by two of the French Navy's four nuclear submarines. The new variant is slated for all the service's nuclear missile submarines by the end of the decade. The Directorate General of Armaments, the French military procurement agen ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/France_tests_updated_submarine_nuclear_missile_999.html

Is Radiation Necessary For Life?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/09/23/is-radiation-necessary-for-life/

Carnival of Nuclear Energy 280

Carnival of Nuclear Energy 280

http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/10/carnival-of-nuclear-energy-280.html

Bill Gates Forges Nuclear Deal With China

Bill Gates Forges Nuclear Deal With China

Bill Gates and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Seattle to sign an agreement between his nuclear power company, TerraPower, and the China National Nuclear Corporation that will allow the two countries to collaborate on advanced nuclear technologies that address safety, environmental and cost issues, and even burns spent nuclear fuel from old reactors. Hovering over the meeting was climate change, cyber-theft, trade-sanctions and Chinese military aggression in South East Asia.

                                                                   http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/10/02/bill-gates-forges-nuclear-deal-with-china/

US Nuclear Weapons In Europe: Massive Protest Planned Against New Atomic Weapons In Germany

http://www.ibtimes.com/us-nuclear-weapons-europe-massive-protest-planned-against-new-atomic-weapons-germany-2122692

Russian ecologists adjust their anti-nuclear stance

http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/nuclear-russia/2015-10-russian-ecologists-adjust-their-anti-nuclear-stance

Beyond The Vote (Part 4): Challenges For The Sanctions Regime

Beyond The Vote (Part 4): Challenges For The Sanctions Regime

By Chip Poncy, Patrick Clawson, and Matthew Levitt, Wednesday, September 30, 2015 10:00 AM

Three experts discuss the need to better inform U.S. and European companies about the continued risks of doing business with Iran, including the particulars of how secondary sanctions will be enforced once the nuclear deal is implemented.  On September 16, The Washington Institute held a special one-day conference on the ramifications of the Iran nuclear… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2015/09/30/beyond-the-vote-part-4-challenges-for-the-sanctions-regime/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22490507&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Qosp7CwRZWUG6GRfUJxMDVYVTUYATwBOaKLfbl5gVJkGU1B56VT2BnxpJN6ZzuHRyEZNsjPZcbhpJYdTeIcnspp9jkg&_hsmi=22490507

Energy News Roundup: Chesapeake Cuts Jobs, Is Now The Time For Oil Investment & Ohio’s Renewable Freeze

Energy News Roundup: Chesapeake Cuts Jobs, Is Now The Time For Oil Investment & Ohio’s Renewable Freeze

By Conor O'Sullivan, Wednesday, September 30, 2015 11:44 AM

Chesapeake Energy announced it has cut about 15 percent of its workforce, or 740 jobs, as depressed oil and gas prices force deeper cost cutting. [CNBC] With Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs has just gone soft on energy following a recent $20 per barrel of oil prediction, some analysts are predicting prospective investments while prices… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2015/09/30/energy-news-roundup-chesapeake-cuts-jobs-is-now-the-time-for-oil-investment-ohios-renewable-freeze/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22490507&_hsenc=p2ANqtz---NAgnjzlIJ9Z6tg6yAXDSqQWTs4OlKLPfHk9yNQd0Glsg2yviauJU7RFm_EtIuDsQ7d8hdmvmoh0fpABZRBPN1hewFQ&_hsmi=22490507

Department Of Energy Implementation Activities In The Case Of A Lapse Of Appropriations

Department Of Energy Implementation Activities In The Case Of A Lapse Of Appropriations

By U.S. Department of Energy, Wednesday, September 30, 2015 5:00 PM

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY LAPSE OF APPROPRIATIONS PLAN 1. How would DOE implement its existing plan for operating in the event of a lapse of appropriations? DOE has a written Order entitled Plan for Operating in the Event of a Lapse in Appropriations (DOE Order 137.1B), that addresses its plan and procedures for (1) continuing operations… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2015/09/30/department-of-energy-implementation-activities-in-the-case-of-a-lapse-of-appropriations/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=22490507&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OQRzoUizallnn1Ahn4dArjs4U5Jt6E0kp8otc9i7-JfFs7211uR5Hh-fXIrR3axYGmG6PREE2msjTTJkan55sBKSZtw&_hsmi=22490507

Court leaves Swedish nuclear tax unchanged

Court leaves Swedish nuclear tax unchanged
Sweden can continue to tax nuclear power production following a ruling in the government's favour by Europe's highest court. The European Court of Justice's seventh chamber decided that the tax does not fall within the scope of two European Council Directives and is therefore a national, rather than European Commission, matter.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Court-leaves-Swedish-nuclear-tax-unchanged-1101501.html

Dennis Whyte named head of Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Whyte succeeds Richard Lester as NSE department head

http://mitei.mit.edu/news/dennis-whyte-named-head-department-nuclear-science-and-engineering?utm_source=MIT+Energy+Initiative&utm_campaign=289ef91c3c-eNewsletter_Test10_16_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb3c6d9c51-289ef91c3c-70117141

Government of India taps MIT expertise for energy solutions

Minister Piyush Goyal says of India’s ambitious electrification goals: “We will make it happen.”

http://mitei.mit.edu/news/government-india-taps-mit-expertise-energy-solutions?utm_source=MIT+Energy+Initiative&utm_campaign=289ef91c3c-eNewsletter_Test10_16_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb3c6d9c51-289ef91c3c-70117141

Setting the course for energy technology research

At MIT, Department of Energy’s Lynn Orr lays out priorities for developing advanced energy systems

http://mitei.mit.edu/news/setting-course-energy-technology-research?utm_source=MIT+Energy+Initiative&utm_campaign=289ef91c3c-eNewsletter_Test10_16_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb3c6d9c51-289ef91c3c-70117141

The Shifting Fates of Coal Markets, Coal Mining, and Coal Power

The Shifting Fates of Coal Markets, Coal Mining, and Coal Power
Though many media and lobbying organizations (both pro- and anti-coal) have latched onto the idea that there’s a war on coal in the U.S., the reality is more nuanced. Just as the best-performing coal power plants will continue to operate, so will the best coal mines. The reasons for hard times in coal country have as much to do with management, markets, resources, and technology as with regulations.http://accessintelligence.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vpow15/i10/p42

TransCanada tries new legal route for Keystone XL

TransCanada tries new legal route for Keystone XL
Bismarck, N.D. (UPI) Sep 30, 2015 - Pipeline company TransCanada said it was filing an application with state regulators in Nebraska to build Keystone XL, ending a bid to challenge eminent domain. Spokesman Mark Cooper said in an emailed statement the company was ready to file an application with the Nebraska Public Service Commission for pipeline construction. "We believe that going through the Public Service Comm ... morehttp://www.oilgasdaily.com/reports/TransCanada_tries_new_legal_route_for_Keystone_XL_999.html

ew Report Released by the Federation of American Scientists Understanding the Dragon Shield: Likelihood and Implications of Chinese Strategic Ballistic Missile Defenses

October 1, 2015 View this email in your browser

New Report Released by the Federation of American Scientists Understanding the Dragon Shield: Likelihood and Implications of Chinese Strategic Ballistic Missile Defenses Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first official state visit to Washington, DC. While he discussed many important issues with President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders, an important issue that was not adequately addressed was serious U.S.-Chinese dialogue on strategic nuclear issues. To help with an essential aspect of that dialogue, FAS releases, today, the report Understanding the Dragon Shield: Likelihood and Implications of Chinese Strategic Ballistic Missile Defenses by Bruce W. MacDonald (Adjunct Senior Fellow at FAS) and Charles D. Ferguson (President of FAS). While China has received growing attention for modernizing and expanding its strategic offensive nuclear forces over the last ten years, little attention has been paid to Chinese activities in developing ballistic missile defenses (BMD).  Ever since the end of the Cold War, U.S. security policy has largely assumed that only the United States would possess credible strategic ballistic missile defense capabilities with non-nuclear interceptors. This tacit assumption has been valid for the last quarter century but may not remain valid for long. Since 2010, China has been openly testing missile interceptors purportedly for BMD purposes, but also useful for anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. Motivated to understand the strategic implications of this testing and to learn Chinese views, Prof. MacDonald and Dr. Ferguson have had extensive discussions with more than 50 security experts in China and the United States. Based on these discussions and their analysis of possible incentives and disincentives for China to develop and potentially deploy BMD, they have found: Chinese development of strategic BMD is ongoing and is helping China to understand the complexities and nuances of designing such a system and what its weak points are, regardless of whether they decide to deploy such a BMD system. Also, this development provides an important hedging option for China against an uncertain and evolving future strategic environment. At a minimum, it appears that a Chinese deployment of strategic BMD is probably less unlikely than most U.S. defense analysts have in the past assessed. Should China decide to deploy such defenses, the most likely reasons would be to: Provide a plausible cover to continue testing its kinetic energy ASAT system.  This suggests that  a thin, regional/nationwide defense would be more likely than a point defense, though the latter cannot be ruled out.  Point defense would not provide much cover for an ASAT testing program.  Send a strategic message to India, Japan, and the United States, in that order, that China is capable of defending itself and overcoming major technical obstacles to do so. Obtain important operational understanding of BMD systems for their own use and to better understand the systems that others may have or may develop. Enhance its regional prestige and sway, gaining a “technological merit badge” of recognition for achieving such a difficult technological task Should China decide to deploy strategic BMD, limited deployment levels appear to be more likely than larger levels, given the relatively high cost for a large system; furthermore, even were it to ultimately deploy larger levels, China would want to gain more experience in what (for them) would be a new class of weapons. The incremental cost to China of a limited deployment of strategic BMD as part of its overall R&D program would probably be modest compared to the security benefits China would receive, even taking some political drawbacks into account. Accordingly, the odds seem fairly good that China will make at least a limited deployment of strategic BMD in the near- to mid-term, though this is not certain. To the extent that any U.S. programmatic changes would be needed for political reassurance reasons, there are a number of options available to the United States, particularly in strategic BMD penetration aids and enhancements to the bomber leg of the triad, which should suffice. The United States would likely have no technical reason to make any significant adjustments to its strategic posture in response to plausible levels of Chinese strategic BMD deployments, should they take place. The U.S. strategic nuclear posture and forces are robust and are able to deal with such deployments. A Chinese move to deploy early warning satellites would be a significant indicator of greater interest in strategic BMD deployment, as it would be a crucial component of an effective strategic BMD system. Such satellites would not be necessary for a purely ASAT-testing-oriented deployment. This report was developed under work supported by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD No. N00244-14-1-0035 awarded by the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego (NAVSUP FLC San Diego), with funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The views and conclusions contained in the report are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of NPS, NAVSUP FLC San Diego, or DTRA.