Saturday, February 27, 2016

TEPCO’s statements on assessment of core meltdowns are irresponsible - The Japan News

Three Former Tepco Executives To Face Charges - News - Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Street - Nuclear Power Plant News, Jobs, and Careers

DOE proposes sparing Nevada test site from more low-level nuclear waste | Las Vegas Review-Journal

Anonymous Letter Prompts Probe Of Northwest's Only Nuclear Power Plant

http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-investigation-studies-performance-of-northwests-only-commercial-nuclear-reactor/

Oceanographer considers implications of conspiracy theory on science

Oceanographer considers implications of conspiracy theory on science - See more at: http://bucknellian.net/61399/news/visiting-professor-discusses-radiation-communication-and-conspiracy/#sthash.MvdfIOHG.dpuf

http://bucknellian.net/61399/news/visiting-professor-discusses-radiation-communication-and-conspiracy/

Here's your go-to source for debunking all the Fukushima fables

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/oceans/heres-your-go-to-source-for-debunking-all-the-fukushima-fables?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article_fukushima_fables

You Can’t Argue With Math: BLM’s Methane Rules Enjoy Strong And Diverse Support

By Environmental Defense Fund Energy Exchange Blog, Friday, February 26, 2016 10:00 AM

These numbers don’t lie. They represent the strong support new methane waste and pollution reduction rules from the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management enjoy across the west. Methane is a potent climate pollutant and the main constituent of natural gas, so when oil and gas companies on public land allow methane to be… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2016/02/26/you-cant-argue-with-math-blms-methane-rules-enjoy-strong-and-diverse-support/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26718775&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_tNoMnYbRXeQnNFNglm8BwSHpioGoMz0iEte45m0kmLpqWnB8jALQ1AXbbU8aJG-EmHBM6HHRQeWO53k-AOU6azvjExg&_hsmi=26718775

Natural Gas Exports Set To Boost Economy, Security

By Energy Tomorrow Blog, Friday, February 26, 2016 2:00 PM

A picture taken on June 05, 2010 shows t

Two separate but related news items last week demonstrate the economic promise and geopolitical significance of America’s natural gas export opportunity. The first headline, “U.S. LNG Set to Hit Global Market,” signifies a landmark moment in America’s trajectory from energy scarcity to abundance. The export facility covered in the article – Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2016/02/26/natural-gas-exports-set-to-boost-economy-security/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26718775&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8d9VVOWYby0b19zkhcyH6heuOMhLedqwY6OCsqmHehbGLGzR_vJkPlG6My9Jk8Ur_mUYWgRha9J263BnFB06iKFrllig&_hsmi=26718775

Moratorium On Federal Coal Leasing Issued By Secretary Jewell

By Denise Dragoo | Snell & Wilmer, Friday, February 26, 2016 4:00 PM

BHP Billiton Announces Record Financial Results

On January 15, 2016, Interior Secretary Jewell halted federal coal leasing on public lands.http://breakingenergy.com/2016/02/26/moratorium-on-federal-coal-leasing-issued-by-secretary-jewell/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26718775&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Vc9nNMKyXaYPWYs9XS_vsNteTdncEsKmNAV7bpv5RttXhY-zKJ5HGlU0nUst_1TaaA5GfnUcnbp_uVuYixJG4zEwpjg&_hsmi=26718775

Friday, February 26, 2016

Updated: A brief history of the Exelon-Pepco merger saga | Utility Dive

China to build more Hualong One reactors - Nuclear Engineering International

What’s the (Hinkley) point? | The Economist

Beware of the Loving Embrace of the Government

http://whchronicle.com/?p=3231

Terrestrial Energy engages with regulator

SHINE Medical wins NRC's OK to build medical isotope plant | Madison Wisconsin Business News | host.madison.com

Former NRC commissioner proposes shorter licensing process for advanced reactors

Former NRC commissioner proposes shorter licensing process for advanced reactors
https://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-35507457-11056

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Don’t decommission N-reactors for passing nonscientific time limit - The Japan News

Nuclear may not be cool anymore, but it’s not dead - Fuel Fix

Cutting Emissions Could Prevent Nearly 300,000 US Air Pollution Deaths

Peabody Energy: The Fall of the World's Biggest Public Coal Company

The Great Fukushima Nuclear Cover-Up. The Power of Propaganda

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-great-fukushima-nuclear-cover-up-the-power-of-propaganda/5510169

USA's $3 billion nuclear submarines are getting outnumbered by China and Russia' s Diesel submarines that are ten times cheaper

http://nextbigfuture.com/2016/02/usas-3-billion-nuclear-submarines-are.html

Former Entergy Manager says its Time to End Political Fear-Mongering About Indian Point

http://www.rocklandtimes.com/2016/02/25/former-entergy-manager-says-its-time-to-end-political-fear-mongering-about-indian-point/

Five years on and the Fukushima crisis is far from over

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-japan-radiation-research/blog/55623/

Why America Pays More for Nuclear Power

A new study examines what other countries have done to keep costs down, and what could work in the future.

http://www.citylab.com/tech/2016/02/cost-to-built-nuclear-power-plants-around-the-world/470226/

Obama plan to de-fund Savannah River plutonium conversion plant draws fire

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-plan-to-de-fund-savannah-river-plutonium-conversion-plant-draws-fire/2016/02/25/71428a72-db6e-11e5-925f-1d10062cc82d_story.html

How Not to Debate Nuclear Energy and Climate Change By Michael Specter

How Not to Debate Nuclear Energy and Climate Change

By Michael Specter

http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-not-to-debate-nuclear-energy-and-climate-change

State Officials Devise Rescue Plan For FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant, Entergy Says It's Too Late | WSKG

U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry Strengthens Safety with Learnings from Fukushima

Don't decommission N-reactors for passing nonscientific time limit - Chicago Tribune

Tepco: Renewed meltdown controversy threatens hoped-for reactor restart- Nikkei Asian Review

Nuclear power in Japan: Aging Kansai reactors test 40-year rule- Nikkei Asian Review

Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in Bay City - San Antonio Business Journal

ANS Nuclear Cafe Update: An Illustration of the Real Nature of the Nuclear Waste Problem

An Illustration of the Real Nature of the Nuclear Waste Problem

By ansnuclearcafe on Feb 24, 2016 04:11 pm

By Jim Hopf Despite progress in Scandinavia on nuclear waste storage, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s conclusion that Yucca Mountain in Nevada would meet all the (impeccable) technical requirements, Continue Reading →
Read in browser »

National Engineer’s Week: Nuclear Energy for the Next Generation

By ansnuclearcafe on Feb 21, 2016 12:00 pm

By Beth Piper Engineers are the scaffolding of society; designing, implementing, and maintaining the structures, machines, and processes that support our world. Without their efforts we would be without access Continue Reading →
Read in browser »

Nuclear Cafe Matinee – Former ANS President (2008-2009) Bill Burchill

By ansnuclearcafe on Feb 19, 2016 01:39 pm

2008–2009 American Nuclear Society President William Burchill is interviewed on the benefits of nuclear: “Nuclear Energy is a very big part of the solution for all of us.” #Nuclear4Climate
Read in browser »

Terrestrial Energy engages with regulator

Terrestrial Energy engages with regulator
Terrestrial Energy is submitting its Integral Molten Salt Reactor design to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for pre-licensing review, the Canadian company announced today. The submission marks a first step towards an eventual licence application. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Terrestrial-Energy-engages-with-regulator-2502167.html

Hinkley Point decision 'soon' as EDF extends generation at four nuclear plants - The visitor

Nuclear water: Fukushima still faces contamination crisis

http://phys.org/news/2016-02-nuclear-fukushima-contamination-crisis.html

The U.S. Energy Industry Is Charging Toward Big Carbon Reductions No Matter What the Supreme Court Does

Although the Clean Power Plan is caught up in legal limbo, states and utilities are moving ahead with the transition to clean energy.

by Richard Martin https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600888/the-us-energy-industry-is-charging-toward-big-carbon-reductions-no-matter-what-the-supreme/#/set/id/600885/

Regulators size up costs, need for $1 billion Duke Energy gas plant

http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/elp/2016/02/regulators-size-up-costs-need-for-1-billion-duke-energy-gas-plant.html?eid=288118515&bid=1321256

Twenty States Call on Supreme Court to Stay EPA Mercury Rule

Twenty States Call on Supreme Court to Stay EPA Mercury Rule
Rallied by the Supreme Court's unprecedented stay of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan, a coalition of 20 states has asked the high court to stay another disputed agency rule: the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). Read More http://www.powermag.com/twenty-states-call-on-supreme-court-to-stay-epa-mercury-rule/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3216218&hq_l=3&hq_v=30108e0773

What Unites OPEC, U.S. Shale, and Power Generation

What Unites OPEC, U.S. Shale, and Power Generation
The OPEC secretary general and Saudi Arabia's minister of petroleum shared their views on low oil prices, shale, and climate change at IHS CERAWeek. Read Morehttp://www.powermag.com/what-unites-opec-u-s-shale-and-power-generation/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3216218&hq_l=7&hq_v=30108e0773

85% of Major Equipment Delivered to V.C. Summer Nuclear Power Plant Construction Site

85% of Major Equipment Delivered to V.C. Summer Nuclear Power Plant Construction Site
According to Steve Byrne, COO of South Carolina Electric and Gas Co. (SCE&G), 85% of the major equipment necessary to build V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3 is onsite, and of the remaining components, a lot of them are physically… Read More http://www.powermag.com/85-of-major-equipment-delivered-to-v-c-summer-nuclear-power-plant-construction-site/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3216218&hq_l=18&hq_v=30108e0773

U.S. Power Sector Carbon Emissions See Fractional Increase

U.S. Power Sector Carbon Emissions See Fractional Increase
Power generators consumed 34% of total U.S. energy uses from fossil fuels and accounted for 39% of the nation’s carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 2014—a fraction of a percent more than in 2013—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)… Read Morehttp://www.powermag.com/u-s-power-sector-carbon-emissions-see-fractional-increase/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3216218&hq_l=20&hq_v=30108e0773

DOE Secretary Moniz on WIPP and Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage

DOE Secretary Moniz on WIPP and Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage
Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz reaffirmed that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, N.M., is on track for reopening later this year, but he did not offer any encouragement to those in the southwest corner of the state who support using the site for permanent disposal of the country’s spent nuclear fuel. Read More http://www.powermag.com/doe-secretary-moniz-on-wipp-and-spent-nuclear-fuel-storage/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3216218&hq_l=12&hq_v=30108e0773

Fukushima Update 2/25/16

Fukushima Update 2/25/16 –

Pacific salmon and trout have no Cs-137 contamination… F. Daiichi protective clothing rule to be relaxed… Tepco admits they should have announced the March, 2011 meltdowns sooner… Takahama units #1&#2 to have their licenses extended 20 years, and the Mainichi Shimbun doesn’t like it… the price of Fukushima radiophobia on mothers… and more.

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

Workers Make History By Demolishing Manhattan Project Facilities

By David Sheeley | Editor/Writer, Wednesday, February 24, 2016 5:00 PM

Former Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant Is Dismantled

For the first time in history, workers will complete the demolition and cleanup of an entire gaseous diffusion complex. The four-story, 383,000-square-foot K-27 Building is the final building to be demolished in the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. K-27 and East Tennessee Technology Park’s other facilities — K-29, K-33, K-31 and K-25… Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2016/02/24/workers-make-history-by-demolishing-manhattan-project-facilities/?utm_campaign=Breaking+Energy+Daily+Digest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26632589&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9CV-Ph1DEtnXurox_481pwSj3rrcxfvWZbD4T9ezxV7GL0n5z8aVcTjXQD2U8Z1YC3nzS1okFd0GIMhvvgN1WDbJPHgw&_hsmi=26632589

NRC Blog Update: NRC Actions Stack up Well against International Reviews

NRC Actions Stack up Well Against International Reviews

by Moderator

William Orders
Senior Project Manager
Japan Lessons Learned Division

Ever since the March 2011 nuclear accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, regulators around the world have asked “what have we learned?” The Fukushima accident led the nuclear power industry worldwide to reconsider how we approached nuclear safety in the case of extreme natural events. Regulators and the nuclear industry have put a high priority on addressing the accident’s lessons and implementing safety enhancements.

Last year, the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, issued a report that took another look at the accident and detailed what was learned. The NRC has reviewed the report to see if it might lead us to additional actions here in the United States.

At this point, we see that either the NRC, the U.S. government, or the nuclear industry are already addressing the IAEA report’s lessons. U.S. actions on these lessons are consistent with the international community’s approach to the issues. A more detailed comparison of the report’s recommendations with relevant U.S. actions is available here.

Reviews of the accident have focused on the effects of earthquakes and floods, as well as positioning plants to deal safely with a complete loss of off-site and back-up power. Nuclear power plants worldwide are addressing these issues with steps that include:

re-examining external hazards,
improving electrical systems,
adding ways to cool the fuel in the reactor core,
protecting the reactor containment,
adding ways to cool the spent fuel in storage pools, and
developing capabilities to quickly provide equipment and assistance from on-site or off-site emergency preparedness facilities.

The NRC and our international counterparts have compared our post-Fukushima approaches before. In 2014, an IAEA team report looked at several of the lessons the NRC has learned from the accident. The report, after examining our efforts at that time, concluded the NRC has “acted promptly and effectively.” The team also said the NRC’s inspections on Fukushima-related issues were “exemplary.”

As the NRC continues reviewing the IAEA 2015 report in detail, we are heartened that our international counterparts are all addressing the same concerns. Our collective actions are enhancing safety worldwide.

More information on the NRC’s response to the Fukushima accident can be found on NRC’s Japan Lessons Learned website. A description of the accident is available here.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Alexander Says Ending Nuclear Waste Stalemate Is Critical To Future Of Nuclear Power

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2016/2/24/318739/Alexander-Says-Ending-Nuclear-Waste.aspx

U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry Strengthens Safety with Learnings from Fukushima – GlobeNewswire (press release)

CO2 Emissions Increase in ISO-NE

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

CO2 Emissions Increase in ISO-NE

February 22, 2016

Loss of Nuclear Plant Reverses Trend

http://www.rtoinsider.com/co2-new-england-22278/

100 Foot Asteroid Could Pass Earth 20 Times Closer Than The Moon At 34,000 MPH On March 7th

EPA and Methane Emission Underestimation | The Energy Collective

Carbon Taxes and Fuel Diversification | The Energy Collective

Supreme Court and Energy Market Regulation | The Energy Collective

Recovery Work Halts At New Mexico Nuclear Waste Facility | KJZZ

NY state Public Service Commission looks at helping struggling nuclear power plants

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160224/ny-state-public-service-commission-looks-at-helping-struggling-nuclear-power-plants

New York regulators take steps to back upstate nuclear power generation

http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/boston/new-york-regulators-take-steps-to-back-upstate-21985363

3 healthcare safety lessons from the nuclear power industry

Accountability, focus on outcomes keeps public safe

http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/3-healthcare-safety-lessons-nuclear-power-industry/2016-02-23

Papeete (AFP) Feb 23, 2016 - French President Francois Hollande on Monday acknowledged that three decades of nuclear tests in French Polynesia had had "an impact" on health and the environment and promised to revamp the compensation process. Hollande's remarks, made on a visit to the French Polynesian capital, are the clearest admission yet of the damage caused by the French testing programme. "I recognise that the ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Hollande_acknowledges_impact_of_nuclear_testing_in_Pacific_999.html

Climate 'carbon budget' soon maxed out: study

Climate 'carbon budget' soon maxed out: study

Paris (AFP) Feb 23, 2016 - The window of opportunity for humanity to cap global warming by slashing greenhouse gases is closing faster than previously thought, according to a study released Tuesday. Earlier estimates of our "carbon budget" - the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide we can still put into the atmosphere without warming Earth by more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) - have ranged fro ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_carbon_budget_soon_maxed_out_study_999.html

Tehran's 'baby' American-made nuclear reactor plugs on - CNN.com

Nuclear War Brews In Syria, World War 3 Fear Continues | Myinforms

IAEA Plans Nuclear Mosquitoes to Fight Zika Virus

http://www.fananews.com/en/qater/299884/

Lawsuit challenges Florida utilities' $2B nuclear power cost fees

http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2016/02/lawsuit-challenges-florida-utilities-2b-nuclear-power-cost-fees.html?eid=288118515&bid=1319763

Takahama N-reactors get tentative extension

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002769634

Eastern Europe energy sector vulnerable, commissioner says

Eastern Europe energy sector vulnerable, commissioner says

Klaipeda, Lithuania (UPI) Feb 23, 2016 - Eastern Europe may be bearing the brunt of a bloc-wide energy policy that's lagging in erasing concerns about security of supply, a commissioner said. Maros Sefcovic, a European leader on energy issues, told delegates gathered at Klaipeda University in Lithuania the regional energy policy wasn't working as intended. "Our energy supply is not secure enough and our use of it is oft ... morehttp://www.oilgasdaily.com/reports/Eastern_Europe_energy_sector_vulnerable_commissioner_says_999.html

North Sea fading, industry body warns

North Sea fading, industry body warns

London (UPI) Feb 23, 2016 - A British industry body said the North Sea energy sector is in for a long period of decline, with less than $1.4 billion in new spending expected in 2016. A report from Oil & Gas U.K. finds exploration activity offshore is at an all-time low and there are no signs of improvement. Less than $1.4 billion in spending on new projects is expected in 2016, compared with an average of around $ ... morehttp://www.oilgasdaily.com/reports/North_Sea_fading_industry_body_warns_999.html

New model maps energy usage of every building in Boston

New model maps energy usage of every building in Boston

Boston (UPI) Feb 23, 2016 - In an effort to help city officials plan for a more energy-efficient future, researchers at MIT have built a model that simulates the energy usage of the entire city of Boston. The simulation estimates the electricity and gas demands of more than 100,000 Boston buildings for every day of the year. "Nobody has ever modeled a city the size of Boston at this level of detail," Christ ... morehttp://www.energy-daily.com/reports/New_model_maps_energy_usage_of_every_building_in_Boston_999.html

Understanding how turbulence drains heat from fusion reactors

Understanding how turbulence drains heat from fusion reactors

Princeton NJ (SPX) Feb 24, 2016 - The life of a subatomic particle can be hectic. The charged nuclei and electrons that zip around the vacuum vessels of doughnut-shaped fusion machines known as tokamaks are always in motion. But while that motion helps produce the fusion reactions that could power a new class of electricity generator, the turbulence it generates can also limit those reactions. Now, physicists at the U.S. D ... morehttp://www.spacedaily.com/reports/PPPL_researchers_advance_understanding_of_turbulence_that_drains_heat_from_fusion_reactors_999.html

Canadian start-ups look to reimagined nuclear power to replace fossil fuels | National Observer

French plant spend pegged at 100bn euros; Sweden’s Oskarshamn 1 to shut mid-2017

http://analysis.nuclearenergyinsider.com/french-plant-spend-pegged-100bn-euros-swedens-oskarshamn-1-shut-mid-2017?utm_campaign=NEI%2024FEB16%20Newsletter.htm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

2016 Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management Survey Results

2016 Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management Survey Results
http://1.nuclearenergyinsider.com/LP=9659?utm_campaign=NEI%2024FEB16%20Newsletter.htm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elqTrackId=fed03ba218d94752b781a020b5e00d8e&elq=4c8173e7b75b43d19fea115805939ff6&elqaid=14879&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6422

UK firms await Hinkley C finance triggers to enter nuclear market

http://analysis.nuclearenergyinsider.com/uk-firms-await-hinkley-c-finance-triggers-enter-nuclear-market?utm_campaign=NEI%2024FEB16%20Newsletter.htm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

US AP1000 projects advance on revamped EPC terms

http://analysis.nuclearenergyinsider.com/us-ap1000-projects-advance-revamped-epc-terms?utm_campaign=NEI%2024FEB16%20Newsletter.htm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

Canadian Environment Minister Delays Ruling On Lake Huron Repository

Canadian Environment Minister Delays Ruling On Lake Huron Repository

Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has told Ontario Power Generation that their plan to build a nuclear waste repository underground on the shores of Lake Huron will require further study.

The company has proposed a deep repository that would handle low- and medium-level radioactive waste. The proposal envisions a repository 680 meters (about half a mile) underground in a rock strata below the lake.

The project was given a stamp of approval by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency in May of 2015. It faces ongoing opposition, however, from local municipalities and Michigan senate, which voted to oppose the repository that would be in proximity of a source of drinking water for millions of people. Read more or comment
http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2016/02/22/canadian-environment-minister-delays-ruling-on-lake-huron-repository-022202#.Vs3SKCmGhRl

Five Years After Fukushima Pacific Salmon Remain Safe

Five Years After Fukushima Pacific Salmon Remain Safe

A chemical oceanographer from the University of Victoria said that the 2015 study of salmon off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, found no traces of cesium-134, the radionuclide that could have been attributed to the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered from three reactor meltdowns due to a tsunami event that flooded back up power systems. Read more or comment http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2016/02/23/five-years-after-fukushima-pacific-salmon-remain-safe-022302#.Vs3R_SmGhRl

Florida Ratepayers Again Challenge Nuclear Cost Recovery System

Florida Ratepayers Again Challenge Nuclear Cost Recovery System

Ratepayers in Florida are challenging Duke Energy and Florida Power & Light in a class action suit that alleges they were illegally forced to pay $2 billion in nuclear power plant construction costs for abandoned projects that were never completed.

Among the projects in contention are a two-reactor build for a plant in Levy County, Fla., for which Duke began to collect fees from ratepayers in 2008. The project, however, was canceled in 2013.

The utility is currently allowed to keep the fees for projects, which were approved by state regulators.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of 6.4 million customers, seeks to have customers reimbursed for the fees and a binding agreement that declares any fees imposed by Florida's Nuclear Cost Recovery System are unconstitutional. Read more and comment http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2016/02/24/florida-ratepayers-again-challenge-nuclear-cost-recovery-system-022402#.Vs3RzCmGhRl

This Year’s Biggest IPO Is a Blank Check for the Oil Business

Mark Papa’s Silver Run Acquisition raises $450 million to shop for energy assets on the cheap

http://www.wsj.com/articles/this-years-biggest-ipo-is-a-blank-check-for-the-oil-business-1456242175

Another Oil Crash Is Coming, and There May Be No Recovery

Superior electric cars are on their way, and they could begin to wreck oil markets within a decade.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-24/another-oil-crash-is-coming-and-there-may-be-no-recovery

Chesapeake Energy shares tumble after company's loss widens, unveils drastic capex cuts

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chesapeake-energy-shares-tumble-after-companys-loss-widens-unveils-drastic-capex-cuts-2016-02-24?siteid=rss

China Inc.’s Nuclear-Power Push

In a shift, Chinese state-owned companies seek to roll out advanced reactors for export

http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-inc-s-nuclear-power-push-1456251331

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Michael Shellenberger Guest Post: Why energy transitions are the key to environmental progress

Why energy transitions are the key to environmental progress

Inbox

Michael Shellenberger <michaelshellenberger@gmail.com>

11:29 AM (7 hours ago)

At the United Nations climate talks in Paris last fall, US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need to find climate solutions that advance, rather than undermine, India’s development prospects.

But the reality of what both nations are doing on climate change does not live up to the rhetoric. The overwhelming focus of US-Indian government climate efforts is on expanding renewables and increasing energy efficiency. Both have merit, but should be third order, not top, priorities.

Observer Research Foundation: Why energy transitions are the key to environmental progress

The main climate and development focus of all governments should be on accelerating the pace of energy transitions, from wood and dung to fossil fuels and from fossil fuels to nuclear power. To understand why this is, it is important to put energy and environmental progress in their developmental context.

Almost all nations develop following the same pattern. Small farmers become more productive and move from the country to the city to work in factories and offices. Women become newly empowered. Children gain formal education. And couples choose to have fewer children.

As fewer farmers must produce more food for more people, they invest in tractors, fertilizer and other ways to increase productivity.

Over time, all of this urbanisation and industrialisation delivers large environmental benefits. Using liquid petroleum gas, instead of wood for cooking, almost completely eliminates toxic smoke and can save hours a day.

As we move from wood fuel to fossil fuel, our forests can return and become habitat for wildlife. Recently, India was able to protect her Himalayan forests by subsidising the substitution of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for wood fuel.

Factories and cities create more air pollution at first, but over time become cleaner and greener. Rising societal wealth allows for pollution controls such as catalytic converters and smokestack scrubbers. And dust is reduced by paving roads, improving mining and land use practices and tree-planting.

In the US and Europe, conventional pollutants have been in decline since the early 1970s, and carbon emissions for the last 10 years. Rich nations can afford to move from coal to much cleaner natural gas, which generates a tiny fraction of the pollutants of coal, and half the carbon emissions.

In the US and Europe, major oil and gas discoveries were key to shifting from coal to natural gas and reducing pollution. North Sea natural gas in deep waters reduced Europe’s reliance on coal starting in the 1980s. In the U.S., it was natural gas from shale, a rock formation one mile underground, starting around 2007.

China and India both have significant reserves of natural gas and oil in shale, but lack the workforce, drilling rigs and pipeline infrastructure. Those things will develop over time, the question is at what pace.

Because solar and wind cannot generate power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, their value to developing nations that need cheap reliable power for their factories and cities is highly limited.

Solar and wind are limited for similar reasons in rich nations as well. As solar and wind become a larger amount of the electrical grid, their value declines, as Germany is discovering. That’s because solar and wind create power when it’s not needed and don’t create power when it is most needed from 5 pm to 9 pm.

The great emphasis put on an energy source that cannot support industrialisation and urbanisation is not a coincidence. Environmentalists in India and the West have since the 1960s promoted the Romantic idea that low-energy consumption, rural subsistence living, and renewable energy are best for people and the environment. The last 50 years shows how wrong this idea is.

Economic growth remains tightly coupled with energy consumption. A recent analysis of 76 countries found that Indians and Chinese earning $50,000 per year consumes the same amount of energy as Americans and Europeans did when earning that same amount.

Where European, US and Indian governments put great emphasis on off-grid solar in rural villages, historically most people gain access to LPG and electricity by moving to cities.

Solar and wind are promoted as energy sources with little negative environmental impact but both have large impacts measured on per unit energy basis. Both require 100 times more land as fossil and nuclear plants. And wind and solar require five times more concrete and steel, respectively, than coal, nuclear and natural gas plants, according to the US Department of Energy.

Given the limits to solar and wind in both rich and poor countries, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require a faster transition to nuclear energy, first fission and then fusion. Where the transition from wood to coal began 500 years ago, the transition from fossil to nuclear energy began just 50 years ago.

India is a special case in that while most countries complete, or almost complete, the transition from biomass (wood and dung) to fossil fuels, India aims to make both energy transitions happen at the same time.

Rich countries have the strongest scientific and technical workforces capable of building and operating nuclear power plants, but ideological opponents of the technology have successfully spread fear of nuclear energy since the 1960s.

Polls show Indians support nuclear energy but the Indian nuclear energy programme is only now recovering after having been isolated from the global community over recusal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As such, the most important work by Modi and Obama on climate was removing hurdles to greater US-India collaboration on nuclear energy. India could soon start constructing power plants with US and European companies and hopefully one day soon the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.

The same should be done on natural gas. The US can help India to better access its natural gas reserves, and the Indian government can take advantage of low cost natural gas due to the global oversupply, and potentially start importing large quantities of natural gas from Iran.

Nations around the world, including the US and Europe, show that the transition from wood to fossil fuels takes decades. To the extent there is energy leap-frogging it will mostly be from wood to natural gas and nuclear, not to solar and wind. Renewables should play a role but should not distract nations from the main event of accelerating energy transitions for environmental progresss.

Michael Shellenberger is President of Environmental Progress, an independent research and policy NGO based in California.

Rachel Pritzker is President of Pritizker Innovation Fund, a philanthropic foundation supporting technological innovation for human development and environmental progress.

————

Michael Shellenberger :: Founder and President, Environmental Progress :: Tel 510-984-0076 :: 415-309-4200 :: EnvironmentalProgress.org :: shellenberger.org

————

Michael Shellenberger :: Founder and President, Environmental Progress :: Tel 510-984-0076 :: 415-309-4200 :: EnvironmentalProgress.org :: shellenberger.org

Click here to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward

0.13 GB (0%) of 15 GB used

Manage

Terms - Privacy

Last account activity: 47 minutes ago

Details

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Anonymous Letter Prompts Probe Of Northwest's Only Nuclear Power Plant

Here's your go-to source for debunking all the Fukushima fables

Friday, February 26, 2016

Beware of the Loving Embrace of the Government

Thursday, February 25, 2016

The Great Fukushima Nuclear Cover-Up. The Power of Propaganda

USA's $3 billion nuclear submarines are getting outnumbered by China and Russia' s Diesel submarines that are ten times cheaper

Former Entergy Manager says its Time to End Political Fear-Mongering About Indian Point

Five years on and the Fukushima crisis is far from over

Why America Pays More for Nuclear Power

Obama plan to de-fund Savannah River plutonium conversion plant draws fire

How Not to Debate Nuclear Energy and Climate Change

By Michael Specter

An Illustration of the Real Nature of the Nuclear Waste Problem

National Engineer’s Week: Nuclear Energy for the Next Generation

Nuclear Cafe Matinee – Former ANS President (2008-2009) Bill Burchill

More to read:

Regulators size up costs, need for $1 billion Duke Energy gas plant

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Alexander Says Ending Nuclear Waste Stalemate Is Critical To Future Of Nuclear Power

Loss of Nuclear Plant Reverses Trend

NY state Public Service Commission looks at helping struggling nuclear power plants

New York regulators take steps to back upstate nuclear power generation

3 healthcare safety lessons from the nuclear power industry

Turkey-China talks on building third nuclear power plant inconclusive

Tepco admits it should have declared meltdowns at Fukushima plant much earlier

The Latest: Utilities push back against nuclear cost lawsuit

Small reactors a strategy for climate change

US uranium production falls in 2015

Entergy rebuffs latest NY plan to save FitzPatrick nuclear plant

IAEA Plans Nuclear Mosquitoes to Fight Zika Virus

Lawsuit challenges Florida utilities' $2B nuclear power cost fees

Takahama N-reactors get tentative extension

French plant spend pegged at 100bn euros; Sweden’s Oskarshamn 1 to shut mid-2017

UK firms await Hinkley C finance triggers to enter nuclear market

US AP1000 projects advance on revamped EPC terms

This Year’s Biggest IPO Is a Blank Check for the Oil Business

Mark Papa’s Silver Run Acquisition raises $450 million to shop for energy assets on the cheap

Another Oil Crash Is Coming, and There May Be No Recovery

Superior electric cars are on their way, and they could begin to wreck oil markets within a decade.

Chesapeake Energy shares tumble after company's loss widens, unveils drastic capex cuts

China Inc.’s Nuclear-Power Push

In a shift, Chinese state-owned companies seek to roll out advanced reactors for export

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Why energy transitions are the key to environmental progress

Michael Shellenberger <michaelshellenberger@gmail.com>

At the United Nations climate talks in Paris last fall, US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need to find climate solutions that advance, rather than undermine, India’s development prospects.