Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire: 12/25/16

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Russia Hysteria Infects WashPost Again: False Story About Hacking U.S. Electric Grid

https://theintercept.com/2016/12/31/russia-hysteria-infects-washpost-again-false-story-about-hacking-u-s-electric-grid/

Russian hack of Vermont utility shows risk to power grid, officials say

The utility detected malware code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration. The Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, according to officials, who say they aren't sure what the intentions of the Russians were.

By Juliet Eilperin and Adam Entous • Read more »https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-hackers-penetrated-us-electricity-grid-through-a-utility-in-vermont/2016/12/30/8fc90cc4-ceec-11e6-b8a2-8c2a61b0436f_story.html?utm_term=.a8358b39c835&wpisrc=nl_heads-draw6&wpmm=1

Friday, December 30, 2016

Construction starts on second Hualong One

29 December 2016

China General Nuclear (CGN) has started construction of its second Hualong One reactor - unit 4 of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in western China. Pouring first concrete began on 23 December, "marking the official start of construction on another Hualong-1 (HPR1000) demonstration power unit, China's first homegrown nuclear power plant", CGN said the following day.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Construction-starts-on-second-Hualong-One-29121601.html

Make nuclear great again: Nuclear industry pitches Trump on safety, reliability

Make nuclear great again: Nuclear industry pitches Trump on safety, reliability

https://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-38845304-12077

Environmental Progress

Around this time last year, I founded a new organization with a big ambition and a simple strategy: protect and expand access to cheap and clean power, a critical driver of environmental progress.
I'm writing now to reflect back on an extraordinary year, give you a peek into what's coming in 2017, and invite you to become a founding member of Environmental Progress.

Here's a look back at the year.

1. We saved the nukes
Our biggest achievement was helping to save 20 percent of U.S. nuclear power that was at risk of being replaced with fossil fuels.

Those victories were far from certain. In both New York and Illinois, we faced deep-pocketed adversaries — including ones funded by energy companies with a financial interest in closing nuclear plants.
We gave expert testimony, countered misinformation by anti-nuclear groups and politicians, challenged anti-nuclear groups for their hypocrisy, and exposed their myriad conflicts-of-interest.
Our strategy paid off. Facing a serious loss of credibility on air pollution and climate change, anti-nuclear groups were forced to compromise.

2. We sounded the alarm.
Against the hype about a clean energy revolution, EP was the first to document that clean energy has been on the decline — in large measure due to the decline of nuclear power.
We published the first detailed count of nuclear plants at risk of closure, and helped put the issue on the front-pages of the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, and in hundreds of other newspapers and columns.

With the steadfast support of climate scientist and EP science advisor, James Hansen, EP organized 10 open letters by dozens of conservationists, economists and climate scientists to Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Jerry Brown and many others in-between.
And we authored opeds about the crisis facing clean energy, including "How Not to Deal with Climate Change," for the New York Times.

3. We built a movement.
We organized three historic pro-nuclear marches in San Francisco, New York and Chicago with students, workers and environmentalists.

We co-founded the Clean Power Coalition, an alliance of pro-nuclear groups and students, in Chicago, to fight to save and expand nuclear energy.
And we supported the creation of three new ecomodernist organizations — Mothers for Nuclear, Generation Atomic, to organize pro-nuclear students, and Environmental Hope and Justice, a new, pro-nuclear environmental justice organization that will launch next year.

4. We changed minds
After my TED talk went viral last September, hundreds of people emailed me to say it changed their mind about nuclear. It's now been viewed by over one million people.
After the Wall Street Journal made favorable notice of our efforts to save nuclear, the actor Robert Downey, Jr. gave a statement later the same day saying, "It’s like half the people who were saying ‘No nukes!’ are now realizing nuclear is the best way to go for energy for the future."
Then a couple of days after our Illinois victory, the musician Sting declared that he too had changed his mind.

The Future of Environmental Progress

As proud as I am of what we achieved, none of it is nearly enough. Consider that:

The nuclear plants we helped save were only given a temporary reprieve. There is no plan to replace those plants when they retire in 2030.

One-quarter to two-thirds of our nuclear plants remain at risk of being closed prematurely, according to our latest estimate.

California's famously corrupt utility regulator is moving ahead with plans to hike electricity rates and close our last nuclear plant.

And after cutting a deal to close Palisades in Michigan, Entergy appears to be in negotiations with Governor Cuomo to close down Indian Point in New York.

   But with the momentum we built up in 2016, and with your help, we can achieve more critical victories in 2017. Here's how.
1. Keep fighting for clean power.
EP will build on our victories by taking our efforts to other states — and to Washington, D.C.
This work is already underway: last week our coalition of scientists, scholars and conservationists sent an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, urging him to save the nukes, and use nuclear to revitalize the manufacturing industry at home while reducing energy poverty abroad.
2. Create an inspiring and realistic vision for nuclear's future.
I was pleased this year to receive two invitations. The first was to join MIT's "Future of Nuclear" advisory board. The second was to give the keynote address at the annual conference of the American Nuclear Society's (ANS), the 11,000 member organization founded in the 1950s to advocate for nuclear, which will be held in San Francisco next June.
To properly honor those commitments, EP will in the Spring publish our own Future of Nuclear report, which will include a hard-nosed assessment of global trends. Our ambition is, as usual, immodest: align pro-nuclear environmentalists, professionals and industry leaders around an expansive new vision for our most important environmental technology.
3. Grow the ecomodernist movement.
EP wasn't the only pro-nuclear group to enjoy big wins in 2017. Our friends at Energy for Humanity defeated a referendum in Switzerland that would have shuttered that nation's nuclear plants. And our friends at Bright New World in Australia have built a powerful coalition and made critical progress toward reversing that coal-heavy nation's opposition to nuclear.
EP will be working with both groups in 2017 to grow our national efforts into a truly global movement.
EP's has partnered with a team of creative and ambitious UC-Berkeley students to build on my TED talk and our made-for-social-media infographics by creating a series of explanatory videos about the environment for Facebook.
Finally, I'm happy to announce that in the early spring, EP will open a 5,000 square-foot, street-level space that will not only serve as our office but also a center for ecomodernist research and action. Located just three blocks from UC-Berkeley, our aim is to attract talented and inspired students into our growing movement.

Everything we've achieved was only possible thanks to individuals like you. I hope you'll consider becoming a founding member of Environmental Progress. If you join before January 1, we'll send you a special gift.
With love and gratitude,

Michael

P.S. Come and visit us on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley in the new year!

Connect With Us:

Facebook

Twitter

Contact Info:

Environmental Progress
2569 Telegraph Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704
United States

unsubscribe

Going Nuclear

A quarter century after China fired up its first nuclear reactor, the country is poised to become the world's biggest producer of nuclear power.

http://graphics.wsj.com/china-nuclear-plant/

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Could Soon be Closed or Sold by FirstEnergy

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/12/29/davis-besse-nuclear-power-station-could-soon-be-closed-or-sold-by-firstenergy

IAEA Highlights and Achievements in 2016 – A Year in Review

Friday 30 December 2016 14:15 CET

Natalia Ivanova, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

A major report on verification and monitoring in Iran, the entry into force of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), response to the outbreak of the Zika crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean and the promotion of safe nuclear solutions towards sustainable development worldwide — these have been some of the main achievements in 2016 of the IAEA, as it entered the year of its 60th anniversary.
Below are the highlights of the IAEA’s activities in strengthening the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology and a look at the many topics in focus over the course of the year.
Iran
A major report that marked the implementation day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was released by the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on 16 January 2016. The report confirmed that Iran had completed the necessary preparatory steps specified in Annex V of the JCPOA, which was agreed in July 2015 between Iran and the so called E3/EU+3 – China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. The IAEA’s Board of Governors had authorised Mr Amano to implement verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA in August 2015, following a request by the United Nations Security Council. Implementation of the JCPOA marked the beginning of a new phase in relations between Iran and the IAEA.
To ensure effective and efficient verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA, a new Office of Safeguards Verification in Iran was established and a new 24/7 high-tech device — the Online Enrichment Monitor, or OLEM, was installed to verify that Iran keeps its level of uranium enrichment at up to 3.67%, as committed under the JCPOA.

Placed around the processing pipe, the gamma ray detector (box, bottom right) measures the amount of uranium-235 at key points during the enrichment process, while sensors (boxes, centre and bottom right) measure pressure and temperature in pipes. The components of the online enrichment monitor are placed into a sealed, tamper-indicating device. (Photo: V. Fournier/IAEA)

DPRK
Mr Amano reiterated his serious concern about the nuclear programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which conducted two more nuclear tests this year. He called upon the DPRK to fully comply with its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions and to resolve all outstanding issues, including those that have arisen during the absence of Agency inspectors from the country since 2009.
The IAEA continues to monitor developments in the country’s nuclear programme, including through satellite imagery.
Nuclear Security
The entry into force of a key nuclear security agreement in May marked an important step in strengthening nuclear security globally. The Amendment to the CPPNM makes it legally binding for countries to provide physical protection of nuclear facilities and nuclear material in domestic use, storage and transport, which was not covered in the original Convention, adopted in 1979.
At the end of the year, the IAEA’s leading role as the global platform for strengthening nuclear security was recognized at the International Conference on Nuclear Security: Commitments and Actions. The week-long conference in December served as a forum to exchange views on ways to improve nuclear security globally. It attracted over 2000 participants from 139 Member States and 29 organizations, including representation from 47 Member States at ministerial level. The conference highlighted the collective commitment to improve nuclear security at the national, regional and global levels, as well as the need to stay watchful about the threats to nuclear security and implement concrete measures to protect against malicious acts involving nuclear or radioactive material.

Hernán Estrada Román, Resident Representative of Nicaragua to the IAEA, depositing his country’s instrument of acceptance of the Amendment to the CPPNM to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano. Nicaragua was the 102nd country to accept the Amendment, triggering its entry into force. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

Nuclear Safety
An intense programme of peer-review missions requested by Member States helped strengthen nuclear safety globally. Among notable missions were an Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) to Japan, where the team concluded that the regulatory body for nuclear and radiation safety had demonstrated independence and transparency since it was set up in 2012. South Africa hosted its first full-scope IRRS mission, and the largest in Africa to date, while China — the country with the highest number of power reactors under construction globally — hosted a follow-up IRRS mission.
The adoption of the Leadership and Management for Safety by the Board of Governors in June concluded the Agency’s work to update all seven of its General Safety Requirements publications, which apply to all nuclear facilities and activities. These form an important part of the IAEA’s overall series of Safety Standards, which includes more than 100 publications, most of which are for particular technical areas.
Zika
The IAEA acted quickly to help countries in Latin America and the Caribbean respond to the outbreak of the Zika virus by applying the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), as part of an integrated strategy to control the disease. The assistance has been implemented in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and national health authorities, and integrates all relevant insect management approaches, including site inspections and fumigation. By providing portable equipment for the rapid detection of the virus, as well as the necessary training, the IAEA also helped countries apply a nuclear-derived technique to quickly and accurately detect the Zika virus.

RT-PCR machines can help speed up detection of viruses.

Sustainable Development
The IAEA coordinates international cooperation in nuclear science and promotes the use of nuclear technology for sustainable development. It is uniquely placed to help countries gain access to nuclear science and technology, which have a great deal to offer in industry, energy, health care, agriculture, environmental protection – and many other areas.
The IAEA’s direct contribution to most of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals was showcased at the 2016 Scientific Forum in September, demonstrating how nuclear techniques are used to improve human and animal health, address climate change, boost access to energy and protect the planet. The connection between global challenges, sustainable development and nuclear technologies was also the focus of an IAEA panel discussion at the 2016 European Development Days (EDD) in April, marking the first time the IAEA held an event at this forum.

Nuclear science helps women farmers in Sudan leave poverty behind. Nestled in the midst of these dry lands are patches of green where women who once were not allowed to work are now building their futures by growing vegetables that thrive thanks to nuclear science.( Photo: N. Jawerth / IAEA

Climate change
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change entered into force on November 4, 2016, just prior to the Morocco Climate Change Conference, also known as COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano welcomed the entry into force of the Agreement.
The IAEA coordinated with other UN Agencies a side event highlighting the role of innovation in meeting the target to keep the increase in average global temperatures below 2˚C compared to pre-industrial levels. It also hosted an exhibit on nuclear power and nuclear applications, and provided information on the Agency’s work related to climate change, highlighting recent publications such as Nuclear Power and the Paris Agreement, Nuclear Power and Sustainable Development and Climate Change and Nuclear Power.
IAEA nuclear applications laboratories (ReNuAL)
Contributions by IAEA Member States have enabled the IAEA to begin the modernization of its nuclear applications laboratories under the Renovation of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories (ReNuAL) projects. Construction of new IAEA laboratory buildings, now underway and scheduled for completion by 2018, will increase the Agency’s ability to respond to global challenges in food and agriculture, human health and the environment, among other areas.

Small scale model of the Insect Pest Control Laboratory, the first of four nuclear applications labs scheduled for construction under the Renovation of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories project. (Photo: V. Fournier/IAEA)

IAEA Conferences and Events
The IAEA’s conferences and events throughout the year served as a platform for dialogue and continued work in the areas of nuclear science and technology, helping to further expand their peaceful uses. The meetings encompassed important aspects of the IAEA’s work related to safety and security, safeguards, non-proliferation, energy, science and research, and development.
In looking at the many dimensions of nuclear safety and security, experts discussed the importance of human and organizational factors, safety culture and leadership for safety and the main developments in this area over the past 30 years at the conference at the IAEA. The need to further strengthen effective regulatory control and oversight were the key issues addressed earlier this year at the IAEA’s headquarters.
Recent trends in decommissioning of nuclear facilities and environmental remediation were discussed and shared in Madrid, while the progress achieved in the management of radioactive waste over the last 15 years was recognized by international community toward the end of the year.

Decommissioning staff cutting down a piece of large metal equipment at a nuclear facility.(Photo: Sellafield Ltd./UK)

Among the key topics addressed at conferences related to nuclear energy included effective nuclear knowledge management and technology issues, as well as innovative concepts of direct relevance to the use of nuclear fusion as a source of energy.
In promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, nuclear medicine physicians gathered to review and exchange insights on the latest developments in various aspects of integrated medical imaging as applied to cardiovascular diseases, including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
To highlight the IAEA's significant contribution to global peace, security and development the Agency commenced its 60th anniversary celebrations during this year’s 60th regular session of the General Conference in September.

The 60th regular session of the General Conference was held from 26 to 30 September 2016 at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

Go-ahead given for Sizewell nuclear waste store to be operational

http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/go_ahead_given_for_sizewell_nuclear_waste_store_to_be_operational_1_4832100

Toshiba’s nuclear woes trigger stock meltdown

http://www.briefreport.co.uk/news/toshiba-s-nuclear-woes-trigger-stock-meltdown-4645520.html

Troubled Chinese Nuclear Project Illustrates Toshiba’s Challenges

Toshiba is facing multibillion-dollar write-down that sent its stock plunging more than 40% this week

http://www.wsj.com/articles/troubled-chinese-nuclear-project-illustrates-toshibas-challenges-1483051382

Battered Toshiba out of easy options to plug nuclear hole

http://app.viralnewschart.com/News/News.aspx?linkId=207484498

Growth Predicted for the Global Nuclear Cardiology Market by 2021

http://www.openpr.com/news/403268/Growth-Predicted-for-the-Global-Nuclear-Cardiology-Market-by-2021.html

BRIEF-Wintime Energy and unit sign agreement to invest in UK's Hinkley nuclear project

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/brief-wintime-energy-unit-sign-agreement-invest-uks-103220253--finance.html

United States : Bechtel wins $303 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, sole-source contract to provide nuclear

http://www.tendersinfo.com/procurement_tendernews/7578

Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 3 and 4; Tier 1 Editorial and Consistency Changes

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/30/2016-31720/southern-nuclear-operating-company-inc-vogtle-electric-generating-plant-units-3-and-4-tier-1

Nuclear waste could be buried at greater depth

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20161225_17/

Companies Picked to Decommission San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Southern California Edison, operator of San Onofre, selected the two companies to work together as SONGS Decommissioning Solutions on the $4.4 billion project. http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2016/12/companies-picked-to-decommission-san-onofre-nuclear-generating-station.html?cmpid=enl-poe-weekly-december-23-2016&cmpid=enl_PE_PowerEngineeringE-Newsletter_2016-12-23&email_address=micheletkearney@gmail.com&eid=288118515&bid=1622788

It Takes The Right Rock To Sequester Carbon

It Takes The Right Rock To Sequester Carbon

We know which rock is best for sequestering huge amounts of CO2 deep in the ground in a way that is stable for geologic time. It’s a particular vesicular volcanic rock, a basalt, that reacts with injected CO2 to precipitate new limestone-like rock. The real trick is that this method reduces the normal time to do this from a thousand years to two.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/12/27/it-takes-the-right-rock-to-sequester-carbon/#416c2537bfd1