Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Friday, June 1, 2018

Trump’s coal pandering plan would raise costs, undermine renewables

Trump’s coal pandering plan would raise costs, undermine renewables


https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611288/trumps-coal-pandering-plan-would-raise-costs-undermine-renewables/?utm_campaign=owned_social&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com

Wales' upcoming plant adds to global nuclear economy dominated by Asia

Wales' upcoming plant adds to global nuclear economy dominated by Asia

DOJ, FERC Back Illinois in Nuclear Subsidy Fight

DOJ, FERC Back Illinois in Nuclear Subsidy Fight

Phasing out nuclear energy could affect safety

Phasing out nuclear energy could affect safety: The way in which the phase-out of nuclear power plants in Germany is currently planned could negatively influence the safety of the facilities. Those involved could increasingly favor their own interests as the shutdown date approaches, argue scientists from the University of Basel and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin in the journal Behavioral Science & Policy. They base their argument on the possibility of endgame behavior from game theory.

TerraPower’s Nuclear Reactor Could Power the 21st Century - IEEE Spectrum

TerraPower’s Nuclear Reactor Could Power the 21st Century - IEEE Spectrum: The traveling-wave reactor and other advanced reactor designs could solve our fossil fuel dependency

Trump plan bails out coal and nuclear plants for national security

Trump plan bails out coal and nuclear plants for national security: The Trump administration aims to keep ailing coal and nuclear plants online by turning to rarely-used federal powers, Bloomberg reports.

DOE Coal/Nuke Subsidy Plan (1)

DOE Coal/Nuke Subsidy Plan (1): Draft memo to bail out at-risk coal and nuclear plants

Trump administration preparing 2-year coal, nuke bailout


Trump administration preparing 2-year coal, nuke bailout


https://www.utilitydive.com/news/trump-administration-preparing-2-year-coal-nuke-bailout/524788/

CIA finds North Korea won't give up nuclear weapons, could open burger franchise: report | TheHill

CIA finds North Korea won't give up nuclear weapons, could open burger franchise: report | TheHill: A CIA report found that North Korea does not plan to give up its nuclear weapons in the near future, contradicting President Trump’s statements that the country would do so,

Iran parliament considering bill on nuclear talks with EU

Iran parliament considering bill on nuclear talks with EU: Tehran, June 1, IRNA – Iranian lawmakers have submitted a double-urgency bill to the Presiding Board of Majlis (parliament) on the nuclear talks with the EU.

Trump’s Got a Crazy New Plan to Save the Dying Coal Industry – Mother Jones

Trump’s Got a Crazy New Plan to Save the Dying Coal Industry – Mother Jones: Trump is going to unprecedented new lengths—legal or not.

Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Nuclear Roundup June 1, 2018

Nuclear Roundup
June 1, 2018
A daily roundup of quality nuclear policy news.

North Korea

Hecker: Why did Kim Jong-un blow up his nuclear test site? 
International
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What comes next on North Korea? | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

What comes next on North Korea? | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: While the exact timing and location of a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will remain fluid until both men physically enter the same room, the odds that a summit will occur currently appear high. The main reason: Trump and Kim each seem genuinely invested in meeting.

Concrete steps toward North Korean nuclear dismantlement | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Concrete steps toward North Korean nuclear dismantlement | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: The summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, is off. Even before Trump announced the meeting’s cancellation, expectations for the summit may have outpaced realistic outcomes. Now the path forward is extremely unclear.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ CEO Rachel Bronson: Can We Turn Back the Hands of the Doomsday Clock? Tickets, Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ CEO Rachel Bronson: Can We Turn Back the Hands of the Doomsday Clock? Tickets, Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite: Eventbrite - The Commonwealth Club presents Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ CEO Rachel Bronson: Can We Turn Back the Hands of the Doomsday Clock? - Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA. Find event and ticket information.

The United States has learned the wrong lessons from previous diplomacy with North Korea | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

The United States has learned the wrong lessons from previous diplomacy with North Korea | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: As we scramble to make sense of the on-again/off-again prospect of diplomacy with North Korea, it is important to look at the record and see what previous efforts have yielded and what we can learn from them.

Who is Kim Jong-un? | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Who is Kim Jong-un? | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: He taunts foreign leaders with personal insults. He offers peace overtures one day and threats the next. He commands an arsenal of nuclear weapons, creating a keen global wish to understand and predict his behavior. But since Kim Jong-un leads an isolated dictatorship, the general public doesn’t have access to geysers of biographical information spewed by a raucous democratic

On the 20th anniversary of the 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

On the 20th anniversary of the 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: May 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the nuclear weapon tests by India and Pakistan. Over these past two decades, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has covered the growing nuclear programs of the two countries and the profound risks they pose to the roughly 1.5 billion people now living in these two countries, who make up one-fifth of humanity. Here, guest editors Zia

ANS Annual Meeting 2018


ANS Annual Meeting 2018 | "Driving the Future of Nuclear Technology"
June 17–21, 2018  |  Marriott Philadelphia Downtown  |  Philadelphia, PA
Attend the Annual Meeting and Find Out
What Nuclear Needs for a Bright Future
ANS President's Special Session
Monday, June 18, 4:30-6:30 pm
What Nuclear Needs
The President's Session will delve into five topics requiring the industry's focus in order to ensure a bright future for nuclear energy. Speakers are leaders in the areas of:
  • Attracting private investment
  • Accelerating the development of advanced nuclear
  • Ensuring nuclear is recognized as a way to fight climate change
  • Creating a diverse workforce capable of tackling tomorrow's issues
  • Building political support for nuclear energy      
Robert N. Coward
Robert N. Coward
ANS President
MPR Associates, Inc.
Speakers
Moderator
Alyse M. Scurlock, P.E.
Alyse M. Scurlock, P.E.
Nuclear Engineer
Duke Energy
Rita Baranwal
Rita Baranwal
Director of GAIN
INL
Armond Cohen
Armond Cohen
Executive Director
Clean Air Task Force
Jacob Smeltz
Jacob Smeltz
Chief of Staff to Senator
Ryan P. Aument (PA)
Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein
Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein
Deputy Chief of Staff for
Strategic Deterrence and
Nuclear Integration
U.S. Air Force
Johanna Wolfson
Johanna Wolfson
Principal
PRIME Impact Fund

 
 
Driving the Future of Nuclear Technology

Texo DSI completes drone inspection of Urenco plant

Texo DSI completes drone inspection of Urenco plant: Texo Drone Survey and Inspection (Texo DSI) has carried out an internal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection of a "live nuclear asset", which it says is a first for the global nuclear sector. Texo DSI was commissioned by Urenco UK to perform the inspection of one of its processing plants for fire compartmentation checks.

Flamanville EPR weld checks continue

Flamanville EPR weld checks continue: Investigations into the causes and nature of quality deviations detected on certain welds in the main secondary system of the EPR reactor under construction at Flamanville, northern France, will continue for "several more weeks", EDF said yesterday. The utility warned that the start-up of the reactor could possibly be delayed by "several months".

ANS Nuclear Policy Wire: So Ordereed?

ANS Nuclear Policy Wire
June 1, 2018

So Ordered?
The Trump administration is seriously considering requiring grid operators to buy electricity from struggling coal and nuclear plants in an effort to extend their life, according to a draft memo circulated before a National Security Council meeting this morning. 
 
Based in part on the Department of Energy's Section 202(c) authority under the Federal Power Act, which allows DOE to order plants to remain open during times of emergency, the memo would have DOE "direct the purchase of power or electric generation capacity from a designated list of facilities 'to forestall any future actions toward retirement, decommissioning or deactivation.'"  
 
This memo comes in the wake of FirstEnergy's DOE petition after it announced nuclear plant closures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. There is no indication that President Trump has signed off on the memo or when an order might be issued. 

We’ll lose power in winters ahead - The Providence Journal, 2018-06-01

We’ll lose power in winters ahead - The Providence Journal, 2018-06-01

What if California inverse condemnation rule bankrupts PG&E? | The Sacramento Bee

What if California inverse condemnation rule bankrupts PG&E? | The Sacramento Bee

Owner of nation's oldest nuke plant files $1.4B closing plan - San Francisco Chronicle

Owner of nation's oldest nuke plant files $1.4B closing plan - San Francisco Chronicle

Excessive number of reactor outages triggers more regulatory oversight at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant | Times Free Press

Excessive number of reactor outages triggers more regulatory oversight at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant | Times Free Press

FPL, speakers clash on plan to run Turkey Point nuclear plant to 2053

FPL, speakers clash on plan to run Turkey Point nuclear plant to 2053

Vermont Yankee Buyer Says Success Here Could Mean Big Business Elsewhere | Vermont Public Radio

Vermont Yankee Buyer Says Success Here Could Mean Big Business Elsewhere | Vermont Public Radio: Why would anyone want to buy a closed nuclear power plant, along with its long legacy of radioactive waste?

Fermi 2 operating safely, NRC says at open house - News - Monroe News - Monroe, Michigan - Monroe, MI

Fermi 2 operating safely, NRC says at open house - News - Monroe News - Monroe, Michigan - Monroe, MI

Owner of nation’s oldest nuke plant files $1.4B closing plan - The Washington Post

Owner of nation’s oldest nuke plant files $1.4B closing plan - The Washington Post: The owner of the nation’s oldest nuclear power plant says it will cost $1.4 billion and take 60 years to shut down a site due to close in October.

Contract worth up to £15m awarded for Dounreay nuclear site clean-up - Energy Live News - Energy Made Easy

Contract worth up to £15m awarded for Dounreay nuclear site clean-up - Energy Live News - Energy Made Easy: Cavendish Nuclear has been chosen to develop the Design and Engineering Services Framework

French utility EDF says Flamanville 3 reactor launch faces possible delays | Energy & Oil | Reuters

French utility EDF says Flamanville 3 reactor launch faces possible delays | Energy & Oil | Reuters: French utility EDF saidon Thursday that the launch of its new generation Flamanville 3nuclear reactor could be delayed by several months, and it waspreparing to keep its two old reactors at Fessenheim operationaluntil summer 2019.

Oyster Creek nuclear plant submits 60-year, $1.4 billion closing plan | Breaking News | pressofatlanticcity.com

Oyster Creek nuclear plant submits 60-year, $1.4 billion closing plan | Breaking News | pressofatlanticcity.com: LACEY TOWNSHIP — The almost 50-year-old Oyster Creek nuclear plant will spend more time being decontaminated and dismantled than it did making electricity.

Vermont Yankee Buyer Says Success Here Could Mean Big Business Elsewhere | Vermont Public Radio

Vermont Yankee Buyer Says Success Here Could Mean Big Business Elsewhere | Vermont Public Radio: Why would anyone want to buy a closed nuclear power plant, along with its long legacy of radioactive waste?

Contractor at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant overcharged TVA nearly $4.4 million | Times Free Press

Contractor at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant overcharged TVA nearly $4.4 million | Times Free Press

Toshiba withdraws from South Texas nuclear power plant project | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters

Toshiba withdraws from South Texas nuclear power plant project | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters: Toshiba Corp said on Thursday itwas scrapping a plan to build two nuclear reactors at a U.S.power plant after long delays in which it failed to findinvestors because of sharply lower electricity rates andincreased global regulation.

New Mexico to decide this week on WIPP permit changes | The NM Political Report

New Mexico to decide this week on WIPP permit changes | The NM Political Report: As the attention of legislators and residents has focused on plans by a private company to store high-level commercial nuclear waste in southeastern New Mexico, changes could be afoot in how transuranic waste from nuclear weapons is managed at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP. On June 1, the state of New Mexico is […]

Argentina reaches generator milestone for CAREM-25

Argentina reaches generator milestone for CAREM-25: The CAREM Project has reached a new milestone in the development of the 12 steam generators for the prototype CAREM-25 in Argentina. More than 700 tubes, each 35 meters long, have been delivered to the site, Combustibles Nucleares Argentinos (CONUAR), announced on 4 May.

Report: MOX project dead, more waste and 1,800 jobs from replacement - News - The Augusta Chronicle - Augusta, GA

Report: MOX project dead, more waste and 1,800 jobs from replacement - News - The Augusta Chronicle - Augusta, GA

How General Atomics Developed Its Revolutionary Nuclear Fuel Solution

How General Atomics Developed Its Revolutionary Nuclear Fuel Solution

Toshiba scraps project to build ABWRs in Texas

Toshiba scraps project to build ABWRs in Texas: Japan's Toshiba Corporation is to withdraw from the project to construct two of its advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs) as units 3 and 4 of the South Texas Project (STP) in the USA. The company said the project, which has failed to find investors, is no longer financially viable.

Trump orders Rick Perry to save coal, nuclear plants

Trump orders Rick Perry to save coal, nuclear plants

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/trump-orders-rick-perry-to-save-coal-nuclear-plants

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Don't Expect President Trump to Invade Iran | The National Interest

Don't Expect President Trump to Invade Iran | The National Interest: It is doubtful that President Trump is planning to change the regime in Tehran or to try to remake Iran into a liberal democratic nation.

America Joins With Canada And Japan To Promote Nuclear Power

America Joins With Canada And Japan To Promote Nuclear Power: Eager to counter the ‘climate villain’ narrative, the United States launched new nuclear and 'clean coal' initiatives at a summit in Copenhagen - and convinced some European Union countries to join them.

Japan's Kansai Electric to cut LNG deals as it boosts nuclear power | Reuters

Japan's Kansai Electric to cut LNG deals as it boosts nuclear power | Reuters: Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co will cut spot purchases of liquefied natural gas and is cautious on signing long-term LNG supply contracts as it slowly lifts the share of nuclear power in its generation mix, a senior official said.

How North Korea would benefit from a nuclear deal | Fox Business Video

How North Korea would benefit from a nuclear deal | Fox Business Video: Fox News foreign policy analyst Kiron Skinner and Washington Examiner commentary writer Tom Rogan with the latest on Trump administration talks with North Korea.

Potential Carbon Capture Game Changer Nears Completion - MIT Technology Review

Potential Carbon Capture Game Changer Nears Completion - MIT Technology Review: If it works as expected, the Net Power natural gas demonstration plant will capture carbon at nearly no cost.

NET Power Achieves Major Milestone for Carbon Capture with Demonstration Plant First Fire

NET Power Achieves Major Milestone for Carbon Capture with Demonstration Plant First Fire: LA PORTE, Texas, May 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NET Power, LLC, today announced that it has successfully achieved first...

Uranium: Interest is building - Rudi Filapek-Vandyck | Livewire

Uranium: Interest is building - Rudi Filapek-Vandyck | Livewire: The spot uranium price ticked up again last week and growing 2019 demand suggests further upside. In this wire, Greg Peel discusses improving prices, the US conundrum, and new reactors for Japan.

Improving physical security with simulations -- GCN

Improving physical security with simulations -- GCN: Modeling and simulation software helps nuclear facilities test their security against external and internal threats.

Illinois can subsidize nuclear power if it wants: U.S. FERC brief | Reuters

Illinois can subsidize nuclear power if it wants: U.S. FERC brief | Reuters: U.S. energy regulators said federal rules do not preempt Illinois' program to provide money to nuclear reactors that provide carbon-free energy to help prevent the units from shutting early, according to a filing with a federal appeals court.

Pompeo meets North Korean official in push to rescue nuclear summit

Pompeo meets North Korean official in push to rescue nuclear summit: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to New York on Wednesday to meet a senior North Korean official in a sit-down that could determine if the two governments can resuscitate the still-stalled June 12 nuclear summit in Singapore.

Senate confirms Caputo, Wright, Baran as NRC commissioners - Daily Energy Insider

Senate confirms Caputo, Wright, Baran as NRC commissioners - Daily Energy Insider: The U.S. Senate confirmed Annie Caputo and David Wright to serve as commissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and reconfirmed Jeffrey Baran to serve a second term as commissioner, with unanimous consent on Thursday. ... Read More »

US energy regulators back Illinois legislation

US energy regulators back Illinois legislation: The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) have submitted a statement to a court of appeal saying federal rules do not pre-empt Illinois' zero emission credit (ZEC) programme. The court is hearing an appeal against an earlier ruling that dismissed a lawsuit aimed at invalidating the programme, which provides financial support to Exelon's Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear power plants.

European push for nuclear technology in space

European push for nuclear technology in space: The European Space Agency (ESA) will host the international space and applications community in a workshop on 27-28 June to find out how best to prepare for the implementation of advanced radioisotope hybrid power systems. Here, Dr Markus Landgraf, architecture analyst in the Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration Programmes at the European Space Research and Technology Centre, or ESTEC, explains the potential for nuclear technology in future space exploration. ESTEC is the ESA's main development and test centre for spacecraft and space technology.

Nuclear Energy: A Source of Electricity is Projected to Grow

Nuclear Energy: A Source of Electricity is Projected to Grow: NEW YORK, May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --



Nuclear Energy is the largest source of clean, non-intermittent electricity...

Strike price for Wylfa nuclear plant far lower than Hinkley Point

Strike price for Wylfa nuclear plant far lower than Hinkley Point: Ministers expected to announce outline agreement next week

This mesmerising monument to Soviet nuclear power is rising over Moscow once more — The Calvert Journal

This mesmerising monument to Soviet nuclear power is rising over Moscow once more — The Calvert Journal: Held together by the concerted tension of hundreds of metal tubes, the 13-metre sphere gently moves with the wind

Rosatom: How the World’s First Generation 3+ Nuclear Power Plant Is Changing Lives Through Technology | Al Bawaba

Rosatom: How the World’s First Generation 3+ Nuclear Power Plant Is Changing Lives Through Technology | Al Bawaba: As Egypt is standing on the verge of starting the construction of its first nuclear power plant at El Dabaa, it is becoming obvious that the country and the Matrouh province, where the plant will be

Govt needs to make public nuclear power safety plans

Govt needs to make public nuclear power safety plans: BANGLADESH is badly in need of power, especially when a reported 77 per cent or so of the population live on-grid....

Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Nuclear Roundup May 31, 2018

Nuclear Roundup
May 31, 2018
A daily roundup of quality nuclear policy news.

North Korea

Pompeo and a North Korean official conclude talks to salvage nuclear summit 
United States
International
Send Jodi Lieberman items of interest for the Nuclear Roundup at brodnica67@gmail.com. Receive this message as a forward? Subscribe to the Nuclear Roundup here.
Click here to sign up for future Bulletin mailings. To unsubscribe from the Nuclear Roundup, please reply to this email with "No Roundup".