Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Friday, June 15, 2012

San Onofre Update 6/15

SAN ONOFRE: Feds ding Edison on electronic security of sensitive ...
North County Times
Local news from across San Diego County. ... did not use the proper procedure to handle sensitive information at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Outage at San Onofre may cost hundreds of millions
U-T San Diego
Costs are mounting for the months-long outage at the San Onofre nuclear plant and any possible solutions, as investigators examine steam generator damage ...

Save energy, save on bill during San Onofre shutdown
OCRegister
News: SDG&E urges energy saving during San Onofre shutdown | san, clemente, nuclear, power, plant, shortage, outage, heat, summer, south, orange, county, ...

Troubles at San Onofre Nuclear Plant Awaken Activists
Inside Climate News
Ongoing troubles at Southern California's San Onofre nuclear power plant have galvanized area residents, city officials and environmental groups—putting an ...

Feds find security issues at Calif. nuclear plant
San Jose Mercury News
SAN ONOFRE, Calif.—Federal regulators have uncovered security problems at the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant on the California coast that could result in ...

Utility: Summer power needs to be met in S. Calif.
San Jose Mercury News
SAN DIEGO—San Diego Gas & Electric officials said Thursday that they expect ... in San Onofre, which is offline due to wear in tubes that carry radioactive water.

SDG&E: San Diego, SoCal to have enough power this summer
KUSI
The major transmission line will have a capacity of 800 megawatts, nearly double SDG&E's share of the energy produced by the San Onofre Nuclear Generating ...

ENCINITAS: Council will put San Onofre on agenda to examine ...
North County Times
At the urging of a handful concerned community members from as far away as San Clemente, the council opted to put a deeper discussion of San Onofre, and ...

Security deficiencies found at San Onofre
U-T San Diego
Local news stories from U-T San Diego; breaking news, business and technology, local and national sports coverage, entertainment neww and reviews, ...

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Shimon Peres, Israel’s Nuclear Weapons Program and Iran

June 14th, 2012

Marsha B. Cohen

What Would Be the Fallout from an Accident at Fukushima’s Fuel Pools?

Dr. Paul Gailey sent me the following email:

Because so many claims were flying around with regard to Fukushima’s spent fuel pool number 4, we performed a technical analysis of the situation to gain some perspective on the parameters of the crisis. If you are interested, there is a link to our Special Report on Fukushima at www.holophi.ch/blog/ , along with some overview perspectives in our April newsletter also at that web address.
Our analysis is done in a way that is difficult to dispute because we based everything on published scientific reports and measurements and performed the analysis in a straightforward way. While the many anecdotal radiation measurements and reports by members of the public may very well be accurate and important, we felt there was a need for a scientifically defensible analysis that did not depend on public measurements, which are difficult to substantiate and can be easily criticized.

Dr. Gailey holds advanced degrees in physics and engineering. An associate professor of Physics and Astronomy at Ohio University (with joint appointments in the Departments of Biology and Mathematics), Dr. Gailey is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Committee on Global Science and Technology, the Director of Electric and Magnetic Fields Health Effects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and a researcher in health effects, instrumentation, computational models, and economic impact of electric and magnetic field effects for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
He is a biophysicist (most of the world’s top experts in the effects of radiation on health are biophysicists).
Gailey’s new report notes that the risk of a fire in fuel pool number 4 is real, and that the risks of contamination are so severe that an international effort is required.
The report follows (original pdf version here).
Holophi Special Report – April 2012

Renewable Energy Sees a Record $257 Billion of Investment in 2011

by burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess)

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) announced in a new report that in 2011 global renewable energy investment reached a record $257 billion; a 17 percent increase from 2010, and a 600% increase over the past seven years.The solar energy sector saw the largest amount of investment, up from 2010 by 52% to an impressive $147 billion, more than half the total investment in the renewable energy market. This increase was due to an explosion in the number of installations of rooftop panels in the Italy and Germany, along with large-scale concentrated solar…Read more...

IEA: Adopting Cleantech Could Save $100 Trillion by 2050

by cp@oilprice.com (Climate Progress)

The once staid International Energy Agency continues its string of blunt, must-read reports laying bare the reality of our climate and energy system.While so many “experts” and politicians make hand-waving pronouncements about how the primary solution to climate change is more R&D or how cheap natural gas is the answer to our problems, the IEA is one of the few international bodies with a comprehensive energy and economic model that cuts through the BS.As their new report, Energy Technology Perspectives 2012, makes clear, new natural…Read more...

IEA Calling for an Extra $36 Trillion to be Invested in Clean Energy

by peixej@oilprice.com (Joao Peixe)

In a new 700 page report by the International Energy Agency, Executive Director Maria van deer Hoeven has stated that governments and private investors must work much harder if they truly want to reduce global warming to acceptable levels.The IEA is calling for an extra $36 trillion of funding for clean energy projects by 2050, after claiming that current investment is just not enough. Governments must set higher, more ambitious renewable energy targets, form carbon emission taxes in order to encourage reductions, and end all subsidies for fossil…Read more...

Nuclear Power Company Of India Signs MOU for New AP1000 Reactors

by Nuclear Street News Team

The primary builder of nuclear plants in India has reached an agreement to begin negotiations on Westinghouse AP1000 reactor construction in the state of Gujarat, the Pennsylvania-based company announced Wednesday.

Nuclear Power Company of India Limited signed a memorandum of understanding to begin negotiating an early works agreement for AP1000 construction at the Mithivirdi site. The later agreement will include preliminary licensing and site

development work, according to a Westinghouse release. The company characterized the deal as reflecting progress toward implementation of an India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement signed in 2008.

Nuclear Technology for a Sustainable Future

Every day, millions of people throughout the world benefit from the use of nuclear technology.

For Climate-Conscious China, Nuclear Power Fuels an Economic Boom

by Lee Gliddon

China built its first commercial reactor in 1985 and rapidly became a global nuclear power player in the late 90s. Last year, it got 1.85 percent of its electricity from nuclear, the lowest share of any country with nuclear power. But by May this year, China had increased its nuclear potential and made plans to more than double it. According to the World Nuclear Organization, thirty-nine percent of global new nuclear build now comes from China, and the country is rapidly becoming self-sufficient in reactor design, construction, and other aspects of the fuel cycle.

Uri Gat and the Ultimately Safe Reactor

by Charles Barton

Uri Gat, a now retired ORNL Engineer, wrote one of the most important papers on Reactor Safety. Yet Gats work on Nuclear safety is almost completely unknown. The Reason why Gat's papers and their conclusions are so little known, Gats analysis leads to conclusions about nuclear safety that are are unacceptable to the nuclear industry, the United States Department of Energy and to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as almost every university Department of nuclear studies, and several national Laboratories. Gat was actually the Lead Author in two significant papers on Nuclear safety. The first was Molten-Salt Reactors–Safety Options Galorere. That paper was reproduced in Energy from Thorium and Nuclear Green. The second paper, THE ULTIMATE SAFE (U.S.) REACTOR - A CONCEPT FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM Covers some of the concepts introduced by Galore.

THE ULTIMATE SAFE (U.S.) REACTOR - A CONCEPT FOR THE THIRD MILLENIUM Ur1 Gat

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)* OakRidge,TN 37831

ABSTRACT

The Ultimate Safe (U.S.) Reactor is based on a novel safety concept. Fis- sion products in the reactor are allowed to accumulate only to a level at which they would constitute a harmless source term. Removal of fission products also removes the decay heat — the driving force for the source term. The reactor has no excess criticality and is controlled by the reactivity temperature coefficient. Safety 1s inherent and passive. Waste is removed from the site promptly.h

US, India see progress with nuclear deal

Washington (AFP) June 13, 2012

The United States and India sought Wednesday to dispel doubts over their relationship as a US company signed a deal on nuclear power, a key point of disappointment between the countries. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who once called US affection for India an "affair of the heart," said that the world's two largest democracies had entered a "new and more mature phase" in their partnersh

U.S. - India Nuclear thaw: Westinghouse to build nuclear power plant in Gujarat

by Lee Gliddon

New York: When the US and India signed the nuclear deal in 2008, it was heralded as a new era in post-Cold war ties and US companies hoped to reap a bonanza in reactor sales. They have been snagged by Manmohan Singh‘s government but US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed on Wednesday that Westinghouse Electric Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) that would pave the way for construction of nuclear power plants in Gujarat.
Westinghouse has decided to go ahead with plans for building an AP-1000 nuclear power plant in Gujarat. As the strategic dialogue opened Clinton said that the American company and the Indian state run firm signed a pact on Tuesday to work towards preliminary licensing and site development in Gujarat for construction of new reactors.

German utilities want 15 bn euros for nuclear exit: report

Frankfurt (AFP) June 13, 2012

German power suppliers are suing the government for 15 billion euros ($19 billion) in damages over the decision to abandon nuclear power, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported Wednesday. The country's biggest power utility E.ON, alone, wants at least 8.0 billion euros, the newspaper said, without revealing its sources. In the wake of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, Berlin

Plans advance for US reactors in India

by Warwick Pipe

Westinghouse and GE-Hitachi are working towards reaching agreements with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) for preliminary licensing and site development work for the proposed construction of AP1000 and ESBWR reactors in India.

Westinghouse / India - Early Works Agreement (press release)

by Will Davis

Following is a press release from Westinghouse direct to APR.

--------------------

News Release Issued: June 13, 2012 10:00 AM EDT

Westinghouse And Nuclear Power Company Of India Limited Sign Memorandum Of Understanding For Early Works Agreement

The US Will Spend Millions Bailing Out A Failed Uranium Enrichment Company It Created In The 90s

by Rob Wile

The New York Times' Matt Wald reports the Department of Energy will spend $88 million to acquire tons of uranium from a failed company the government created in the 1990s that was supposed to make advances in enrichment research.
The amount could climb even higher if the administration gets Congress to approve a request for further aid, he reports.
Taxpayers will also own centrifuges built by the company, called the United States Enrichment Corporation, that were supposed to have led to greater technological efficiencies but which some say have already fallen behind, Wald writes.
“Under the new agreement, we will be able to move forward with this critical research, development and demonstration effort while ensuring strong protections for the American taxpayers,” the energy secretary, Steven Chu, said in a statement.
Read Matt Wald's full story on NYTimes.com