Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

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

Friday, August 31, 2012

Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal


Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal


Posted on August 31, 2012, 10:33 am, by Margaret, under Fukushima.
Two weeks ago (Aug. 18), the WSJ published a Saturday essay from Dr. Richard Muller titled “The Panic Over Fukushima”. I submitted a letter to the editor. Sadly, the WSJ decided not to publish it. However, I wanted to share it with my readers. I might add that anti-nuclear people hate his essay, and a fair number of pro-nuclear people hate it as well. Both claim “bad science” as the enemy. While his science isn’t completely accurate, it does provide something a lay person can get their arms around and understand. And it makes clear how miniscule the risks really are. For that I was glad the essay was published.
More at:

http://www.4factorconsulting.com/energy-industry/fukushima/letter-to-the-editor-of-the-wall-street-journal
Posted by Michele Kearney at 11:56 AM 0 comments

License denied for proposed Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor

    1. License denied for proposed Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor
      Baltimore Sun‎ -
      Federal regulators denied a license Thursday to the French-controlled company for a proposed third nuclear reactor at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear ...

  2. Calvert Cliffs-3 Reactor License Denied; NRC Licensing Board ...

    www.prnewswire.com/.../calvert-cliffs-3-reactor-license-denie...
    13 hours ago – Prohibits Construction/Operating License For UniStar Nuclear ... today denied a license for the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3 nuclear reactor on the ...

  3. License denied for proposed Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor | WYPR

    www.wypr.org/.../license-denied-proposed-calvert-cliffs-nucle...
    10 hours ago – Atomic Safety and Licensing Board cites company's foreign ownership. Federal regulators denied a license Thursday to the French-controlled ...
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 30, 2012

    Contact:  Michael Mariotte 301-270-6477


    CALVERT CLIFFS-3 REACTOR LICENSE DENIED

    NRC LICENSING BOARD RULES IN FAVOR OF INTERVENORS, SAYS ATOMIC ENERGY ACT
    PROHIBITS CONSTRUCTION/OPERATING LICENSE FOR UNISTAR NUCLEAR PROJECT IN
    MARYLAND

    A three judge Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing
    Board (ASLB) today denied a license for the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3
    nuclear reactor on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

    In a 29-page decision, the ASLB agreed with intervenors that the Calvert
    Cliffs-3 project would be in violation of the Atomic Energy Act¹s
    prohibition against foreign ownership, control or domination, and that
    the project¹s owner, UniStar Nuclear, is eligible neither to receive a
    license nor to even apply for a license. UniStar is 100% owned by the
    French government¹s Electricite de France.

    Said the ASLB, ³For the aforementioned reasons, the Board grants summary
    disposition in favor of Joint Intervenors as to Contention 1 and finds
    Applicants currently ineligible to apply for or obtain a license. The
    license cannot be granted as long as the current ownership arrangement is
    in effect.²

    This is only the second time in history a reactor license has been denied
    by an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. The first was the license
    application for the Byron reactor in Illinois in 1984, which was briefly
    denied because of quality assurance problems at the site. But that
    decision was quickly overturned on appeal as the utility already had
    initiated a program to correct the problems.

    In this case, the ASLB is giving UniStar 60 more days to find a U.S.
    partner that might enable it to meet the foreign ownership restrictions
    before the ASLB declares the proceeding concluded. The decision noted
    that UniStar already has had nearly two years since it became solely
    owned by EDF to find a partner, and has not shown any progress toward
    that. UniStar can appeal this decision to the NRC Commissioners.

    ³This is a great day for Maryland,² said Michael Mariotte, executive
    director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, which first filed
    the contention on foreign ownership in November 2008 and has been the pro
    se intervenor on the issue ever since. ³Marylanders need not fear another
    dangerous nuclear reactor in our state, nor the accumulation of still
    more lethal radioactive waste on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.²

    Mariotte added, ³But this is also a blow to the so-called Œnuclear
    renaissance.¹ In the summer of 2007, Calvert Cliffs-3 became the first
    new reactor project to submit even a partial application in about 30
    years. It was the flagship of the nuclear renaissance and now it is a
    symbol of the deservedly failed revival of nuclear power in the U.S. That
    UniStar has been unable to find a single U.S. utility to partner with it
    in this extraordinarily expensive project speaks volumes about the lack
    of genuine interest in new nuclear reactors in the U.S.²

    Originally, UniStar Nuclear was composed of EDF and the Maryland-based
    Constellation Energy. Even then, NIRS argued the corporate structure was
    dominated by EDF and the French government‹that was when our contention
    was filed. But Constellation dropped out of the project and sold its
    share to EDF in October 2010, after turning down an offered taxpayer loan
    guarantee from the Department of Energy.

    The original intervention in the Calvert Cliffs-3 licensing in November
    2009 was undertaken by NIRS, Public Citizen, Beyond Nuclear and Southern
    Maryland CARES. NIRS was the lead intervenor on the foreign ownership
    issue and on a separate contention also decided today. That contention
    argued that the Environmental Impact Statement for the project
    understated the potential contribution of solar and wind power as
    alternatives to Calvert Cliffs-3. In a lengthy and complicated decision,
    the ASLB ruled that the contention was correct when it was filed, but
    that the NRC already has taken sufficient steps to address the
    deficiencies.

    The ASLB today also declined to admit a separate new contention, filed in
    numerous licensing cases, based on findings of the NRC¹s Fukushima Task
    Force and its potential implications for U.S. reactors.

    A copy of the decision is here:
    http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/calvert/contention1decision.pdf

    A copy of the decision on the solar and wind contention (Contention 10C)
    is here: http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/calvert/10cruling.pdf

    A copy of the decision on the Fukushima Task Force contention (Contention
    11) is here: http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/calvert/cont11ruling.pdf

    On July 26, 2012, NIRS held a press briefing to discuss the upcoming ASLB
    decision and its implications for Calvert Cliffs and the nuclear industry
    generally. That briefing can be heard here:
    http://www.hastingsgroupmedia.com/NIRS/072612CalvertCliffsDecisionImplicat
    ionstelenewsevent.mp3

    Statement of Michael Mariotte, executive director of NIRS, at the July
    22, 2012 briefing is here:
    http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/calvert/CC3briefingstatement72612.pdf

    A timeline of the Calvert Cliffs case is here:
    http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/calvert/cc3timeline.pdf

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Posted by Michele Kearney at 11:40 AM 0 comments

Vogtle 2nd Quarter 2012 Construction Update

Vogtle 2nd Quarter 2012 Construction Update


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=PL9E29DE931EFAD278&v=wASENB_bChE
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:43 AM 0 comments

California Energy Update 8/31 - US Fish & Wildlife Service Wants Moraorium on Solar Power Towers


Second company accused of California electricity shenanigans
Sacramento Bee
The ISO, which runs California's transmission grid, has blocked the company from continuing the behavior, said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. She said the ISO this week asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate the matter.
Solar Energy and Cars: A Perfect Combination in California
GetSolar.com
It may seem odd to some to pair together driving and solar energy. After all, one is responsible for emitting greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and the other is one of the cleanest energy sources for homeowners and businesses. However, it turns out ...
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom to keynote energy summit
The Desert Sun
Business · Energy. PALM SPRINGS — Now in its fourth year, the newly renamed Southern California Energy Summit is expanding and drawing increased attention from a slate of high-powered regional and state policy makers who will speak at the event.
Underground Energy to Present at the 2012 Gateway Conference on September 6
Equities.com
SANTA BARBARA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/30/12 -- Underground Energy Corporation ("Underground") (TSX VENTURE: UGE) (OTCQX: UGGYF), an exploration and production company focused on developing the Zaca Field Extension Project in Santa ...
Tenaska Solar Ventures Acquires 160-MW Silverleaf Solar Project in Imperial ...
CleanTechnica
This is a proposed 160-MW (megawatt) photovoltaic power plant under development in southern California from Agile Solar Holdings, an affiliate of Agile Energy and Bregal Energy, which is an affiliate of Agile Solar Holdings. 3D Render of Solar Power ...
ENERGY: Californians burn more gas in May
North County Times
Gas demand in California had been lower in 2012 than it had been in more than a decade as a weak economy and high gas prices kept people out of their cars. But despite gas prices over $4 a gallon through most of May, drivers put 1.3 million gallons ...
World's First Commercial Algae To Energy Plant Harvests 81 Tons Of Algae ...
Revmodo
After beginning construction on the demonstration plant in Columbus, New Mexico back in 2011 at a cost of $135 million, California-based Sapphire Energy has successfully harvested 21 million gallons of algae biomass from its first ponds that were first ...
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wants Moratorium On Solar Power Towers
KCET (blog)
An official with the Palm Springs office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has suggested that the California Energy Commission (CEC) and other agencies involved in approving desert renewable energy facilities allow "at least a couple years ...
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:41 AM 0 comments

PennEnergy's Most Popular Oil & Gas News 8/31

This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News
• Venezuela refinery fire extinguished
 • Over 94 percent of oil production in U.S. GoM shut-in
 • Two die on Stena Clyde drilling rig; fire strikes after work is suspended
 • Natural gas production far less impactive than consumption
 • IEA could agree to release from oil reserves
 • BP makes two gas discoveries in Egypt's Nile Delta
 • Shell asks for extension on Arctic drilling
 • Statoil aims for 60 percent oil recovery rate
 • New offshore oil discovery for Petrobras
 • Total secures Khan Asparuh deepwater license in the Black Sea
 • Schlumberger launches new intelligent wireline intervention services
 • Gazprom, Bulgaria sign protocol on South Stream project implementation
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:39 AM 0 comments

Romney introduces energy plan, pushes for more oil

Romney introduces energy plan, pushes for more oil
 The former Massachusetts governor suggested that he wanted to see the U.S. dramatically increase oil and gas exploration, with the ultimate goal of reaching energy independence.
Full Articlehttp://www.pennenergy.com/index/petroleum/display/2559365473/articles/pennenergy/petroleum/exploration/2012/august/romney-introduces.html?cmpid=EnlWeeklyPetroAugust312012
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:38 AM 0 comments

Once-Mighty Suntech Struggles to Survive

Once-Mighty Suntech Struggles to Survive
by Martin LaMonica
The Chinese solar giant is in deep trouble, but even its collapse wouldn't be enough to stabilize a massively oversupplied market.
Read More »http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428935/once-mighty-suntech-struggles-to-survive/?nlid=nlbus&nld=2012-08-31
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:35 AM 0 comments

Egypt may resume civilian nuclear program, Morsi says

Egypt may resume civilian nuclear program, Morsi says
Israel Hayom
Egypt signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968 but delayed ratifying it, presumably because it had evidence that Israel had embarked on a nuclear weapons program • Ehud Barak: Israel doesn't see Egypt working toward a military nuclear ...http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5612

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Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:33 AM 0 comments

ANS Nuclear Matinee: Vogtle Construction Update

ANS Nuclear Matinee: Vogtle Construction Update

By pbowersox on Aug 31, 2012 01:00 am

America’s first new nuclear energy reactors in 30 years are currently under construction at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia.  The ANS Nuclear Matinee takes viewers behind the scenes of this amazing project (courtesy of Southern Nuclear … Continue reading →
Read in browser »
share on Twitter Like ANS Nuclear Matinee: Vogtle Construction Update on Facebook

Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:30 AM 0 comments

Atomic Show #189 – Energy Subsidies


Atomic Show #189 – Energy Subsidies

http://atomicinsights.com/2012/08/atomic-show-189-energy-subsidies.html

Rod Adams spoke with Dr. James Conca and Cal Abel a PhD student at Georgia Tech about their research into energy subsidies for various power systems. Nuclear subsidies essentially stopped by 1990; instead of being encouraged by subsidies, nuclear energy gets hit with special taxes.
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:29 AM 0 comments

Look out – natural gas prices in North America will skyrocket by end of 2014


Look out – natural gas prices in North America will skyrocket by end of 2014

http://atomicinsights.com/2012/08/look-out-natural-gas-prices-in-north-america-will-skyrocket-by-end-of-2014.html

Rod swims against the tide of conventional marketing - err wisdom - to predict that natural gas prices in North America will rise substantially by the end of 2014. There are numerous factors that are all pushing against the built up inertia of current prices. Since North American prices are only 1/3 to 1/6th the world price, there is plenty of "upside" as investors would say.
Posted by Michele Kearney at 10:29 AM 0 comments

SONGS Layoffs: What's the Hit?: Nuclear plant job cuts a worry for local economy

SONGS Layoffs: What's the Hit?: Nuclear plant job cuts a worry for local economy

San Clemente Times - ‎Aug 30, 2012‎
By Jim Shilander and Andrea Swayne. Last week's announcement that Southern California Edison would be laying off 730 workers at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is just one more nasty shock in an eventful year for the facility. Following the ...http://www.sanclementetimes.com/2012/08/30/songs-layoffs-whats-the-hit-nuclear-plant-job-cuts-a-worry-for-local-economy/

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Posted by Michele Kearney at 9:57 AM 0 comments

San Onofre's Problems: San Diego Explained

San Onofre's Problems: San Diego Explained
Voice of San Diego
We teamed up with NBC 7 San Diego to explain what went wrong at the nuclear plant, what's kept it offline and what you should watch for in the future. Watch the video below and read our in-depth explainer about the problems and San Onofre's troubled ...http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/government/article_cca3df0a-f2d9-11e1-b302-0019bb2963f4.html
Posted by Michele Kearney at 9:55 AM 0 comments

Ux Consulting has launched its SMR Research Center.

Ux Consulting has launched its SMR Research Center. This online portal provides a platform for unbiased, up-to-date information on the emerging small modular reactor (SMR) sector. www.uxc.com/smr

Ux Consulting (UxC) publishes world nuclear fuel prices, uranium (U3O8), conversion (UF6) and enrichment (SWU), and handles all aspects of the nuclear fuel market: tracking uranium production, exploration, reactor demand, and...
Posted by Michele Kearney at 9:54 AM 0 comments

CFR Update: IAEA Reportedly Cpnfirms Expanded Iranian Nuclear Capactiy

Top of the Agenda: IAEA Reportedly Confirms Expanded Iranian Nuclear Capacity
An International Atomic Energy Agency report says Iran has doubled the number of centrifuges (NYT) installed in the Fordow underground site, bringing it three-quarters of the way to the 2,800 centrifuges it needs for the production of nuclear fuel. The report, which Iran called a "political move," led the White House to warn that "the window that is open now to resolve this diplomatically will not remain open indefinitely," while Israel says the findings add credibility to its warnings about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Analysis
"With Iran and the nuclear program, I've not given up on diplomacy, and I still think there's a chance down the road that you could come up with an outcome that would be enough for the Iranian government to wrap themselves in, but would not be too much for the United States or Israel or the rest of the world to accept. But that would really be threading the needle. I would say it's a possibility, but it's going to be extraordinarily difficult to come up with that sort of a negotiated outcome," says CFR President Richard Haass.
"The development of Iran's nuclear infrastructure and enrichment complex to date has followed what international relations theorists call a "salami tactic" path—by pushing the bounds of what is allowed under the NPT and by keeping back-end development of nuclear technologies under wraps, the country has been able to build a full-cycle nuclear infrastructure slice by slice without ever clearly pushing the proliferation envelope. Tehran may very well continue that trend and avoid the potential firestorm of economic and military consequences that a public acknowledgement of nuclear-weapons capabilities could bring," writes Chris White in National Interest.
"Perhaps supreme leader Ali Khamenei doesn't take the Israeli threat seriously, though clearly he should; perhaps he might welcome such an attack as a way to rally domestic and international support, bust out of tightening economic sanctions and justify a unqualified race for a bomb. Whatever the case, Iran's behavior has pushed the Obama administration into an awkward position," says this Washington Post editorial.

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Posted by Michele Kearney at 9:51 AM 0 comments

Carbon Capture and the Climate Crisis


Carbon Capture and the Climate Crisis:

Can Removing CO2 from Energy Emissions - or Directly from the Air Itself - Mitigate Climate Change?
Register Now

ImageSome leading scientists have formed businesses venturing to remove carbon dioxide directly from the air and sell it for reuse. Can this be achieved at a large enough scale to impact the global climate? The process is scientifically possible, but a lot rides on whether the cost of removal is low enough to make these businesses profitable.

Meanwhile, efforts to scrub CO2 from emissions at coal, oil, and natural gas plants have already received some attention. How advanced and widespread are those projects, and what kind of impact can we expect from this form of carbon capture?

Join us as we examine the questions around both a potentially important climate solution and an expanding business space:
  • How effective is filtering CO2 right out of the air? How does it work?
  • What motivates fossil fuel plants to invest in technology that captures CO2?
  • Can carbon capture be profitable on a large scale? How soon?
FEATURING...
  • David Keith, PhD, President, Carbon Engineering, Professor of Applied Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School.
  • Marc Gunther, Journalist and consultant in business and sustainability, contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, and author of Suck It Up: How capturing carbon from the air can help solve the climate crisis.
  • Dr. Peter Weywode, Head of Innovation Management, Siemens Oil & Gas Division, responsible for turbomachines, new products and solutions, and sustainable technology and products.
  • Matthew Stepp, Senior Analyst, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.
Posted by Michele Kearney at 9:42 AM 0 comments

"Environmental review, a.k.a. Death-by-Delay, in Canada: public opinion and vote strategy"


  "Environmental review, a.k.a. Death-by-Delay, in Canada: public
opinion and vote strategy"

  “Environmental reviews for major capital projects are
necessary, but it is possible to do them much faster—without allowing
project opponents to introduce spurious delays. Steve Aplin points out
that governments at the federal and provincial levels in Canada have
finally realized that these constituencies are holding up progress,
and, ironically, threatening the very environment they profess to care
about.”

Post URL: http://canadianenergyissues.com/?p=3661
Posted by Michele Kearney at 9:41 AM 0 comments

NRC Report to Congress on Advanced Reactor Licensing


 
 
This is the NRC report to Congress on Advanced Reactor Licensing.
Posted by Michele Kearney at 8:37 AM 0 comments

Financial Timese Energy 8/31

FT.com - Energy
 

Shell to start work on Arctic wells
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/KQYG33/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
YPF seeks partner for shale oil reserves
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/JEDBNJ/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
Mining shares hit by iron ore slump
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/U1378K/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
China copper demand is ‘robust’
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/KQYG3L/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
Qatar group falls victim to virus attack
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/972RKE/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 

Utilities company and industry news with expert analysis from the Financial Times
 

Morsi urges Iran to help end Syria conflict
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/7ACSXZ/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 

Mining company and industry news from the Financial Times
 

Qatar to oppose Glencore-Xstrata merger
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/7ACSWS/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
Higher gold price boosts Russian miners
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/EX5U9P/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
Marikana miners charged with murder
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/MSE6P0/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
Mining shares hit by iron ore slump
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/GDWLSM/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
 
China copper demand is ‘robust’
http://link.ft.com/r/CTBPCC/SPSWG6/FXWIVG/EXTGN3/R3R2BC/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=8&a3=31
Posted by Michele Kearney at 8:36 AM 0 comments

Guest Post: The U.S. Drought Is Hitting Harder Than Most Realize by Tyler Durden

Guest Post: The U.S. Drought Is Hitting Harder Than Most Realize

by Tyler Durden
Submitted by Chris Martenson of Peak Prosperity,

This is an important update on the U.S. drought of 2012, the combined record-setting July land temperatures, and their impact on food prices, water availability, energy, and even U.S. GDP. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-us-drought-hitting-harder-most-realize
Posted by Michele Kearney at 1:05 AM 0 comments
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