Thursday, February 6, 2014

WIPP reacts to underground fire
No damage or injuries were reported after a fire and evacuation at the WIPP waste disposal facility in New Mexico.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-WIPP-reacts-to-underground-fire-0602141.html

Plea for nuclear in Australian energy policy

Plea for nuclear in Australian energy policy
Australia should remove barriers to nuclear power so that it can be considered as an option in an "apolitical" future energy policy, said the Energy Policy Institute of Australia.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Plea-for-nuclear-in-Australian-energy-policy-0602147.html

Finance deal for new Paks units

Finance deal for new Paks units
Hungary has reached an agreement with Russia over a finance package for the construction of two new reactors at the Paks nuclear power plant. Russia agreed to build the new units last month.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Finance-deal-for-new-Paks-units-0602144.html

Fukushima Updates today - 2/6

Fukushima Updates today -

More information on plans to release groundwater to the sea... Tamura City’s mayor wants an evacuation order to end in April... Fukushima’s governor said he wants Tokyo’s low level waste storage plans changed... Fukushima Prefecture wants the new evacuee psychological damage compensation paid as soon as possible... Tokyo will run a study on the health of Fukushima Daiichi workers... It seems the first official reactor restart decision in Japan is not good... Supporters of antinuclear candidates in the Tokyo governor’s race are claiming a phantom victory.

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

Environmentalists Made a Big Mistake by Focusing All Their Attention on Keystone

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116492/keyston-pipeline-focus-mistake-liberal-environmentalists

Todays News-Threat to GRID -a year ago?

This is the kind of physical threat that all the federal and state central planners have been ignoring -- while they pretend to worry about cyber attacks:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/06/2013-sniper-attack-on-power-grid-still-concern-in-washington-and-for-utilities/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D439459

I believe it's a good reason for decentralized organization and control of grids, along with locating generating stations as close to load centers as possible and minimizing long-line HV transmissions which merely adds exposure and increases the difficulty of protection against physical threats.

A "smart grid" designed by central planners would likely be as reliable as the Obamacare web site.

Unfortunately, a few terrorists with unsophisticated weapons can do a lot of damage and knock out a lot of power -- as this story seems to confirm.

Any one with a different view?

Fire erupts at US nuclear waste plant

Fire erupts at US nuclear waste plant
Los Angeles (AFP) Feb 05, 2014 - Firefighters scrambled Wednesday to contain a blaze at a US nuclear waste plant in New Mexico, while underground staff were evacuated and some taken to hospital, officials said. The blaze erupted on an underground vehicle carrying salt at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico, the US Department of Energy (DoE) said in a statement. "Emergency response teams are ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Fire_erupts_at_US_nuclear_waste_plant_999.html