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Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Friday, January 13, 2017
First waste emplaced as WIPP reopens
First waste emplaced as WIPP reopens
Waste emplacement has resumed at the US Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, nearly three years after activities were halted following a waste drum rupture in an underground storage panel at the New Mexico facility.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-First-waste-emplaced-as-WIPP-reopens-1301177.html
Waste emplacement has resumed at the US Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, nearly three years after activities were halted following a waste drum rupture in an underground storage panel at the New Mexico facility.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-First-waste-emplaced-as-WIPP-reopens-1301177.html
UAE unveils long-term energy strategy
UAE unveils long-term energy strategy
The United Arab Emirates has unveiled plans to increase the contribution of "clean energy" in its total energy mix to 50% by 2050. The UAE's new energy strategy sees half of the country's energy coming from renewables and nuclear, with the remaining half coming from fossil fuels. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-UAE-unveils-long-term-energy-strategy-1301178.html
The United Arab Emirates has unveiled plans to increase the contribution of "clean energy" in its total energy mix to 50% by 2050. The UAE's new energy strategy sees half of the country's energy coming from renewables and nuclear, with the remaining half coming from fossil fuels. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-UAE-unveils-long-term-energy-strategy-1301178.html
NuScale makes history with SMR design application
NuScale makes history with SMR design application
NuScale Power has asked the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve the company's small modular reactor commercial power plant design. This is the first-ever SMR design certification application to be submitted to the NRC.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-NuScale-makes-history-with-SMR-design-application-13011701.html
NuScale Power has asked the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve the company's small modular reactor commercial power plant design. This is the first-ever SMR design certification application to be submitted to the NRC.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-NuScale-makes-history-with-SMR-design-application-13011701.html
Obama’s Technology Legacy
Obama’s Technology Legacy
The past eight years saw some wins, and more than a few failures.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603316/obamas-technology-legacy/?utm_source=MIT+TR+Newsletters&utm_campaign=8e89499cef-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_01_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_997ed6f472-8e89499cef-153856085&goal=0_997ed6f472-8e89499cef-153856085&mc_cid=8e89499cef&mc_eid=e25735476a
U.S. Shale Jobs Are Coming Back
By Rakesh Upadhyay, for Oilprice.com. – January 12
The U.S. shale oil recovery is now gaining momentum, and for the first
time since September 2014, the U.S. oil and gas extraction and support
services jobs increased by 3,300 in November, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. Though the increase is small
compared to the whopping 155,000 job cuts over the past two years, the
increase is an indication that the cycle in the industry is finally
starting to swing in another direction. The shale oil companies should
thank their OPEC counterparts—their talks to cut production boosted oil
prices by about 25 percent since mid-November. The shale oil drillers
have taken advantage of the higher crude oil prices to hedge for 2017.
Pioneer, one of the better run shale oil producers, has hedged 75
percent of its 2017 output at an average price of $50 per barrel. This
recovery in shale oil is gaining a foothold, and is likely
to continue even in 2017 and 2018, barring any black swan event. The
total oil rig count has gone up to 529 in the week to January 6, from
the lows of 316 rigs in May. Out of the total addition of 213 rigs, 104
rigs have been added since September 2016, the most since the
first-quarter of 2014, when oil prices were trading above $100 per
barrel. Read on...http://www.theenergycollective.com/staffjam/2396201/u-s-shale-jobs-are-coming-back
Trying to Remain Positive on Climate
By Robert Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government, Director, Harvard Environmental Economics Program. – January 6
With inauguration day in the United States just two weeks away, it is
difficult to harbor optimism about what the Trump presidency will mean
for this country and for the world in realms ranging from economic
progress to national security to personal liberty (as I wrote in this
space one month before the November election – This is Not a Time for
Political Neutrality, October 9, 2016). In the wake of the election,
expectations are no better, including in the environmental realm (as I
wrote shortly after the election – What Does the Trump Victory Mean for
Climate Change Policy?, November 10, 2016). And since then, the
President-elect’s announced nominations for key positions in the
administration have probably eliminated whatever optimism some
progressives may have been harboring. Remarkably, the least worrisome
development in regard to anticipated climate change policy may be the
nomination of Rex Tillerson to become U.S. Secretary of State. Two
months ago it would have been inconceivable to me that I would write
this about the CEO of Exxon-Mobil taking over the State Department (and
hence the international dimensions of U.S. climate change policy). But,
think about the other likely candidates. And unlike many of the other
top nominees, Mr. Tillerson is at least an adult, and – in the past
(before the election) – he had led his company to reverse course and
recognize the scientific reality of human-induced climate change (unlike
the President-elect), support the use of a carbon tax when and if the
U.S. puts in place a meaningful national climate policy, and
characterize the Paris Climate Agreement as “an important step forward
by world governments in addressing the serious risks of climate change.”
Read on...http://www.theenergycollective.com/robertstavins/2395793/trying-to-remain-positive-on-climate
Risks of Going It Alone: States, Emissions, and Climate Change
By
Andrew Campbell,
Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Haas School of Business, University of California - Berkeley. – January 10
A number of cities recently rang in the New Year with spectacular
professional fireworks shows. Some parts of the US also allowed
individual consumers to purchase fireworks and put on their own shows.
That was the case where I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas.
Fireworks are banned in the City of Houston due to the risks to public
safety. The surrounding unincorporated areas of Harris County are,
apparently, less concerned about the risks. I lived outside of the city,
so was able to legally enjoy the teenage thrill of almost blowing off a
finger. Despite the ban, city residents could shoot off fireworks
outside city limits or sneak them into the city and surreptitiously
shoot them off there. Like clockwork, each year before New Year’s Eve,
fireworks stands would appear just beyond the city’s boundaries to serve
the city-dwellers. When a regulation covers some jurisdictions, but
not others, the effectiveness of the regulation can be undermined, as in
the case of Houston’s fireworks ban. This phenomenon is referred to as
“leakage”. Read on...http://www.theenergycollective.com/acampbell/2395992/risks-of-going-it-alone-states-emissions-and-climate-change
Coal Production Declines in 2016, with Average Coal Prices Below Their 2015 Level
By
U.S. EIA: Today in Energy,
from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). – January 10
U.S. coal production in 2016 is expected to total 743 million short
tons (MMst), 17% lower than in 2015, and the lowest level since 1978.
Falling production in 2016 continues an eight-year decline from peak
production in 2008. Production in all major coal regions fell by at
least 15%. Low natural gas prices, warmer-than-normal temperatures
during the 2015-16 winter that reduced electricity demand, the
retirements of some coal-fired generators, and lower international coal
demand have contributed to declining U.S. coal production. The United
States has five major basins or regions that produce coal. Although
weekly coal production in most basins increased slightly since mid-year,
weekly production levels in all areas throughout 2016 have been
significantly lower than over the previous five years. The largest
annual decline in coal production in 2016 was in the Powder River Basin,
which
declined by 70 MMst (17%) from 2015 levels. Declines in coal production
relative to 2015 levels ranged from 16% to 26% in the Northern and
Central Appalachian basins, the Rocky Mountain region, and the Illinois
Basin. Read on...http://www.theenergycollective.com/todayinenergy/2395989/coal-production-declines-in-2016-with-average-coal-prices-below-their-2015-level
The End of the Energiewende?
By Heiner Flassbeck, for the Energy Post. – January 10
Stable high-pressure winter weather has resulted in a confrontation. An
Energiewende that relies mainly on wind and solar energy will not work
in the long run. One cannot forgo nuclear power, eliminate fossil fuels,
and tell people that electricity supplies will remain secure all the
same. We have attempted unsuccessfully to find Energiewende advocates
willing to explain that inconsistency. Their silence is not easy to
fathom. But maybe the events themselves have made the outcome
inevitable. This winter could go down in history as the event that
proved the German energy transition to be unsubstantiated and incapable
of becoming a success story. Electricity from wind and solar generation
has been catastrophically low for several weeks. December brought new
declines. A persistent winter high-pressure system with dense fog
throughout Central Europe has been sufficient to unmask the fairy
tale of a successful energy transition, even for me as a lay person. Read on...http://www.theenergycollective.com/energy-post/2395990/the-end-of-the-energiewende
17 U.S. Nuclear Reactors Use Parts From Forge Under Probe
17 U.S. Nuclear Reactors Use Parts From Forge Under Probe
NRC officials have
determined the falsification of documents currently doesn’t pose any
safety concerns to U.S. nuclear plants.
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2017/01/17-u-s-nuclear-reactors-use-parts-from-forge-under-probe.html?cmpid=enl_pe_powerengineeringe-newsletter_2017-01-13&email_address=micheletkearney@gmail.com&eid=288118515&bid=1634574World’s Largest Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Facility Completed
World’s Largest Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Facility Completed
The Petra Nova project,
first announced in 2014, was completed as scheduled and implemented in
the coal-fired WA Parish Power Plant in Fort Bend County, Texas, just
southwest of Houston.
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2017/01/world-s-largest-post-combustion-carbon-capture-facility-completed.html?cmpid=enl_pe_powerengineeringe-newsletter_2017-01-13&email_address=micheletkearney@gmail.com&eid=288118515&bid=1634574Thursday, January 12, 2017
New York is betting on renewables to replace a major nuclear power plant
New York is betting on renewables to replace a major nuclear power plant
The Indian Point nuclear power plant will be closed, but the state says emissions won’t go up.
https://thinkprogress.org/indian-point-closure-bce1df0dc863#.8h7tb8z6f
The Nuclear Option
The Nuclear Option
How will we power the planet without wrecking the climate? Aired January 11, 2017 on PBShttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/the-nuclear-option.html
IAEA’s Internet Reactor Laboratory expands access to training
IAEA’s Internet Reactor Laboratory expands access to trainingBy ansnuclearcafe on Jan 09, 2017 01:00 amThe Internet-based remote learning tool is being used to train nuclear engineering students. By Dick Kovan The International Atomic Energy Agency established its Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) program as one solution Continue Reading →http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2017/01/09/in-the-january-2017-issue-of-nuclear-news/#sthash.GNKoFIMN.dpbs |
Fukushima Update 1/12/17
F. Daiichi host town, Okuma, will be partially reopened in 2017… Iitate Village continues to prepare for repopulation… A Fukushima laboratory says all 2016 seafood was below national radioactive limits… Sendai #1 goes commercial, and the Japanese Press ignores it… Japan’s IEEJ forecasts a 2017 nuclear energy upswing for the nation… Voluntary Fukushima evacuees will get extended free housing from nine prefectures… The NRA blocks the Environment Ministry from using low level radioactive soils for road bases… Tokyo NPO staffers donate $102,000 to Imari for having an antinuclear mayor… A nuclear plant project in Turkey is criticized for not using Japanese earthquake design criteria.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.
The Energy Collective Daily: Despite the Hype, Batteries Aren't the Cheapest Way to Store Energy on the Grid
Despite the Hype, Batteries Aren’t the Cheapest Way to Store Energy on the Grid | The Energy Collective Daily |
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- Despite the Hype, Batteries Aren’t the Cheapest Way to Store Energy on the Grid
- U.S. Shale Jobs Are Coming Back
- Ohio Has Another Subsidy-Seeking Utility on its Hands
- Wholesale Power Prices in 2016 Fell, Reflecting Lower Natural Gas Prices
- The Historical Foundations of UK Energy Policy Since the 1940s
- Green Infrastructure: Best Practices for Cities
- Will New LNG-by-Rail Industry Repeat the Mistakes of Oil Trains?
Yucca
Energy chief: Bid to revive Nevada nuclear waste dump doomed
Aiken Standard - 21 hours ago
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz speaks in Vienna, Austria. Moniz says any
effort to revive the long-dormant nuclear waste dump at Nevada's Yucca
Mountain is doomed to fail because the project lacks support from
elected officials in the state. prev. next.
Yucca Mountain won't be site for nuclear waste, energy secretary says
Las Vegas Review-Journal - 22 hours ago
web1_yucca_040915sm_051_7760484.jpg Congressional staff members, media
and Department of Energy employees wait for congressmen to emerge from
the north portal during a congressional tour of the Yucca Mountain
exploratory tunnel Thursday, ...
Energy Head: Bid to Revive Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump Doomed
CBS Local - Jan 11, 2017
A sign warns away trespassers near the shuttered Zion Nuclear Power
Station along the shore of Lake Michigan March 11, 2009 in Zion,
Illinois. About 1,000 tons of highly radioactive spent fuel is
reportedly stored in a containment pool on the property ...
Nevada delegation stands united against Yucca Mountain
Elko Daily Free Press - Jan 11, 2017
U.S. Senators Dean Heller and Catherine Cortez Masto, along with U.S.
Representatives Dina Titus, Ruben J. Kihuen and Jacky Rosen teamed
Wednesday to introduce legislation to keep the Yucca Mountain Nuclear
Repository from being resurrected.
The Economic Implications of Closing Indian Point
The Economic Implications of Closing Indian Point
http://www.wnyc.org/story/economic-implications-closing-indian-point/
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