Trio team up for Saudi nuclear projects from World Nuclear News by Warwick Pipe

The Shaw Group, Exelon and Toshiba plan to team up to pursue contracts for "a full complement of services to design, engineer, construct and operate" nuclear power projects in Saudi Arabia.

N.Korea shifts to peace offensive after ship sinking

Seoul (AFP) July 10, 2010 - After months of tensions, North Korea is now looking for a way out of the confrontation sparked by the sinking of a South Korean warship, analysts said Saturday. After securing what its UN envoy termed "a great diplomatic victory" when the UN condemned the sinking without identifying the culprit, the North expressed willingness in principle to return to nuclear disarmament talks.

Apocalypse now? In US and abroad many are prepared

Washington (AFP) July 10, 2010 - From the outside, Jerry Erwin's home in the northwestern US state of Oregon is a nondescript house with a manicured front lawn and little to differentiate it from those of his neighbors. But tucked away out of sight in his backyard are the signs of his preparations for doomsday, a catastrophic societal collapse that Erwin, 45, now believes is likely within his lifetime. "I've got, under ... more

20 kilos of 20 pct enriched uranium ready: Iran

Tehran (AFP) July 11, 2010 - Iran said on Sunday it has produced around 20 kilogrammes of 20 percent enriched uranium, in defiance of the world powers who want Tehran to suspend the controversial nuclear work. "We have produced around 20 kilogrammes of 20 percent enriched uranium and we are working to produce the (fuel) plates," Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi told ISNA news agency. World powers led by Washingt ... more

Analysis Triples U.S. Plutonium Waste Figures

Development and Nuclear Energy IAEA Helps Developing Countries Plan Their Energy Future

Doing My Part to Help Iran Get Nuclear Fuel Die Presse Interview with Yukiya Amano with Wolfgang Greber

Iran is a Special Case from IAEA Top News RSS Feed Yukiya AmanoIn an interview with Kurier, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano spoke about Iran’s nuclear programme, IAEA activities and nuclear security issues.

The Fear Factor A new film aims to be the Inconvenient Truth for the nuclear danger. But is terrifying people the only way to get the message across?

Threatening World Order: US and Israel Quietly Announce Plans to Reconstitute Their Nuclear Stockpiles

U.S. Trouble with START and Other Treaties Interviewee: John B. Bellinger III, Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law; Former Legal Advisor, Department of State, Council on Foreign Relations Interviewer: Toni Johnson, Staff Writer, CFR.org

Regulator gives green light for work on UAE's first nuclear site

New Brunswick considers building second nuclear plant

U.S. Ready to Cooperate With Israel on Civilian Nuclear Use, Steinitz Says

The U.S. is prepared to support Israel's civilian nuclear energy program, said Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington. "It includes a clear recognition of Israel as very, very responsible and reliable with regard to nuclear technologies," Steinitz added. Bloomberg

Shuler: Nuclear waste is not headed to Asheville area

The federal government is not planning to dump radioactive waste in western North Carolina, said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C. This assurance came after rumors circulated among Madison and Buncombe county residents that the government was reviving an idea first raised in the 1980s to dispose nuclear waste in an area called Sandy Mush. Asheville Citizen-Times (N.C.)

Study: Kerry-Lieberman bill provides more support for nuclear

The climate bill sponsored by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., is projected to result in a ton of carbon dioxide equivalent costing $14 in 2012 and $25 by 2020, according to a study issued Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation. Compared with alternative proposals, the bill would "provide more support for the use of nuclear energy to generate electricity," among other differences, the report said. Platts

S.C. county seeks NRC recusals in Yucca case

Three of the five Nuclear Regulatory Commission commissioners should disqualify themselves from considering an appeal of the preliminary decision for the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada because they were subjected to "undue political influence" in their confirmation hearings, according to a petition to the NRC made by Aiken County, S.C. Platts

Research Helps Predict Future Impact Of Climate Change

Sheffield, UK (SPX) Jul 08, 2010 - A new study, involving academics at the University of Sheffield, has accurately measured for the first time the current carbon cycles in the world. The research will enable scientists to make more accurate predictions concerning the impact of climate change in the future. The paper, which will be published in the journal Science, used large amounts of remote sensing, climate and carbon dat ... more

Nuclear Power Market Outlook For Developing Countries

Nuclear Power Market Outlook For Developing Countries
New York NY (SPX) Jul 09, 2010 - Nuclear power contributed about 15% to the total world electricity generation in 2009 with an installed capacity of 373GW. There are currently 436 nuclear reactors in operation in 30 countries worldwide. The US is the largest producer of nuclear power generating 31% of the total global nuclear generation followed by France, Japan and Russia. Nuclear power is an important source of power ... more

Russia arms control expert at centre of US 'spy swap'

Moscow (AFP) July 8, 2010 - Convicted spy Igor Sutyagin had been facing serving out his sentence in hard regime prison in Russia's Far North, but now is at the centre of a mooted swap of prisoners with the United States. Sutyagin, a Russian arms control expert, 45, was convicted in 2004 of handing over classified information to a British company that Russia claimed was a CIA cover, and sentenced to 15 years in jail. ... mo

China warns against US-S.Korea war games

A losing battle against proliferation By MICHAEL RICHARDSON

Slowly but surely, the barriers preventing the spread of nuclear technology and materials that can be used to make weapons of mass destruction are being eroded.

The most brazen cases involve North Korea and Iran. The former left the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), conducted at least two nuclear explosive tests in the past few years and has threatened to carry out more. Iran remains in the NPT but refuses to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, and is widely suspected of seeking nuclear weapons.

NDA reveals steps leading underground 07 July 2010 Britain's process for radioactive waste disposal has been sketched out by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in a timeline stretching some 130 years.

The U.K.'s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has unveiled a 130-year timeline for its radioactive-waste disposal program. The agency plans to eventually move the country's radioactive waste into a permanent underground facility whose location would be determined at around 2025. World Nuclear News

Feds seek a temp home for depleted uranium

Search begins for temporary nuclear-waste storage facilities
The Energy Department has begun searching for temporary storage sites outside of Utah for nuclear waste from South Carolina. This comes after the department and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert agreed to delay two shipments of close to 10,000 drums of depleted uranium from the Savannah River Site -- waste slated for disposal at EnergySolutions' facility in Tooele County. The agency gave prospective bidders till July 15 to file storage plans. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

Yucca Mountain plays key role in boosting U.S. nuclear capacity

Yucca Mountain plays key role in boosting U.S. nuclear capacity
The proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nevada should not be bound by the political ambitions of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the White House, according to this editorial. The White House's effort to terminate the project contradicts its public support for nuclear energy as part of the country's energy policy, the editorial argues. The Post and Courier

Areva accepts federal loan guarantee for Idaho nuclear project

Areva accepts federal loan guarantee for Idaho nuclear project
Areva has accepted a $2 billion loan guarantee from the Energy Department that would help fund work on a uranium-enrichment facility in Idaho. The money will be available after the company secures a combined construction-and-operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Platts

CLIMATE SCIENCE Research Helps Predict Future Impact Of Climate Change

Iran plans new satellite launch in late August: minister

Iran plans new satellite launch in late August: minister
Tehran (AFP) July 7, 2010 - Telecommunication Minister Reza Taghipour said on Wednesday that Iran is expected to launch a new satellite, Rasad 1, in the last week of August, the Mehr news agency reported. "Rasad 1 (Observation) satellite is expected to be launched into space on the back of a domestic carrier during the period marking the government week (last week of August)," Taghipour said. He said the launch wou ... more

Experts suggest FDA, NRC as models for regulating US offshore E&P

Experts suggest FDA, NRC as models for regulating US offshore E&P

Experts tout NRC as model for regulating offshore oil industry

Experts tout NRC as model for regulating offshore oil industry
Offshore oil and gas regulators should follow the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's lead, said David Pumphrey, the deputy director of energy and national security studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They have a strong safety consciousness built up over a long time," he said. Platts

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews.aspx?xmlpath=RSSFeed/HeadlineNews/NaturalGas/6162532.xml

Report: Nuclear power companies among lowest carbon emitters

Nuclear powers to top of the table
06 July 2010

Power companies using a lot of nuclear energy have been shown as among America's cleanest by the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) in recently published data.

Report: Nuclear power companies among lowest carbon emitters
Utilities generating large amounts of nuclear power were among the smallest emitters of carbon dioxide in the U.S., according to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Companies that rely on coal typically have higher emissions. World Nuclear News

DefenseRussia Exports Over Five Billion Dollars In Arms In First Half Of 2010

DefenseRussia Exports Over Five Billion Dollars In Arms In First Half Of 2010
Zhukovsky, Russia (RIA Novosti) Jul 06, 2010 - Russia has exported $5.3 billion worth of weapons-related production in the first six months of 2010, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said on Wednesday. "With a plan for $9.5 billion, we have delivered $5.3 billion in [weapons-related] production in the first six months [of 2010], which constitutes 56% of the plan," Mikhail Dmitriyev told the Engi ... more

Israel seeks to block Saudi F-15 deal

Israel seeks to block Saudi F-15 deal
Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jul 6, 2010 - Israel is seeking to prevent the United States from selling up to 72 advanced-model Boeing F-15 strike jets to Saudi Arabia, despite what the Israeli ambassador to Washington recently described as a "tectonic rift" between the longtime allies. The liberal Haaretz daily reports that the Israeli leadership also wants to block a Saudi program to upgrade the 154 F-15s the kingdom already ha ... more

Nuclear talks can resume from Sept 1 if conditions met: Iran

Nuclear talks can resume from Sept 1 if conditions met: Iran
Tehran (AFP) July 6, 2010 - Iran on Tuesday set September 1 as a possible date to resume nuclear talks with six world powers that have been stalled since October, but insisted its conditions must first be met. Washington responded saying it was willing to meet Iran over its nuclear programme if Tehran's offer was "serious." According to the official IRNA news agency Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili sent a ... more

Obama backs Israel on nuclear conference

Obama backs Israel on nuclear conference
Washington (AFP) July 6, 2010 - US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that attempts to single out Israel over its undeclared nuclear program could scupper a Middle East regional nuclear conference planned for 2012. Obama delivered the warning in a statement about his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he gave Israel a veiled, but public assurance over its strategic nuclear ambiguity. "The ... more

Russia To Sell One Billion Dollars Worth Of Arms To Yemen

Russia To Sell One Billion Dollars Worth Of Arms To Yemen
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Jul 06, 2010 - Russia and Yemen could sign an arms contract worth over $1 billion, an international arms expert has said. A Yemeni delegation led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh discussed sales of Russian arms to the Arab republic recently during the leader's short visit to Moscow. Igor Korotchenko, head of a Moscow-based think tank on the international arms trade, said Yemen "is interested in a ve ... more

Energy giants fund Myanmar nuclear drive: rights group

Energy giants fund Myanmar nuclear drive: rights group
Paris (AFP) July 5, 2010 - Myanmar's military rulers are using gas revenue from US and French energy giants Chevron and Total to fund an illegal bid to build nuclear weapons, human rights monitors said in a report on Monday. Myanmar's Yadan gas pipeline, run by the two companies along with Thai firm PTTEP, made billions of dollars for the military leaders, the Paris-based group EarthRights International said, citing d ... more

EPA to crack down on interstate pollutants from power plants

EPA to crack down on interstate pollutants from power plants
MiamiHerald.com - Renee Schoof
WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed a new federal plan to reduce the pollution from electric power plants that wafts hundreds of miles across state lines.

EPA Proposes to Cut Power-Plant Emissions in 31 States
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704862404575350881027651908.html

EPA Proposes Reducing Pollution From Power Plants
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-06/epa-proposes-reducing-pollution-from-power-plants.html

EPA draft clean air rule could affect future regs, Congress
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/107327-epa-draft-clean-air-could-affect-future-regs-congress

Harry Reid, Sharron Angle on opposite sides of every issue

Harry Reid, Sharron Angle on opposite sides of every issue

Nev. Senate candidate sends mixed messages on nuclear
U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle of Nevada said she is against the plan to keep nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. But she gave her support for nuclear energy, emphasizing the importance of such facilities so long as they are constructed safely with a "plan for recycling spent fuel." Las Vegas Sun

China, Pakistan reach nuclear energy deal

China, Pakistan reach nuclear energy deal

Areva CEO: New reactors follow top security standards

Areva CEO: New reactors follow top security standards
Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Areva, said the company's Evolutionary Pressurized Reactors follow the strictest levels of security. The reactors "take into account all the lessons from recent events," she said in response to reports questioning the security of the EPR. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires

Jordanian official is hopeful on prospects of U.S. nuclear deal

Jordanian official is hopeful on prospects of U.S. nuclear deal
Jordan Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh is upbeat about the prospects of a nuclear-cooperation deal with the U.S., despite sources saying that the U.S. is prohibiting the country from generating its nuclear fuel. Jordan seeks a pact to help it start civilian nuclear generation and get 30% of its electricity from the power source by 2030. Reuters

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFLDE6641X220100705

S.C. lawmakers hail ruling on Yucca Mountain project

S.C. lawmakers hail ruling on Yucca Mountain project
South Carolina Reps. John Spratt and Joe Wilson applauded a ruling that prevented the Energy Department from abandoning the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste project in Nevada. If the site is not opened, the state would indefinitely be left with tons of nuclear waste, Spratt said. Wilson, meanwhile, said years of research and spending would be wasted if the government shut down Yucca

Lawmakers form caucus to promote nuclear power

National Nuclear Caucus forms to promote nuclear power
A group of lawmakers has formed a bipartisan National Nuclear Caucus to advocate for nuclear power in Washington, D.C. "The National Nuclear Caucus will be a working partner with pro-nuclear organizations and with our elected officials in Washington," said Rep. Erik Simpson, an Idaho Republican. "Involving state legislators across the country will add another voice in support of nuclear energy." Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash.)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/07/06/1081922/lawmakers-form-caucus-to-promote.html

Expert: Nuclear is now "a mature technology"

Expert: Nuclear is now "a mature technology"
It is time to revisit nuclear as a low-carbon, secure and sustainable source of power, writes Mike Lawrence in this opinion column. Nuclear has emerged from "its overly optimistic early years, through a turbulent adolescence, and is now a mature technology," Lawrence writes. Today's new reactor designs are safer, more fuel-efficient, more productive and faster to build than previous designs, he adds. The Seattle Times

The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III Multiple Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a Nuclear Family Peter Byrne

The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III
Multiple Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a Nuclear Family
Peter Byrne

Description
Peter Byrne tells the story of Hugh Everett III (1930-1982), whose "many worlds" theory of multiple universes has had a profound impact on physics and philosophy. Using Everett's unpublished papers (recently discovered in his son's basement) and dozens of interviews with his friends, colleagues, and surviving family members, Byrne paints, for the general reader, a detailed portrait of the genius who invented an astonishing way of describing our complex universe from the inside. Everett's mathematical model (called the "universal wave function") treats all possible events as "equally real", and concludes that countless copies of every person and thing exist in all possible configurations spread over an infinity of universes: many worlds.

Afflicted by depression and addictions, Everett strove to bring rational order to the professional realms in which he played historically significant roles. In addition to his famous interpretation of quantum mechanics, Everett wrote a classic paper in game theory; created computer algorithms that revolutionized military operations research; and performed pioneering work in artificial intelligence for top secret government projects. He wrote the original software for targeting cities in a nuclear hot war; and he was one of the first scientists to recognize the danger of nuclear winter. As a Cold Warrior, he designed logical systems that modeled "rational" human and machine behaviors, and yet he was largely oblivious to the emotional damage his irrational personal behavior inflicted upon his family, lovers, and business partners.

He died young, but left behind a fascinating record of his life, including correspondence with such philosophically inclined physicists as Niels Bohr, Norbert Wiener, and John Wheeler. These remarkable letters illuminate the long and often bitter struggle to explain the paradox of measurement at the heart of quantum physics. In recent years, Everett's solution to this mysterious problem-the existence of a universe of universes-has gained considerable traction in scientific circles, not as science fiction, but as an explanation of physical reality.
Features

* New perspective on many fascinating and timely topics
* Insights into Many Worlds theory, the Cold War, quantum mechanics, and a tragic personal life
* Based on unpublished papers of historical and scholarly significance
* Written at a level suitable to the general reader

Reviews

"The 'many worlds' theory of quantum mechanics is one fo the most logical, bizarre and ridculed ideas in the history of human thought. In The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III , investigative journalist Peter Bryne details the short, fragmented life of the physicist who created the theory. It is fascinating to read the its creator, himself too obsessed with models to intersect effectively with the real world."--Nature

"In this biography, Peter Byrne bravely explores both the life and the science of Hugh Everett, the brilliant creator of the 'many worlds' concept who burned himself out at an early age. As Byrne makes clear, Everett's startling achievements in physics stood against his startling deficiencies as a husband and father."--Kenneth W. Ford, retired director, American Institute of Physics

"This book has the potential to become the definitive biography of one of the finest minds of the twentieth century." --David Deutsch FRS, Oxford University

"In this extraordinarily personal biography, Peter Byrne masterfully conveys the life, struggles, achievements, and failures of this fascinating man, whose insights in physics created a new understanding of quantum mechanics, whose secret work helped usher us through the Cold War, and whose inner battles led to his own destruction." --A. Garrett Lisi, physicist , author of An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything "

"We are grateful to Peter Byrne for this remarkable and remarkably sad story of the life and science of Hugh Everett III. Gifted, but late-to-be-recognized, Everett, while still in his twenties, proposed a new, now somewhat fashionable, interpretation of the quantum theory--the often rediscovered and often misinterpreted, so called, many worlds theory. Byrne gives a lucid and accessible account of many aspects of what has been an extraordinarily puzzling question that has bedeviled the quantum theory since its origin. And he does this with a warts and all reconstruction of Everett's life. An impressive achievement."--Leon N. Cooper, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1972

"Peter Byrne has the skills of a seasoned journalist: an eye for a story, a knack for turning up improbable interviews and previously undiscovered manuscripts, and a thoroughly engaging style. His target here is inherently interesting, and the resulting story is a remarkable achievement." --Jeff Barrett, Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine

"This is an exciting book about a man who was ahead of his time by decades, although he did no more than logically apply a well-established theory against all prejudice. Peter Byrne has done an excellent job in unearthing documents, most of them unknown, about the history of Everett's ideas, their reception by the leading physicists from 1957 until today, and the consequences this had for Everett's life." --H. Dieter Zeh, University of Heidelberg

"Byrne does an excellent job of explaining the theory, why it is necessary and the difficulties it solves (and doesn't). [...] Byrne does not patronise his readers with superficial pen portraits of his characters. We get to know the characters by what they say and what they do. And they say and do some truly remarkable things. [...] This is a strangely beautiful story, expertly told with the dignity, candour and attention to detail it deserves." - New Scientist

"The effort Byrne has put in to understanding the man is impressive ..." - Robert Matthews , BBC Focus Magazine
Product Details
368 pages; 50 b/w photographs; 9.2 x 6.1; ISBN13: 978-0-19-955227-6ISBN10: 0-19-955227-4
About the Author(s)

Peter Byrne is an investigative reporter and science writer based in northern California. He has written for Scientific American , Mother Jones , Salon.com , SF Weekly , North Bay Bohemian , and many other magazines and newsweeklies. He has received national recognition for his investigative reporting, including from Investigative Editors & Reporters and Project Censored. He a member of the Foundational Questions Institute, which has supported this book with a large grant. He has made presentations on Everett at University of Oxford, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and University of California, Irvine. He consulted on (and appeared in) the BBC4 production about Everett, Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives. He is curating the Everett papers.

BOOK: THE MANY WORLDS OF HUGH EVERETT

BOOK: THE MANY WORLDS OF HUGH EVERETT

The intersection of science and national security in the 20th century produced many peculiar phenomena, some of which are illuminated in a new biography of physicist Hugh Everett III

Everett is best known, if at all, as the originator of the "many worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics. Roughly, this theory holds that whenever a quantum state is measured, every possible outcome of the measurement is realized in a different universe, which somehow means that the world is constantly branching out into a multiplicity of separate, parallel worlds.

"Many prominent physicists, including [Richard] Feynman, thought many worlds was a ludicrous idea," notes Peter Byrne, the author of the new Everett biography. But others were startled and impressed by its mathematical and conceptual coherence. (The notion of parallel universes also became a staple of science fiction writing.)

Having made his controversial mark in physics, Everett went on to perform nuclear war planning for the top secret Weapons Systems Evaluation Group, a sort of Pentagon think tank which generated analysis for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"When Everett joined WSEG in 1956, it was analyzing the cost-benefits of global and limited nuclear warfare," writes Mr. Byrne. "Ongoing studies examined nuclear blast and fallout kill ratios; the impact of jamming the electronics of guided missiles and airplanes; and the disturbing problem of the 'nuclear blackout,' i.e. massive electrical disturbances unleashed by nuclear bombs exploded high in the atmosphere." The WSEG's "Report 50," portions of which have recently been declassified along with other WSEG records, "became a basic source document" for nuclear war planning.

Everett apparently wrote the software for the first Single Integrated Operating Plan (SIOP), the U.S. nuclear warfighting plan. He also designed the first "relational database" software, an early word-processing program, and more.

The new biography of Hugh Everett never veers off into hagiography, a temptation that might have been easy to resist since Everett had more than his fair share of shortcomings. But investigative reporter Peter Byrne has produced a thoughtful account of an original figure and his diverse contributions to a momentous period in the history of science and national security. One imagines that there are still many other such stories waiting to be told.

See "The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III" by Peter Byrne, Oxford University Press, 2010.

Weather clears for a strike on Iran

Weather clears for a strike on Iran

IAEA to keep heat on Iran

IAEA to keep heat on Iran
Finnish nuclear engineer Olli Heinonen, in the five years he served as deputy director for safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency, was instrumental in shifting much of Western opinion to the view that Iran was pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program - despite documental flaws. His replacement is likely to continue down the same path. - Gareth Porter (Jul 6, '10)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LG07Ak01.html

Heinonen Pushed Dubious Iran Nuclear Weapons Intel Analysis by Gareth Porter*

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52043


Heinonen Pushed Dubious Iran Nuclear Weapons Intel Analysis by Gareth Porter*

Finland agrees on development of 2 nuclear plants

Finland agrees on development of 2 nuclear plants
The Finnish Parliament on Thursday voted to support the applications of both Teollisuuden Voima, or TVO, and Fennovoima to develop nuclear plants in the country. TVO is building a new-generation EPR-model plant with Areva at Olkiluoto, while Fennovoima has yet to announce the site for its facility. The companies hope to begin operating the plants by 2020. The New York Times (free registration)

Environmental groups press Obama to take stronger lead on climate

President Obama is urged to push harder on climate legislation
President Barack Obama is being asked by environmental groups to take stronger measures to ensure the Senate takes up climate-and-energy legislation this summer. "I think it absolutely is doable and we can pass a bill with an enforceable carbon limit before the August recess," said Fred Krupp, an executive of the Environmental Defense Fund. The president has to "directly engage with his staff at a detailed level" to produce a proposal that can secure 60 votes in the Senate, Krupp added. The Hill/E2 Wire blog

Idaho officials applaud Yucca Mountain move

Yucca ruling earns support of Idaho lawmakers
Idaho lawmakers welcomed a ruling that rejected the Energy Department's request to terminate the application for the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste project. Rep. Mike Sampson, R-Idaho, said Energy Secretary Steven Chu could not abandon the application because Congress picked and approved the site. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said the decision to withdraw the application was politically motivated. The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)

Yucca remains an option The Oregonian Editorial Board

U.S. should stick to Yucca project until other options are found
Supporters of nuclear energy should applaud a ruling that blocked the Obama administration's move to abandon the Yucca Mountain waste project, according to this editorial in The Oregonian. The federal government never pretended it has an alternative site for safely keeping nuclear waste, and until someone does have a better plan, it is pointless to terminate Yucca, the editorial board writes. The Oregonian (Portland)

Hoyer: Calvert Cliffs first in line for nuclear loan guarantee

Lawmaker: Md. nuclear project is "first in line" for loan guarantee
The Constellation Energy-EDF joint venture to construct a nuclear plant at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland is now the "first in line" to secure a loan guarantee from the federal government, said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Though the project has yet to receive final approval for the guarantee, Hoyer said he is keeping in touch with federal officials on the matter. "I have been pushing very hard to get an approval of loan guarantees," he said. "And we're making progress." The Sun (Baltimore)

State Grid Guns for China’s Smart Grid

State Grid Prods China to Restrict Foreign Smart-Grid Contracts

China's State Grid, which controls transmission for most of the country, pressed the government for new smart-grid standards that would hinder foreign investment, the Wall Street Journal reported on its China Real Time Report blog. The blog entry said that Wang Yimin, head of its smart-grid department, told the state-run China Daily "that the company hopes to use its role to help keep its dominance in grid building and equipment supply."


Companies such as General Electric and Siemens have anticipated large contracts since China was considered willing to spend $60 billion to $100 billion during the decade on smart grid projects. The blog said: "Where Chinese suppliers of conventional power equipment can sell cheaply, foreign players think they have an edge on cutting-edge technology. But if State Grid has its way, that edge could be dulled."

Wall Street Journal China Real Time Report blog, June 30.

Iran's first nuclear power plant to run in September: atomic chief

Iran's First Nuclear Power Plant to Go Online in September

Ali-Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said the country's first nuclear power plant would go online in September, Xinhua reported, citing the Iranian Student's News Agency. Salehi was quoted as saying: "Bushehr nuclear plant is due to run by mid September. We are satisfied with cooperating with Russians and now 3,000 experts from the country [Russia] are working in the plant. The power plant is undergoing the last phase of its final test." The 1,000-MW power plant was constructed in the mid 1970s by Siemans, but abandoned in 1979. Iran and Russia signed a contract in 1995 to finish the plant.

Xinhua, June 30.

FPL President addresses renewable and nuclear energy, and criticism of the utility

FPL chief: Nuclear upgrades could have helped lower fuel costs
Armando Olivera, president of Florida Power & Light, said he wishes the utility had more nuclear energy to help lower costs. Ratepayers could have saved about $1.2 billion in fuel expenses had FPL upgraded its Turkey Point and St. Lucie plants five years ago. The utility is working to secure permits for the possible construction of two new reactors at Turkey Point, but it is uncertain whether the project will be completed, he added. Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)/House Keys blog

NRC sets schedule for Yucca Mountain appeals

NRC schedules dates for appeals on initial Yucca ruling
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has set July dates for appeals and arguments on an initial ruling that denied the Energy Department's move to abandon the Yucca Mountain repository project. This is a sign that the agency wants to resolve the issue quickly, said lawyers and officials who follow the issue. Las Vegas Review-Journal

Waxman to press for carbon curbs in House-Senate conference

Waxman to press for carbon curbs in House-Senate conference
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he will use a House-Senate conference to push for emission curbs if the Senate advances energy legislation this summer without climate provisions. A cap on carbon "would be open in conference to consider because our bill has it," said Waxman, who authored a broad climate-and-energy bill that cleared the House last year. Legislation that puts a price on carbon would give industry the "right market signal" to develop low-emissions technologies, Waxman added. The Hill/E2 Wire blog

Canadian province is in talks with AREVA for 2nd nuclear reactor

Canadian province is in talks with AREVA for 2nd nuclear reactor
The government of New Brunswick is discussing with AREVA the possibility of building a second nuclear reactor in the province. The move indicates the provincial government is losing interest in Atomic Energy of Canada's proposal to develop a second reactor. CBC.ca (Canada)

Korea's Doosan lands $3.9B contract for UAE nuclear project

Korea's Doosan lands $3.9B contract for UAE nuclear project
Doosan Heavy Industries announced it has signed a $3.9 billion contract to provide nuclear reactors and other equipment for a project in the United Arab Emirates. Doosan will supply the reactors to a consortium led by Korea Electric that landed an $18.6 billion contract in December to build four nuclear plants in the Emirates by 2020. Bloomberg Businessweek

Egypt is learning nuclear-plant design, technology from Russia

Egypt is learning nuclear-plant design, technology from Russia
Russia's Rosatom is conducting a two-day workshop to instruct Egyptian energy officials on Russian nuclear technology and plant design, according to Egypt's energy ministry. Egypt plans to have four nuclear plants by 2025, with the first to begin running in 2019. Reuters

Obama wants carbon curbs in energy bill

Obama wants carbon curbs in energy bill
President Barack Obama wants the Senate to advance energy legislation that puts a price on carbon emissions, according to Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who were among the multiparty group of lawmakers that met with the president Tuesday to discuss energy reform. But a White House statement released after the meeting indicated that Obama is also inviting suggestions that do not involve pricing carbon. The Hill/E2 Wire blog (6/29)

New Mexico facility begins enriched-uranium production

New Mexico facility begins enriched-uranium production
The former National Enrichment Facility, now called URENCO USA, in Eunice, N.M., started enriching uranium Friday after securing authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on June 10. The site received shipments of uranium hexafluoride feedstock beginning June 13. The facility is expected to eventually provide enough material to help meet about 10% of U.S. electricity needs, the company said. Nuclear Engineering International (6/29)

Administration Cannot Drop Bid for Nuclear Waste Dump in Nevada, Panel Finds

Administration Cannot Drop Bid for Nuclear Waste Dump in Nevada, Panel Finds

NRC panel rules against withdrawal of Yucca project application
A three-judge panel from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission blocked the Energy Department's move to withdraw its application for building a nuclear-waste repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. The judges said the department lacked the authority to abandon the petition, as doing so would violate a law approved by Congress. The New York Times (free registration) (6/29)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/science/earth/30nuke.html?src=mv

Japan's new civil nuclear diplomacy P.S. Suryanarayana

Japan's new civil nuclear diplomacy
P.S. Suryanarayana
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/29/stories/2010062951871100.htm

NEI files amicus brief supporting challenges to DOE's Yucca Mountain license withdrawal

NEI files amicus brief supporting challenges to DOE's Yucca Mountain license withdrawal
The Nuclear Energy Institute on Monday filed a brief with the U.S. District Court of Appeals in support of a petition to prevent the Department of Energy from withdrawing its license application for the Yucca Mountain, Nev., repository for used nuclear fuel. The NEI brief supports challenges by the states of South Carolina and Washington, Aiken County, S.C., and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners to DOE's request to withdraw its license application for the Yucca Mountain disposal facility. NEI filed the brief as "amicus curiae," or "friend of the court." (More)

Areva hopes to play major part in U.S. nuclear revival

Areva hopes to play major part in U.S. nuclear revival
Areva is optimistic that the U.S. could generate major revenue once it resumes building nuclear plants, said Anne Lauvergeon, the company's CEO. Areva recently received a $2 billion federal loan guarantee to build a uranium-enrichment facility in Idaho. Forbes/The Energy Source blog

http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/06/28/areva-chief-talks-power/

Senators introduce bill containing key incentives for nuclear

Senators introduce bill containing key incentives for nuclear
Republican Sens. Richard Burr and Saxby Chambliss unveiled legislation that would boost production of nuclear energy and natural gas to curb the country's carbon emissions. The measure would offer additional loan guarantees for nuclear plants, provide a 15-year accelerated depreciation for new facilities and set standards for recycling used fuel. Platts

Experts weigh in on EPA's carbon rules, climate legislation

Should the EPA set rules for greenhouse gases, or wait for Congress to act?

Experts weigh in on EPA's carbon rules, climate legislation
Although Congress has more power than the Environmental Protection Agency to create a climate-change program that can be part of a national energy policy, EPA regulation is preferable to legislation that is soft on pollution, according to Reid Detchon, an executive at the United Nations Foundation. Meanwhile, Richard Revesz, dean of New York University's School of Law, says that the EPA must advance climate rules with a market-based approach that will not conflict with future legislation. The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062803823.html

B&W exec says nuclear must be part of world's energy mix

B&W exec says nuclear must be part of world's energy mix
Rich Killion, president and chief operating officer of Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, said nuclear power plants will have to be included in the global energy mix. Public perception of nuclear is changing, and the industry "is on the brink of a major comeback," he said. The company been expanding its nuclear business and last year unveiled plans to construct modular plants through its mPower unit. Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)

http://www.ohio.com/news/97285694.html

Sweden to build new nuclear reactors

Sweden to build new nuclear reactors
Stockholm, Sweden (UPI) Jun 18, 2010
In a significant policy change, Swedish parliamentarians this week reversed a 30-year-old ban on building new nuclear reactors. The Riksdag voted 174-172 in favor of a bill proposed by the government that would see Sweden replacing its existing 10 reactors with new ones within the next few decades. The reactors, which supply half of the country's electricity, under a plan from 1 ... read more

IAEA ready to help Egypt with nuclear programme

IAEA ready to help Egypt with nuclear programme
Cairo (AFP) June 22, 2010 - The International Atomic Energy Agency is ready to help Egypt in the construction of nuclear power stations, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said on Tuesday during a visit to Cairo. "The agency is happy to cooperate with Egypt in its nuclear energy programme," Amano told reporters, adding that Egypt was close to finalising the project and its location. President Hosni Mubarak declared in 2007 th ... more

Argentine nuclear plans slated by Uruguay

Argentine nuclear plans slated by Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay (UPI) Jun 24, 2010 - In the latest twist to the growing nuclear debate in Latin America, Uruguay accused Argentina of neglecting due process of consultation before going ahead with plans to build a new nuclear power station. The first hints of a developing row over Argentina's nuclear plans came nearly a month after Brazil unveiled plans to expand its uranium processing operations, possibly with sights set ... more

http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Argentine_nuclear_plans_slated_by_Uruguay_999.html

Nucrane Manufacturing Now Fabricating Cranes For Nuclear Plants

Nucrane Manufacturing Now Fabricating Cranes For Nuclear Plants
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Jun 28, 2010 - NuCrane Manufacturing (NuCrane) has begun fabricating, assembling and testing specialty cranes for nuclear power plants, including the Westinghouse-designed AP1000 plants under construction in China and those planned for future construction in the U.S. NuCrane - a joint venture between Westinghouse Electric Company subsidiary PaR Nuclear, Inc. of Shoreview, Minn., and Hutchinson Manufactur ... more

India and Canada sign civil nuclear deal

India and Canada sign civil nuclear deal
Toronto (UPI) Jun 28, 2010 - India and Canada have signed an agreement for nuclear energy cooperation, the prime ministers of both countries announced. The agreement comes 36 years after Canada placed sanctions on India after it exploded an atomic device using materials from a Canadian-made nuclear reactor. India maintained that nuclear material or equipment supplied to the country wouldn't be used for "any ... more

http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/India_and_Canada_sign_civil_nuclear_deal_999.html

Siemens unveils growth plans in Chinese power market

Siemens unveils growth plans in Chinese power market
Frankfurt (AFP) June 28, 2010 - German industrial group Siemens said on Monday that it had raised its stake in a joint venture with Shanghai Electric of China and added that other tie-ups were in the offing. A Siemens statement said it now owned 40 percent of the Shanghai Electric Power Generation Equipment (SEPG), which installs gas and coal-powered generators as well as conventional parts for nuclear power stations. ... more

Jordan insists on right to nuclear power

Jordan insists on right to nuclear power
Amman (AFP) June 28, 2010 - Energy-poor Jordan, which is in talks with the United States to sign a nuclear cooperation deal, said Monday it does not want to give up its right to peaceful atomic power under international treaties. "We are now in continuous negotiations with the United States, and the latest round was in Washington last week," Khaled Tukan, head of Jordan's Atomic Energy Commission, told AFP. "But I ... more

http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Jordan_insists_on_right_to_nuclear_power_999.html

Japan starts talks with India on nuclear power

Japan starts talks with India on nuclear power
Tokyo (AFP) June 28, 2010 - Japan began the first round of talks with India in Tokyo Monday on exporting nuclear power generation technology made by technology giants such as Toshiba and Hitachi, the foreign ministry said. The first round of two-day talks are aimed at devising a treaty to allow cooperation between both sides on peaceful use of nuclear power, but no deadline to reach an agreement has been set. Fore ... more
Japan starts talks with India on nuclear power

Texas Mulls More Nuclear Reactors by Kate Galbraith

Texas looks to add 4 new reactors
Texas is angling for federal loan guarantees to add two reactors each to the Comanche Peak plant near Fort Worth and the South Texas Project in Bay City. Only 14% of electricity in Texas is supplied by nuclear power, six percentage points below the national average. Texas last opened a nuclear reactor 17 years ago. TexasTribune.org (Austin)

Seabrook Station deserves to have its license renewed By Alan Griffith

Seabrook has earned right to have its license renewed
NextEra Energy's Seabrook Station in New Hampshire is one of the best working nuclear plants in the U.S. and deserves to have its license extended, writes spokesman Alan Griffith in this response to an article questioning the renewal. The utility's workers have been efficiently generating carbon-free power for two decades, he writes, and have proven their commitment to safety and environmental protection. There is no truth to allegations that the plant has encountered "near-miss" accidents, he argues. The Telegraph (Nashua, N.H.)

Nuclear panel recommends license approval for Castle Hayne facility

NRC staff proposes clearance of GE Hitachi facility license
Nuclear Regulatory Commission personnel finalized a draft environmental statement that recommends the issuance of a license for GE Hitachi's Global Laser Enrichment plant in North Carolina. The company is pleased that the facility's license-application approval remains on track for early 2012, spokesman Michael Tetuan said. Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.)

China Guodian plans to start work on first nuclear plant next year

China Guodian plans to start work on first nuclear plant next year

China Guodian, one of the five major Chinese utilities, plans to break ground next year on its first nuclear plant, according -More-

Official: UAE has no plans for domestic enrichment or reprocessing

Official: UAE has no plans for domestic enrichment or reprocessing
from NEI SmartBrief
The United Arab Emirates plans not to enrich or reprocess uranium "as part of its utmost commitment to the peaceful use of nu -More-

Nuclear Proliferation In South Asia: The Power Of Nightmares -- The Economist

Nuclear Proliferation In South Asia: The Power Of Nightmares -- The Economist

China’s proposed sale of nuclear reactors to Pakistan will intensify nuclear rivalry with India. But the damage will go far wider.

AT FIRST sight, China’s proposed sale of two civilian nuclear-power reactors to Pakistan hardly seems a danger sign. Pakistan already has the bomb, so it has all the nuclear secrets it needs. Next-door India has the bomb too, and has been seeking similar deals with other countries.

Yet the sale (really a gift, as Pakistan is broke) has caused shudders at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an informal cartel of countries who want to stop their advanced nuclear technology getting into the wrong hands. They are meeting in New Zealand, for what was supposed to be a quiet and nerdish rule-tightening session. But their efforts may now fall victim to China’s rivalry with America.

Read more ....
http://www.economist.com/node/16426072?story_id=16426072&source=hptextfeature

The Coming Explosion Of Nuclear Proliferation In South East Asia from War News Updates by Bookyards

The Coming Explosion Of Nuclear Proliferation In South East Asia
from War News Updates by Bookyards

Blog - MIT Study Sites Cheap Way to Cut Emissions

Blog - MIT Study Sites Cheap Way to Cut Emissions
from Technology Review: Q&A: Mark Little, Head of GE Global Research

Requiring utilities to use existing natural gas plants fully could markedly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Today MIT unveiled a long-awaited report on natural gas, which considers how much there is, how it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and what environmental and technical problems need to be solved with further R&D. The findings aren't surprising. If carbon dioxide emissions are taxed or capped, it concludes, utilities will find natural gas far more attractive than coal, which emits roughly twice as much carbon dioxide.

Carbon savings from nuclear restarts

Carbon savings from nuclear restarts
from World Nuclear News by Jeremy Gordon
The return to service of Kashiwazaki Kariwa units 6 and 7 helped Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to cut its carbon emissions by 11% in 2009. The company cited a decrease in electricity consumption due to the economic slowdown, plus the restart of the two units, as enabling it to reduce its fossil fuel consumption and thereby lower its emissions. The two 1315 MWe advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs), offline since the Niigata Chuetsu offshore earthquake of 16 July 2007, restarted in May 2009. The 107.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted for the period allowed Tepco to redeem 16.8 million tonnes of carbon credits for the year ending 31 March 2010. The total for the previous year had been 24.9 million tonnes.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/IT_Carbon_savings_from_nuclear_restarts_2406107.html

GE, Hitachi consider changing their alliance

GE, Hitachi consider changing their alliance
Hitachi and General Electric are considering changes to their nuclear energy partnership to give the Japanese group a bigger role in exploring markets outside the U.S. and Japan, said Hiroaki Nakanishi, Hitachi's president. The Wall Street Journal

Alstom proposes partnership in India's nuclear expansion

Alstom proposes partnership in India's nuclear expansion
French engineering company Alstom hopes that India's Atomic Energy Commission will soon approve a proposed joint venture with Bhel and Nuclear Power Corp. of India. The deal will help Alstom take part in India's planned nuclear expansion during the next 10 to 15 years. The Economic Times (India)

N.C. storage site for spent fuel is nearly done

N.C. storage site for spent fuel is nearly done
The construction of a dry-cask storage facility designed to hold used nuclear fuel at Progress Energy's Brunswick plant in North Carolina is nearly complete -- about three years ahead of schedule. The transferring of used fuel to the site is slated to start this fall, said Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.)

U.S. Considered Nuclear Option over Spy Plane

U.S. Considered Nuclear Option over Spy Plane

By Chris Green
[2010-06-24 18:00 ]
A set of newly declassified documents from the U.S. National Security Archive at George Washington University show that the U.S. considered, but ultimately rejected, a range of military responses to the downing of a reconnaissance aircraft by North Korea in the late-1960s.

On Kim Il Sung's birthday, April 15th, 1969, two North Korean Mig-17 fighter aircraft intercepted and shot down the U.S. Navy EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft somewhere over the East Sea in the vicinity of Chongjin.

North Korea claimed the aircraft had entered the North's sovereign airspace, while the U.S. government maintained that the aircraft had been under strict orders not to get any closer than 50 nautical miles from the coast of North Korea, and deemed the action provocative.

Following the shooting, the Nixon administration reviewed a range of possible responses.

The set of 16 documents, entitled “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Korea?” show that the Nixon national defense team took into consideration one option of performing between 12 and 47 tactical nuclear strikes against a range of targets in the North.

However, the documents, which were released yesterday, show that the U.S. concluded that while a “positive and deliberate response by the United States to an act of aggression will indicate the resolve of the United States to take measured punitive action against an aggressor,” even non-nuclear air strikes against military targets in North Korea “will be a deliberate act of war” and, as a result, “North Korea may respond by launching air strikes against US/ROK forces.”

In the end, therefore, Nixon chose to restart the reconnaissance missions in short order to show its strength of will, and ordered a show of naval power in the East Sea, a response then-National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger later termed “weak, indecisive and disorganized.”

http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=6534

US mulled North Korea nuclear strike in 1969: documents -- AFP

US mulled North Korea nuclear strike in 1969: documents -- AFP

U.S Prepared Plans To Nuke North Korea In 1969 After Military Showdown -- Wire Update

U.S Prepared Plans To Nuke North Korea In 1969 After Military Showdown -- Wire Update

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The United States prepared plans to nuke North Korea in 1969 after a spy plane had been shot down, according to a declassified dossier released on Wednesday.

The dossier said that the U.S. developed contingency plans that included selected use of tactical nuclear weapons against Pyongyang’s military facilities and the possibility of a full-scale war.

Read more ....

http://wireupdate.com/wires/6820/u-s-prepared-plans-to-nuke-north-korea-in-1969-after-military-showdown/

Dubai to include nuclear in energy-sufficiency plan

Dubai to include nuclear in energy-sufficiency plan
The United Arab Emirates' Dubai state is planning to expand its sources of power generation to guarantee a stable electricity supply and reduce emissions through 2030, according to the emirate's Supreme Energy Council. The council recently underwent a two-day workshop with advisers from McKinsey & Co. to prepare a strategy that would include "clean" coal, nuclear and renewable-energy sources. Bloomberg Businessweek

* Vietnam ramps up plan to expand its use of nuclear power

* Vietnam ramps up plan to expand its use of nuclear power
Vietnam is aiming to build 13 nuclear reactors by 2030, according to a development blueprint approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Construction on the first reactor is slated to begin in 2014. The Wall Street Journal

Alstom opens manufacturing facility in Tenn.

Alstom opens manufacturing facility in Tenn.
Alstom has officially opened a plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., that is designed to manufacture the world's biggest steam and gas turbines for nuclear power plants. "It definitely positions Chattanooga well if it has a major facility for building some of the large components," said Mitch Singer of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tenn.)

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/jun/24/city-a-bigger-dot-on-us-atom-map/?business

"1945-1998" by Isao Hashimoto (Japan, © 2003)

"1945-1998" by Isao Hashimoto (Japan, © 2003)

The Inevitable Nuclear Iran Benjamin Kerstein, The New Ledger

The Inevitable Nuclear Iran
Benjamin Kerstein, The New Ledger
It is now all but certain that the American administration has more or less resigned itself to a nuclear Iran. At the very least, it appears to have decided to take no military action against the Iranian nuclear program, nor even to support or encourage – publicly or discreetly – the Iranian popular opposition to the Ahmadinejad regime. The Obama administration will likely continue to pursue its policy of promoting engagement, either out of cynicism or naiveté, while simultaneously busying itself with the diplomatic give and take of arranging...