Monday, November 15, 2010

Russia says open to missile defence cooperation with NATO

Russia is open to cooperation with NATO on missile defence but the partnership must be an equal one, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"We proceed from the fact that if this is equal cooperation, beginning with joint analysis, joint estimates of those risks that exist in the sphere of missile proliferation then such cooperation is quite possible," Lavrov told reporters at the G20 summit in Seoul on Friday.
"Strategic partnership should be built on an equal basis."
His comments came just before a scheduled weekend meeting between US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Yokohama, and ahead of the NATO summit in Lisbon which the Kremlin chief agreed to attend.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen travelled to Moscow for talks with Medvedev earlier this month.
"The Russian president said he will be ready to formulate our additional proposals... in relation to the creation of an anti-missile pool of interested states," Lavrov said, referring to Russia, the United States and European countries.
Moscow's Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said last month his country was open to talks on NATO's planned European missile shield but wants to play an equal role in developing it.
"The most important thing for us is firstly to define what are the real threats to Europe, and secondly is to see Russia put on an equal footing as a participant," Serdyukov said in an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel.
"It is only thus can an anti-missile defence system be put in place which satisfies everyone."
Previous US plans to deploy an anti-missile system in former Soviet satellite states in eastern Europe angered the Kremlin. NATO now hopes to ease these doubts by including Moscow in the planning of a broader system.
Lavrov said a joint anti-missile shield would be possible "with the existence of goodwill, readiness to cooperate on an equal footing, with mutual respect, taking into account each others' interests".
"It will not be directed against any third countries but it will highlight that Russia and NATO have common approaches, that we have common risks

US scientist says North Korea building light-water reactor

Tokyo (AFP) Nov 13, 2010 A US scientist who travelled to North Korea this week said Saturday he had been told by officials there that the North had started building a light-water nuclear reactor. "They were saying that they are constructing a small experimental light-water reactor (in Yongbyon), eventually of the size of about 25 to 30 megawatts," Siegfried Hecker said in footage by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Hecker, a regular private visitor to North Korea who was formerly director of the United States' Los Alamos National Laboratory, had been in North Korea since Tuesday, the broadcaster said. He made the commments while passing through Beijing.
Light-water reactors are generally used for civilian nuclear purposes. Experts say it is difficult to use them for extracting plutonium to make weapons.
In 1994 the United States reached an agreement with long-time foe North Korea by which several countries were to build two light-water reactors for the North. In return, the North was to shut down its plutonium producing reactor in Yongbyon.
However the deal broke down in 2002, the light-water reactors envisaged at the time were never built, and the North restarted its plutonium-producing reactor.
The start of construction of a light-water reactor would therefore suggest progress in the country's own nuclear energy programme.

Scientists image the sea monster of nuclear fusion: the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new X-ray imaging capability has taken pictures of a critical instability at the heart of Sandia's huge Z accelerator. The effort may help remove a major impediment in the worldwide, multidecade, multibillion dollar effort to harness nuclear fusion to generate electrical power from sea water.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

France, China to form nuclear power partnership

France, China agree to build reactors in common
* China signs $20 bln of business contracts in France

PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) - France and China have agreed to form a strategic partnership in civilian nuclear power that ranges from building reactors in common to exploiting uranium mines, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.
His announcement came after a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, in France for a three-day visit, and the signing of a slew of business deals including a $3.5 billion contract with energy firm Areva CEFPi.PA to supply 20,000 tonnes of uranium.
The partnership marks the coming together of French expertise in civilian nuclear power -- France is overwhelmingly dependent on nuclear energy -- and China's insatiable appetite for cheap energy to fuel its economic growth.
"We have decided to work without limits on a strategic collaboration in the nuclear domain that will go much farther on the full spectrum of nuclear activity," Sarkozy said in a speech after a deal-signing ceremony in the presidential palace.
The two countries will work on nuclear reactors, fuel recycling and uranium extraction and will consider selling the products of their collaboration to third parties, he added. More at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6A32MF20101104

Modular reactor plan worth pursuing

Map of Tennessee Valley Authority sites. Key: ...

Image via WikipediaThe Tennessee Valley Authority plans to build a modular nuclear power plant at the old Clinch River Breeder Reactor site in Oak Ridge over the next decade.
If approved, the plant could house up to six small reactors - each with the ability to produce 125 megawatts of electricity - and would be the first modular nuclear facility built in the United States.
The federal utility's commitment to use more nuclear power while reducing its reliance on coal is a positive step for the region.
TVA plans to use mPower reactors designed by Charlotte, N.C.-based Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Energy Inc. The Babcock & Wilcox design still awaits approval by federal regulators, but the concept of building smaller reactors in modular form has the potential to transform the way power plants are built in the future.
According to the firm, many components of the mPower reactors can be assembled off-site, which should reduce construction costs. The reactors are designed to be put underground, which Babcock and Wilcox claims provides more secure containment. The reactors are designed to go more than four years between refueling, and standardized components should make maintenance easier than for larger reactors with unique designs.
TVA's proposal to use the modular reactors, first published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, follows the utility's recently revised long-term plan, which calls for increased use of nuclear and alternative fuel sources over the next two decades. One of TVA's goals is eventually to generate half its power from noncarbon sources.
That plan recognizes that during the past two decades air pollution limits have been lowered, the science behind global climate change has solidified and support for alternative energy sources has grown.
By moving away from coal-fired plants, TVA will reduce harmful emissions that befoul Tennessee's skies, jeopardize the health of residents and contribute to global warming. According to Babcock and Wilcox, each reactor that goes online will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, by 57 million metric tons over its 20-year lifespan.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/nov/14/modular-reactor-plan-worth-pursuing/

Report Reveals N.Korea's Flourishing Arms Trade -- Chosun Ilbo

Image from MSNBC

Report Reveals N.Korea's Flourishing Arms Trade -- Chosun Ilbo

North Korea has exported around US$100 million worth of conventional weapons and nuclear weapons technology a year despite UN sanctions, a panel of experts monitoring the implementations of UN Security Council resolutions revealed Wednesday. Their report said that North Korea has been exporting nuclear weapons and missile technology, conventional weapons, parts and materials to Burma, Iran and Syria.

The North Korea dodged the sanctions in ways reminiscent of spy films, switching boats and airplanes, establishing paper companies and forging cargo documents to transport its deadly freight. The 75-page UN report presents evidence directly or indirectly linking North Korea to the arms exports.

Read more ....

More News On North Korea's Flourishing Arms Trade

North Korea Exports $100 Million of Arms Each Year in Breach of Sanctions -- Bloomberg
UN report: North Korea smuggling nuclear material to Iran, Myanmar, Syria -- Asia News
N.Korea 'giving nuclear material to Iran, Syria' -- AFP
U.N. report alleges nuclear aid by N. Korea -- Washington Post
Security Council Gets North Korea Nuke Report -- FOX News
N. Korea linked to covert missile, nuke trade -- Washington Times
U.N. report alleges North Korea exported nuclear technology -- CNN

Military exercises carried out near nuclear sites - Iran

Iran Air Force General Ahmad Miqan

Military Exercises Carried Out Near Nuclear Sites - Iran -- Reuters

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has carried out military exercises near its nuclear facilities, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying on Sunday.

The West suspects Iran of seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian research programme and is worried about the threat to international security. Tehran says its long concealed uranium enrichment drive is aimed only at generating electricity.

Read more ....

More News On Iran Conducting Military Exercises At Its Nuclear Sites

Iran 'holds defence drills' at nuclear plants -- AFP
Iran Carries Out Military Exercises Near Nuclear Sites -- Radio Free Europe
Iran launches military drill on Tuesday -- ISNA
Report: Iran to hold five-day, air defence war games, to unveil locally made radar system -- Canadian Presshttp://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTER45113520101114
Iran plans to upgrade anti-aircraft systems -- Tehran Times (Iran)
Iran to produce 3000-km-range radar -- Press TV (Iran)
Senior Commander: Israel Too Weak to Threaten Iran -- FARS News Agency (Iran)

EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Reporting Requirements for Petroleum and Natural Gas Industry

Reporting targets methane, a potent greenhouse gas and valuable fuel

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting requirements for the petroleum and natural gas industries as part of the mandatory reporting program. The petroleum and natural gas industries emit methane, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and are one of the largest human related sources of methane in the United States. Annual methane emissions from intentional venting and equipment leaks from these industries are comparable to annual emissions from more than 40 million passenger cars.

The data collected through the reporting program will provide important information about GHG emissions from petroleum and natural gas facilities. While methane is a potent greenhouse gas, trapping more than 20 times as much heat as carbon dioxide, it is also the primary component of natural gas, a valuable fuel. The data collected by the companies will help identify cost effective ways to minimize the loss of methane.

Beginning in 2011, petroleum and natural gas facilities that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year are required to monitor and report all greenhouse gas emissions to EPA. Data collection for petroleum and natural gas sources will begin January 1, 2011, with first annual reports due to EPA March 31, 2012.

EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, launched in October 2009, requires the reporting of GHG emissions data from large emission sources and fuel suppliers across a range of industry sectors. The data will help guide the development of programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information on this rulemaking: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/subpart/w.html

For more information on the GHG Reporting Program:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html

Climate question & answer service ready for journalists’ questions

AGU Release No. 10–38
10 November 2010
For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON—Climate scientist-members of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) have organized a Climate Q&A Service to provide timely scientific answers to journalists reporting on climate.
Approximately 700 Ph.D.-level climate scientists, who represent the diversity of climate science-related disciplines, have volunteered to receive and respond to questions via a shared e-mail in-box. Teams of up to10 scientists at a time have signed up for shifts from Monday to Friday, 8AM–4PM (Pacific Time).
Scientist-volunteers in AGU's Climate Q&A Service will field questions about climate science (not policy) that are e-mailed to questions@agu.emailcenterpro.com, an e-mail box set up specifically for the project. Responses to questions will be returned in a timely fashion with regard for journalists' deadlines. Answers will reflect the responding scientists’ research and views. They do not represent official positions of the AGU, the world's largest organization of Earth and space scientists.
The service is an extended pilot project and will operate from today through at least the third week of January. This project is building off the success of last year's 10-day pilot program that coincided with the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Last year, 54 climate science inquiries were received from 27 media outlets, including Newsweek, National Public Radio, and the UK Sunday Times. This year's extended pilot will run for a significantly longer period and will seek increased visibility and use by journalists. AGU will collect data on requests and responses and solicit feedback from participants in order to evaluate the service.
If you have climate science questions, please e-mail them to questions@agu.emailcenterpro.com. For more information about the service, visit and bookmark the project's mobile-device-friendly website. From there, you can download a free widget for submitting questions to the service, which can be easily embedded on a web page.
AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization with more than 58,000 members in over 135 countries. The organization advances the Earth and space sciences through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is accessible on the Web. The Climate Q&A Service email box operates on a platform provided by Palo Alto Software of Eugene, Oregon.

2010-38.shtml

How to stop global warming - even if you don't believe in it

In the global-warming debate, scientists are, admirably, still trying to save the day. Last week, the American Geophysical Union announced plans to mobilize about 700 climate scientists in an effort to improve the accuracy of media coverage and public understanding of their field. Separately, a smaller group of scientists organized by John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota said it was putting together a "rapid response team" to bring accurate climate science to public debates.
On the face of it, such efforts certainly make sense. The scientists hope, not unreasonably, to bring more attention to the climate-change crisis. More crucially, they seek to halt the slide in public opinion on the issue, with recent polls finding Americans' belief in the evidence for global warming on the decline, along with their view of the need for immediate action to slow climate change. And it's true that science education, when done well, may help accomplish these goals.
But will it lead to meaningful policy? Or will this latest round of efforts instead result in another spate of news stories about scary end-of-the-world scenarios, another series of debates over whether global-warming science is a hoax and more wasted time - time we don't have?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111202800.html

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Is Our Nuclear Stockpile Safe? Questions For The Head of Global Strike Command

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/weapons/nuclear-global-strike-command-interview?click=pm_latest

Photo: Crews at Malmstrom Air Force Base fit a dummy nuclear warhead onto a missile. (Photo by Jonothan Targovnick)

Questions For Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, Head Of Global Strike Command -- Popular Mechanics

In 2011, nuclear weapons will take center stage of defense negotiations as the United States Senate debates the ratification of the New START treaty with Russia. The treaty will reduce the amount of warheads in the U.S. and Russian arsenals. But the nukes aren't going anywhere. In April the Obama administration released a Nuclear Posture Review, the third since the end of the Cold War, that says—somewhat in contrast to the president's oft-repeated desire to "work toward a world without nuclear weapons"—that U.S. policy is to retain its nuclear triad of bombers, ICBMs and submarine-launched missiles. "As long as nuclear weapons exist, the United States will sustain safe, secure and effective nuclear forces," it states. The security of those weapons has been questioned after an incident in late October knocked out communications between an underground launch center and the ICBMs. PM recently sat down at the Pentagon with Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, the commander of Global Strike Command, to discuss the state of America's nuclear arsenal, from the treaty tables to the missile silos.

Read more ....

It Will Take 131 Years To Replace Oil, And We've Only Got 10 Dian L. Chu, Economic Forecasts & Opinions

It seems the panic time for both green enthusiasts and peak oil pundits.
According to a new paper by two researchers at the University of California – Davis, it would take 131 years for replacement of gasoline and diesel given the current pace of research and development; however, world's oil could run dry almost a century before that.
The research was published on Nov. 8 at Environmental Science & Technology, which is based on the theory that market expectations are good predictors reflected in prices of publicly traded securities.
By incorporating market expectations into the model, the authors, Nataliya Malyshkina and Deb Niemeier, indicated that based on their calculation, the peak of oil production could occur between 2010 and 2030, before renewable replacement technologies become viable at around 2140.
The estimates not only delayed the alternative energy timeline, but also pushed up the peak oil deadline. The researchers suggest some previous estimates that pegged year 2040 as the time frame when alternatives would start to replace oil, could be “overly optimistic".
As I pointed out before, despite the excitement and hype surrounding a future of clean energy, a majority of the current technology simply does not make economic sense for regular consumers and lack the infrastructure for a mass deployment….even with government subsidies, tax breaks, and outright mandates.
In addition, the supply chain of renewable technologies is not as green as people might think. Most alternative technologies rely on rare earths for efficiency. However, the radioactive waste produced by rare earths mining process makes oil sands look like a green energy. This overlooked (or ignored) fact just now received some attention due to the sudden shortage caused by China’s embargo and export quotas on rare earths.
Another case in point – In China, the city of Jiuquan in Gansu province needs to build 9.2 gigawatts of new coal-fired generating capacity as backup power of the 12.7 gigawatts wind turbines due to be installed by 2015. So more wind farm would need more coal-fired power plants, with little or possibly no carbon reduction.
Capitalism means the investment naturally flows to the more profitable proposition....and vice versa. With more data and information becoming available, not much could go unnoticed by the markets, particularly in a relatively new sector such as renewable energy. And this harsh reality is clearly reflected in this new study.
Now, in its latest long term outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that oil demand, prices and dependence on OPEC all set to continue rising through 2035, and that global oil supplies near their peak in 2035 as China, India and other emerging economies keep on trucking.
So the world needs to come to a common understanding that

The alternative energy is not mature enough to replace fossil sources any time soon.
Energy security means a diversified and balanced portfolio inclusive of every bit of resource, fossil as well as renewables, just to meet the projected demand.
Real "green" energy is easier said than done.

Furthermore, the increased rare earths dependency, and the latest food vs. fuel debate when the food industry slapped a law suit against the EPA over E15 ethanol serve as examples illustrating that implementing policies without thorough planning and research often times has unintended and nasty consequences. (In this E15 case, the EAP is an easy mark with one in eight Americans on food stamps.)
That requires a balanced and unbiased government policy to guide exploration and development of technologies to unlock the new fossil fuel reserves, expanding the R&Ds of emerging technologies, while effectively practicing and promoting energy efficiency and conservation.
Otherwise, we may literally witness $300 a barrel oil before the electric vehicle even makes one percent market penetration, and unfortunately there's no easy fix.

North Korea Is Building Light - Water Reactor: Report

TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea is building an experimental light-water reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear facility, Kyodo news reported on Saturday, citing Siegfried Hecker, former chief of the Los Alomos National Laboratory.
Hecker told reporters in Beijing that he was informed of the construction by North Korea and the output of the reactor was on a scale of 25 to 30 megawatts, according to the report.
Hecker recently visited North Korea, the report said.
He also said that the construction has just begun and it would take several years to complete it.
North Korea has tried to secure a light-water reactor for a number of years, claiming such a project would be for peaceful energy purposes.
The type of reactor is considered relatively proliferation-resistant, meaning it is unlikely to be diverted for an arms programme.
A 1994 deal between North Korea and the United States was intended to provide the destitute state with two 1,000-megawatt light-water reactors built by an international consortium, but the agreement fell apart in 2006 after the North was accused of pursuing a nuclear arms programme.
Analysts are skeptical of North Korea's ability to build a light-water reactor indigenously, because it requires key components that only advanced nuclear states such as the United States can provide.
North Korea froze its Yongbyon nuclear site under a 2005 deal with five regional powers in return for aid, but is reported to have restarted activities there recently as the six-way disarmament process remains stalled for two years.
A five-megawatt graphite-moderated reactor at Yongbyon has produced arms-grade plutonium that officials and experts believe the North used to build several nuclear bombs.
(Reporting by Junko Fujita; Additional reporting by Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/11/13/world/international-us-korea-north-nuclear.html?_r=1&ref=world

Iran readies missile defense system?

TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Tehran plans to test a domestic version of the Russian-made S-300 missile defense system, an Iranian military official declared.
Russia pulled back on a deal to sell the S-300 system to Iran, citing recent U.N. sanctions on Tehran regarding its nuclear program. However, following a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in October, Moscow opted to sell Venezuela its S-300 anti-aircraft missile system.
Tehran wanted the system to protect its nuclear installations from a possible aerial attack by the Israelis, who bombed an Iraqi nuclear facility in the 1980s. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said there were no plans to find an alternative supplier now that the Russian deal had fallen through. More at:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/11/11/Iran-readies-missile-defense-system/UPI-55301289494980/

Mullen Makes Military’s Case for START Ratification By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=61682

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 12, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today delivered the military argument for Senate ratification of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and talked about the future of deterrence.
Speaking at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said “the stars may have aligned” to pass the new START pact the United States negotiated with Russia.
“Deterrence today is tougher and more complex. More than one nation can now reach out and touch us with nuclear missiles,” Mullen said to a star-studded audience that included former secretaries of state George Shultz, Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger, and former Defense Secretary William J. Perry. “Americans are potential targets of terrorism wherever they travel, and regional instability in several places around the globe could easily erupt into large-scale conflict.
“Yet, we have done precious little spadework to advance the theory of deterrence,” he continued, noting the lack of serious discussion on deterrence since the end of the Cold War. “It is as if we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Soviet Union collapsed and said to ourselves, ‘Well, I guess we don't need to worry about that anymore.’ We were wrong. The demands of deterrence evolve.”
The new treaty will help with the discussion, Mullen said, and the time is right. The stars are aligning for passage, he added.
“A flood of Soviet troops into Afghanistan dissolved support for SALT II in the United States, whereas the fall of the Berlin Wall and later the Soviet Union may well have hastened the signing and ratification of START,” Mullen said. “Today, we lack a similar treaty with Russia. In fact, we haven’t had one for almost a year now. But the arms buildup in the aftermath of SALT II’s disintegration highlights the necessity for some sort of understanding, some sort of verifiable reduction and monitoring regime.”
It is in the interest of both the United States and Russia to ratify this treaty, the chairman told the audience. From the military aspect, the new START treaty “allows us to retain a strong and flexible American nuclear deterrent,” Mullen said.
“It strengthens openness and transparency in our relationship with Russia,” he added.
The treaty also demonstrates America’s commitment to nuclear arms reductions, Mullen said. “I am convinced that New START - permitting us as it does 1,550 aggregate warheads and the freedom to create our own force posture within that limit – leaves us with more than enough nuclear deterrent capability for the world we live in,” he explained.
Mullen said he’s convinced the treaty preserves the nuclear triad and retains U.S. flexibility to continue deploying conventional global strike capabilities.
“I am also convinced that the verification regime is as stringent as it is transparent, and borne of more than 15 years of lessons learned under the original START treaty,” he said.
The new treaty provides for 18 inspections annually, and for sharing data concerning the numbers, locations and technical characteristics of systems subject to the treaty, the admiral noted.
“In other words, we’ll know a lot more about Russian systems and intentions than we do right now,” he said. “And as I have said many times, in many different contexts, in this fast-paced, flatter world of ours, information, and the trust it engenders, is every bit as much a deterrent as any weapon we deploy.”
Because he worries about “what I don’t know and what I can’t see,” Mullen said, the treaty’s inspection provisions are critical.
“So, I believe, and the rest of the military leadership in this country believes, that this treaty is essential to our future security,” said the chairman told the audience. “I believe it enhances and ensures that security. And I hope the Senate will ratify it quickly.”

Obama pledges $4 billion more for nuke complex in bid to pass START, sources say

In a last-minute bid to save a nuclear arms treaty with Russia, the Obama administration has offered to spend $4 billion more over five years on the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, congressional sources said Friday.
President Obama has made passage of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, one of his top priorities for the lame-duck session starting next week. Officials worry that the pact could face long delays, or even fail, if it is put off until next year, when the Democrats' Senate majority will shrink.
Republicans have conditioned their support for the treaty on a big budget increase to fix up the country's aging weapons-production facilities.
Administration officials went to Capitol Hill on Friday and said the White House was prepared to add $4.1 billion for nuclear facilities, according to one congressional aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private. That is on top of a $10 billion increase the administration had already promised over the next decade .More at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111206326.html

An Uncertain Nuclear Countdown By MATTHEW L. WALD

Associated Press The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon, Vt., on the banks of the Connecticut River.

If the clock is ticking on the lifetime of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, when will it actually close?
As I write in Friday’s Times, Entergy, which bought the plant in 2002, is looking for a buyer because the state Legislature has refused to give the company permission to run it after Vermont Yankee’s initial 40-year license expires in March 2012. (What is more, one of its top opponents in the Legislature was elected governor on Tuesday.)
But if the Legislature does not relent, it may not last even that long.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/an-uncertain-nuclear-countdown/

Debate on Nuclear Fuel Cask Safety

A panel of judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments late last week whether Pacific Gas and Electric needed to conduct environmental analysis on the vulnerability of spent nuclear fuel casks stored at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plan. Attorneys for Mothers for Peace argued that such analysis was required and demanded access to security documents long deemed top secret to ensure that proper analysis has been conducted and that proper safeguards have been taken. In 2002, Pacific Gas & Electric was granted permission to be begin storing spent fuel rods that have been accumulating at Diablo Canyon—because no final repository for such nuclear wastes exists in the United States—in giant concrete cased steel lined caskets. Mothers for Peace has insisted that these storage tasks would be easy pickings to any terrorist with an airplane. PG&E officials have insisted the casks are built to withstand a direct hit by a plane. They’ve also argued against allowing anyone without high level government security clearance to examine whatever internal precautions they’ve taken for such terrorist eventualities.
http://www.independent.com/news/2010/nov/11/debate-nuclear-fuel-cask-safety/

Friday, November 12, 2010

Korea Becomes World’s Leading Nuclear Power Plant Exporter

http://www.pimagazine-asia.com/index.php?page=shownews&news=2985

South Korea, U.S. to Discuss Extended Deterrence from GSN Daily News

http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20101112_4772.php

The United States and South Korea are set to hold talks before year's end on issues tied to extended nuclear deterrence and a ballistic missile shield, the Asahi Shimbun reported today (see GSN, April 21).
The discussions would fall under the Extended Deterrence Policy Committee that Seoul and Washington "agreed to institutionalize" in October, according to a joint statement. Senior-level South Korean and U.S. defense officials are expected to determine the group's format and issues it would address.
South Korean defense insiders said their government would begin by requesting that the two nations swap intelligence tied to North Korea's nuclear arms work (see GSN, Nov. 11). The South would also like to talk about potential North Korean nuclear proliferation and how to react if attacked with various kinds of nuclear strikes, the sources said.
While Washington has stated its nuclear umbrella covers Japan and South Korea, concrete military details about what that would mean in the event of a nuclear assault have not yet been laid out (see GSN, Oct. 12). The United States has held off on providing specifics over worries that such information could anger China and give Pyongyang further grounds to continue its nuclear weapons work.
Seoul, though, has been urging talks about the nuclear umbrella to address public worries regarding the ramifications of future drawdowns of U.S. soldiers stationed on the Korean Peninsula.
The Obama administration might now be willing to provide these deterrence specifics because Washington "may have become worried that if it did not make a virtual guarantee of its nuclear umbrella, (South Korea) might have decided to embark on its own nuclear weapons development," a South Korean source said (Yoshihiro Makino, Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 12).

India, U.S. Could Collaborate on WMD Defense from GSN Daily News

http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20101112_9853.php
An Indian scientific delegation is set to discuss with U.S. counterparts how the elimination of some U.S. restrictions on high-tech trade with the South Asian nation could enable new collaborative work on technologies for countering chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, the Hindustan Times reported today (see GSN, Nov. 8).
President Obama last week announced the United States would ease some controls on exports of sensitive technology to India, regulations originally put in place in response to the South Asian nation's 1998 nuclear tests.
The development of anti-WMD technology was one potential area in which the sides might now pool their scientific resources, said W. Selvamurthy, a chief controller at India's Defense Research and Development Organization.
Selvamurthy is expected to lead the team of Indian scientists in discussions with U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency specialists, as well as in an upcoming meeting in Orlando, Florida, to address WMD defense and response planning.

Nuclear Winter: Nuclear War would be an Unprecedented Human Catastrophe - by Carl Sagan - 2010-11-09

	Nuclear Winter: Nuclear War would be an Unprecedented Human Catastrophe - by Carl Sagan - 2010-11-09
	Even small nuclear wars can have devastating climatic effects... http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=21840

Nuclear power capacity to rise (China Daily) Updated: 2010-11-04 15:57

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2010-11/04/content_11503885.htm

China's National Development and Reform Commission Says new nuclear capacity target is 112 Gigawatts for 2020

http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/11/chinas-national-development-and-reform.html

OWENS: Wind doesn't blow hard enough Green energy requires nuclear-power plants, too

In its quest for a "green" future, the Obama administration proposes to rely on wind power to generate 20 percent of U.S. electrical power by 2030. There are a number of problems with this proposal.
First, the European experience illustrates that the hidden costs of wind-power generation require massive subsidies that are borne by taxpayers. Second, wind power is unsuitable for meeting "base load" power demand (as opposed to helping to meet peak power demand).
Third, as Texas has discovered, the cost of transmitting electricity from windy areas to the urban areas that constitute the bulk of electricity demand are staggering. Finally, as Sen. Lamar Alexander, Tennessee Republican and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has observed, the Obama plan would require the construction of 186,000 1.5-megawatt, 50-story wind turbines occupying an area the size of West Virginia, as well as 19,000 miles of transmission lines.
There is a better "green" option: nuclear power. The requirement for energy diversity and clean air would seem to support expansion of nuclear-generated electricity. Indeed, nuclear power accounts for about 70 percent of the nation's carbon-free electricity generation, and is the only base-load energy source that can make a decisive contribution toward reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
Nuclear energy is also efficient and safe. The efficiency of nuclear power has improved by 36 percent since 1990, the equivalent of adding more than 231 1,000-megawatt power plants. France gets 75 percent of its electrical power from nuclear energy. As for safety, data compiled by the World Association of Nuclear Operators indicates that all of the key indicators of nuclear plant performance - from unplanned reactor shutdowns to radiation exposure - have shown high levels of safety at U.S. nuclear power plants during the past decade.
However, the United States has not ordered a new nuclear plant since 1979 or begun construction of a new reactor for 30 years. And the recent decision by Constellation Energy to terminate the Calvert Cliffs project in Maryland for lack of loan guarantees and the fate of two Texas nuclear projects stalled for the same reason bodes ill for the prospects of a revival of nuclear power.
Ironically, oil-producing countries in the Middle East and beyond are turning to nuclear power. It seems clear that this trend is influenced by their desire to export oil and gas rather than burning it in power plants, but perhaps they foresee reduced Western demand owing to probable carbon-mitigation measures. Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are considering going nuclear. The United Arab Emirates already has. So while plans are underway in the Middle East for construction of as many as 15 nuclear plants by 2015, the United States remains idle on the nuclear power front.
Much of the opposition to the expansion of nuclear power comes from environmentalists, who logically ought to embrace a carbon-free means of generating electric power. But not only have environmental activists obstructed the construction of new nuclear-power plants, they also have opposed renewing the licenses of nuclear-power plants currently in operation.
But government policy and economics also play a role in retarding the expansion of nuclear power. The U.S. government can improve the prospects for this carbon-free method of producing electricity by increasing its level of support to include changing the formula for loan guarantees; by turning the nuclear-waste program over to a quasi-government corporation; and by providing incentives for the construction of factory-built small modular reactors that can be fabricated at a fraction of the cost of large nuclear plants.
For economic and environmental reasons, we can't turn our backs on nuclear power.
Story Continues →
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/11/wind-doesnt-blow-hard-enough/

Nuclear Plants Increase Reliability By LYNN E. WEAVER

Have you noticed that the lead energy source in the effort to halt climate change is not natural gas, but rather nuclear power? That's the case not just in America but also in much of the rest of the world. It's one of the most positive environmental developments around.

Nuclear power accounts for about 20 percent of U.S. electricity production but more than 70 percent of the nation's carbon-free power. Though natural gas has 60 percent less carbon than coal, and is highly regarded as a clean-energy source for fuel switching, the fact is that natural gas power plants load the atmosphere with huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Nuclear power plants, by contrast, don't pollute the air or emit any carbon dioxide.

Nuclear power's environmental edge over competing energy sources is the key to understanding its continuing importance in the United States and in the world. Although there hasn't been a groundbreaking for a new U.S. nuclear plant since 1974, nuclear power still has the same share of the nation's total electricity production that it had more than 20 years ago. And it managed to hold on even as the demand for electricity continued to grow.

What made this remarkable achievement possible are two things:

The greatly improved performance of nuclear plants is reflected by the jump in the average capacity factor of U.S. reactors from 60 percent in 1980 to 90 percent over the past decade.

Florida's five reactors - Crystal River, and the twin units at both St. Lucie and Turkey Point - over the past three years have generated electricity about 90 percent of the time, avoiding the emission of 19 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2009 alone. More at: http://www.theledger.com/article/20101112/COLUMNISTS/11125003/1001/business?p=1&tc=pg

GE to work with India for cost-effective nuclear energy

Global Energy major General Electric Hitachi(GEH) said it remains committed to working with India to help it realise the tremendous potential of clean, safe and cost-effective nuclear energy. Congratulating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama, senior vice president of nuclear plant projects at the GE unit, Daniel L Roderick, told PTI, "We appreciate the efforts of both governments (America and India) to establish a basis for civil nuclear cooperation and the path forward set forth in the joint statement." "GEH is committed to working with India to help it realise the tremendous potential of clean, safe and cost-effective nuclear energy," Roderick said. Meanwhile, veteran US nuclear businessmen are of the opinion that negotiations with GEH and Westinghouse-Toshiba will now begin in earnest.
"Both GEH and Westinghouse tried their best to go for a 'perfect deal'(change the Indian Civil Liability Law) before Obama's India visit, but now they know that it did not happen and will not happen," they said.
"With that grounded reality they will try to get the next best closure with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)," they said adding eventually the deal will be made but it may take at least two years looking at the negotiations with the French company AREVA.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/GE-to-work-with-India-for-cost-effective-nuclear-energy/Article1-624924.aspx

Honing the new nuclear energy narrative By Craig Piercy and Corey McDaniel

http://ansnuclearcafe.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/honing-the-new-nuclear-energy-narrative/

Thursday, November 11, 2010

IAEA and ICTP Opens Nuclear Energy Management School

from IAEA Top News RSS Feed

Nuclear power is being considered as a clean energy option by ever more countries. Currently, the IAEA is involved in projects dealing with the introduction of nuclear power in 58 of the Agency’s 151 Member States. The Agency projects that within the next twenty years, as many as 25 countries will be operating their first nuclear power plants.

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Monday, November 15, 2010

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