Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Energy Race: China Has Sputnik, We've Got No Apollo - Reaction to Secretary Chu's recent speech

China and the U.S. may not be destined for happy carbon-beating agreements at this year’s UN climate change meeting, which is going down now in Cancun, Mexico. But the country’s lone efforts to clean up its act are turning the U.S.’s old environmental scapegoat into its Sputnik.
That is, it’s lighting a fire under our economically-depressed and environmentally-unsound butts, or it should be. Thomas Friedman has made the Sputnik analogy before and in a recent speech at the National Press Club, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu picked it up.
To up the ante, and prepare for a future when carbon emissions are not just bad but taxed, the U.S. needs more and better energy technology research, he said. “The 2010 federal budget is $3.6 trillion, of which 0.14 percent went for research and development related to energy,” he said. Our energy R&D spending peaked in 1979.
He went on, says the Times

In 1998, he said, the American share of worldwide high-tech exports was nearly 25 percent and China’s was less than 10 percent; by 2008, he said, China’s share was 20 percent and the American share was less than 15 percent…. In 2009, for the first time, a majority of United States patents were issued to foreigners, he said, and two Chinese universities, Tsinghua and Peking, are “the two largest suppliers of students who receive Ph.D.’s in the United States.”

Here’s the speech: Go to link and vido

Secretary Chu laid out the numerous technology fronts on which the United States must innovate or lose. Among them: high voltage transmission, which is more efficient and can carry much more power over longer distances, high speed rail, an area in which China currently rules, advanced coal tech, like low-emission and efficient Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants as well as that controversial “clean coal” Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), nuclear power, alternative energy vehicles (China wants to produce 5 million new energy vehicles and 15 million fuel-efficient conventional vehicles by 2020), renewable energy (they just became the world’s most attractive country for it for the first time), and supercomputing, in which China’s Dawning Nebulae recently became boss.
In other words, we need to build an Apollo – except instead of going to the Moon we need to make a better Earth.
Sure, you can use that tag line, Mr. President. I know you’re not going to, but you can.
http://motherboard.tv/2010/12/1/the-energy-race-china-has-sputnik-we-ve-got-no-apollo

ABB Software to Enhance Performance of New Power Plants in China

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced today that it has signed an agreement with China National Nuclear Power (CNNP) to provide enterprise asset management (EAM) software solutions for the company's extensive new-build nuclear power plant program.

The EAM software from Ventyx is an industry-leading solution for the management of operations and maintenance in the nuclear power sector, helping customers to generate electricity safely and reliably. This order further validates ABB's recent acquisition of Ventyx to bridge the gap between information technology and operational technology. It demonstrates that ABB can meet the diverse needs of its clients - including those in the most demanding environments - from a single source.

"ABB's extensive technology portfolio and experience, combined with Ventyx's successful track record of implementing power plant management software systems, provides a unique value proposition for our clients," said Jens Birgersson, head of ABB's Network Management business within the Power Systems division.

ABB is a leading provider of solutions to the power generation sector. A significant number of the major nuclear power stations in North America use Ventyx software to manage their plant operations and maintenance programs. More at:
http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/ABB-Software-to-Enhance-Performance-of-New-Power-Plants-in-China-839144

Pakistan's growing nuclear programme By Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News, Karachi

Pakistan's first nuclear reactor was established with help from the United States in 1965 during the regime of military dictator Gen Ayub Khan.

Gen Khan's protege and then foreign minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was the driving force behind the programme, which was based at Nilore near Islamabad.
It was set up under the Atoms for Peace programme initiated by President Dwight D Eisenhower.
At the time it was strictly peaceful and intended to help meet Pakistan's civilian energy needs under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A few years later Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto became prime minister. He launched a nuclear weapons programme in 1974 as India and Pakistan competed in a new South Asian arms race.
Codenamed Project 706, Pakistan's plan to enrich its own uranium was conceived and led by Munir Ahmed Khan, a brilliant US-trained nuclear and electronics engineer.
He was joined a year later by a name that is now synonymous with Pakistan's nuclear programme - Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
It was Dr Khan - later disgraced for transferring technology to Iran and Libya - who was instrumental in setting up Pakistan's first nuclear enrichment plant at Kahuta near Islamabad.
Project 706 thus became Kahuta Research Laboratories, where enriched uranium for Pakistan's first nuclear weapon was produced.
Pakistan is believed to have developed a nuclear device by 1984, when Dr Khan alluded to it in an interview with a Western journalist.
Since then Pakistan's nuclear power complex has undergone a rapid expansion.

Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear program is shown in this March 19, 1998 file photo.

Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan developed Pakistan's nuclear bomb

The organisation in charge is the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), which is headed by a civilian nuclear physicist or engineer.
It operates eight fuel production and enrichment facilities, three mining concerns and one heavy water production facility.
The original bomb was a small uranium device with about the power of those the US dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
It was unwieldy and could only be launched from a bomber specially fitted for the purpose.
But Pakistan has made rapid advances since then - it is now said to have 70-90 weapons in its stockpile.
Many of these have been miniaturised to be mounted on ballistic missiles with ranges of more than 2,000km (1,245 miles), bringing many Indian cities within reach.
China is believed to have played a critical role in Pakistan's nuclear programme, and is said to have helped it manufacture many of its weapons.
Nuclear weapons development and advancement in Pakistan is primarily done by PAEC with Chinese collaboration, reports say.
Western officials believe that long-range missile technology was also acquired from North Korea in the 1990s - in exchange for Pakistani help with its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, proliferation experts believe Pakistan continues to make rapid strides in the development of uranium enrichment facilities and its weapons development complex.
Work has been proceeding rapidly on the construction and expansion of plants in Chasma and Sihala.
Pakistani engineers, with help from the Chinese, are also said to be in the advance stages of developing MIRV technology for its missiles. This would allow the military to fit several warheads on the same ballistic missile and then launch them at separate targets. More at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11888973

Keeping up with China: The Economic Advantage of Molten Salt Nuclear Technology

Last Friday, Brian Wang called attention to a Boomberg's article on Chinese nuclear cost. The Bloomberg's story reported that the French designed EPR would cost 40% less to build in China that in Europe:

Areva SA said the EPR nuclear reactor costs 3 billion euros ($4 billion) to build in China, 40 percent less than the price tag Electricite de France SA has put on building one in Normandy.

Nuclear Townhall, on the 26th, called attention to the competitiveness of both the Chinese and the Russian Nuclear Industries. In addition to Russia and China, Nuclear Green has repeatedly called attention to the cost competitiveness of South Korea, and Indian nuclear technologies. The Indians especially are following a will charted path to an innovative low cost nuclear future.

American and European nuclear development can either proceed by following the cost lowering paths being pioneered in Asia, or begin to develop low cost innovative nuclear plans. Since low labor costs, represent the most significant Chinese and Indian cost advantage, it is unlikely that European and American reactor manufacturers will be able to compete with the Asians on labor costs. Labor costs for conventional reactors can be lowered by factory construction of reactor componant moduels, but the Chinese are clearly ahead of the West in that game. Yet the weakness of the Chinese system is the relatively large amount of field labor that the manufacture of large reactors requires.

The Chines system is to introduce labor saving devices where ever and when ever possible, but clearly shifting labor from the field to a factory still offers cost advantages. The more labor which can be performed in the factory, the more labor cost savings are possible. Other savings advantages are possible by simplifying reactor design, and lowering materials input. Building a reactor with less materials and fewer parts lowers nuclear costs directly and indirectly. Decreasing core size per unit of power output also can contribute a cost advantage. Direct saving relate to the cost of parts and matetials, but fewer parts and less material also means less labor is required to put things together, since there is less to put together. In addition a small reactor core structure, would, all other things being equal, require a smaller housing. Larger cores mean more structural housing expenses. More at:

http://theenergycollective.com/charlesbarton/47933/keeping-china-economic-advantage-molten-salt-nuclear-technology

Rosatom Claims Ready to Provide Fuel for Bulgaria's Belene NPP

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle begins when uranium is ...

Image via WikipediaRosatom offers to supply fuel for proposed nuclear plant in Bulgaria
Russia's Rosatom said it is ready to supply uranium throughout the 60-year commission of the proposed Belene nuclear facility in Bulgaria, said CEO Sergey Kiriyenko. Aside from providing the nuclear fuel, Rosatom is also willing to buy the facility's used fuel for recycling, Kiriyenko said.

Fortum secures contract for Bulgarian nuclear project

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E6N10DS20101201
Finland-based Fortum said it has signed a deal to build a nuclear plant in Bulgaria with support from Russia's Rosatom. The proposed Belene nuclear plant will have two Russian-designed VVER reactors. "Fortum has reserved an opportunity to obtain a 1% share of the equity in the project company that will be established and will be the owner of the power plant and the electricity generated by it," the company said. Reuters

Energy Secretary Urges U.S. to Maintain Hegemony in Tech, Science

Energy Secretary Urges U.S. to Maintain Hegemony in Tech, Science

Energy Secretary Steven Chu, in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, said the U.S. did not need "100 percent certainty" before it acted on climate change, Cybercast News Service reported. Chu was quoted as saying: "Maybe if half the bad things that happen with 80 or 90 percent certainty is enough to say, 'Okay, how do you want to plan your personal life?'"

In his speech, titled "Is the Energy Race Our New 'Sputnik' Moment?," Chu said the U.S. should invest more in research and development in science and technology or countries such as China would replace the U.S. as the dominant force in science, leading to serious economic impacts, Earth2Tech reported. Chu was quoted as saying: "Time is running out. We shouldn't lose sight of this, and federal support for science R&D will be critical for our economic competitiveness. We are looking hard at how to use our precious resources in the future. It's a nonpartisan issue, it's all about economic prosperity."

Chu pointed out that eight of the 10 global companies with the largest R&D budgets were establishing facilities in China or India, the Economic Times reported. Chu recommended that the U.S. collaborate with India and China: "In 2030, what India will look like in 2030 doesn't exist--80 per cent of what it has today--what it will have in 2030 doesn't exist today. Eighty per cent of that infrastructure is yet to be built. So these countries present new markets. They also present a means, a laboratory, to see, okay, we can test it. This is going to work."

AFP, CNS News, Earth2Tech via Reuters, Economic Times, McClatchy Newspapers via Miami (Fla.) Herald, Washington Post's Post Carbon blog, Nov. 30.

NRC Grants Cooper Nuclear Station 20-Year License Renewal

NRC Grants Cooper Nuclear Station 20-Year License Renewal

The NRC has granted the 830-MW Nebraska Public Power District-owned Cooper Nuclear Station an extended 20-year operating license, PowerGen Worldwide reported. The NRC said that "after careful review of the plant's safety systems and specifications, the staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal and that the applicant had effectively demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging." The plant went online in 1972, the Associated Press reported.

Associated Press via NTV (Kearney, Neb.), PowerGen Worldwide, Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, Nov. 30.

Germany faces massive power grid overhaul

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Germany_faces_massive_power_grid_overhaul_999.html Berlin (UPI) Nov 30, 2010 Germany is facing an unprecedented overhaul of its power grid, a new study suggests. Investments of at least $13 billion are required over the next 10 years to modernize the German power grid as an increasing amount of renewable power is threatening the aging 22,000-mile network, the public German energy think tank Dena said in a study.
Onshore turbines are installed in northern and eastern Germany, while new offshore wind farms are mushrooming along the North and Baltic Sea coastlines.
Dena claims some 2,240 miles of new transmission lines are needed to transport the fluctuating renewable electricity south and southwest to Germany's industrial hubs, where most of the power is needed. Dena forecasts renewables to account for 39 percent of the German power mix in 2020, up from around 16 percent today.
"Germany is right to bank on renewables," Dena head Stephan Kohler said in a statement. "But the expansion of renewables puts the energy system before great challenges. We must bring wind power from the North and Baltic Sea to consumers in the South. Conventional power plants need to be modernized and operated in a way that they complement renewables well and remain economic at the same time."
Grid expansion in Germany has been slow and tedious, with massive public opposition to new high-voltage transmission lines. In 2005 Dena urged the government to build some 530 miles of new infrastructure, but less than 60 miles have actually been built.
Kohler said Germany needs an "acceptance offensive" that communicates to the population that Germany "needs a network expansion."
Building new sub-ground lines would be less controversial, but also more costly -- up to $38 billion, Dena says.
The government's recent decision to prolong the life of the German nuclear reactors by an average of 12 years won't affect the grid expansion plan, the think tank added.
Conducted by scientists from Cologne University and the Fraunhofer Institute, the study was funded by the German government, the energy industry and the network operators.
It comes a few weeks after the European Union outlined its energy infrastructure priorities for the next two decades, saying some $270 billion has to be invested into "smart" power grids, electricity highways as well as new oil and gas pipelines.

Biofuels Have Consequences On Water Quality And Quantity In Mississippi

http://www.biofueldaily.com/reports/Biofuels_Have_Consequences_On_Water_Quality_And_Quantity_In_Mississippi_999.html

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program implemented the Biofuels Initiative. The initiative calls for the replacement of 30 percent of gasoline levels by ethanol by 2030 and the reduction of ethanol costs to prices competitive with gasoline by 2012. In the Mississippi Delta, implementation of this initiative resulted in a 47-percent decrease in the number of acres dedicated to producing cotton, which resulted in a corresponding 288-percent increase in corn acreage in the region from 2006 to 2007.

Writers Washington DC (SPX) Dec 01, 2010 Growing corn for biofuels production is having unintended effects on water quality and quantity in northwestern Mississippi. More water is required to produce corn than to produce cotton in the Mississippi Delta requiring increased withdrawals of groundwater from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial (MRVA) aquifer for irrigation. This is contributing to already declining water levels in the aquifer.
In addition, increased use of nitrogen fertilizer for corn in comparison to cotton could contribute to low dissolved oxygen conditions in the Gulf of Mexico.
These are some of the key findings from a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess water quality and quantity in the Mississippi Delta, in relationship to biofuels production.
"Because corn uses 80 percent more water for irrigation than cotton, exchanging corn for cotton will decrease water-levels," according to Heather Welch, USGS Hydrologist and author of this USGS Report. Declining water levels in the MRVA aquifer are particularly significant in the Mississippi Delta, where the infiltration of rainfall to replenish the aquifer is low.
"This is a low flat area. When it does rain, much of the precipitation is lost through evapotranspiration and to streamflow, so the rainwater never reaches the aquifer," explains Welch.
In 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program implemented the Biofuels Initiative. The initiative calls for the replacement of 30 percent of gasoline levels by ethanol by 2030 and the reduction of ethanol costs to prices competitive with gasoline by 2012.
In the Mississippi Delta, implementation of this initiative resulted in a 47-percent decrease in the number of acres dedicated to producing cotton, which resulted in a corresponding 288-percent increase in corn acreage in the region from 2006 to 2007.
Using the USGS SPARROW model (SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed), scientists found that the conversion of cotton to corn acreage (comparing 2007 to 2002) is estimated to have increased the nitrogen load for the Yazoo River by 7 percent.
The Yazoo River Basin has been identified as a contributor of nitrogen to the Gulf of Mexico. Levels of nitrogen in the Gulf of Mexico have resulted in low dissolved oxygen conditions which can impact fish and bottom dwelling organisms.
Locally, water level declines and decreasing water quality contributes to the Delta's poor ecosystem health. "We are seeing a loss of habitat complexity, and lowered water levels have decreased baseflow to streams," says Jeannie Barlow, USGS Hydrologist and co-author of the study. "Some streams have remained dry for months in the summer and fall during periods of low rainfall," says Barlow.
According to data provided by the Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District (YMD), the total amount of water stored in the aquifer has declined since 1980, and current withdrawals from the aquifer are greater than the amount of water entering the aquifer.
These USGS findings provide essential scientific information about the effects of corn-based ethanol on water resources that Delta producers can use when making their planting decisions.

US: China rise a 'Sputnik moment' for clean energy

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/US_China_rise_a_Sputnik_moment_for_clean_energy_999.html Washington (AFP) Nov 29, 2010 A senior US official called China's growing innovation a "Sputnik moment" that should spur the United States to ramp up investment in clean energy, despite a shift in Washington on climate change. Energy Secretary Steven Chu likened a series of Chinese milestones -- including the development of the world's fastest supercomputer -- to the Soviet Union's landmark 1957 satellite that led the United States into the Space Race.
"America, I am optimistic, will wake up and see the opportunity. And when it does, it still has the greatest innovation machine in the world," Chu said in a speech entitled "Our New Sputnik Moment."
Chu said the United States still concentrated on research in areas such as computers, defense and pharmaceuticals but that its funding for energy innovation was paltry.
By contrast, China, the world's largest emitter of carbon blamed for global warming, is working to build the world's most expansive high-speed rail network and has developed technology for the highest-efficiency coal plants.
"America still has the opportunity to lead in a world that will need essentially a new industrial revolution to give us the energy we want inexpensively but carbon-free," Chu said.
"But I think time is running out," said Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
Chu, however, will enjoy little political leeway when he heads to Cancun, Mexico, where representatives of more than 190 countries on Monday opened two weeks of talks on drafting a new global treaty to stem climate change.
President Barack Obama last year went to the climate summit in Copenhagen where he pledged US action to curb carbon emissions along with assistance for poor countries hardest hit by rising temperatures.
The rival Republican Party, which swept November 2 congressional elections, is strongly opposed to a so-called "cap-and-trade" plan to require industry to cut carbon. Many Republicans argue that it is too costly in uncertain economic times, while some contest the science behind climate change.
Chu countered that climate action would benefit the economy by opening up a new field in green technology.
But Chu also defended potential costs. He likened climate skeptics to homeowners who are repeatedly told to change wiring but keep looking for electricians to tell them they do not need to.
"Do you actually go and you say, well, okay, that's a threat but I think it's more cost-effective -- I just make sure my fire insurance is up-to-date?" he said.
Two recent studies found that China's investment in green technology has outpaced that of the United States. But China has held firm in rejecting a treaty that would legally require it to cut carbon emissions.
The United States, backed by other developed nations, has insisted on a binding treaty, believing it is crucial to ensure global action -- and to win over support in Washington.
The Kyoto Protocol, which the United States rejected, asks only wealthy nations to cut carbon emissions. The requirements run out at the end of 2012.
The dispute has been tense at times. At UN-backed talks in October, China's chief climate negotiator, Su Wei, said the United States was like a "pig looking in a mirror" and finding itself beautiful.
Vaughan Turekian, chief international officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said that the political dynamics have barely changed more than a decade after the Kyoto negotiations.
"The current climate summit process is unlikely to produce a global treaty that includes the United States as a signatory, let alone one that would stand any chance of being ratified by 67 senators," he said.

BP hails 'significant milestone' in Canadian oil sands plan

The Athabasca Oil Sands in Alberta, Canada, ar...

Image via Wikipedia

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/BP_hails_significant_milestone_in_Canadian_oil_sands_plan_999.html London (AFP) Nov 30, 2010 British energy giant BP has welcomed key progress in its plan controversially to extract oil from Canadian sands, with a company spokesman on Tuesday describing the step as a "significant milestone". Canadian group Husky Energy, BP's joint-venture partner, said on Monday that it was giving the go-ahead for the project's first phase.
A BP spokesman said the move was "a significant milestone" for the British company.
"We will now move forward ... leading to first production in 2014," he told AFP.
At an estimated 175 billion barrels, Alberta's oil sands are the second largest oil reserve in the world behind Saudi Arabia, but they were neglected for years, except by local companies, because of high extraction costs.
Since 2000, skyrocketing crude oil prices and improved extraction methods have made exploitation more economical, and have lured several multinational oil companies to mine the sands.
But environmentalists oppose extraction from sands, claiming it produces three to five times more carbon emissions than conventional oil production and pollutes waterways.
BP, which was at the heart of an environmental crisis earlier this year due to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has said that the oil or tar sands project is crucial in helping meet the world's energy needs up to 2030.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Nukes WikiLeak 'illegal, irresponsible and dangerous': NATO

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nukes_WikiLeak_illegal_irresponsible_and_dangerous_NATO_999.html Brussels (AFP) Nov 30, 2010 NATO slammed Tuesday the release of confidential US files revealing where the United States has deployed nuclear weapons in Europe as "illegal, irresponsible and dangerous," spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said. "As a matter of policy we won't comment on classified information and we strongly condemn the leaking of confidential documents," Longescu insisted.
However, "it is illegal, irresponsible and dangerous, regardless of whether the leaked material is diplomatic or military," she underlined.
Sensitive US diplomatic cables placed on the Internet show that most of the 200 US nuclear bombs still left in Europe are located in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey.
While these countries have raised the issue of disarmament, the precise location of these tactical bombs had not been made official prior to the latest leaks.
In the text files, a top Berlin official is logged as having told US counterparts it "made no sense to unilaterally withdraw 'the 20' tactical nuclear weapons still in Germany while Russia maintains 'thousands' of them."
He added that a "withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Germany and perhaps from Belgium and the Netherlands could make it very difficult politically for Turkey to maintain its own stockpile."
WikiLeaks at the weekend began releasing around 250,000 cables, after two other leaks this year involving hundreds of thousands of classified files on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The whistleblowing site's Australian founder Julian Assange on Tuesday appealed to Sweden's Supreme Court to overturn a ruling he should be detained for questioning on allegations of rape.

Study assesses nuclear power assumptions

November 30, 2010

A broad review of current research on nuclear power economics has been published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. The report concludes that nuclear power will continue to be a viable power source but that the current fuel cycle is not sustainable. Due to uncertainty about waste management, any projection of future costs must be built on basic assumptions that are not grounded in real data.

"The goal of this study was to determine what assumptions are key to reaching conclusions about the relative costs of technologies," says author Sarah Widder, now at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She performed the analysis as a science policy intern in Washington D.C. sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers . "The increasing world demand for uranium and political considerations such as the fate of the Yucca mountain disposal site are two major elements that drive conclusions in one direction or another."
Reprocessing and recycling of spent fuel is an alternative to the "once-through" policy mandated by the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act. While it would minimize high-level radioactive waste and recover additional value from the fuel, the option is controversial because of the risk of weapon proliferation and the significant cost of fuel recovery.
Analyses supporting the once-through option assume a continuation in current waste management policies, although they rely on disposal at Yucca Mountain, which has now been deemed unsuitable by the current administration. Analyses supporting a closed fuel cycle, in which unused fuel is recovered and recycled, assume progress in developing new recovery technologies and an increase in uranium costs due to international competition for resources.

More information: The article, "Benefits and Concerns of a Closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle" by Sarah Widder appears in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. See: http://link.aip.or … 6/p062801/s1
Provided by American Institute of Physics
http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-nuclear-power-assumptions.html

The private sector plays an important role in delaying the development of the Iranian nuclear program Jonathan Brewer

Iran and the West: Next steps

Updated: 30 November 2010 Dealing with Iran’s nuclear program is one of the most important foreign policy issues of the day. Years of stalled talks, diplomatic dead-ends, and sanctions have made it difficult to see exactly where progress has been made with Iran and what efforts are worth pursuing. In “The Iranian quagmire: How to move forward” (November/December 2010 Bulletin), leading foreign policy experts weigh in from around the world on how to proceed with Iran -- from clear diplomacy to fuel swaps to the darkest scenario of military strikes. Whatever their proposed solutions, the writers express one common theme: We ignore Iran at our own peril. From the US, Thomas R. Pickering, Lawrence J. Korb, and Bennett Ramberg; from Turkey, Mustafa Kibaroglu; from Iran, Kayhan Barzegar; and from Israel, Emily B. Landau.

Below, more experts explore the options, their strengths and weaknesses, and propose various structures and points to consider as the West and Iran are set to re-enter talks in November.

http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/roundtables/iran-and-the-west-next-steps#rt8575

Who Is Killing Iran's Nuclear Scientists? -- The Guardian

One senior physicist killed and another wounded in coordinated attacks in Tehran, raising the question of whether there is a nuclear hit-team at work

Assassins on motorbikes have killed an Iranian nuclear scientist and wounded another in identical attacks this morning. They drove up to the scientists' cars as they were leaving for work and attached a bomb to each vehicle which detonated seconds later.

The man who was killed was Majid Shahriari, a member of the engineering faculty at the Shahid Beheshti in Tehran. His wife was wounded. The second attack wounded Fereidoun Abbasi, who is also a professor at Shahid Besheshti University, and his wife.

Read more ....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/julian-borger-global-security-blog/2010/nov/29/iran-nuclear-weapons

More News On Iranian Nuclear Scientists Being Assassinated

Iranian scientists targeted in car bombings -- Washington Post
Iranian nuclear scientist killed in motorbike attack -- BBC
Iran nuclear scientists targeted in Tehran blasts -- Christian Science Monitor
Iranian nuclear scientist assassinated -- Nature
In Iran, anger over strikes on scientists -- CNN
Student rally condemns Iran bombings -- Press TV
Iran: West behind scientist's death -- Al Jazeera
West behind latest attacks, Iran says -- UPI
Iran Blames U.S. For Nuclear Scientist's Death -- NPR (Audio)
UK complicity in Iran terrors 'undeniable' -- Press TV
Iran blames Israel after nuclear scientist killed -- THOnline/AP
Iran 'behind scientist killings': analysts -- The Australian opinion
The mysterious attacks on Iran's nuclear scientists -- The Week
Whether or not Israel took out Iran nuclear scientist, Tehran will get the bomb -- Haaretz

WikiLeaks Cables Expose Pakistan Nuclear Fears -- The Guardian

US and UK diplomats warn of terrorists getting hold of fissile material and of Pakistan-India nuclear exchange

American and British diplomats fear Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme could lead to fissile material falling into the hands of terrorists or a devastating nuclear exchange with India.

The latest cache of US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks contains warnings that Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country's growing instability and "pending economic catastrophe".

Read more ....http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/30/wikileaks-cables-pakistan-nuclear-fears

More News On Wikileaks And Pakistan's Nuclear Program

Leaks expose US and UK fears over Pakistan nuclear arms -- BBC
US standoff with Pakistan over nuclear fuel: leaks -- AFP
Pakistan Blocks U.S. Access to Nuclear Fuel -- Global Security Newswire
Pakistan confirms Wikileaks claim of US nuclear appeals -- BBC
Pakistan defends nuclear stance revealed by WikiLeaks -- Reuters
Pakistan defends nuclear policy after US leaks -- AFP
Pakistan criticizes release of secret US cables -- AP
Pakistan Condemns WikiLeaks Disclosure of US Diplomatic Communications -- Voice of America
Pakistan criticizes release of secret US cables -- Washington Post
Pakistanis dismiss criticisms of nuclear security released by WikiLeaks -- Globe And Mail
WikiLeaks Fuels Anti-U.S. Sentiment in Pakistan -- Time Magazine
Wikileaks report stokes anti-US hardliners in Pakistan -- Christian Science Monitor

Study Assesses Nuclear Power Assumptions

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-assesses-nuclear-power-assumptions-111050569.html

Download image

What We Talk About When We Talk About the Future of Nuclear Power
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A broad review of current research on nuclear power economics has been published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. The report concludes that nuclear power will continue to be a viable power source but that the current fuel cycle is not sustainable. Due to uncertainty about waste management, any projection of future costs must be built on basic assumptions that are not grounded in real data.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100714/AIPLOGO)
"The goal of this study was to determine what assumptions are key to reaching conclusions about the relative costs of technologies," says author Sarah Widder, now at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She performed the analysis as a science policy intern in Washington D.C. sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. "The increasing world demand for uranium and political considerations such as the fate of the Yucca mountain disposal site are two major elements that drive conclusions in one direction or another."
Reprocessing and recycling of spent fuel is an alternative to the "once-through" policy mandated by the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act. While it would minimize high-level radioactive waste and recover additional value from the fuel, the option is controversial because of the risk of weapon proliferation and the significant cost of fuel recovery. Analyses supporting the once-through option assume a continuation in current waste management policies, although they rely on disposal at Yucca Mountain, which has now been deemed unsuitable by the current administration. Analyses supporting a closed fuel cycle, in which unused fuel is recovered and recycled, assume progress in developing new recovery technologies and an increase in uranium costs due to international competition for resources.
The article, "Benefits and Concerns of a Closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle" by Sarah Widder appears in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. See: http://link.aip.org/link/jrsebh/v2/i6/p062801/s1
Journalists may request a free PDF of this article by contacting jbardi@aip.org
Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy (JRSE) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) that covers all areas of renewable and sustainable energy-related fields that apply to the physical science and engineering communities. As an electronic-only, Web-based journal with rapid publication time, JRSE is responsive to the many new developments expected in this field. The interdisciplinary approach of the publication ensures that the editors draw from researchers worldwide in a diverse range of fields. See: http://jrse.aip.org/
ABOUT AIP
The American Institute of Physics is a federation of 10 physical science societies representing more than 135,000 scientists, engineers, and educators and is one of the world's largest publishers of scientific information in the physical sciences. Offering partnership solutions for scientific societies and for similar organizations in science and engineering, AIP is a leader in the field of electronic publishing of scholarly journals. AIP publishes 12 journals (some of which are the most highly cited in their respective fields), two magazines, including its flagship publication Physics Today; and the AIP Conference Proceedings series. Its online publishing platform Scitation hosts nearly two million articles from more than 185 scholarly journals and other publications of 28 learned society publishers.
For more information, please contact:
Jason Socrates Bardi, +1 301-209-3091, jbardi@aip.org

Iberdrola, GDF Suez, SSE, set up UK nuclear joint venture company

NuGeneration Ltd, the UK joint venture between Iberdrola, GDF Suez, and Scottish and Southern Energy with plans to build up to 3.6 GW of new nuclear capacity in the UK, has now been fully established as a UK company, the partners said Monday.
The consortium has not announced a choice of reactor technology. The Westinghouse AP1000 and Areva EPR reactors are currently undergoing safety reviews by UK nuclear regulators. General Electric-Hitachi plan to submit their ESBWR reactor for UK regulatory review next year.http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/8230768

NINA awards contract for Texas nuclear project

A joint venture between Shaw Group and Toshiba has secured a deal from Nuclear Innovation North America to provide engineering, procurement and building for the proposed expansion of NRG Energy's South Texas Project nuclear plant. Both companies have "industry-leading expertise in building nuclear power plants, and combined, they can deliver on-time and on-budget construction excellence," said Steve Winn, CEO of NINA.

Shaw to be exclusive EPC contractor for Toshiba ABWR

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Shaw_to_be_exclusive_EPC_contractor_for_Toshiba-ABWR-3011108.html

30 November 2010

The Shaw Group and Toshiba Corporation have announced a global strategic partnership giving Shaw exclusive rights to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for Toshiba Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs), including a contract for the planned South Texas Project reactors.

Leaked Cables Reveal Location of European Nukes -- CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20024059-503543.html
Nuclear weapons residing in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in late 2009 were a crucial chess piece in international disarmament negotiations, according to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables from the website Wikileaks.

In a conversation between U.S. Ambassador Philip D. Murphy and German National Security Advisor Christoph Heusgen reprinted in one cable, the two statesmen discussed German concerns about taking nuclear weapons out of the country.

Read more ....

More News On Wikileaks Revealing The Location Of European Nuclear Weapons

Four European states host US nuclear bombs, WikiLeaks reveals -- EU Observer
NATO Nukes -- Arms Control Wonk
Wikileaks: nuclear weapons owned by U.S. stationed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Turkey -- News KF
NATO condemns WikiLeaks release on tactical nukes -- Jerusalem Post/AP
Wikileaks memo confirms US nuclear weapons are in Holland -- Dutch News
WikiLeaks confirms presence of US nuclear arms in Netherlands -- Radio Free Europe
Wikileaks embarrasses the Netherlands too -- Radio Free Europe

Argentine Trade Minister Talks Corn

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/argentine-trade-minister-talks-corn/425245.html

The Moscow Times

Argentine international trade and economic relations secretary Luis Maria Kreckler has headed a delegation to Moscow for talks on corn exports and cooperation in nuclear energy.
The visit came as Russia works to expand ties with Latin American countries, also including Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba.
The sale of 3 million tons of Argentine feed corn is being negotiated in the aftermath of droughts in Russia, Elena Leticia Mikusinski, head of economy and commerce at the Argentine Embassy, said Monday. The first shipment may take place in January 2011, with the full amount of the order to be shipped by the end of that year, she said.
The order, which is "rather large," will alleviate problems with corn production in several regions, said Russian Grain Union vice president Alexander Korbut.
Cooperation in nuclear energy is also being worked out, Kreckler said in an interview Friday without elaborating. Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom agreed with Argentina earlier this year to study the possibility of building Russian power reactors in the country.
The construction of two Russian-financed thermal-electric plants in Argentina was among the topics on the agenda, Mikusinski said.
Kreckler said trade between Russia and his country should return to pre-crisis levels in 2011. That trade reached a high of $1.7 billion in 2008.
Kreckler met with Sergei Ryabkov, deputy foreign minister, and Sergei Dankvert, head of the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Inspection Service and president of the Russia-Argentina joint committee. His visit comes on the heels of a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman at the Group of 20 summit in Seoul earlier this month.

Iran Agrees to Discuss Its Nuclear Program By: Ali Akbar Dareini | Associated Press

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2010/11/30/iran_agrees_to_discuss_its_nuclear_program/

Hardening its position ahead of next week's nuclear talks with the world powers, Iran's president vowed Tuesday it would not make "one iota" of concessions about its nuclear rights.

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Study assesses nuclear power assumptions

Related articles

Iran and the West: Next steps

Related articles

Related articles

Study Assesses Nuclear Power Assumptions

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles