Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Electricity Market Reform Unlikely To Stimulate Sufficient Investment

from The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate by David K Thorpe

The Electricity Market Reform White Paper is scheduled to be published today, the most radical change to the industry since it was privatised 20 years ago, but business is worried that it still won't provide sufficient certainty to permit the required levels of investment.

The State of U.S. Power Utilities

from The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate by energyNOW

energyNOW! interviewed David Roberts of Grist.org about the annual survey of U.S. power utility executives, managers, and engineers by the consulting firm Black & Veatch. In this interview, Roberts discusses his analysis of the survey and his conclusion that the industry as a whole remains conservative, often to its own detriment. Roberts says the power industry is driven by what he calls "small-c conservatism," a bias in favor of familiar ways of doing business, rather than an ideological conservatism. He says this stems from the culture of utilities as regulated monopolies whose main concern has been regulators, rather than market forces. He says this leads them to make business decisions based on what is familiar to them, rather than innovating.

Australia to Invest $10 Billion in Renewable Energy

from OilPrice.com Daily News Update by energydigital@oilprice.com (Energy Digital)

Australian taxpayers will front the bill for what will be the biggest single investment in renewable energy ever. During negotiations of a new carbon price and diversion away from renewable energy subsidies, interests groups led by the country’s Greens and rural independents ensured that a significant potion of the investment be made into clean energy projects. The total $10 billion renewable energy investment will be carried out over a five-year period slated to begin 2013-2014.
The Australian government is forming a new Clean Energy Investment Corporation that will manage the public funds for renewable energy projects that otherwise could not acquire
Read more...

University of South Carolina to Lead Research Expedition to Fukushima to Study the Effects of Radiation on Plants and Animals

Blog Post: University of South Carolina to Lead Research Expedition to Fukushima to Study the Effects of Radiation on Plants and Animals

from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team

Jacobs Engineering Group Awarded Contract to Support New Nuclear Plants in the UK

Blog Post: Jacobs Engineering Group Awarded Contract to Support New Nuclear Plants in the UK

from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes U.K. and China pursue plans with Japanese disaster in mind

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

U.K. and China pursue plans with Japanese disaster in mind

New safety measures will create delays, add costs

Canada to Snub Disarmament Group During North Korean Presidency

from GSN Daily News

Canada on Monday announced it would temporarily withdraw from the international Conference on Disarmament during North Korea's weeks-long term as president, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 11).
"I think what we'll do is simply withdraw and boycott any activities of the conference until after August 19," when another nation takes over, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. "The bottom line is, that with respect to disarmament, North Korea has been a rogue regime."
The Conference on Disarmament's bylaws rotate the presidency among its 65 member nations based on alphabetical order. North Korea assumed the leadership spot at the end of June and announced it was prepared to participate in nuclear disarmament discussions within the conference.
Ottawa, however, decided to pursue "a tough line," Baird told reporters, asserting that it undermined the international disarmament group "if a country like Canada just remains quiet."
North Korea is widely acknowledged as a major arms proliferator and is suspected of supporting secret atomic activities in nations such as Syria. It has conducted two nuclear tests to date and is believed to hold enough plutonium for several weapons.

Iranian Uranium Drive Unaffected by Penalties: Report

from GSN Daily News

Financial penalties adopted by the United States and other countries have failed to curb Iran's refinement of uranium, but present and past U.S. government insiders said the measures have severely hampered critical sectors of the Middle Eastern nation's economy, the Washington Post reported on Sunday (see GSN, July 8).

Little Progress Seen in Forum on WMD-Free Zone

from GSN Daily News

A meeting last week aimed at exploring options for establishing a regional ban on weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East proved unproductive, with delegates from Israel, Iran and Arab nations doing little more than exchanging rhetoric, the London Guardian reported (see GSN, July 6).

Japan still needs nuclear power: Tokyo governor

from Energy News - Energy Technology - Energy Business - Energy and the Environment

Tokyo (AFP) July 11, 2011
Tokyo's outspoken Governor Shintaro Ishihara says Japan still needs atomic power, despite what he expects will be "some hysterical reaction" to the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis. He also believes pacifist Japan should acquire nuclear weapons as a deterrent in what he considers a dangerous neighbourhood, near North Korea, China and Russia, although he stresses Japan should never use them.

Japan PM says must reduce dependence on nuclear power

TVA’s Nuclear Program Key to NE Alabama

Situation clearer, but problems remain after 4 months of nuclear crisis

Japan announces new nuclear safety tests

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: NRC's Jaczko: 'The buck stops with me'

By Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia - 07/11/11 08:07 PM ET

Exclusive interview: It has been a tumultuous several months for Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko.

Nebraska nuclear plant sets up new flood barrier

Analysis:After Japan, slow change seen for U.S. nuclear industry

(Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear industry this week gets its first peek at a roadmap for new regulations that ultimately could cost it billions in the wake of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

American Red Cross Contributions to Japan Disaster Response Increase to Nearly $245 Million

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2011

New $35 million donation means that almost 90 percent of U.S. donations have been sent to Japan in four months

Research Expedition to Fukushima Seeks to Unveil Genetic and Ecological Effects of Radiation on Animals and Plants

Research Expedition to Fukushima Seeks to Unveil Genetic and Ecological Effects of Radiation on Animals and Plants
GERMANTOWN, Maryland and FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE, Japan, July 11, 2011/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

- International project led by University of South Carolina
      aims to provide long-term data from Japan with aim to improve hazard
      assessment of nuclear accidents
    - QIAGEN collaboration offers technologies and aid to develop new
      methods to rapidly assess radiation impact on DNA and other molecules
    - First study results from Japan expected before the end of 2011,
      building on previous research work on the aftermath of the Chernobyl
      disaster

IAEA Publication - Mitigation of Hydrogen Hazards in Severe Accidents in Nuclear Power Plants

IAEA-TECDOC-1661
Link: http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/IAEABooks/8646/Mitigation-of-Hydrogen-Hazards-in-Severe-Accidents-in-Nuclear-Power-Plants
Direct download: http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/TE_1661_Web.pdf

Nuclear Clean Air Energy: Driving an important message for our country.

The simple fact is that our electricity needs are growing. Our willingness to have electricity generators dump massive amounts of greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere is not. Electricity production leads the way as the top polluter of the planet—even ahead of car emissions.
Powering our electricity needs with a source that is safe and clean is a way to sustain our lifestyle while we sustain our planet.

Two antinuclear activists become pro-nuclear technology communicators

Updates from

ANS Nuclear Cafe

Two antinuclear activists become pro-nuclear technology communicators

By rmichal on Jul 12, 2011 01:00 am

By Rod Adams Two British environmental writers who were bitterly opposed to nuclear energy development just a few years ago decided to do some homework. Their questioning attitude and fact seeking minds have led them to the inescapable conclusion that … Continue reading →

Strike at Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 continues

Harm from Fukushima Radiation: A Matter Of Perspective

Why Fukushima Can Happen Here: What the NRC and Nuclear Industry Dont Want You to Know by Fairewinds Associates plus

Why Fukushima Can Happen Here: What the NRC and Nuclear Industry Dont Want You to Know

by Fairewinds Associates

The well-known safety flaws of Mark 1 Boiling Water Reactors have gained significant attention in the wake of the four reactor accidents at Fukushima, but a more insidious danger lurks. In this video nuclear engineers Arnie Gundersen and David Lochbaum discuss how the US regulators and regulatory process have left Americans unprotected. They walk, step-by-step, through the events of the Japanese meltdowns and consider how the knowledge gained from Fukushima applies to the nuclear industry worldwide. They discuss "points of vulnerability" in American plants, some of which have been unaddressed by the NRC for three decades. Finally, they concluded that an accident with the consequences of Fukushima could happen in the US. plus

Monday, July 11, 2011

New NIE on Iran nuke program appears to differ little from 2007 findings

from Nukes & Spooks by Jonathan Landay

The U.S. intelligence community has completed a new National Intelligence Estimate for President Barack Obama and Congress on Iran's nuclear program. The key judgements, however, aren't being released like those of a November 2007 NIE that concluded that Iran had halted the development of a nuclear weapon four years earlier.

No Problems at Fukushima From Weekend Quake

Fires Ignited at Former U.S. Nuclear Testing Site

from GSN Daily News

Authorities were testing for airborne radiation after lightning ignited multiple wildfires last Tuesday at the Nevada National Security Site, which hosted more than 1,000 nuclear test detonations over roughly four decades, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Saturday (see GSN, May 5).
"There have been no positive readings," as anticipated, and flames were not closing in on any one-time nuclear test locations, NNSS operations center spokesman Dante Pistone said. Radiation monitoring in the area would continue as a precaution, he said.

U.S. Reaffirms Backing of Indian Nuclear Pact

from GSN Daily News

The United State said it still completely backs its civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with India and intends to honor every obligation made during President Obama's trip to New Delhi late last year, Asian News International reported on Saturday (see GSN, July 7).
The 46-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008 granted a special exception enabling its members to engage in civilian atomic trade with India, even though the nuclear-armed South Asian state has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Last month, though, the organization acted to prohibit the export of nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing systems to countries outside the treaty.

AREVA Opens Chattanooga TN Office

AREVA announced today the opening of a new office in Chattanooga, Tenn., to increase its regional engineering, project and service support to customers in the Southeastern United States.

Fateful Move Exposed Japan Plant

Fateful Move Exposed Japan Plant
Wall Street Journal
But the razing of the cliff also placed the reactors five meters below the level of 14- to 15-meter tsunami hitting the plant March 11, triggering a major nuclear disaster resulting in the meltdown of three reactor cores. "It's a typical act based on ...

EIA Report: Renewables Surpass Nuclear Output

EIA Report: Renewables Surpass Nuclear Output

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/07/eia-report-renewables-surpass-nuclear-output

Upton & Shimkus Press NRC Chairman for Answers On Yucca Mountain Safety Report

House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans

Featured Story

Press Release

Upton & Shimkus Press NRC Chairman for Answers On Yucca Mountain Safety Report

NRC Scientists Recently Testified on Efforts to Stymie the Publication of Technical Evaluation Report on Yucca Project

July 8, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) are pressing Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko for more answers and documents as part of their investigation into the Obama administration’s efforts to terminate the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository. The letter comes on the heels of a recent subcommittee hearing where NRC scientists expressed frustrations over Chairman Jaczko’s efforts to terminate their work on the third volume of the Safety Evaluation Report (SER), the most important technical evaluation of whether the DOE application meets regulatory requirements.
The NRC Inspector General recently released a report that revealed damning evidence that Chairman Jaczko abused his legal authority by deliberately withholding key decision-making information from his fellow Commissioners and intentionally blocking issues for resolution that were long overdue.
In the letter to Chairman Jaczko, Upton and Shimkus write, “The attached email (see Attachment A) between NRC personnel indicates that you or staff in the NRC Chairman’s office were involved in the alteration of the original language in the professional staff’s draft of the Technical Evaluation Report (TER). We understand that the TER was prepared at your direction to replace the staff-prepared Safety Evaluation Report regarding post-closure safety of the repository (SER Volume 3). Both the SER Volume 3 and the TER contain extremely important information regarding the safety and viability of the Yucca Mountain project.
“Documents produced during the course of our investigation suggest that NRC professional staff was on track to complete the SER Volume 3 well before the scheduled November 2010 publication date. In July 2010, however, you ordered the NRC professional staff to slow down or delay its important work on SER Volume 3. Your purposeful delay then allowed you, in October 2010, to order the NRC staff to stop its work and close down its review prior to completing the SER Volume 3. … We seek to determine whether you, the NRC chairman’s office staff, or NRC staff made all of the Commissioners aware of the completion of the reversible SER Volume 3 in a fulsome and timely manner. We also seek to determine whether NRC staff representations, made as part of the licensing proceeding, fully explained that the SER had been or was about to be completed, and was ready for formatting and the office director’s signature.”
Upton and Shimkus also wrote that they have reason to believe that not all documents from Jaczko and office staff have been produced. Documents collected from other NRC Commissioners included emails from Jaczko’s staff that were not provided in Jaczko’s own production of documents. Upton and Shimkus have also requested full unredacted copies of documents previously produced to the Committee that were redacted without explanation.
Read a copy of the letter and attached e-mail HERE.
BACKGROUND
The development of the Yucca repository has been a costly and lengthy process. The Government Accountability Office estimates that more than $15 billion has been spent on the Yucca Mountain repository since 1983, $10 billion of which has been directly collected from the public’s electric bills. The Yucca project was nearing the finish line with DOE’s submission of a construction license application in June of 2008, which NRC docketed for review in September 2008 and was scheduled to decide within three years (September 2011) or seek a one-year extension.
During a June hearing, witnesses revealed that Energy Secretary Steven Chu simply ignored the technical components of the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository when withdrawing the project’s license application. A recent Government Accountability Office report also found “social and political opposition to a permanent repository, not technical issues, is the key obstacle.” GAO also found termination will add to taxpayer burdens, by increasing the substantial liability costs for DOE’s failure to take custody of spent nuclear fuel. These costs presently amount to $15.4 billion if Yucca were to open as planned in 2020 and will increase by an estimated $500 million for each year delay after that.

Nuclear power is the reason for the new energy regulations

The government's energy market revamp is for one reason only – to build more nuclear power plants

Powering the UK: why the new electricity plan is all about nuclear

The UK government has wanted new nuclear reactors for years, but a political contortion means explicit support is impossible. Result: a bewildering maze of measures

EDF To Order 44 Generators from Areva and Others, Figaro Says

TEPCO Press Releases 7/11


1.	(Jul 11,2011)Regarding the report related to Injection of nitrogen to the reactor containment vessel of Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

2.	(Jul 11,2011)Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (as of 3:00 pm, July 11)

3.	(Jul 11,2011)Status of TEPCO's Facilities and its services after the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake (as of 3:00 PM, July 11)

4.	(Jul 11,2011)Plant Status of Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Station (as of 3:00 pm, July 11)

5.	(Jul 11,2011)The results of nuclide analyses of radioactive materials in seawater taken in areas near intake canal of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (for the data collected on July 10)

6.	(Jul 11,2011)Detection of Radioactive Materials from Seawater near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (110th release)

7.	(Jul 11,2011)The results of nuclide analyses of radioactive materials in the air at the site of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (108th release)

8.	(Jul 11,2011)Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (as of 10:00 am, July 11)

9.	(Jul 11,2011)Status of TEPCO's Facilities and its services after the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake (as of 9:00 AM, July 11)

Two-step stress tests for Japanese plants

11 July 2011

Japanese reactors shut for periodic inspections would be able to restart after successfully completing the initial step of ‘stress tests’, while all units would be subjected to more comprehensive tests in a second stage.

Clean Tech Sector Heading for a Major Crash

from OilPrice.com Daily News Update by breakthrough@oilprice.com (Breakthrough Institute)

The global clean energy industry is set for a major crash. The reason is simple. Clean energy is still much more expensive and less reliable than coal or gas, and in an era of heightened budget austerity the subsidies required to make clean energy artificially cheaper are becoming unsustainable.
Clean tech crashes are nothing new. The U.S. wind energy industry has collapsed three times before, first in the mid 1990s and most recently in 2002 and 2004 when Congress failed to extend the tax credit that made it profitable. But the impact and magnitude of the coming clean tech crash will
Read more...

Blog Post: L-3 MAPPS to Upgrade Callaway Simulator with Alternate Emergency Power System Models

from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team

The Natural Limits of Wind Energy

from OilPrice.com Daily News Update by profs@oilprice.com (Professor Chris Rhodes)

The amount of energy available in the Earth system to be extracted by wind-turbines is limited, and if sufficient energy is removed the world climate will be affected. These striking conclusions follow from a recent analysis (http://www.earth-syst-dynam.net/2/1/2011/esd-2-1-2011.html) reported from the University of Jena in Germany. Humans use energy in total at a rate of 17 TW (terawatts), 87% of which is provided by fossil fuels. In the effort to mitigate carbon emissions and climate-change, sources of carbon-free renewable energy are sought, particularly wind-power. From a simple engineering perspective, the more wind-turbines are placed around the globe, the more energy
Read more...

Transforming America’s Transportation

from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Publications and Events by William Bradley, Thomas Ridge, David Walker, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, David Burwell

Failure to reform the U.S. transportation system risks deepening the country's dependence on oil and eroding global economic competitiveness. Is there a long-term strategy that can stabilize gas prices, finance America's transportation infrastructure, and decrease the deficit?

Blog Post: Nine Mile Workers Go on Strike

from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team

Y-12 Uranium Plant's Cost Could Exceed Projection, Army Finds

from GSN Daily News

A highly enriched uranium processing center planned at the Y-12 National Security Complex might cost billions of dollars more than the Tennessee site's managing contractor anticipates, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in an unreleased assessment earlier this year (see GSN, Jan. 17).

Mullen: Pakistani Nuclear Controls Should Avert Any Insider Threat

from GSN Daily News by By Elaine M. Grossman

WASHINGTON -- The highest ranking U.S. military officer said on Thursday that Pakistan's control over its nuclear weapons appears tight enough to protect against the possibility of seizure by extremist sympathizers who might infiltrate the nation's army or intelligence service (see GSN, July 7).

Japan Sees Decades-Long Atomic Plant Recovery

from GSN Daily News

Japan would need "several decades" to finish decontaminating and dismantling a nuclear power plant severely damaged in a March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Saturday (see GSN, July 7).

Fighting For Nuclear

from The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate by RodAdams

The Atlanta Progressive News published an article titled Georgia PSC Can’t Silence Nuclear Power Debate describing how dedicated antinuclear activists disrupted a recent meeting held by the Georgia Public Service Commission.

TEPCO Failed To Properly Train Control Room Staff

from The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate by JohnWheeler

Unlike their American counterparts, not all control room operators in Japan have access to plant specific training simulators. Instead, according to a report by NPR, they use “generic” simulators that are similar to, but not identical to their plant. This difference may have contributed to the difficulties operators had at Fukushima Dai-ichi when responding to complex events that followed the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Canada Dishes Out $876 Million for Shell's Oil Sands Carbon Capture Project

from The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate by NathanaelBaker

Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) will receive C$876 million from both the Canadian federal government and also the Alberta provincial government for its Quest carbon capture and storage project at the company's Scotford Upgrader plant in the Alberta oil sands.

ANS Nuclear Cafe A Tale of Two Nuclear Opponents

ANS Nuclear Cafe

A Tale of Two Nuclear Opponents

Posted on July 11, 2011 by rmichal| Leave a comment

By Howard Shaffer

So many people oppose nuclear power that it becomes easy to lump them all together as “the opponents.” Like any other group, however, the opponents actually have various depths of commitment. The extremes are the Professional Opponent and the Concerned But Reachable Volunteer.

Nuclear plant troubles waning NRC signs off on Hartsville plant improvements

Nuclear plant troubles waning

NRC signs off on Hartsville plant improvements

New Iowa nuclear power plant discussion likely to return

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110709/NEWS/107090323/0/NEWS04/?odyssey=nav|head

U.S. to pay Xcel $100M for nuclear waste storage

Article by: DAN BROWNING and NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune staff writers
Updated: July 8, 2011 - 10:42 PM

In the latest in a series of settlements with the nation's electric utilities, the government agreed to bear the cost of storing waste.

Small tsunami reaches Japan after strong quake

Small tsunami reaches Japan after strong quake

Tokyo (AFP) July 10, 2011 -
A small tsunami reached the Pacific coast of northern Japan Sunday after a strong quake hit the region heavily damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The port town of Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, saw a 10-centimetre (four-inch) tsunami at 10:44 am (0144 GMT), the agency said. The agency issued a tsunami advisory for Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima p ... more

Fourth Biennial Nuclear Power Plant Neighbor Public Opinion Tracking Survey, June 2011

Current Status, Technical Feasibility and Economics of Small Nuclear Reactors

Investment Floats a New Form of Wave Power

Investment Floats a New Form of Wave Power
by Phil McKenna
But the future of the wave energy industry could depend on the incentives introduced by the U.K. government.
Read More »

Advanced Manufacturing and New Materials

Advanced Manufacturing and New Materials
by Katherine Bourzac
The White House hopes to speed the development of manufacturing techniques that could turn new materials into products for use in energy, computation, and biotech.
Read More »

Indian Point Retirement Economic Analysis

This was done for the New York City Dept of Environmental Protection – includes impact of early closure of IP on reliability, electricity market and emissions.

http://www.pennenergy.com/etc/medialib/platform-7/pennenergy/downloads.Par.17101.File.dat/IPEC-Report-7-5-11.pdf

‘Atomic Anne’ hits at France’s lack of vision

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9cc62178-a91d-11e0-ab62-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1RnN1j61l

‘Atomic Anne’ hits at France’s lack of vision

Platts Survey: OPEC Pumps 29.57 Million Barrels of Oil Per Day in June

Oil Output climbs 530,000 Barrels Per Day From May on boost by Saudis, Kuwait, UAE

PR Newswire

LONDON, July 8, 2011

LONDON, July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Platts – The 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) pumped an average 29.57 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in June, an increase of 530,000 barrels per day as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) boosted production, a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts showed July 8. In May, OPEC production was 29.04 million b/d.
Despite the sizeable month-on-month increase, however, the June volume was lower than the 29.8 million b/d estimated for February, when the escalating unrest sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East was beginning to affect Libyan production. Increases totalling 760,000 b/d were partly offset by combined reductions of 230,000 b/d.
"These numbers show that OPEC still has a lot of work to do, because the world's economy is going into a period where demand rises, and the loss of Libyan output makes meeting that demand problematic," said John Kingston, director of news for Platts, a leading global energy, petrochemicals and metals information provider and publisher of this monthly survey report.

API to President Obama: Our Industry can Create Thousands of American Jobs This Year

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2011

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard made the following statement on President Obama's response to disappointing job numbers and ongoing discussions towards agreement on the debt ceiling:
"If the President wants to put thousands of Americans to work 'right now,' as he said today, we urge him to speed up oil and gas permitting in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and elsewhere, and approve the Keystone XL pipeline project. That could put thousands of Americans in jobs this year. Greater access to America's oil and natural gas now off limits could multiply these job numbers over time while generating hundreds of billions of dollars in additional revenue for our government.
"We're ready to invest to create jobs, support economic growth, increase government revenues, bolster retirement benefits, and enhance domestic energy security. But we can only do this if the government gives us a green light. We urge the president and Congress to recognize our industry as a powerful part of the solution as they seek a deal on the debt limit and the overall budget."
On Monday, API and the National Ocean Industries Association will release a jointly commissioned study estimating the potential jobs, economic growth and revenue benefits of a balanced regulatory approach to offshore Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas development. Please join us in discussing the results and implications for energy policy. Advisory with dial in information is below.
API represents more than 470 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America's energy, supports more than 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers almost $86 million in revenue to our government every day, and, since 2000, has invested nearly $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.
API and NOIA to release study on offshore Gulf of Mexico economic impacts
Conference call with reporters on Monday, July 11, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. ET
Study is next step in API's "Keys to the Future" campaign
A new study by Quest Offshore Resources, Inc. estimates the potential jobs, economic growth and revenue benefits of a balanced regulatory approach to offshore Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas development. Please join the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), which jointly commissioned the study, to discuss the results and the implications for energy policy.
Monday's report begins the next phase of API's "Keys to the Future" campaign to help educate lawmakers and the public on the important role that a healthy oil and natural gas industry means for jobs, economic growth, government revenue, retirement benefits, and energy security.
Click here for a letter sent to Senators and House members with more information on the campaign.
There will also be an opportunity for reporters to ask questions.
What: Conference call on QUEST study on Gulf of Mexico permit delays
Who: Jack Gerard, API president and CEO
Randall Luthi, NOIA president
When: Monday, July 11, 2011
11:00 a.m. ET
Phone: (800) 374-2418
Conference ID: 818 62 705
Please RSVP by replying to carrollc@api.org or by calling API media relations at 202-682-8114.

China well underway building 210 MWe Pebble Bed module and has path to cost effective pebble bed reactors

A 54 page presentation describes the status of China's pebble bed reactor project, which we have been following. The foundation has been laid and most components have been ordered.

China well underway building 210 MWe Pebble Bed module and has path to cost effective pebble bed reactors

July 10, 2011

China well underway building 210 MWe Pebble Bed module and has path to cost effective pebble bed reactors

A COMPARISON OF THE LIMITS TO GROWTH WITH THIRTY YEARS OF REALITY

[PDF]

A COMPARISON OF THE LIMITS TO GROWTH WITH THIRTY YEARS OF REALITY

www.csiro.au/files/files/plje.pdfSimilar

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
by G Turner - Cited by 24 - Related articles
A Comparison of the Limits to Growth with Thirty Years of Reality ... with scenarios presented in the Limits to Growth. The analysis shows that 30 years ...

Financial Times Energy 7/11

FT.com - Energy

Brazil looks to US to kickstart biofuels

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/FKWHSD/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

Huhne plays down power price rise fears

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/16GEAB/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

France aims to rebalance its energy mix

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/16GEZC/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

Shell to focus on exporting ethanol to US

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/ORS2LJ/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

Energy minnows hope to break stranglehold

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/U1P48N/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

FT.com - Utilities

Southern Water to plead for price increases

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/ZGHY26/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

RWE finances in need of push

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/62CRW2/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

FT.com - Mining

Polyus seeks to join the FTSE 100

http://link.ft.com/r/BLH300/AMM479/FXWIVG/72OXO0/JEY6NY/XL/h?a1=2011&a2=7&a3=11

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Pandora’s Promise ~ a film about nuclear energy

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

Pandora’s Promise ~ a film about nuclear energy

Guest blog post by Robert Stone

Georgia PSC Can't Silence Nuclear Power Debate

Thorium Molten Salt Reactor - Project Dirt

Thorium Molten Salt Reactor - Project Dirt
Jasper Tomlinson gave a talk at Birkbeck College this evening that blew my socks off! At the very least, the subject should be debated but when did you hear ...
projectdirt.com/profiles/blogs/thorium-molten-salt-reactor

Sunday, July 10, 2011

TEPCO Did Not Adopt a Key Lesson Learned from the Accident at Three Mile Island

from This Week in Nuclear by John Wheeler

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Some Good News About Small Modular Reactors

Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

Some Good News About Small Modular Reactors

The D A Ryan MSR/LFTR critique: Not ready for Prime Time from The Nuclear Green Revolution by Charles Barton

The D A Ryan MSR/LFTR critique: Not ready for Prime Time

from The Nuclear Green Revolution by Charles Barton

Strike begins at Constellation's Nine Mile Point nuclear plant Washington (Platts)-

Strike begins at Constellation's Nine Mile Point nuclear plant

Washington (Platts)--9Jul2011/347 pm EDT/1947 GMT

Shell CEO warns of global energy supply shortage this decade

Bigger role seen for gas and coal

http://www.istockanalyst.com/business/news/5282027/bigger-role-seen-for-gas-and-coal

Bigger role seen for gas and coal

Is new nuclear finally on its way as part of the 'biggest energy shake-up since privatisation'?

Just 15 months ago, the Big Six utility companies were repeatedly complaining that the Government had no strategic plan for energy. There had been 10 energy ministers in 12 years, rarely in their post for more than 18 months.

Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor Presentation to IAEA

Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor Presentation to IAEA

http://www.iaea.or.at/NuclearPower/Downloads/Technology/meetings/2011-Jul-4-8-ANRT-WS/4_USA_SMR_WESTINGHOUSE_Shulyak.pdf

The demise of the pebble bed modular reactor | Public Services ...

The demise of the pebble bed modular reactor | Public Services ...
The demise of the pebble bed modular reactor. Authors: Steve Thomas. Date: Jun 2009. A review of the status of the South African programme to commercialise ...
www.psiru.org/reports/demise-pebble-bed-modular-reactor

Australia Sets Carbon-Pricing Regime

Introduction to B&W mPower™ Program

http://tinyurl.com/mPowr125

Introduction to B&W mPower™ Program

IAEA Interregional Workshop

Vienna, Austria

July 7, 2011

Doug Lee

Babcock & Wilcox Company

IAEA Advanced Nuclear Power Workshop Presentations

IAEA Advanced Nuclear Power Workshop Presentations URL

Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China Interregional Workshop on Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology for Near Term Deployment

http://tinyurl.com/China-HTGR

DONG, Yujie

Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology

(INET), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Interregional Workshop on Advanced Nuclear

Reactor Technology for Near Term Deployment

Vienna, Austria, 4-8 July 2011

Nuclear accident disclosure

Japan Times 07/08/11

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20110708a1.html

The Atomic Energy Society of Japan, an academic society made up of experts on nuclear power engineering, nuclear reactor physics and radiology, on Monday issued a statement criticizing the government, Tokyo Electric Power Co. and other related institutions for delays and insufficiency in their disclosure of information concerning the accidents at Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which began March 11.

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

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