Monday, November 10, 2014

China is no refuge from Obama’s woes Edward Luce

China is no refuge from Obama’s woes

Edward Luce

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/eea501ba-6528-11e4-91b1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3IfZ0sEBU

Iran, Russia to sign nuclear plants deal Tuesday: media

Iran, Russia to sign nuclear plants deal Tuesday: media
Tehran (AFP) Nov 09, 2014 - The head of Iran's atomic energy agency will travel to Russia Tuesday to sign a construction deal for two nuclear power plants on Iran's southern Gulf shores, media reported. Ali Akbar Salehi's visit will cap months of negotiations between Iran and Russia, and comes as the Islamic republic faces a November 24 deadline for a long-term nuclear agreement with world powers. "I am going to Mo ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_Russia_to_sign_nuclear_plants_deal_Tuesday_media_999.html

Five nuclear engineers murdered near Damascus: monitor

Five nuclear engineers murdered near Damascus: monitor
Beirut (AFP) Nov 09, 2014 - Unknown assailants killed five nuclear engineers Sunday while they were on a bus just north of Damascus, near the research centre where they worked, a monitor said on Sunday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its reports, later told AFP four of the engineers were Syrian, while one was Iranian. "Unidentified attac ... more http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Five_nuclear_engineers_murdered_near_Damascus_monitor_999.html

President's Message: Energy Policy and National Security: The Need for a Nonpartisan Plan

President's Message: Energy Policy and National Security: The Need for a Nonpartisan Plan
PDF Version
The 2014 election resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, who will have control of both the House and Senate in January 2015. FAS President Charles D. Ferguson writes that with the change in leadership, there is an opportunity to discuss and work on the issue of U.S. energy policy. http://fas.org/pir-pubs/energy-policy-national-security-need-nonpartisan-plan/

Thinking More Clearly About Nuclear Weapons: The Ukrainian Crisis' Overlooked Nuclear Risk

Thinking More Clearly About Nuclear Weapons: The Ukrainian Crisis' Overlooked Nuclear Risk
PDF Version
Almost none of the media's coverage of the Ukrainian crisis has mentioned the nuclear risk dimension. With the West feeling that Russia is solely to blame, and Russia having the mirror image perspective, neither side is likely to back down if one of their red lines is crossed. Add in America’s overwhelming conventional military superiority and Russia’s 8,000 nuclear weapons, and there is the potential for nuclear threats. And, where there is the potential for nuclear threats, there is also some potential for nuclear use. By Martin Hellman. http://fas.org/pir-pubs/thinking-clearly-nuclear-weapons-ukrainian-crisis-overlooked-nuclear-risk/

Looming Crisis of Confidence in Japan's Nuclear Intentions

Looming Crisis of Confidence in Japan's Nuclear Intentions
PDF Version
In the wake of the Fukushima accident in 2011, Japan is now attempting to reinstate its nuclear energy program; the country had planned to generate half of its electricity from nuclear power by 2030. With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's focus on the economy and actions that have hinted to a return to militarism, there are concerns that with a sophisticated nuclear energy program, there may be nuclear weapons capability as well. By Ryan Shaffer. http://fas.org/pir-pubs/looming-crisis-confidence-japans-nuclear-intentions/

The CTBT: At the Intersection of Science and Politics

The CTBT: At the Intersection of Science and Politics
PDF Version
Recent high-level meetings in Washington, D.C., the United Nations, California and Utah about the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) might lead one to believe that finally action might be taken towards ratification of the treaty. The CTBT prohibits “any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion” anywhere in the world. The verification provisions of the CTBT are more extensive and intrusive than those of other treaties, as they are designed to detect nuclear explosions anywhere on the planet. Arguments over the treaty’s benefits and drawbacks have preceded the completion of the current treaty and go back to several earlier attempts decades ago at negotiating a ban. By Jenifer Mackby.http://fas.org/pir-pubs/ctbt-intersection-science-politics/

Energy News Round Up: Australian Renewable Investment Stalling, Oil Prices Rise and E.U.-Russia Gas Deal Reached

Monday, November 10, 2014

Energy News Round Up: Australian Renewable Investment Stalling, Oil Prices Rise and E.U.-Russia Gas Deal Reached

By peterhobbs

Worries Mount In Financial Markets Over Sunday's Vote In Greece

A new report by the Climate Council reports that newt investment in renewable energy in Australia has dropped by 70%. “In the last five years most countries around the world had accelerated action on climate change, with China and the United States two of the global leaders on the issue, the report, Lagging Behind: Australia

Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2014/11/10/energy-news-round-up-australian-renewable-investment-stalling-oil-prices-rise-and-e-u-russia-gas-deal-reached/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=2c393c5cd4-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-2c393c5cd4-407304281

Wind turbines declared health hazard in Wisconsin

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/11/wind_turbines_declared_health_hazard_in_wisconsin.html

Officials: Vermont Yankee spent-fuel pad delayed, but no concerns

http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_26887279/officials-vy-spent-fuel-pad-delayed-but-no?source=rss_.

PennEnergy's Daily Power Update 11/10

Energy News & Insights
Coal News: New Zealand mine owner won't retrieve 29 killed Solid Energy said it will not attempt to re-enter a New Zealand coal mine where the bodies of 29 workers remain entombed after a methane-fueled explosion four years ago …more>>

Huntington Beach gas-fired power plant approved for construction The California Energy Commission has approved the 939 MW Huntington Beach natural-gas fired power project to be developed by AES …more>>

Stanford engineers tackle solar power storage with petrochemical tech Stanford chemical engineers borrow oil refining cracking technique to store solar energy …more>>

Siemens to service 12 MidAmerican wind power projects Siemens signs long-term service contract for U.S. wind energy projects totaling over 2 GW …more>>


Detecting leaks in bioenergy plants by laser Researchers are working on a technique that helps to better detect leaks at biogas plants using a laser to discover seepages from several meters away …more>>

Westinghouse to supply safety system to Ukraine nuclear power plant Westinghouse to provide a passive hydrogen control system for VVER Units 1 and 2 at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine …more>>

Pattern to co-develop 300 MW First Nation wind power project Pattern Energy has signed an agreement to co-develop the largest First Nation wind power project in Canada …more>>

EIA: Coal stockpiles at coal power plants lower than usual Coal stocks at electric power plants are relatively low in both absolute and days of burn terms relative to recent historical norms, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration …more>>


Smart Grid: Alstom delivers demand response system for NY As part of the Smart Grid Demonstration Program funded by the DOE, this project will help Con Edison manage its growing demand response activities and data within a single platform …more>>

WENRA/RHWG Guidance on Design Extension of Existing Reactors

http://www.wenra.org/media/filer_public/2014/10/28/wenra-rhwg_guidance_on_issue_f.pdf ;

http://www.wenra.org/media/filer_public/2014/09/19/wenra_safety_reference_level_for_existing_reactors_september_2014.pdf

wenra.org wenra.org

wenra.org

Climate Panel Issues Dire Report as Renewables Make Little Impact

Latest synthesis report from U.N. panel says we’ve already emitted half the permissible greenhouse gases if we wish to avoid the worst.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/532251/climate-panel-issues-dire-report-as-renewables-make-little-impact/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20141110

Will a Breakthrough Solar Technology See the Light of Day?

A startup that might have a record-breaking solar cell is in danger of going out of business.

http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/531756/will-a-breakthrough-solar-technology-see-the-light-of-day/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20141110

Sunday, November 9, 2014

The Middle East's electricity woes

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2014/11/middle-east-electricity-outage-energy.html#

Senate Republicans Vow To Dismantle Carbon Emissions Rules

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/09/3590628/gop-senate-epa-rule-shutdown/

Here are the worst places to live in the U.S., and climate change isn’t helping

http://grist.org/news/here-are-the-worst-places-to-live-in-the-u-s-and-climate-change-isnt-helping/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed&utm_reader=feedly
http://stories.weather.com/worstplacestoownhome
http://www.weather.com/news/worst-places-own-home-20141027

Election Special: What the Republican Takeover Means for Clean Energy

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/election-special-what-the-republican-takeover-means-for-clean-energy

Energy storage enjoys a breakthrough day

https://gigaom.com/2014/11/06/energy-storage-enjoys-a-breakthrough-day/

Investors lose bid to stop vote on Kinder Morgan deal

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2014/11/05/investors-lose-bid-to-stop-vote-on-kinder-morgan-deal/

Green light for nuclear plants in China soon

http://www.asianewsnet.net/Green-light-for-nuclear-plants-in-China-soon-67181.html

Nuclear Safety Concerns with China’s Growing Reactor Fleet

http://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-policy-forum/nuclear-safety-concerns-with-chinas-growing-reactor-fleet-2/

Nuclear energy in Asia

R Basrur, Y Chang, SLC Koh - Routledge Handbook of Environment and Society in …, 2014

... Yet Islamabad remains keen on expanding the use of NPPs (also with Chinese assistance) to
meet its ... to improve public welfare, adding that 'nothing in the world is without risk'(Jakarta Post ...
In late 2011 for example, the nuclear safety authorities of Japan, China and South Korea ...http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=-Z6QBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA423&dq=China%E2%80%99s+Risky++%22Nuclear+Renaissance%22&ots=PDnGf56dpc&sig=ufL45jLVuNwVf1DkVUHBYM7vDOo#v=onepage&q&f=false

ABE'S NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE: Energy Politics in Post–3.11 Japan

J Kingston - Critical Asian Studies, 2014

... provoked China because he wanted to stoke Japanese nationalism by inciting an angry reaction
from China. ... But even as Abe's plans for a nuclear renaissance are gaining momentum, obstacles
remain. ... two tectonic plates meet, an area considered to be at very high risk of a ...http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14672715.2014.935136#.VF_LPufiJFU

India's nuclear energy renaissance: stuck in the middle?

A Vinod Kumar - Journal of Risk Research, 2014

... Journal of Risk Research. ... Though many other countries including Russia, China, France and
Japan are exploring thorium applications, not many are convinced ... the second-stage may struggle
to blossom during this period, the real dawning of a nuclear renaissance needed an ...http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13669877.2013.822921#.VF_LbefiJFU

Floating nuclear power for Singapore

YS Alvin Toh, A Palmer - The IES Journal Part A: Civil & Structural Engineering, 2014

... a large floating box and could readily be built in a country such as South Korea or China with
a ... Indeed, some people regard the risk of terrorism as so severe that it ought to preclude any
nuclear ... Nuclear Renaissance: Technologies and Policies for the Future of Nuclear Power. ...http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19373260.2014.886986#.VF_Lh-fiJFU

The state of nuclear power two years after Fukushima–The ASEAN perspective

V Nian, SK Chou - Applied Energy, 2014

... According to China's 12th Five-Year Plan, the country will be aggressively promoting nuclear ...
This target was consistent with [20], which reported the Chinese government's plan to increase
its ... mature, economical, low carbon, base-load technology to mitigate the risk of electricity ...http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261914003821

The Future of Nuclear Power

MA Sullivan, D Stenger, A Roma, M Tynan - The Electricity Journal, 2014

... of circumstances provides support for the conclusion that, while the expected 'nuclear renaissance'
has been ... opponents seek to make the case that nuclear power is a risk to reliability. ... China and
India are aggressively pursuing nuclear power, expanding capacity even as they ...http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040619014000840

Geological storage of nuclear wastes: Insights following the Fukushima crisis

AH Gallardo, T Matsuzaki, H Aoki - Energy Policy, 2014

... Fear intensified also in neighbour China despite repeated governmental announcements that
the country faced no imminent health threats from Fukushima (He ... When assessing a risk, the
majority of citizens rely on intuitive judgements, the so-called risk perception (Slovic, 1987 ...http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421514002997

China’s Risky Nuclear Renaissance

China's Risky Nuclear Renaissance - Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/.../heard-on-the-street-chinas-risky-...

The Wall Street Journal

Oct 28, 2014 - Chinese state nuclear operators are going public. The biggest of these, CGN Power, looks risky both due to outside interference and its own ...http://online.wsj.com/articles/heard-on-the-street-chinas-risky-nuclear-renaissance-1414508639

Uranium mining and First Peoples: the nuclear renaissance confronts historical legacies

G Graetz - Journal of Cleaner Production, 2014

... Canada, 8999. China, 1500. ... Understanding social risk, then, is key to (1) minimising business
risks and (2) to addressing future barriers to nuclear fuel supply. ... It's totally at odds with our beliefs
and values. This dangerous substance should be left in the ground” ( Webb, 1999). ...http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965261400287X

[PDF] Nuclear power: Phase-out model yet to address final disposal issue

C von Hirschhausen, F Reitz - DIW Economic Bulletin, 2014

... significance and de facto reduce interest in capital-in- tensive and risky investment in ... consortium
consisting of the French energy companies EDF and Areva and two Chinese state-owned ... 21
The two state-owned companies are China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and ...http://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/101304/1/794108601.pdf

2012–2013 world nuclear industry status report

M Schneider, A Froggatt - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 2014

CGN Power Plans $3 Billion Hong Kong IPO in November

CGN Power Is Among the Three Chinese Firms That Aim to Raise a Total of $10 Billion

http://online.wsj.com/articles/cgn-power-plans-3-bln-hong-kong-ipo-in-november-1414395143

Two AP1000 Technical Achievements Pass Appraisal

Arnaud Lefevre-Baril Chief Executive Officer at Dynatom International GmbH

On October 30th, 2014, two technical achievements, CAP nuclear fuel storage lattice and AP1000 integration of the top components welding technology research, passed appraisal at Shandong Nuclear Power Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
CAP nuclear fuel storage lattice provides technical assurance for localization of the lattice in China, mainly used for new fuel and spent fuel assembly. It is jointly researched and designed by Shandong Nuclear Power Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd and Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute. And AP1000 components welding technology solved the integrated roof components welding problem for the first time, which is independently designed by Shandong Nuclear Power Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Source: http://www.snptc.com.cn/big5/index.php?optionid=703&auto_id=18637

A fraction of the global military spending could save the planet's biodiversity
New York NY (SPX) Nov 06, 2014 - A fundamental step-change involving an increase in funding and political commitment is urgently needed to ensure that protected areas deliver their full conservation, social and economic potential, according to an article published in Nature by experts from Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Queensland, and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). The paper, The p ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/A_fraction_of_the_global_military_spending_could_save_the_planets_biodiversity_999.html

Fukushima construction workers hurt: operator

Fukushima construction workers hurt: operator
Tokyo (AFP) Nov 07, 2014 - Three workers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant were injured Friday, including one seriously, when steel construction material collapsed on them. Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said the men were building a 13-metre-high (43-foot) tank that was intended to store water used to cool broken reactors. One of the three was knocked temporarily unconscious, a TEPCO spokesman said, and remain ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Fukushima_construction_workers_hurt_operator_999.html

Transatomic Power: Anatomy of Next

http://theenergycollective.com/rodadams/2153666/transatomic-power-anatomy-next?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Now energy-rich, Israel seeks oil and gas partners

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2014/11/09/662500/

Climate Model Predicts Very Cold Winter in Northern Hemisphere; Another Record Breaker?

There is a huge buildup up snow in Siberia this year like last. Meteorologists believe that portends another brutal winter.

Bloomberg reports Climate Model Predicts Very Cold Winter in Northern Hemisphere.

Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/11/climate-model-predicts-very-cold-winter.html#04LMS3SX7Mi8DHaU.99

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/11/climate-model-predicts-very-cold-winter.html

VietNamNet Bridge – Da Lat University in Central Highlands Lam Dong Province will receive simulated equipment for nuclear education donated by the Republic of Korea (RoK) later this month.

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/115780/rok-to-provide-simulated-nuclear-reactor-model-for-vietnam.html

TRANSMUTATION CAPABILITY OF ONCE-THROUGH CRITICAL

OR SUB-CRITICAL MOLTEN-SALT REACTORS

https://www.oecd-nea.org/pt/docs/iem/jeju02/session1/SessionI-05.pdf

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Monday, November 10, 2014

China is no refuge from Obama’s woes

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Monday, November 10, 2014

Wind turbines declared health hazard in Wisconsin

Officials: Vermont Yankee spent-fuel pad delayed, but no concerns

WENRA/RHWG Guidance on Design Extension of Existing Reactors

wenra.org wenra.org

Climate Panel Issues Dire Report as Renewables Make Little Impact

Will a Breakthrough Solar Technology See the Light of Day?

Sunday, November 9, 2014

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Here are the worst places to live in the U.S., and climate change isn’t helping

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Green light for nuclear plants in China soon

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[PDF] Nuclear power: Phase-out model yet to address final disposal issue

CGN Power Plans $3 Billion Hong Kong IPO in November

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Transatomic Power: Anatomy of Next

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