Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Nuclear Roundup February 22, 2017

Nuclear Roundup

February 22, 2017

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world.

Iran Nuclear Deal

UN hopeful Iran nuclear deal won’t unravel despite Trump criticism

https://www.ft.com/content/b5b863be-f906-11e6-9516-2d969e0d3b65

President Trump, Don't Walk Away From The Iran Deal. Not Yet

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/02/21/president-trump-dont-walk-away-from-the-iran-deal-not-yet/#439395be729b

United States

NNSA Elite Unit Marks 20 Year Anniversary

http://www.ladailypost.com/content/nnsa-elite-unit-marks-20-year-anniversary

Anti-Nuke Dogma Trumps Common Sense On Nuclear Energy

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2017/02/22/anti-nuclear-group-ideology-trumps-common-sense-on-nuclear-energy/#1c91da8641ac

International

Why Donald Trump Is the One Leader Who Can Stop North Korea

http://fortune.com/2017/02/21/donald-trump-nuclear-north-korea/

Talks with N. Korea would give Trump same old lesson Pyongyang isn’t interested in disarming: ex-official

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2017/02/22/0301000000AEN20170222000200315.html

South Korea’s Dangerous Leadership Vacuum

http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/south-koreas-dangerous-leadership-vacuum/

Reconsidering the reversal: South Korea’s nuclear choices

http://thebulletin.org/reconsidering-reversal-south-korea%E2%80%99s-nuclear-choices10522

China open to India joining NSG, says Foreign Secretary Jaishankar
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/neighbours/220217/china-open-to-india-joining-nsg-says-foreign-secretary-jaishankar.html

Russian navy to flash nuclear power in Baltic Sea

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2017/02/russian-flash-nuclear-power-baltic-sea

UK needs national lab to coordinate nuclear R&D
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-UK-needs-national-lab-to-coordinate-nuclear-RD-22021701.html

European iodine mystery solved

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_European_iodine_mystery_solved_1711112.html

The CTBT & North Korea Discussed at Munich Security Conference

https://www.ctbto.org/press-centre/highlights/2017/the-ctbt-north-korea-discussed-at-munich-security-conference/

General Interest

The Nuclear Industry Must Change, Or Die

http://www.theenergycollective.com/shellenberger/2398737/nuclear-industry-must-change-die

Disarmament while the chance remains

http://thebulletin.org/can-treaty-banning-nuclear-weapons-speed-their-abolition/disarmament-while-chance-remains

The Trouble with Doomsday

http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/02/22/the_trouble_with_doomsday_110848.html

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Bruce Power awards more Candu extension contracts

Bruce Power awards more Candu extension contracts
Bruce Power has awarded L3 MAPPS a contract to replace the digital control computer system of unit 6 of the Bruce B nuclear power plant in Ontario. Bruce Power has also awarded SNC-Lavalin contracts worth almost $28 million for its major component replacement program.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Bruce-Power-awards-more-Candu-extension-contracts-22021702.html

UK needs national lab to coordinate nuclear R&D

UK needs national lab to coordinate nuclear R&D
The UK's National Nuclear Laboratory cannot fulfil the role its name describes while it relies on commercial work for part of its funding. That was the consensus of three expert witnesses to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's inquiry into priorities for nuclear research and technologies.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-UK-needs-national-lab-to-coordinate-nuclear-RD-22021701.html

US NRC Blog Update: Principles of Good Regulation: Clarity

Principles of Good Regulation: Clarity

Leave a comment Posted by Moderator on February 22, 2017

Regulations should be coherent, logical, and practical. There should be a clear nexus between regulations and agency goals and objectives whether explicitly or implicitly stated. Agency positions should be readily understood and easily applied.
Maureen Conley
Public Affairs Officer
graphic-pogr_clarity

The NRC has a double challenge when it comes to clarity. We are a regulatory agency that derives its authority from a series of laws passed by Congress and we regulate a highly technical industry with many of our experts holding advanced technical degrees.
For those reasons, it can sometimes be challenging to explain what we do and why we do it.
Over the years, the agency has employed a variety of different ways to communicate with clarity. This blog and all our social media platforms are one avenue. Producing less technical executive summaries for otherwise quite complex documents is another way.
We often work with technical experts to help prepare them for public meetings and to ensure their presentations are “user friendly” for the audience expected to attend. The agency’s training center offers many courses to help technical experts present their complex work clearly in a way that is more accessible for both technical and non-technical audiences.
The agency’s website also provides a wealth of information to meet the needs of both technical audiences and the general public. Even our student corner section helps clarify the agency’s mission and activities.
The NRC’s work may involve an abundance of acronyms and technical jargon, but we are always striving to convey what we do and why we do it in the clearest way possible.
This post is the fourth of five that will explore each of the five principles separately. For the history of the Principles of Good Regulation, read this post.

New Areva, CNNC, Sign Cooperation Accord

New Areva, CNNC, Sign Cooperation Accord

French nuclear fuel spinoff New Areva said Wednesday that it had signed an agreement with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) that establishes a framework for industrial and commercial cooperation focusing on nuclear fuel cycle activities. The company also said it remained in negotiation with CNNC concerning a capital investment that followed the example set by previously announced agreements with two investors. Read more http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2017/02/22/new-areva_2c00_-cnnc_2c00_-sign-cooperation-accord-022202#.WK3w5xCXRSx

Chernobyl in 360 Degree Videos

Chernobyl in 360 Degree Videos

Check out Chernobyl's Control Room of Reactor 4 and the New Safe Confinement Arch in these European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 360 degree videos. Don't forget to click and drag the video while it is playing to look in all directions. View Videos http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2017/02/22/chernobyl-in-360-degree-videos-22203#.WK3uwhCXRSx

ENERGY TECH Stabilizing energy storage

Stabilizing energy storage

Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Feb 22, 2017 - Because the sun doesn't always shine, solar utilities need a way to store extra charge for a rainy day. The same goes for wind power facilities, since the wind doesn't always blow. To take full advantage of renewable energy, electrical grids need large batteries that can store the power coming from wind and solar installations until it is needed. Some of the current technologies that are potenti ... morehttp://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Stabilizing_energy_storage_999.html

Russia's Rosatom Subsidiaries Produced 7,900 Tonnes of Uranium in 2016

Russia's Rosatom Subsidiaries Produced 7,900 Tonnes of Uranium in 2016

Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 22, 2017 - Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom's subsidiaries produced the total of 7,900 metric tons of uranium in 2016, which is on the 2015 level, the company said Monday. "Uranium production: 7,900 tonnes (including 4,900 tonnes produced abroad)," the company said on its website, which also indicates that Rosatom's uranium production amounted to 7,900 metric tons in 2015 as wel ... morehttp://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Russias_Rosatom_Subsidiaries_Produced_7900_Tonnes_of_Uranium_in_2016_999.html

Greenpeace: Greenpeace Japan 01 | No Return to Normal House Case Studies of the Current Situation and Potential Lifetime Radiation Exposure in Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture February 2017 No Return to Normal : The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

Greenpeace Japan

No Return to Normal

House Case Studies of the Current Situation

and Potential Lifetime Radiation Exposure

in Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture

http://www.greenpeace.org/japan/Global/japan/pdf/NRN_FINweb4.pdf

OIL AND GAS Study finds 6,600 spills from fracking in just four states

Study finds 6,600 spills from fracking in just four states

Durham NC (SPX) Feb 22, 2017 - Each year, 2 to 16 percent of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill hydrocarbons, chemical-laden water, hydraulic fracturing fluids and other substances, according to a new study. The analysis, which appears Feb. 21 in Environmental Science and Technology, identified 6,648 spills reported across Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania during a 10-year period. "This st ... morehttp://www.oilgasdaily.com/reports/Study_finds_6600_spills_from_fracking_in_just_four_states_999.html

Environmentalists face litigation under RICO Act

A law firm is relying on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, most commonly used against organized crime, in a $300 million lawsuit in which the firm represents Canada-based Resolute Forest Products against Greenpeace, Stand.earth and other environmentalist groups. The case centers on the characterization of Resolute as a "forest destroyer" and involves defamation and free-speech issues.

Reuters (2/22) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-environment-legal-landrights-idUSKBN1611DK

US Oil Production Putting Pressure on OPEC

By By Michael McDonald, / Tuesday, February 21, 2017 9:19 AM

Source: http://www.eia.gov/beta/international/regions-topics.cfm?RegionTopicID=OPEC

Danielle Izzo, Breaking Energy Staff For the past two years oil prices have suffered because of excess supply. To respond to this slump, OPEC, in conjunction with other oil producing countries, came to an agreement that would ensure a reduction in the production of crude oil. As of January 2017, the agreement has gone into

Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2017/02/21/us-oil-production-putting-pressure-on-opec/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=43126354&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_NsVOe29qn4BSIOBXML4ayxIqQqKHFtExXfK9QweVwhsRBHbprO6ERwjEx3SU1wCfHGH3i7zxIoacrMYRGVmJmmSODSw&_hsmi=43126354

EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Makes Progress But Misses Forest For Trees

By By Environmental Defense Fund Energy Exchange Blog, / Tuesday, February 21, 2017 10:00 AM

In its draft 2017 GHG inventory, published this week, the EPA estimates methane emissions from the oil and gas industry were lower than their previous estimate in the 2016 inventory. The vast majority of the decrease comes from methodological changes in how EPA does these estimates and does not represent actual reductions from improved industry

Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2017/02/21/epas-greenhouse-gas-inventory-makes-progress-but-misses-forest-for-trees/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=43126354&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--qrD_m-yJudeA4UYQ_6-GojxBkTsCoGk2QEIgLxNUl_WwTplls0sOgLuQtUpmcWYZ9owtEhS1mckkV9-yCaE03aPLU0A&_hsmi=43126354

U.S. Uranium Production Lowest Since 2005

U.S. Uranium Production Lowest Since 2005
http://www.theenergycollective.com/todayinenergy/2399036/u-s-uranium-production-lowest-since-2005?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Breaking News! California Electricity Prices are High

http://www.theenergycollective.com/jamesbushnell/2399041/breaking-news-california-electricity-prices-high?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Nuclear Industry: In an Era Where Facts No Longer Matter, Consequences Still Do

http://www.theenergycollective.com/mzconsulting/2399042/nuclear-industry-era-facts-no-longer-matter-consequences-still?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Develoment and Disarmament Roundtable

Development and Disarmament Roundtable

Over the objections of most nuclear-armed nations, a UN committee on disarmament and security resoundingly approved a resolution last October mandating negotiations toward a treaty that outlaws nuclear weapons. Talks are set to begin in March; there could be a ban treaty with dozens of state signatures by the end of 2017.

Outright prohibition of nuclear weapons would contrast starkly with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which allows five countries to retain nuclear weapons for an unspecified time—as they "pursue negotiations in good faith… on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control."

What should a ban treaty entail, and could it truly succeed in speeding the disarmament process? Our newest roundtable argues these questions.

Round One:
The ban treaty: An interim step, but politically profound, by Joelien Pretorius
Assessing the ban treaty from Ukraine, by Polina Sinovets
To abolish nuclear weapons, strip away their handsome mask, by Mustafa Kibaroglu

Round Two:
Succeed or fail, the ban treaty won't erode the NPT, by Joelien Pretorius
Arms control is realistic; general disarmament probably isn't, by Polina Sinovets
Reality: Humanity can't indefinitely avoid using nuclear weapons, by Mustafa Kibaroglu

Round Three:
How I learned to hate the Bomb, by Joelien Pretorius
Better to bear the ills we have, by Polina Sinovets
Disarmament while the change remains, by Mustafa Kibaroglu

Arabic translations
Chinese translations
Spanish translations
Russian translations

Further reading:
Does the fight over a nuclear weapons ban threaten global stability? by Heather Williams
The terrifying geography of nuclear and radiological insecurity in South Asia, by Hannah E. Haegeland and Reema Verma
Reconsidering the reversal: South Korea's nuclear choices, by William Caplan and Kenneth B. Turner
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EDF Postpones Restart For Flamanville Unit 1

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2017/02/21/edf-postpones-restart-for-flamanville-unit-1-022101#.WK3dbBCXRSw

Electric cars and new nuclear power plants. Ruth Davidson's plan for a "green and pleasant" Scotland

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/15110236.Electric_cars_and_new_nuclear_power_plants__Ruth_Davidson__39_s_plan_for_a__quot_green_and_pleasant_quot__Scotland/

Tories call for two new Scottish nuclear power stations

https://stv.tv/news/politics/1381409-tories-call-for-two-new-scottish-nuclear-power-stations/

Westinghouse aims to see US nuclear projects through: CEO

Nikkei Asian Review - ‎51 minutes ago‎

PITTSBURGH, U.S. -- Westinghouse Electric intends to complete four nuclear reactors under construction in the U.S, its chief executive told The Nikkei, expressing confidence that the projects, which threaten to blow a hole in Japanese parent Toshiba's ... http://asia.nikkei.com/Japan-Update/Westinghouse-aims-to-see-US-nuclear-projects-through-CEO

Buffett may have foreseen Toshiba's woes

Nikkei Asian Review - ‎Feb 21, 2017‎

TOKYO -- For one person, at least, Toshiba's huge losses related to its acquisition of the nuclear construction unit of U.S. company Chicago Bridge & Iron probably came as no surprise. Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company run by U.S. billionaire ... http://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Toshiba-in-Turmoil/Buffett-may-have-foreseen-Toshiba-s-woes

Toshiba Trying to Sell Stake in Nuclear Business

http://tdworld.com/renewables/toshiba-trying-sell-stake-nuclear-business