Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Nuke energy is next big source of power: Expert

The map shows the commercial nuclear power pla...Image via Wikipedia

India aims for threefold boost in nuclear share by 2050

India is seeking to generate 10% of its power through nuclear energy by 2050, said Anjan Chaki, director of the Atomic Minera -More-
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Editorial: Energy bill represents a bipartisan failure

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-energy_0728edi.State.Edition1.1589dfa.html The stripped-down energy bill that is now in play in Congress falls short of what the U.S. needs, and both parties must share the blame for this failure, writes the Dallas Morning News, which is particularly bothered by the lack of support for nuclear power. "A nuclear expansion is essential to weaning ourselves from fossil fuels and to limiting emissions; Congress can't afford to excise that from our energy portfolio," the editorial argues. The Dallas Morning News



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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Russian-Iranian Road Map from RealClearWorld by Vladimir Radyuhin, The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article535182.ece
Moscow appears confident that its pledge of energy cooperation with Iran would not derail its new partnership with the West, but the deal may well have come at the wrong time.
 
The reactor building of Iran's nuclear power plant is seen, at Bushehr, Iran. Moscow appears confident that its pledge of energy cooperation with Iran would not derail its new partnership with the West, but the deal may well have come at the wrong time.
AP The reactor building of Iran's nuclear power plant is seen, at Bushehr, Iran. Moscow appears confident that its pledge of energy cooperation with Iran would not derail its new partnership with the West, but the deal may well have come at the wrong time.
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Iran’s Nuclear Standoff: Who Is the Loser?

http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/07/irans-nuclear-standoff-who-is-the-loser/
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Politics shouldn't drive Yucca Mountain decision

Decision to close Yucca Mountain is politically motivated

Politics, not science, is the driving force behind the Obama administration's efforts to abandon the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nevada, according to this editorial. A panel at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is refusing to follow the White House's lead, saying that the program can only be shut down by congressional action, according to the editorial. The Daily News (Longview, Wash.)
http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_db594aa0-96a4-11df-90cb-001cc4c002e0.html
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Nuclear plants generate more than electricity Marvin Fertel Nuclear Energy Institute

The Tribune-DemocratImage via Wikipedia


Fertel: Nuclear plants help drive Pennsylvania's economic engine
Pennsylvania's nuclear plants are among the top-running power facilities in the country, writes Nuclear Energy Institute President and CEO Marvin Fertel. Aside from generating clean and affordable electricity, he argues, the plants have helped create jobs and spur economic growth for the surrounding communities and the state. Pennsylvania would benefit more from nuclear if new facilities are constructed, Fertel writes. The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.)
http://tribune-democrat.com/editorials/x2105967625/Nuclear-plants-generate-more-than-electricity
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Nuclear experts seek to advance fusion project

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Nuclear_experts_seek_to_advance_fusion_project_999.html
Marseille, France (AFP) July 26, 2010 - An explosion in costs has cast a cloud over a multi-billion-dollar nuclear fusion project aiming to make the power that fuels the sun a practical energy source on Earth. Delays, rocketing costs and financing problems have hit the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) whose consortium members start a meeting on Tuesday aiming to get the project back on course. ITER was s ... more
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UN sanctions on Iran best option, unilateral move not effective, says U.S expert




Russia opposed additional sanctions levied on Iran by the European Union (EU) and the United States, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Russia opposes additional sanctions on Iran

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How likely is an American attack on Iran?



How likely is an American attack on Iran?

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2010-07/26/c_13415998.htm
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Debate On "New START" Seen Dragging Past August -- Global Security Newswire

President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Me...Image via Wikipedia
Debate On "New START" Seen Dragging Past August -- Global Security Newswire

A number of U.S. Senate staffers expressed doubt that the legislative body would vote on ratification of a new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia before adjourning in two weeks for its August recess, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday (see GSN, July 23).

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April signed the replacement to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The "New START" pact would obligate both nations to cap their fielded strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550 warheads, down from the maximum of 2,200 allowed each country by 2012 under the 2002 Moscow Treaty. The deal would also limit U.S. and Russian deployed nuclear delivery vehicles to 700, with another 100 platforms allowed in reserve. The pact has been submitted for ratification by Russia's legislature as well as the Senate.

Read more ....

http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100726_3747.php
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S.Korea loans Jordan 70 million dollars for nuclear reactor from Nuclear Power Technology, Science And Industry News

http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/SKorea_loans_Jordan_70_million_dollars_for_nuclear_reactor_999.htmlAmman (AFP) July 26, 2010
South Korea on Monday loaned energy-poor Jordan 70 million dollars to help build the kingdom's first nuclear research reactor, a project worth 130 million dollars. "Building the reactor is key to Jordan's peaceful nuclear programme," planning minister Jaafar Hassan told reporters after signing an easy loan agreement with South Korean officials.
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S.Korea, US stage anti-submarine drill in warning to N.Korea

US and South Korean warships staged anti-submarine drills Monday as part of a major naval exercise intended to send a warning to North Korea despite its threats of nuclear retaliation. The two allies, who accuse the North of sending a submarine to torpedo a South Korean warship, have assembled about 20 ships including the 97,000-ton carrier USS George Washington, 200 aircraft and 8,000 personnel.
Four F-22 Raptor

stealth fighters are flying in and around Korea for the first time to show Washington's strong commitment to deter and defeat any provocative acts, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Remington, commander of the US 7th Air Force, told reporters at Osan air base.
Seoul and Washington say the four-day exercise which began Sunday -- their biggest for years and the first in a series -- is designed to stress that future attacks will meet a decisive response.http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/SKorea_US_stage_anti-submarine_drill_in_warning_to_NKorea_999.html


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Monday, July 26, 2010

Burma is working on nuclear weapons programme, experts claim Burma is working on a nuclear weapons programme, experts have concluded, after its existence was exposed by leaked photographs.


An alleged nuclear factory to which the defector had access, near the capital, Naypyidaw, captured in a satellite image.

Burma Is Working On Nuclear Weapons Programme, Experts Claim -- The Telegraph

Burma is working on a nuclear weapons programme, experts have concluded, after its existence was exposed by leaked photographs.


Intelligence monitoring of the country’s arms purchases from North Korea has been intensified as a result.

Satellite tracking and electronic surveillance in particular have been stepped up. Concerns over the regime’s attempts to develop a nuclear bomb prompted the US State Department to demand last week that the ruling junta disclose an inventory of its nuclear technology.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/7909774/Burma-is-working-on-nuclear-weapons-programme-experts-claim.html
Satellite images of possible Myanmar N-site -- Hindustan Times
Myanmar's nuke site found? -- Today Online
Burma building nuclear weapons -- The Age
A loophole for Myanmar's nukes -- Asia Times
Burma building nuclear weapons, says Jane's defence weekly -- News Track India
Burma 'is developing nuclear weapons' -- Polijam Times
Myanmar is working on n-arms programme: Experts -- Myanmar News Net
Judging Myanmar’s Nuclear Ambitions and Likely Implications -- IDSA
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Special Report: Energy Nuclear Energy Loses Cost Advantage By DIANA S. POWERS

PARIS — Solar photovoltaic systems have long been painted as a clean way to generate electricity, but expensive compared with other alternatives to oil, like nuclear power. No longer. In a “historic crossover,” the costs of solar photovoltaic systems have declined to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month.
“Solar photovoltaics have joined the ranks of lower-cost alternatives to new nuclear plants,” John O. Blackburn, a professor of economics at Duke University, in North Carolina, and Sam Cunningham, a graduate student, wrote in the paper, “Solar and Nuclear Costs — The Historic Crossover.”
This crossover occurred at 16 cents per kilowatt hour, they said. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/business/global/27iht-renuke.html
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IHI, Toshiba Finalize Details On Nuclear Turbine Components Joint Venture

Toshiba and IHI have ironed out the details of a joint venture for manufacturing steam turbine parts for nuclear facilities in Japan and abroad. IHI will hold 52% in the partnership, while Toshiba will control 48%. Nikkei Business Publications/Dow Jones Newswires
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100723D23JF635.htm
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India eyes December startup for nuclear plant

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_first-unit-of-kudankulam-nuclear-plant-to-start-functioning-by-december_1414283
The first unit of the Kudankulam nuclear facility, which India is developing with Russia, will come online by December, regardless of whether India's lawmakers pass a nuclear-liability bill. The plant's second unit is expected to be running within six months after the first unit's launch. DNA (India)/Press Trust of India
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Four Ways to Kill a Climate Bill By LEE WASSERMAN

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/opinion/26wasserman.html
Opinion: 4 main factors led to demise of climate bill
The failure of the White House and Congress to deliver a broad climate bill this year can be traced to four major mistakes, writes Lee Wasserman, director of the Rockefeller Family Fund. The bill failed to progress because it downplayed the impact of global warming, contained too many concessions to special-interest groups, was overly complicated and did not receive adequate input from the public, Wasserman writes
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Administration has it wrong on nuclear waste, Hanford


Gov. Gregoire opposes shutdown of Yucca Mountain
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire told a panel that closing the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada is a mistake. Doing so would be "as dangerous as it is a shameful waste of resources," according to this editorial. The government has invested $10 billion and spent 25 years preparing to dispose of at least 77,000 tons of used nuclear fuel in Yucca Mountain. Any further delay in the site's opening increases the risk that hazardous waste from the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state will reach the Columbia River, this editorial warns.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/07/20/1534362/administration-has-it-wrong-on.html
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UPDATE: US Raises Safety Concerns Over New Areva Nuclear Design

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has told Areva to supply more details on the safety systems of its next-generation EPR reactor, particularly on whether the systems can operate on their own. "There are areas where the staff simply can't accept Areva's approach," said NRC spokesman Scott Burnell.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100723-711601.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
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