Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Monday, August 30, 2010
Iran bank assets withdrawn from Europe: central bank chief
Tehran (AFP) Aug 27, 2010 - Iran's central bank chief said on Friday that Tehran has withdrawn the assets held by its banks in Europe to escape the latest round of international economic sanctions over its nuclear drive. "The Central bank ... has transferred the (Iranian) banks' assets from Europe. Currently there is no problem in regards to blocking of assets of the Iranian banks by the European Union," Mahmoud Bahman ... more
Ex-USSR awash in radioactive 'dirty bomb' substances
Moscow (AFP) Aug 27, 2010
It has been of one of Europe's worst nightmares: traffickers obtaining highly-radioactive materials on the loose in the former Soviet Union with the help of corrupt officials and passing them on to rogue groups looking to make a dirty bomb. The seizure this month of two kilogrammes of uranium in Moldova, an impoverished ex-Soviet nation bordering the EU member Romania, is a stark reminder of ... read more
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Turkey in $10 billion reactor deal with South Korea It is the second major nuclear energy contract in that country in the past year
Turkey may have another major nuclear reactor deal in the works. According to English language press reports from Ankara, South Korea is positioned to sign contracts by November to build a $10 billion project.
At that price, the site at Sinop on the Black Sea coast in northern Turkey could become home to at least two 1,400 MW KEPCO reactors. T he sign-off could take place at the G-20 summit scheduled for Seoul Nov 11
More at:
http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2010/08/turkey-in-10-billion-reactor-deal-with.html
At that price, the site at Sinop on the Black Sea coast in northern Turkey could become home to at least two 1,400 MW KEPCO reactors. T he sign-off could take place at the G-20 summit scheduled for Seoul Nov 11
More at:
http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2010/08/turkey-in-10-billion-reactor-deal-with.html
Green Power Getting ready to build next generation nuclear power plants Source: CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE Publication date: 2008-08-01 By Tom Klemens and Joe Nasvik
For a number of years, the United States government has chosen not to have an energy policy. Because of the scarcity of energy, we now are paying a high price. Today, average citizens are learning the difficult lesson that energy plays a much more significant role in their lives than they ever realized, and conditions will get worse before they improve. Between now and 2050, worldwide demand for electricity will double. Although new developments have been made in renewable power, the bulk of this need will be met with either coal-fired or nuclear-reactor power plants. Unfortunately, power plants take years to build; with nuclear types taking the longest.
As the cost of oil skyrockets, worldwide demand increases and supplies decrease. All forms of energy production are increasing as well; the cost to mine and ship coal has doubled in the past year. At the same time, the percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to increase, while public awareness of the effects of global warming changes the way we think about natural resources. Electricity is the form of energy we most depend upon and this dependence will only increase with time. In the world of tomorrow, electricity will charge electric cars batteries, produce hydrogen cheaply for fuel cell-powered vehicles, and possibly heat buildings in order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.
The question is where will all this power come from? At best, the electricity generated from wind, solar, and hydroelectric will supply 20% of our need—possibly even less 50 years from now, which leaves coal and nuclear fuels as the primary source for energy. The big problem with coal-fired generators, however, is the release of radiation, airborne mercury, and carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. As a clean source of energy nuclear fission reactors will generate the needed power for the next 50 years. After that, it's hoped that fusion reactors (which combine small atoms to make bigger ones instead of breaking heavy atoms apart into smaller ones) will solve the energy needs.
Mark Peters, deputy to the associate laboratory director at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill., says the public has three concerns about nuclear reactors: they must be safe from extreme forces of nature, such as tornadoes and earthquakes, and man, as well as secure from terrorist attacks; they must not leak radiation; and highly radioactive spent fuels must be recycled, not stored.
The greatest cost of producing electricity from nuclear power plants is the initial cost of construction. The goal is to build better plants with longer life expectancies on a shorter construction cycle. David Matthews, director of the division of new reactor licensing at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Washington, D.C., says that before the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident in 1979, it took, on average, a little more than five years to build a new nuclear power plant following issuance of a construction permit by the NRC. After the accident, the process took more than 11 years, making the it prohibitively expensive. The NRC is reducing the permitting time by precertifying standardized power plant designs submitted by reactor manufacturers such as AREVA, General Electric, Mitsubishi, and Westinghouse. These certified designs then can be built at locations around the country, while owners apply for a combined construction and operating license (COL). This process is expected to lead to a reduction in construction time, in contrast to the lengthy delays experienced during the post-TMI period, because the design is expected to be essentially complete before the start of construction. The design life for reactors built in the 1970s and 1980s was 40 years. However, most of these plants have performed well and have been recertified for an additional 20 years. The current thought is that most will win certification for an additional 20 years after that, making the cost of producing electricity very reasonable. New reactor facilities may start with certifications of 40 years but with a design life of 60. Given the advancements in concrete technology, it should be possible to specify 100-year and longer service lives; this is also done with structural concrete bridges today. It means that the extended service life of a reactor will depend more on improvements to the steel vessels that contain the nuclear reaction.
Currently the United States has 104 operating nuclear power plants, generating 20% of our electricity (90% of Chicago's power is from nuclear power plants). However, 80% of France's power is from its 59 nuclear power plants. The French company AREVA, Bethesda, Md., now leads the world in nuclear power plant construction.
More at link:
http://www.concreteconstruction.net/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=718&articleID=755617
As the cost of oil skyrockets, worldwide demand increases and supplies decrease. All forms of energy production are increasing as well; the cost to mine and ship coal has doubled in the past year. At the same time, the percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to increase, while public awareness of the effects of global warming changes the way we think about natural resources. Electricity is the form of energy we most depend upon and this dependence will only increase with time. In the world of tomorrow, electricity will charge electric cars batteries, produce hydrogen cheaply for fuel cell-powered vehicles, and possibly heat buildings in order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.
The question is where will all this power come from? At best, the electricity generated from wind, solar, and hydroelectric will supply 20% of our need—possibly even less 50 years from now, which leaves coal and nuclear fuels as the primary source for energy. The big problem with coal-fired generators, however, is the release of radiation, airborne mercury, and carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. As a clean source of energy nuclear fission reactors will generate the needed power for the next 50 years. After that, it's hoped that fusion reactors (which combine small atoms to make bigger ones instead of breaking heavy atoms apart into smaller ones) will solve the energy needs.
 The circular form in the center of this photo is for the hatch that will provide access for moving equipment through the containment walls into the center of the structure. Note the heavy reinforcement in the outer protective structure wall to the right of the photo. |
The greatest cost of producing electricity from nuclear power plants is the initial cost of construction. The goal is to build better plants with longer life expectancies on a shorter construction cycle. David Matthews, director of the division of new reactor licensing at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Washington, D.C., says that before the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident in 1979, it took, on average, a little more than five years to build a new nuclear power plant following issuance of a construction permit by the NRC. After the accident, the process took more than 11 years, making the it prohibitively expensive. The NRC is reducing the permitting time by precertifying standardized power plant designs submitted by reactor manufacturers such as AREVA, General Electric, Mitsubishi, and Westinghouse. These certified designs then can be built at locations around the country, while owners apply for a combined construction and operating license (COL). This process is expected to lead to a reduction in construction time, in contrast to the lengthy delays experienced during the post-TMI period, because the design is expected to be essentially complete before the start of construction. The design life for reactors built in the 1970s and 1980s was 40 years. However, most of these plants have performed well and have been recertified for an additional 20 years. The current thought is that most will win certification for an additional 20 years after that, making the cost of producing electricity very reasonable. New reactor facilities may start with certifications of 40 years but with a design life of 60. Given the advancements in concrete technology, it should be possible to specify 100-year and longer service lives; this is also done with structural concrete bridges today. It means that the extended service life of a reactor will depend more on improvements to the steel vessels that contain the nuclear reaction.
 The technology of pumping concrete and placing under extreme conditions has changed significantly since the Generation II reactor constructions in the United States, allowing for reduced construction times and greater efficiencies with new constructions. Temporary protective structures like the one shown here were used throughout the first two years of construction on the Olkiluoto 3 facility. |
More at link:
http://www.concreteconstruction.net/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=718&articleID=755617
Breaking down Cold War: Secrecy shrouds dismantlement work at Y-12 weapons plant
OAK RIDGE - At the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, even success is shrouded in secrecy.
According to plant officials, Y-12 last year dismantled more weapon parts than at any time in the past quarter-century. Because of classification rules, however, they can't say how many parts were dismantled or provide even a ballpark estimate of how big a backlog of Cold War bomb components is still waiting to be taken apart.
That's the way it is at the Oak Ridge plant, known officially as the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Despite the limitations, senior officials are willing - even eager - to talk about the post-Cold War dismantlement program that's taken on added momentum in the Obama administration.
According to plant officials, Y-12 last year dismantled more weapon parts than at any time in the past quarter-century. Because of classification rules, however, they can't say how many parts were dismantled or provide even a ballpark estimate of how big a backlog of Cold War bomb components is still waiting to be taken apart.
That's the way it is at the Oak Ridge plant, known officially as the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Despite the limitations, senior officials are willing - even eager - to talk about the post-Cold War dismantlement program that's taken on added momentum in the Obama administration.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
"America's Defense Meltdown"
| Meltdown Update | ||
| ||
| On Aug. 26 CDI's Straus Military Reform Project Director Winslow Wheeler addressed the American Helicopter Society in Patuxent, Md. His presentation showed the budget and force structure data that demonstrate the predominant trends in the U.S. military services for the last few decades: namely that at record high levels of spending, our forces have become smaller, older and less ready to fight. Moreover, recent actions in the Pentagon and Congress will make all those trends worse. |
Ex-Contractor Charged With Leaking Secrets -- Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—A former State Department contractor allegedly leaked information from a "top secret" intelligence report on North Korea to a Fox News reporter, according to federal charges disclosed Friday.
A District of Columbia grand-jury indictment of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim accused him of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and false statements. The indictment was filed Aug. 19 and unsealed on Friday.
Read more ....
More News On The Case Of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim
U.S. analyst charged with leak to news reporter -- Reuters
Ex-State Department Contractor Charged With Disclosing Defense Information -- Bloomberg
State Department analyst charged with leaking information about North Korea -- The Telegraph
Justice Department Indicts Contractor in Alleged Leak -- Newsweek
Federal contractor charged with leaking top secret North Korea intel to Fox News -- Canadian Press
Weinberg on Nuclear Safety
http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2010/08/weinberg-on-nuclear-safety
An exerpt from the article:
"Weinberg, whose integrity on nuclear safety was unquestionable, took environmentalists to task for their preference for fossil fuels over nuclear power. Weinberg stated,
An exerpt from the article:
"Weinberg, whose integrity on nuclear safety was unquestionable, took environmentalists to task for their preference for fossil fuels over nuclear power. Weinberg stated,
Nuclear power plants and their subsystems have caused less damage to human health and to the environment, per kilowatt-hour, than have fossil-fueled central power stations. Thus Professor Lester B. Lave of Carnegie-Mellon University points out that from mining alone the damage imposed by coal is twelve-fold greater, per kilowatt-hour, than is that imposed by nuclear energy. (Professor Lave's argument is based on the fact that some 120,000 coal miners today receive about $300 per month compensation as the result of black lung disease.) C. Starr, M. A. Greenfield, and D. F. Hausknecht writing in Nuclear News, Oct. 1972, have compared the radioactivity hazard from nuclear plants with that from oil- or coal-fired plants. Their results show that to reach air quality standards for oxides of sulfur and nitrogen and radioactivity in Los Angeles County one could tolerate 160,000 nuclear plants of 1,000,000-kilowatt capacity, but only 10 oil-fired or 23 natural-gas plants of this size."l
Granted that properly operating nuclear power plants and their sub-systems - including mining, transport and chemical reprocessing of used reactor fuel elements, and disposal of radioactive wastes - are benign and have been so demonstrated, are there concerns regarding the possibility that these systems may malfunction and cause hazard to people and to the environment? This is a perfectly legitimate question that deserves serious and thoughtful consideration; and it is this aspect of the matter that I shall address.
A properly operating nuclear power plant and its subsystems is and can remain as innocuous a thermal power plant as man has ever devised. The whole safety issue then centers around the possibility that a nuclear plant or its subsystems may malfunction so grossly as to cause damage to the environment or to people."
The costs of new nuclear from World Nuclear News by Jeremy Gordon
EDF Energy has promised to be a 'good neighbour' to the people of Sedgemoor, near the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant where the company wants to build two new reactors. In return for the power plant, Sedgemoor Council chief executive Kerry Rickards told the Bridgwater Mercury, "It's only right and proper that EDF contributes towards the facilities at Bridgewater Hospital – we could get a bigger and better hospital than currently planned." In addition to many local jobs and a £40 million ($60 million) per year boost to the local economy for 60 years of operation, EDF has specifically put aside £1 million for community investment. Rickards, however wants "a heck of a lot more than £1 million... We could also get more than one pool, or a much fancier pool than the one currently planned."
Building plants builds support in South Korea from World Nuclear News by Jeremy Gordon
Support for the nuclear power industry is rising in South Korea following the country's successful bid to construct four APR1400 reactors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Friday, August 27, 2010
Study of Coal Ash Sites Finds Extensive Water Contamination
Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers: "A study released on Thursday finds that 39 sites in 21 states where coal-fired power plants dump their coal ash are contaminating water with toxic metals such as arsenic and other pollutants, and that the problem is more extensive than previously estimated."
Read the Article
Read the Article
India's Nuclear Plan Advances
India's lower house approves nuclear-liability packagehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704540904575451394292528652.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
The Indian parliament's lower chamber has cleared a civilian nuclear energy bill after the government agreed to triple accident-liability coverage to $321.5 million. The bill, which is expected to win approval from the upper chamber, is expected to ease implementation of a 2008 U.S.-India nuclear-cooperation deal that would provide India's scientists access to U.S. technology. The Wall Street Journal
The Indian parliament's lower chamber has cleared a civilian nuclear energy bill after the government agreed to triple accident-liability coverage to $321.5 million. The bill, which is expected to win approval from the upper chamber, is expected to ease implementation of a 2008 U.S.-India nuclear-cooperation deal that would provide India's scientists access to U.S. technology. The Wall Street Journal
Boehner: GOP ready to revive Yucca Posted by Steve Tetreault
Boehner: Yucca project will get support from GOP-led Congress
A Republican-controlled House of Representatives would back the revival of the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nevada, said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. In an interview, the lawmaker said tons of waste remains stored at the country's nuclear facilities because the Yucca project can't move forward. "We've invested tens of billions of dollars in a storage facility that's as safe as anything we're going to find," he said. Las Vegas Review-Journal/The Political Eye bloghttp://www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics/Boehner_GOP_ready_to_revive_Yucca.html?ref=388
A Republican-controlled House of Representatives would back the revival of the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nevada, said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. In an interview, the lawmaker said tons of waste remains stored at the country's nuclear facilities because the Yucca project can't move forward. "We've invested tens of billions of dollars in a storage facility that's as safe as anything we're going to find," he said. Las Vegas Review-Journal/The Political Eye bloghttp://www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics/Boehner_GOP_ready_to_revive_Yucca.html?ref=388
Energy use is way down - but wind surges
Study: Total energy use in the U.S. fell by 5% from 2008 to 2009http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/26/news/economy/energy_use/
Energy consumption in the U.S. declined by almost 5% to an estimated 94.6 quadrillion British thermal units in 2009, compared with 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. This marked the biggest known annual drop in the country's energy use, according to A.J. Simon, an analyst at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. However, renewable-energy use in the same period surged on a percentage basis, with consumption of wind power rising from 0.51 quadrillion BTUs in 2008 to 0.7 quadrillion BTUs this past year, the LLNL said. CNNMoney.com
Energy consumption in the U.S. declined by almost 5% to an estimated 94.6 quadrillion British thermal units in 2009, compared with 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. This marked the biggest known annual drop in the country's energy use, according to A.J. Simon, an analyst at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. However, renewable-energy use in the same period surged on a percentage basis, with consumption of wind power rising from 0.51 quadrillion BTUs in 2008 to 0.7 quadrillion BTUs this past year, the LLNL said. CNNMoney.com
Editorial: No spin: Windmills fail
* Editorial: Wind lags far behind nuclear in efficiency
Wind energy isn't competitive with other forms of energy, writes the Orange County Register editorial board. Windmills are expensive and operate at no more than 40% of their maximum production levels, while nuclear plants reach 95%, the editorial points out. The Orange County Register (Calif.)
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/wind-263900-power-energy.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/opinion/wind-263900-power-energy.html
* Energy Dept. may spend about $1B to refurbish nuclear site
Idaho National Lab facility up for $1B makeover
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/08/26/1316100/inl-facility-up-for-1-billion.html#ixzz0xp56MRZq
The Department of Energy announced plans to upgrade equipment and refurbish buildings at the Idaho National Laboratory's Naval Reactor Facility, a project expected to cost about $1 billion. Wear and tear at the site, which has been used to store used nuclear fuel from reactors in U.S. Navy ships, could hamper its refueling and de-fueling capabilities, the department said. The Idaho Statesman
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/08/26/1316100/inl-facility-up-for-1-billion.html#ixzz0xp56MRZq
The Department of Energy announced plans to upgrade equipment and refurbish buildings at the Idaho National Laboratory's Naval Reactor Facility, a project expected to cost about $1 billion. Wear and tear at the site, which has been used to store used nuclear fuel from reactors in U.S. Navy ships, could hamper its refueling and de-fueling capabilities, the department said. The Idaho Statesman
THE TWILIGHT OF THE BOMBS
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780307267542.html
In "The Twilight of the Bombs," the fourth and final volume of his epic history of the nuclear era, author Richard Rhodes examines "how the dangerous post-Cold War transition was managed, who its heroes were, what we learned from it, and where it carried us."
Covering the years 1990-2010, from the collapse of the Soviet Union onward, much of the latest history is familiar. But by focusing on nuclear weapons development, proliferation and testing, Rhodes fashions his own narrative arc, enriched by new interviews and insights.
In the end, he sees a hopeful trajectory of "nuclear limitation and foreclosure: from Mikhail Gorbachev's and Ronald Reagan's initiatives to end the Cold War, to the voluntary disarming of the former Soviet republics and the security of nuclear materials, to the U.S. and Russia's deepening mutual arms reduction, to the up-and-down negotiations with North Korea that have nevertheless prevented another Korean war, to international diplomatic pressure brought to bear effectively on India and Pakistan, to the persistent march forward of negotiations toward treaties to limit nuclear testing and proliferation." (However, Rhodes does not specifically address the case of Iran's nuclear program, as noted by Tim Rutten in an August 18 review in the Los Angeles Times.)
In the concluding pages of the book, Rhodes posits an analogy between previous campaigns to eradicate or limit disease and current efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, which he deems both necessary and feasible. "In 1999, for the first time in human history, infectious diseases no longer ranked first among causes of death worldwide" thanks to the discipline of public health. In a similarly efficacious way, he says, the ingredients of the analogous discipline of public safety against nuclear weapons "have already begun to assemble themselves: materials control and accounting, cooperative threat reduction, security guarantees, agreements and treaties, surveillance and inspection, sanctions, forceful disarming if all else fails."
"The Twilight of the Bombs" cannot match Rhodes' first volume on "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" for sheer mythological power, but it is fluidly and eloquently written. The author's prose ranges widely, sometimes vertiginously: In the book's Index, Scott Ritter comes right after Rainer Maria Rilke, the Ayatollah Khomeini is just above Nicole Kidman, and Sig Hecker of Los Alamos is separated from Jesse Helms by G.W.F. Hegel.
Mr. Rhodes (who I should say has been a consistent supporter of Secrecy News) ends the book with Acknowledgments, including a valentine to his wife: "She, not thermonuclear fusion, makes the sun shine."
In "The Twilight of the Bombs," the fourth and final volume of his epic history of the nuclear era, author Richard Rhodes examines "how the dangerous post-Cold War transition was managed, who its heroes were, what we learned from it, and where it carried us."
Covering the years 1990-2010, from the collapse of the Soviet Union onward, much of the latest history is familiar. But by focusing on nuclear weapons development, proliferation and testing, Rhodes fashions his own narrative arc, enriched by new interviews and insights.
In the end, he sees a hopeful trajectory of "nuclear limitation and foreclosure: from Mikhail Gorbachev's and Ronald Reagan's initiatives to end the Cold War, to the voluntary disarming of the former Soviet republics and the security of nuclear materials, to the U.S. and Russia's deepening mutual arms reduction, to the up-and-down negotiations with North Korea that have nevertheless prevented another Korean war, to international diplomatic pressure brought to bear effectively on India and Pakistan, to the persistent march forward of negotiations toward treaties to limit nuclear testing and proliferation." (However, Rhodes does not specifically address the case of Iran's nuclear program, as noted by Tim Rutten in an August 18 review in the Los Angeles Times.)
In the concluding pages of the book, Rhodes posits an analogy between previous campaigns to eradicate or limit disease and current efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, which he deems both necessary and feasible. "In 1999, for the first time in human history, infectious diseases no longer ranked first among causes of death worldwide" thanks to the discipline of public health. In a similarly efficacious way, he says, the ingredients of the analogous discipline of public safety against nuclear weapons "have already begun to assemble themselves: materials control and accounting, cooperative threat reduction, security guarantees, agreements and treaties, surveillance and inspection, sanctions, forceful disarming if all else fails."
"The Twilight of the Bombs" cannot match Rhodes' first volume on "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" for sheer mythological power, but it is fluidly and eloquently written. The author's prose ranges widely, sometimes vertiginously: In the book's Index, Scott Ritter comes right after Rainer Maria Rilke, the Ayatollah Khomeini is just above Nicole Kidman, and Sig Hecker of Los Alamos is separated from Jesse Helms by G.W.F. Hegel.
Mr. Rhodes (who I should say has been a consistent supporter of Secrecy News) ends the book with Acknowledgments, including a valentine to his wife: "She, not thermonuclear fusion, makes the sun shine."
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