Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Friday, October 22, 2010
Barack Obama Still Deserves an F on Energy
In March of 2009 I wrote a post in which I argued Barack Obama deserved an F for his energy policy. This continues to be the case with the Obama administration continuing to make poorly thought out energy related decisions. Virtually every Obana administration energy related decision over the last 18 months, has been poorly thought out and has wasted opportunities.
Obama has used the stimulus package to offer further subsidies to the renewable energy industry, even though renewable energy is unreliable and is not cost effective when compared to nuclear energy.
Obama has avoided a heads up comparison of renewables and and nuclear energy by failing to appoint a commission on the national energy future.
The Obama administration has mismanaged nuclear loan guarantees.
Obama has used the stimulus package to offer further subsidies to the renewable energy industry, even though renewable energy is unreliable and is not cost effective when compared to nuclear energy.
Obama has avoided a heads up comparison of renewables and and nuclear energy by failing to appoint a commission on the national energy future.
The Obama administration has mismanaged nuclear loan guarantees.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
US says another NKorean nuclear test would be provocative
Another atomic weapons test by North Korea would be provocative, a State Department spokesman said, adding he could not confirm reports that Pyongyang was preparing for such a test. "I'm aware of the reports. They obviously go into intelligence matters so I can't really go into any detail commenting on them," spokesman Mark Toner said when asked to comment on a report in South Korea's newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
"But this hasn't changed our position vis-a-vis North Korea. We said all along that they need to adhere to their commitments and they also need to refrain from provocative actions," Toner said.
"Another nuclear test would certainly fall into the rubric of provocative actions," he added.
He said "no" when asked whether he had evidence to support the details of the news report.
According to Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's biggest-selling newspaper, US satellites detected movements of personnel and vehicles at the site where the the North carried out its first two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.
Chosun quoted an unidentified government source as also saying that the North also appears to be restoring tunnels demolished during the first two tests.
"However, it is unlikely (the North will) carry it out soon. It is expected to take another three months (to complete preparations for a third test)," the source said.
But a spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said there was no evidence of any such preparations.
"But this hasn't changed our position vis-a-vis North Korea. We said all along that they need to adhere to their commitments and they also need to refrain from provocative actions," Toner said.
"Another nuclear test would certainly fall into the rubric of provocative actions," he added.
He said "no" when asked whether he had evidence to support the details of the news report.
According to Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's biggest-selling newspaper, US satellites detected movements of personnel and vehicles at the site where the the North carried out its first two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.
Chosun quoted an unidentified government source as also saying that the North also appears to be restoring tunnels demolished during the first two tests.
"However, it is unlikely (the North will) carry it out soon. It is expected to take another three months (to complete preparations for a third test)," the source said.
But a spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said there was no evidence of any such preparations.
The Hunt for Uranium is On
Last year Kazakhstan became the world's largest supplier of uranium, overtaking Australia and Canada, at 14,000 tonnes, or one fifth of world production. As supplies of oil are being sought in increasingly inhospitable regions of the globe to meet rising demand against finite supply, the hunt is on for uranium in the face of an emphasis to turn-away from fossil-fuel based power stations and toward nuclear. The statistic is often given that there is about 40 years worth of uranium left, and this is the duration therefore of the provision of nuclear power.
In fact, there is much more uranium around than that, and the use of thorium and "waste" transuranics would see the industry continue well beyond the foreseeable future, including potential technology that actually destroys nuclear waste and turns it into useful energy. The EROEI of all the other energy sources that must be employed in the fabrication of nuclear fuel rods/pellets and the power plants themselves must be considered too in the necessary book-keeping exercise of viability. Ultimately, it is hoped, much of the energy for these tasks might be supplied in the form of nuclear electricity.
In fact, there is much more uranium around than that, and the use of thorium and "waste" transuranics would see the industry continue well beyond the foreseeable future, including potential technology that actually destroys nuclear waste and turns it into useful energy. The EROEI of all the other energy sources that must be employed in the fabrication of nuclear fuel rods/pellets and the power plants themselves must be considered too in the necessary book-keeping exercise of viability. Ultimately, it is hoped, much of the energy for these tasks might be supplied in the form of nuclear electricity.
IAEA Wants Research Reactors to use Low Enriched Uranium
There are approximately 250 operating civilian research and test reactors worldwide, of which around 75 use highly enriched uranium (HEU) as their fuel. But the use of HEU has the potential of nuclear proliferation as it could also be used for producing material used for nuclear weapons. The IAEA works with global partners focusing on how to convert HEU reactors to ones that can use low enriched uranium (LEU). More at:
http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2010/10/21/IAEA-Wants-Research-Reactors-to-use-Low-Enriched-Uranium-102102.aspx
http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2010/10/21/IAEA-Wants-Research-Reactors-to-use-Low-Enriched-Uranium-102102.aspx
Russia Seeks Further Dialogue on NATO Antimissile Plan
Russia yesterday indicated it would maintain dialogue with NATO and the United States regarding an invitation to collaborate with the military alliance on missile defense operations, the Xinhua News Agency reported (see GSN, Oct. 19).
Any options for a joint antimissile effort "will be discussed," Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
"NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has put forth an initiative (on the creation of a joint missile defense system) and it is now being studied thoroughly," Grushko said. "We'll continue contacts with American partners and NATO countries on this issue in the short term" (Xinhua News Agency, Oct. 21).
NATO nations are expected to determine at their Nov. 19-21 summit in Lisbon, Portugal, whether to formally include missile defense among alliance objectives, paving the way for a program to integrate and augment the antimissile systems of member countries. The 28-state organization has sought Russian collaboration on the project, which it says is intended to increase protection from ballistic missiles held by countries including Iran and North Korea. More at:http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20101021_7766.php
U.S. Approves Design For Advanced Ballistic Missile Radar
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin said yesterday it has received approval from the U.S. Air Force for its initial blueprint for a new transportable long-range radar system (see GSN, Oct. 1).
The Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar would become the chief ground-based detector for finding, tracking dispatching information on missiles and aircraft for the Marine Corps and the Air Force, according to a company press release. The system would succeed the Air Force's AN/TPS-75 air surveillance system and possibly the Marines' AN/TPS-59 ballistic missile surveillance system.
An initial test of the system's capabilities in March met with Air Force approval. A follow-up demonstration is expected before winter. Lockheed received a $25 million contract to develop the system in May 2009 (Lockheed Martin release, Oct. 20).
The Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar would become the chief ground-based detector for finding, tracking dispatching information on missiles and aircraft for the Marine Corps and the Air Force, according to a company press release. The system would succeed the Air Force's AN/TPS-75 air surveillance system and possibly the Marines' AN/TPS-59 ballistic missile surveillance system.
An initial test of the system's capabilities in March met with Air Force approval. A follow-up demonstration is expected before winter. Lockheed received a $25 million contract to develop the system in May 2009 (Lockheed Martin release, Oct. 20).
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20101021_8922.php
Islamic Nations Demand Israeli Atomic Transparency
The 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference yesterday called for U.N. inspections of Israel's nuclear arsenal, Iran's Press TV reported (see GSN, Sept. 24).
Israel is widely believed to possess the only nuclear arms in the Middle East, though it has for decades maintained a policy of neither confirming nor denying its arsenal.
"Israel's nuclear weapons should be inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency," OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said at a nuclear security and nonproliferation summit in Cairo, Egypt (see GSN, Oct. 19). The meeting was set to address nuclear counterterrorism, efforts to secure potential nuclear-weapon ingredients and efforts to establish a WMD-free zone in the Middle East.
All countries should encourage Jerusalem to abandon its atomic arsenal and join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Ihsanoglu said. He backed the right of all states to develop civilian nuclear power programs while arguing it was indefensible to permit only certain nations to possess nuclear weapons.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog is not an appropriate forum for lobbying Israel to join the nonproliferation pact, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in September. Jerusalem has offered complete cooperation with the Vienna-based atomic agency, he said (Press TV, Oct. 20).
Israel is widely believed to possess the only nuclear arms in the Middle East, though it has for decades maintained a policy of neither confirming nor denying its arsenal.
"Israel's nuclear weapons should be inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency," OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said at a nuclear security and nonproliferation summit in Cairo, Egypt (see GSN, Oct. 19). The meeting was set to address nuclear counterterrorism, efforts to secure potential nuclear-weapon ingredients and efforts to establish a WMD-free zone in the Middle East.
All countries should encourage Jerusalem to abandon its atomic arsenal and join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Ihsanoglu said. He backed the right of all states to develop civilian nuclear power programs while arguing it was indefensible to permit only certain nations to possess nuclear weapons.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog is not an appropriate forum for lobbying Israel to join the nonproliferation pact, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in September. Jerusalem has offered complete cooperation with the Vienna-based atomic agency, he said (Press TV, Oct. 20).
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20101021_4764.php
North Korea Reported to be Readying New Nuke Test
(Oct. 21) - North Korean soldiers stand guard yesterday at Panmunjom, near the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Koreas. Increased activity at a site in North Korea suggests Pyongyang could be preparing to conduct a third nuclear test, a South Korean official said (Park Ji-hwan/Getty Images). Fully aware it is monitored by satellites, Pyongyang could be simply shifting equipment around in a ruse to suggest test preparations. The United States last spring rejected reports that the North was preparing to detonate a third test device.
North Korea carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Those tests were used by autocratic ruler Kim Jong Il to increase his standing domestically and to build support for his military-first policy.
Another test would bolster the Stalinist state's capacity to build strategic arms while also reducing its quantity of weapon-ready material. The North is believed to have fissile material stores adequate for building six to eight weapons (Jeremy Laurence, Reuters, Oct. 20).
The anonymous government source told Chosun that "hectic movements of personnel and vehicles have recently been detected in Punggyeri," Agence France-Presse reported.
North Korea also seemed to be repairing tunnels destroyed by the previous two nuclear tests, the source said.
"However, it is unlikely (the North will) carry it out soon. It is expected to take another three months (to complete preparations for a third test)," the source said.
A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman, though, said there were no sure signs of groundwork for another nuclear test.
"We have no concrete evidence to support the news report," the spokesman said. "We're watching closely any development concerning the North's nuclear facilities and sharing information with countries concerned."
An unidentified South Korean Defense Ministry official indicated activities like those reported by newspaper were fairly standard, potentially for the regular upkeep of important strategic installations. More at:
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20101021_7499.php
Is N.Korea Preparing for Another Nuke Test?
Is N.Korea Preparing for Another Nuke Test?
This image taken on Oct. 16, 2006 by South Korea's multipurpose satellite Arirang No. 2 shows Punggye-ri in North Hamgyong Province, believed to be the site of North Korea's nuclear tests. /Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Research Institute A South Korean government source on Wednesday said "brisk movement" of vehicles and people has been detected in Punggye-ri recently, including signs of activity there to repair a tunnel that collapsed after the two earlier nuclear tests.
However, it seems unlikely that the North will conduct a third nuclear test in the immediate future since current activities there suggest it will take "about three months" to prepare, the source added.
There is speculation that the North will attempt to reach a deal with the South Korean and the U.S. governments to ease sanctions while giving the impression that it is constantly ready to perform another nuclear test.
Why People Are Afraid of Nuclear Power By: David Ropeik | The Moscow Times
Both sides argue about the facts, but underlying that debate is an argument about how those facts feel. How risk is perceived — whether the risk is nuclear power or genetically modified food or any other potential threat — is never a purely rational, fact-based process.
Decades of research have found that risk perception is an affective combination of facts and fears, intellect and instinct, reason and gut reaction. It is an inescapably subjective process — one that has helped us survive, but that sometimes gets us into more trouble because we often worry too much about relatively smaller risks, or not enough about bigger ones, and make choices that feel right, but that actually create new risks.
So, as Germany grapples with the issue of nuclear power, there are important lessons to be learned, not only about nuclear power per se, but also about how we perceive risk in the first place, because understanding that subjective system is the first step toward avoiding its pitfalls.
Consider the two aspects of the risk of nuclear radiation: the facts and the feelings. More at:
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/why-people-are-afraid-of-nuclear-power/420621.html
Renewed TVA projects could spark business for Areva, B&W
Two utilities have commenced groundwork for reactors located in Georgia and South Carolina, which is an indicator that the development of new facilities is not delayed, said Mitch Singer, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute. These projects could secure approval from federal and state regulators during 2011, Singer added. The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.)
Vt. DPS chief: VY is safe
Vt. official says Vermont Yankee plant continues to operate safely
Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant can continue to operate safely, said David O'Brien, commissioner of the state Department of Public Service. "The plant scores highly in industry peer review, and its problems, although well-publicized, do not pose health concerns," he said during the 90th annual meeting of Associated Industries of Vermont. The facility and renewable sources should each be included in the state's future, O'Brien said. Brattleboro Reformer (Vt.)
Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant can continue to operate safely, said David O'Brien, commissioner of the state Department of Public Service. "The plant scores highly in industry peer review, and its problems, although well-publicized, do not pose health concerns," he said during the 90th annual meeting of Associated Industries of Vermont. The facility and renewable sources should each be included in the state's future, O'Brien said. Brattleboro Reformer (Vt.)
Nuclear power will cut Italy emissions: official
Italy's nuclear revival will boost country's image, official says
The Italian government's decision to resume nuclear energy production will improve the country's standing internationally and help fulfill its commitment to cut back on emissions, said Stefano Saglia, Italy's junior minister for energy. The government issued a decree in February to overturn a decades-old moratorium on nuclear energy. Google/Agence France-Presse
The Italian government's decision to resume nuclear energy production will improve the country's standing internationally and help fulfill its commitment to cut back on emissions, said Stefano Saglia, Italy's junior minister for energy. The government issued a decree in February to overturn a decades-old moratorium on nuclear energy. Google/Agence France-Presse
Iran Claims To Have Produced 30 Kilograms Of Enriched Uranium
(RTTNews) - Iran, slammed with a fifth round of UN sanctions for not stopping uranium enrichment, has already produced 30 kilograms of the potential nuclear-bomb-making material, according to the nation's atomic chief.http://www.rttnews.com/Content/MarketSensitiveNews.aspx?Id=1450741&SM=1
Nuclear Plan Shows Cuts and Massive Investments
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| The Obama administration’s first nuclear weapons stockpile management plan is ready |
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has sent Congress the FY 2011 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) with new information about what the administration plans to spend on maintaining and modernizing nuclear weapons and facilities over the next 15-20 years.
FAS and UCS got hold of the unclassified sections of the plan and have analyzed what the Obama administration’s first nuclear weapons management plan tells us about how the Prague speech vision will be translated into national nuclear weapons policy. The SSMP consists of five sections (three are unclassified):
- FY 2011 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan Summary (unclassified)
- Annex A – FY 2011 Stockpile Stewardship Plan (unclassified)
- Annex B – FY 2011 Stockpile Management Plan (classified)
- Annex C – FY 2011 Science, Technology, and Engineering Report on Stockpile Stewardship Criteria and Assessment of Stockpile Stewardship Program (classified), and
- Annex D – FY 2011 Biennial Plan and Budget Assessment on the Modernization and Refurbishment of the Nuclear Security Complex (unclassified)
http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2010/07/stockpileplan.php?utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_content=micheletkearney%40gmail.com&utm_campaign=Accomplishment+blast-+10-20-10-+FAS+supporters
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