People don’t have to dig deep to invest in shale energy

U.S. shale exuberance may need to be tempered

New Year despair for Japan's nuclear refugees

New Year despair for Japan's nuclear refugees

from Nuclear Power Technology, Science And Industry News

Tokyo (AFP) Dec 30, 2011
As most of Japan prepares to ring in the New Year at the end of a traumatic 2011, refugees from the country's nuclear crisis relocated far from home say they have nothing to celebrate. All over the country families will gather for a midnight trip to a shrine, many donning traditional kimono for the centrepiece of several days of celebration during one of Japan's most important festivals.

Les Echos: “Nuclear freeze beginning to thaw”

Les Echos: “Nuclear freeze beginning to thaw”

from AREVA North America: Next Energy Blog by AREVA North America Blog

Review of 2011: Figures following Fukushima

Review of 2011: Figures following Fukushima

Post-Fukushima: Signs Of A New Surge In Nuclear Plant Construction

Fukushima raised serious questions about nuclear safety and prompted a global building freeze on new atomic power plants. But as 2012 begins, it is becoming clear that the freeze is beginning to thaw. And the BRICS nations will lead the way.

NRC seeks comment on assumptions for EIS of extended storage of spent nuclear fuel

Palisades nuclear plant bumped down in status by NRC; Entergy Nuclear to dispute other findings next week

Misreporting Fukushima: A Failure of Science Journalism with Global Repercussions? Monday, February 20, 2012: 9:45 AM-12:45 PM

Readers may be interested  how the events at Fukushima were covered in the media. A symposium on the topic will be at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, which publishes Science magazine/journal). The symposium summary, speaker list and talk titles are linked and pasted below.

The AAAS annual meeting draws hundreds of reporters, editors and producers from all over the world, so this symposium has the potential to reach the right ears. The diverse speaker affiliations may also help emphasize that criticism of Fukushima coverage is not just coming from "pro-nuclear shills." I'm not sure if anyone from this list will be at the meeting, but I'll plan to live tweet from this session using either @INL or @nicstrick handles.

http://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2012/webprogram/Session4515.html
Misreporting Fukushima: A Failure of Science Journalism with Global Repercussions? Monday, February 20, 2012: 9:45 AM-12:45 PM
Room 118 (VCC West Building)
The Tohoku great earthquake caused thousands of deaths, almost all as a result of the tsunamis, and caused extensive damage to food and water supplies, medical services, power, and communications. Whole towns in Japan were sluiced away by one of the greatest natural disasters to strike a major industrialized nation in a century. But the world's focus was drawn to a potential disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant and the prospect of losing control over its nuclear reactors. According to a recent study, the reporting on Fukushima led to a global drop in support for nuclear power. Six industrialized nations — Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan — announced plans to curtail or cancel their nuclear programs despite pressures to reduce fossil fuel–based power generation. Why did global reporting shift from one of the biggest earthquakes in history into a story of nuclear risk? Why does the invisible menace of nuclear power catch the imagination in global reporting unlike other conspicuous tragedies such as earthquakes, population displacement, or destruction of other major infrastructures? Instantaneous global communication now offers an opportunity to get accurate information, scientifically based advice, and valuable informed commentary in seconds. While 24-hour commentary can be noise rich and data poor, this is not inevitable. What steps could be taken to communicate the risks of damage to major infrastructure and avoid a communication meltdown during major disasters?

Organizer: Julia Wilson, Sense About Science
Co-Organizer: Michael Hanlon, The Daily Mail
Moderator: Tracey Brown, Sense About Science
Discussant: Mark Henderson, The Times

Speakers:
Paddy Regan, University of Surrey
Radiation, Public Perception, and Nuclear Superstition: Why Are We Scared of the Atom?
Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Council of Canadian Academies
Nuclear Policy: A Global Environmental and Legal Perspective
Michael Hanlon, The Daily Mail
Communication Failure: How the World's Media Got Their Wires Crossed over Fukushima
Albert Yuan, San Lian Life Weekly
Seismic Quackery, Earthquake Prediction, and Panic
Pieter Doornenbal, RIKEN
The Perspective from Japan: Rising Panic and Common Sense
Ramesh Sadhankar, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
A Technical Perspective

Nicole Stricker, PhD.
Science Press Officer
Idaho National Laboratory
208-526-5955 (o), 208-520-3230 (c)

Nuclear numbers down despite connections

Nuclear numbers down despite connections

from World Nuclear News by Jeremy Gordon

Six new nuclear power reactors were connected to the world's electricity grids in 2011, adding over 4000 MWe of generation capacity. Thirteen units were closed permanently, all but one as a direct result of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi.

Post-Fukushima era begins for France

Post-Fukushima era begins for France

from World Nuclear News by Jeremy Gordon

EDF's fleet of 58 reactors needs upgrades 'as quickly as possible' to be sufficiently robust in extreme situations, said France's nuclear safety regulator.

2nd Annual Small Modular Reactor Conference 25-26 April 2012, Columbia South Carolina, USA

2nd Annual Small Modular Reactor Conference 25-26 April 2012, Columbia South Carolina, USA Contact Us Organised by

Conference Exhibition & Sponsorship Nuclear Energy Insider History Registration

Home Agenda Speakers Attendees Venue Testimonials MENA Report Tour

Agenda This year over 400 hours of research was spent sculpting a bullet proof agenda which is guarenteed to give you the tools and business critical knowledge you need to overcome key challenges and obstacles in the SMR industry. For exclusive discounts and full conference details download the conference brochure here. Section 1: Licensing SMRs for Commercial Deployment in the USA SMR licencing update Access the latest updates from the NRC and discover how to best navigate the emerging regulatory framework for SMR development Examine the current annual fees and planned amendments the NRC are developing in order to accelerate the development of SMR’s across the USA Understand the industry’s role to highlight regulatory barriers such as the Price-Anderson act and develop solutions with the NRC and push SMR deployment forward Mike Mayfield – Director of Advanced Reactors, US NRC Licensing multiple units Identify and mitigate the knowledge gaps that occur when licencing SMR fleets to avoid costly pitfalls See the planned amendments to the legislative framework regarding the installation of additional units over time and analyse the economic and operational impact for owners Build a best practice plan to approach SMR fleet licensing to drive forward commercial nuclear development in the USA Section 2: Market Analysis and Demand Nationwide SMR Power Generation Discover why electricity cooperatives are anticipating commercial SMR deployment for power generation and understand the needs and requirements of NRECA members Detail the fleet of aging coal facilities owned by national cooperative members and detail how the implementation of CO2 taxes would impacts power generation for rural markets See why SMRs offer a good option for aging coal facilities and can generate cost efficient clean power by utilising exiting transmission lines, substations and supporting facilities John Holt – Senior Manager for Generation and Fuel, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association SMR's Niche - Coal Under Attack Detail how SMRs can add boost generation efficiency economically with comparable aging generation facilities including coal, gas and fossil Compare the economics and ROI of replacing these aging facilities with SMRs in relation to raising operational costs and EPA regulations Analyse the opportunity for fleet wide SMR deployment across aging coal facilities and why this niche may be key for full SMR commercialization in the USA Steve Byrne – Executive VP of Power Generation, SCANA Utility Perspective Panel Session Hear directly from US nuclear utilities as they examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of deploying SMRs as part of the energy mix Understand the drivers for US utilities to opt for SMRs and detail the requirements commercial utilities need to move forward with commercial SMR programs Identify the challenges utilities perceive with commercial SMR programs and build a strategy to deploy cost efficient commercial SMR programs Kent Miller – CFO, Unistar Steve Byrne – Executive VP of Power Generation, SCANA Non-traditional Market Applications for SMRs - PANEL Examine power requirements of industrial and other sectors that require SMRs to continue efficient business operations Detail case studies from the Department of Defence, mining industries, oil sands projects, steel mills and other sectors which are considering SMRs as a power solution Take-away business critical intelligence that will build your SMR strategy by understanding the key needs and demands of the non-power industry John Holt – Senior Manager for Generation and Fuel, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Paul Farrell – President and CEO, Radix Power and Energy International Markets, new market penetration and competition - PANEL Get details from the world energy demand and access other nations plans for SMR development Hear from international utilities that are looking to install SMR’s and understand the technological and business requirements to install new technologies in established international power markets Examine other nation’s SMR programs and forecast delivery times and competition between reactor vendors Li Jinying – General Manager, China Resources Jorn-Erik Mantz – Director of New Build, RWE and Horizon Nuclear Power Section 3: Technology Development and Application LWR SMR Technologies Analyse the current licencing updates for LWR SMR technologies and detail the regulatory pros and cons of this technology Receive exclusive technology and design updates from LWR vendors including NuScale, KAERI, MPower and Westinghouse Discuss the delivery timelines of the current  LWR technologies and access a full SWOT analysis of each design Paul Lorenzini – CEO, NuScale Power Dr. Hark Rho Kim – Vice President, KAERI Non-LWR and Advanced Reactor Technologies See the current licensing approaches and strategies for non-LWR technologies and forecasts of potential market availability Examine the design and planning for non-LWR technologies to best understand the applications these reactors are best suited to Identify and mitigate the risks in the development of non-LWR SMRs to best align the right technology to your specific energy demand Section 4: Economics of Project Development and Completion Project deployment and development costs for SMRs Understand how SMR commercialization can only be achieved by developing a solid business case that details risk, ROI and comparable benefits against alternative energy solutions Detail the cost variables for first-of-a-kind engineering and understand why SMRs offer a very compelling comparative investment opportunity for power generation Develop a financial plan by accounting for front end investment, design, construction and full lifecycle  expenses to produce an accurate cost estimation Han Kwon Choi – Director of Advanced Reactor Projects, URS Localisation, manufacturing and US industry support to offer competitive SMR programs Examine the cross-industry manufacturing, forging and engineering capabilities and see how this experience can be utilised to aid the SMR supply chain Understand why the shipbuilding, defence and aerospace engineering expertise provide an industrial foundation that will make US SMR programs competitive on an international scale Detail where the technology and knowledge gaps occur and which industry expertise can help the SMR industry to progress rapidly Cost efficient Supply Chain Case Study See why the integration of design and manufacturing and upfront investment generates viable technology development for first-of-a-kind projects Discover why copying an efficient manufacturing factory model from the defence sector can ensure commercial success by driving down cost and overruns in the supply chain Analyse the similarities and differences between submarine reactor manufacturing and to commercial reactor development and take away key lessons to develop an efficient SMR supply chain Jim Moody - Commercial Director, General Dynamics Electric Boat Section 5: Government Policy to Support SMR Development DOE and Government action and support Examine the DOE’s research into SMR market demand against cost in order to see how the DOE plans to stimulate future growth in this sector Understand where new reactor technologies fit into the DOE’s strategy for supporting design and licensing Hear the latest updates from the DOEs SMR development program and how central government are looking to aid new projects across the USA Industry response and policy reform Discover how the industry is pushing forward a regulatory framework that ensures appropriate safety, security, emergency management and financial requirements for SMR deployment. Understand the importance of efficient public-private partnerships that will support SMR design certification, licensing and accelerate the time for new reactors to reach the market Learn why it is vital for the U.S. to establish an integrated nuclear trade agenda in order to capture its share of the emerging global SMR market Paul Genoa – Senior Director of Policy, Nuclear Energy Institute Congressional policy development to accelerate SMR development across the USA Highlight the importance of national Government influence and how senior level political support is vital to develop internationally competitive SMR projects Understand the political and technical challenges on new nuclear technologies in the US to better understand how to approach SMR Work with the guidance of political decision makers to drive forward police and support that accelerates SMR programs across the nation Moderated by Stephen Benjamin – Mayor of the City of Columbia, South Carolina Section 6: Key Case Studies and Lessons Learned Challenges faced during commercial operation of small power plants See how SMRs have been effectively commissioned, licenced, and operated in the US and what factors caused problems with this once successful commercial technology Examine why current licencing structures have caused small commercial reactors to prematurely retire and learn how you can effectively tackle this issue in new SMR projects Take away key lessons learned from the commercial operations of small reactors in order to build an efficient licensing and operation strategy for new SMRs John Parkyn - CEO, Dairyland Power Cooperative Challenges and obstacles faced with the deployment of SMR reactors Learn how economic fuel prices demand, critical infrastructure and pressure on local and government bodies has influenced unique legislation and licensing applications for SMRs Understand how public acceptance and active support directly drove forward SMR deployment in rural municipalities Build a commercial SMR deployment strategy that mitigates licencing and regulatory risk by taking away key lessons learned from this case study Marvin Yoder - City Manager Galena Alaska and Partner MY:T Solutions TVA Clinch River Case Study Understand why SMRs are considered an important element of the energy mix for TVA and why the decision was made to pursue with small modular reactors at the Clinch River Site Understand TVA’s view of the profitability and liability for SMR’s in comparison to traditional nuclear reactor construction Get an up-to-date case study of the current project, as well as a forward schedule and key timelines Top

Analyzing the Global Market for Nuclear Reactor Coolant Pumps

Bloomberg

EDF Reactor Extensions May Cost $65 Billion on Safety Review

Areva Signs $500M Contract With Xcel Energy To Supply Nuclear Fuel

The Fukushima Effect Continues: French Nuclear Builder AREVA Announces Losses and Redundancies Amid Slew of Cancelled Projects Source: Clean Technica

The Fukushima Effect Continues: French Nuclear Builder AREVA Announces Losses and Redundancies Amid Slew of Cancelled Projects

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/155JB)The Fukushima Effect Continues: French Nuclear Builder AREVA Announces Losses and Redundancies Amid Slew of Cancelled Projects  Source: Clean Technica

Nuclear Risk in Perspective: Making Fact-Based Energy Choices

Nuclear Risk in Perspective: Making Fact-Based Energy Choices

Independent Japanese Panel to Study Fukushima Causes

ANS Nuclear Cafe All Things Nuclear Little ado about nothing

 

ANS Nuclear Cafe

All Things Nuclear

Little ado about nothing

IAEA Looking Ahead to 2012 A preview of selected events scheduled for the year

3January 2012

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Looking Ahead to 2012

A preview of selected events scheduled for the year

Staff report

Nuclear issues, particularly as they pertain to nuclear proliferation, nuclear safety and sustainable energy development, will continue to occupy the global agenda in 2012. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

Story Resources

• 2011 in Review
• 2011 in Pictures, 30 December 2011
• Listen to this story

What's ahead for the IAEA and the global nuclear agenda in 2012? Following is a preview of selected meetings and events on this year’s nuclear calendar:
January 2012

• Thailand will host the 10th International Conference on Nuclear Analytical Methods in Life Sciences.
• In Trieste, Italy, a joint ICTP-IAEA workshop on fusion plasma modelling using atomic and molecular data will run for two weeks.
• Global leaders meet in Davos at the World Economic Forum. Sessions include debates on agriculture and food security and the mitigation of climate change.

February

• Nuclear communication professionals will gather in Warsaw, Poland for the International Conference on Public Information Materials Exchange (PIME) 2012.
• February 4 will mark the global observation of World Cancer Day.
• In Tucson, Arizona, over 2,000 participants will be attending the annual waste management conference organized by the Waste Management Symposia in cooperation with the IAEA.
• Saudi Arabia will host an International Conference on Radiation in Medicine.

March

• International experts will meet in Vienna to discuss reactor and spent fuel safety in light of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
• Water and food security will be the over-riding theme for the yearly observance of World Water Day.
• More than 50 heads of states and international organizations are expected at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in March 2012. It will be the largest summit in the security field that discusses international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups.

May

• From 7 to 18 May 2012, professionals from developing countries with an educational background in a discipline related to nuclear security will attend the IAEA-ICTP International School on Nuclear Security taking place in Trieste, Italy.
• The theme of the 13th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) is Living with Radiation - Engaging with Society. The congress will take place from 12-18 May 2012 in Glasgow, UK and will focus on the importance of the engagement between radiation protection specialists and local communities and other stakeholders.
• The IAEA, the European Commission Joint Research Centre and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency will jointly organize the 3rd International Conference on NPP Life Management for Long Term Operations. The conference will discuss important, recent developments in the field.

June

• The green economy and the institutional framework for sustainable development are the main themes as the Rio +20, the major UN Conference on Sustainable Development gets underway from 20-22 June in Brazil.
• Producers, users and assessors of reference materials will meet at the 13th International Symposium on Biological and Environmental Reference Materials (BERM 13) in Vienna, Austria from 25-29 June 2011. Reference materials are one of the most important tools in assuring quality and supporting international comparability of measurement results.

July

• Farming practices that reduce carbon emissions and ensure food security will be the focus of an International Conference on Managing Soils for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation taking place from 23-26 July 2012 in Vienna, Austria. The meeting will be of interest to food and agriculture scientists, policy makers and donors.

September

• The 2012 Scientific Forum will be held from 18-19 September 2012 in the week of the IAEA annual General Conference 2012.

October

• From 8-13 October 2012, at the 24th Fusion Energy Conference, fusion physicists from all over the world will meet in San Diego, USA, to discuss challenges and accomplishments in the field and assess the worldwide progress achieved in nuclear fusion.

December

• In the last month of 2012, from 3-7 December 2012, the International Conference on Radiation Protection in Medicine, Setting the Scene for the Next Decade, will look at the challenges that lie ahead in the next ten years.