Is Obama Desperate to Precipitate a Nuclear War?

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/01/obama-desperate-precipitate-nuclear-war.html

We cannot rule out use of nuclear power - minister

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/we-cannot-rule-out-use-of-nuclear-power-minister-30872861.html

Top Scientists Urge Environmentalists To ‘Recognise And Support’ Nuclear

Top Scientists Urge Environmentalists To ‘Recognise And Support’ Nuclear

http://www.nucnet.org/all-the-news/2015/01/05/top-scientists-urge-environmentalists-to-recognise-and-support-nuclear

E.P.A. Wrestles With Role of Nuclear Plants in Carbon Emission Rules

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/business/energy-environment/epa-wrestles-with-role-of-nuclear-plants-in-carbon-emission-rules-.html?_r=0

US-China Climate Deal Underscores Need for Substantial Energy Innovation

http://theenergycollective.com/arthurhcyip/2170121/us-china-climate-deal-underscores-need-substantial-energy-innovation

Nuclear industry goes hysterically ballistic over Yankee shutdown

http://safeenergy.org/2015/01/05/nuclear-industry-goes-hysterical/

Nassim Taleb Would Counsel Entergy to Maintain Vermont Yankee’s Operating License

http://atomicinsights.com/nassim-taleb-counsel-entergy-maintain-vermont-yankees-operating-license/

More: Crude Oil Oil CRUDE OIL JUST BROKE $50

CRUDE OIL JUST BROKE $50

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/wti-breaks-50-a-barrel-january-5-2015-1#ixzz3NzFKWsl2

http://www.businessinsider.com/wti-breaks-50-a-barrel-january-5-2015-1?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Business%20Insider%20Select&utm_campaign=BI%20Select%20Mondays%202015-01-05&utm_content=BISelect

Westinghouse, Bechtel form alliance on nuclear decommissioning services

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/energy/2015/01/westinghouse-bechtel-form-alliance-on-nuclear.html

China to beef up nuclear submarine fleet by 2020: report

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150105000066&cid=1101

US And Iran Clinch Tentative Deal In Nuclear Talks: Iran Advised To Export Fissile Material To Russia

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/577922/20150105/nuclear-talks-iran-geneva-russia-uranium.htm#.VKsC6idGxFU

Russia and U.S. Nuclear Weapons Rivalry Feared; Russian Attack Robots Prepared to Protect Ballistic Missiles

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/577947/20150105/russia-united-states-nuclear-weapons-attack-robots.htm#.VKsCjidGxFU

OGFJ Weekly 1/52015

Welcome to the OGFJ Weekly!

OGFJ Weekly provides quick access to current and archived content made most popular by our readers over the past seven days. OGFJ Weekly content is compiled from the archives of OGFJ.com, Oil & Gas Financial Journal, and OGFJ newsletters. See what content caught readers' eyes recently--perhaps there's something you missed!

Continental makes another sharp capex cut As commodity price drops continue to put pressure on cash flow for numerous oil and gas companies, Continental Resources expects core assets in the Bakken and SCOOP plays to drive production growth despite another cut to the company's 2015 capital program. http://www.ogfj.com/articles/2014/12/continental-makes-another-sharp-capex-cut.html?cmpid=EnlOGFJJanuary52015.html Share:

Texas drilling permits fall in November and October The Texas Railroad Commission issued a total of 1,508 original drilling permits in November compared to 1,559 in November 2013. Share:

Fitch: Oil drop may slow US LNG, weaken economics The recent nearly 50% drop in oil prices may slow the momentum behind the development of US LNG facilities, according to Fitch Ratings. Oil price declines have weakened global LNG prices and could increase Henry Hub gas pricing, weakening current US LNG project economics. Share:

OGFJ's Photo of the Day Thank you for making OGFJ's new Photo of the Day slideshow one of this week's most-viewed content sections! Scroll through to see photos you may have missed. Share:

Wood Mackenzie: Global trends to look for in 2015 Oil market concerns will be inescapable in 2015, according to analysis from Wood Mackenzie. OPEC production targets and weaker than expected global economic growth are expected to put pressure on prices, forcing oil companies to adapt. Read more about the global trends to watch for in 2015. Share:

Final terms of Bakken pipeline project approved Energy Transfer Partners LP and Energy Transfer Equity LP approved the final terms of the previously announced transaction involving the Bakken pipeline project and Sunoco Logistics Partners LP general partner interest and incentive distribution rights exchange. Share:

Chesapeake closes Marcellus and Utica sale Chesapeake Energy closed its asset sale to Southwestern Energy Co. and completed additional initiatives as it looks to strengthen its financial position. Analysts say the company now sits on a 'mountain of cash' and is now poised to improve in 2015 despite the difficult commodity price environment. Share:

Drones in oil and gas Unmanned Aircraft Systems manufacturers are focusing on commercial applications of unmanned aircraft in the petroleum industry. Share:

Fiscal break-even oil prices for major OPEC members
One of the key drivers of the oil markets is the price at which principal OPEC producers balance their government accounts – better known as fiscal break-even oil prices. By monitoring the fluctuations of these break-even prices in major oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE, we can assess potential changes in OPEC’s desired level of global oil prices.
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PROSPECTS OF CREATION OF SUBCRITICAL MOLTEN SALT REACTOR IN RUSSIA

PROSPECTS OF CREATION OF SUBCRITICAL MOLTEN SALT REACTOR IN RUSSIA PDF file.

http://www.nikiet.ru/eng/images/stories/NIKIET/Publications/Conf/mntk_nikiet_2014/I-19_en.pdf

"In present work an analysis of possibilities to design molten-salt blanket for demonstration subcritical reactor was performed. Also the possibility was considered to use electro-nuclear neutron source for transmutation and incineration of MA from spent fuel of light-water VVER-type reactor, and for conversion Th-232 to U-233 and Pa-231 in thorium molten-salt blanket. " 

Toshiba Close to $1.6B Deal In China

Toshiba Close to $1.6B Deal In China

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2015/01/05/toshiba-close-to-_2400_1.6b-deal-in-china-010501.aspx#.VKroBnvlxbI

ANS’ CONTE 2015 — Know Before You Go

ANS’ CONTE 2015 — Know Before You Go By ansnuclearcafe on Jan 05, 2015 10:23 am An International Forum for the Discussion of Advances, Challenges and Learning Nuclear Energy Training and Education The 2015 ANS Conference on Nuclear Training and Education (CONTE) will be held February 1-4, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel, in Jacksonville, Florida. Learn … Continue reading → Read in browser »

More to read: Vermont Yankee: Born of “Yankee Ingenuity,” Now No More TOFE Topical Meeting – Winter 2014 Strong Industry Response to EPA Clean Power Plan Columbia celebrates three decades of clean electricity production Responding to System Demand II: Extreme Scenarios

Regulations could short-circuit a clean, reliable power source

http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/columnists/regulations-could-short-circuit-a-clean-reliable-power-source/article_23cff522-92bd-11e4-a995-7b80fecd2b68.html

Can Nuclear Energy Compete In Today's Energy Markets?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2015/01/05/can-nuclear-energy-compete-in-todays-energy-markets/

US NRC Blog Update: Documenting a Sobering Trip to Fukushima

Documenting a Sobering Trip to Fukushima

Leave a comment Posted by Moderator on January 5, 2015

Scott Burnell
Public Affairs Officer
As we mentioned on the blog last year, senior NRC leaders visited the site of the Fukushima nuclear accident and the surrounding area. Now, the agency has published a report that includes essays on what the team members learned. The report helps ensure current and future NRC staff can benefit from the team’s experience in the future.
The group included managers from the agency’s reactor oversight, research and emergency preparedness programs. They make up most of the agency’s Fukushima Steering Committee, which guides the staff’s implementation of what we learned from the accident. They also take active roles in ensuring U.S. nuclear power plants are prepared to deal with events similar to what happened at Fukushima experienced.
It’s clear from the team members’ essays that the visit affected them deeply. For example, Bill Dean (now director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation) was Administrator of the NRC’s Region I office outside Philadelphia when he took part in the trip. “Most importantly, it enabled us to observe firsthand the far-reaching impacts of a nuclear disaster—not only its physical effects on the facility and the surrounding countryside but also its impact on a nation’s psyche and its people,” Dean writes. “What resonated with each and every one of us is that we cannot allow a Fukushima-like event to occur in the United States.”
Marc Depas, Adminstrator of the Region IV office in Arlington, Texas, reflects on discussing the accident with plant staff at Fukushima. “Hearing these TEPCO employees describe what they faced and then seeing the actual physical configuration of equipment at the Fukushima sites left an indelible impression on me regarding the importance of being prepared for the unexpected,” Depas writes. “In that context, I considered the safety measures and enhancements that the NRC has required … The key in my view is to ensure that these safety measures are rigorously implemented and maintained.”
The team’s visit covered both the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and the nearby Fukushima Daini plant, which safely withstood the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The visit also covered Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, a nuclear power plant on Japan’s west coast that survived a strong 2007 earthquake.
You can read the essays from Dean and the other trip participants in the report, and you watch a summary video about the trip on the NRC’s YouTube channel.

Fukushima Update 1/5/15

Fukushima Update 1/5/15 –

Five older Japanese nukes could be decommissioned… All Fukushima harvested rice passed radiation tests in 2014… NRA chief Shunichi Tanaka says nuke restarts will bring greater responsibility to the watchdog… Local social and political opposition is stalling rural radioactive waste storage and disposal.

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-accident-updates.html