As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions Of Gallons Of Water Lost
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/29/359875321/as-infrastructure-crumbles-trillions-of-gallons-of-water-lost
Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Thursday, October 30, 2014
As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions Of Gallons Of Water Lost
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/29/359875321/as-infrastructure-crumbles-trillions-of-gallons-of-water-lost
Energy Boom Can Withstand Steeper Oil-Price Drop
Energy Boom Can Withstand Steeper Oil-Price Drop
Some Smaller U.S. Producers Are Likely to Face Pinch From a More-Modest Decline
http://online.wsj.com/articles/energy-boom-can-withstand-steeper-oil-price-drop-1414627471
Will a Breakthrough Solar Technology See the Light of Day? MIT Technology Review
Will a Breakthrough Solar Technology See the Light of Day?
A startup that might have a record-breaking solar cell is in danger of going out of business. http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/531756/will-a-breakthrough-solar-technology-see-the-light-of-day/
Can Europe Keep the Lights On This Winter?
Can Europe Keep the Lights On This Winter?
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-10-30/can-europe-keep-the-lights-on-this-winter
EIA: Nuclear Regulatory Commission resumes license renewals for nuclear power plants
9, 2014
Following a two-year hiatus, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has resumed issuing license renewals for nuclear power plants. On October 20, the NRC renewed the operating licenses for Limerick Generating Station Units 1 and 2, located northwest of Philadelphia, extending their license expiration dates by 20 years, to 2044 and 2049, respectively. With this action, the NRC has granted license renewals providing a 20-year extension to a total of 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the United States. Nuclear power accounted for 20% of total power sector electricity generation in 2013.
NRC has the authority to issue initial operating licenses for commercial nuclear power plants for a period of 40 years. The decision to apply for an operating license renewal is made by nuclear power plant owners, and it is typically based on economics and the ability to meet NRC regulations. Operating licenses are renewed by NRC for a period of 20 years. To date, no applications for a second, or subsequent, license renewal, which could extend nuclear plant operating lives to 80 years, have been filed.
Renewing an operating license is contingent on several factors, including the safe management and disposal of waste. The NRC must determine that it has reasonable confidence that spent nuclear fuel can and will, in due course, be disposed of safely. This is known as waste confidence. Waste confidence enables the NRC to license new reactors or renew their operating licenses without examining the effects of extended waste storage for each individual site pending ultimate disposal.
In June 2012, following the termination of the repository program at Yucca Mountain, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down certain provisions of NRC's Waste Confidence Rule and stated that NRC should have analyzed the environmental consequences of never building a permanent waste repository. In response, the NRC issued an order in August 2012 that suspended actions related to issuing license renewals as well as new operating licenses, although the nuclear power industry continued to submit applications for license renewals. On September 18, 2014, the NRC issued the revised and renamed Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel rule, which became effective on October 20. With the issuance of the revised rule, the NRC may now resume issuing license renewals as well as new operating licenses.
NRC is currently reviewing license renewal applications for 17 reactors, including one for Indian Point Unit 2. Although the September 2013 expiration date of the original 40-year operating license for that plant is already past, NRC rules allow for continued operation of a reactor until the NRC completes its review of a pending license renewal if the application was submitted at least five years before the current license expires. Indian Point Unit 2, located on the Hudson River north of New York City, currently continues to operate according to this process, known as timely renewal. To date, Indian Point Unit 2 is the only reactor that has entered the process of timely renewal.
NRC also expects to receive license renewal applications from seven more reactors between 2015 and 2018. Plans for only one plant have not yet been announced; however, license expiration for this plant is not a near-term issue.
Principal contributor: Nancy Slater-Thompson
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=18591&src=email
Nuclear Regulatory Commission resumes license renewals for nuclear power plants
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Following a two-year hiatus, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has resumed issuing license renewals for nuclear power plants. On October 20, the NRC renewed the operating licenses for Limerick Generating Station Units 1 and 2, located northwest of Philadelphia, extending their license expiration dates by 20 years, to 2044 and 2049, respectively. With this action, the NRC has granted license renewals providing a 20-year extension to a total of 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the United States. Nuclear power accounted for 20% of total power sector electricity generation in 2013.
NRC has the authority to issue initial operating licenses for commercial nuclear power plants for a period of 40 years. The decision to apply for an operating license renewal is made by nuclear power plant owners, and it is typically based on economics and the ability to meet NRC regulations. Operating licenses are renewed by NRC for a period of 20 years. To date, no applications for a second, or subsequent, license renewal, which could extend nuclear plant operating lives to 80 years, have been filed.
Renewing an operating license is contingent on several factors, including the safe management and disposal of waste. The NRC must determine that it has reasonable confidence that spent nuclear fuel can and will, in due course, be disposed of safely. This is known as waste confidence. Waste confidence enables the NRC to license new reactors or renew their operating licenses without examining the effects of extended waste storage for each individual site pending ultimate disposal.
In June 2012, following the termination of the repository program at Yucca Mountain, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down certain provisions of NRC's Waste Confidence Rule and stated that NRC should have analyzed the environmental consequences of never building a permanent waste repository. In response, the NRC issued an order in August 2012 that suspended actions related to issuing license renewals as well as new operating licenses, although the nuclear power industry continued to submit applications for license renewals. On September 18, 2014, the NRC issued the revised and renamed Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel rule, which became effective on October 20. With the issuance of the revised rule, the NRC may now resume issuing license renewals as well as new operating licenses.
NRC is currently reviewing license renewal applications for 17 reactors, including one for Indian Point Unit 2. Although the September 2013 expiration date of the original 40-year operating license for that plant is already past, NRC rules allow for continued operation of a reactor until the NRC completes its review of a pending license renewal if the application was submitted at least five years before the current license expires. Indian Point Unit 2, located on the Hudson River north of New York City, currently continues to operate according to this process, known as timely renewal. To date, Indian Point Unit 2 is the only reactor that has entered the process of timely renewal.
NRC also expects to receive license renewal applications from seven more reactors between 2015 and 2018. Plans for only one plant have not yet been announced; however, license expiration for this plant is not a near-term issue.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Principal contributor: Nancy Slater-Thompson
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=18591&src=email
Westinghouse to Supply Advanced Safety System to Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants
Westinghouse to Supply Advanced Safety System to Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants -
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/30/678031/10105392/en/Westinghouse-to-Supply-Advanced-Safety-System-to-Ukraine-Nuclear-Power-Plants.html
Westinghouse to Supply Advanced Safety System to Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants
- See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/30/678031/10105392/en/Westinghouse-to-Supply-Advanced-Safety-System-to-Ukraine-Nuclear-Power-Plants.html#sthash.7pbqvgqh.dpufhttp://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/30/678031/10105392/en/Westinghouse-to-Supply-Advanced-Safety-System-to-Ukraine-Nuclear-Power-Plants.html
In U.S. Cleanup Efforts, Accident at Nuclear Site Points to Cost of Lapses
In U.S. Cleanup Efforts, Accident at Nuclear Site Points to Cost of Lapses
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/us/in-us-cleanup-efforts-accident-at-nuclear-site-points-to-cost-of-lapses.html?_r=0
Uzbekistan calls for help over disappearing Aral Sea
Uzbekistan calls for help over disappearing Aral Sea
Urgench, Uzbekistan (AFP) Oct 29, 2014 - Uzbekistan on Wednesday called for more international help over the shrinking of the Aral Sea, after recent images showed part of the lake had dried up completely. In an environmental catastrophe that haunts Central Asia, the Aral Sea on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has been ravaged due to Soviet irrigation projects dating back to the 1960s. Last month NASA said satellite ima ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Uzbekistan_calls_for_help_over_disappearing_Aral_Sea_999.html
Urgench, Uzbekistan (AFP) Oct 29, 2014 - Uzbekistan on Wednesday called for more international help over the shrinking of the Aral Sea, after recent images showed part of the lake had dried up completely. In an environmental catastrophe that haunts Central Asia, the Aral Sea on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has been ravaged due to Soviet irrigation projects dating back to the 1960s. Last month NASA said satellite ima ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Uzbekistan_calls_for_help_over_disappearing_Aral_Sea_999.html
At Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, Energy Production Falling Well Short of Expectations
At Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, Energy Production Falling Well Short of Expectations
By Pete Danko
Whether
scorched birds are a major issue at the Ivanpah Solar Electric
Generating System in California is a matter of dispute. But the “power
tower” solar plant and its owners – NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource
Energy – might have an even more fundamental problem on their hands:
generating adequate electricity. The Mojave Desert plant,
Falling Oil Prices and Saudi Decisionmaking
Falling Oil Prices and Saudi Decisionmaking
By Simon Henderson
As
prices drop to around $80 per barrel, more attention is being focused
on the mindset of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. The 20
percent decline in oil prices over the past three months has been
attributed to a wide range of factors, including declining growth in
China, poor growth in Europe, and
US Natural Gas Market Players Move from ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ to ‘All In’
By Jared Anderson
Surging
US natural gas production is increasingly bumping up against
infrastructure constraints, and while billions of dollars of investment
in incremental pipeline capacity has been announced, numerous challenges
remain. Environmental concerns, pipeline opposition, regulatory
uncertainty and financial challenges represent short-term headwinds to
an industry with an optimistic long-term outlook. These are some of the
findings
Energy Department Announces New Lab Program to Accelerate Commercialization of Clean Energy Technologies
Energy Department Announces New Lab Program to Accelerate Commercialization of Clean Energy Technologies
By U.S. Department of Energy
Energy
Department Announces New Lab Program to Accelerate Commercialization of
Clean Energy Technologies Lab-Corps Will Help Move Innovative
Technologies from National Labs into the Marketplace WASHINGTON – Today,
the Department of Energy launched a new $2.3 million pilot program to
accelerate the transfer of innovative clean energy technologies from the
DOE’s National Laboratories into the commercial
Energy News Roundup: CO2-EOR Analysis, NY Hits 10k EVs and Shell Midstream Hits Ground Running
Thursday, October 30, 2014Energy News Roundup: CO2-EOR Analysis, NY Hits 10k EVs and Shell Midstream Hits Ground RunningBy Jared Anderson
The
future of carbon-dioxide enhanced oil recovery looks mixed, with the US
unconventional resource boom potentially limiting growth CO2-EOR
growth. “The shale (tight) oil revolution is an under-discussed threat
to CO2 EOR prospects. The table below shows the 15 largest CO2 EOR
producers in North America ranked alongside the 15 largest spenders in
the shale
|
Detected: Russian Government Infiltrating U.S. Power Grid
Detected: Russian Government Infiltrating U.S. Power Grid
http://www.darkgovernment.com/
North American utilities are scouring their systems for signs of Russian malware
that the U.S. government has warned could give hackers control of water
treatment facilities and parts of the electrical grid.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued alerts about digital attacks on
utility computer systems on Oct. 8, Oct. 17 and Oct. 28. The [...]
George Shultz: “Climate is changing,” and we need more action
George Shultz: “Climate is changing,” and we need more action
Former secretary of state — and former MIT professor — urges progress on multiple fronts.
http://mitei.mit.edu/news/george-shultz-climate-changing-and-we-need-more-action?utm_source=MIT+Energy+Initiative&utm_campaign=99c1142f5d-eNewsletter_Test10_16_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb3c6d9c51-99c1142f5d-70117141
Charles Forsberg awarded Seaborg Medal by American Nuclear Society
Charles Forsberg awarded Seaborg Medal by American Nuclear Society
http://mitei.mit.edu/news/charles-forsberg-awarded-seaborg-medal-american-nuclear-society?utm_source=MIT+Energy+Initiative&utm_campaign=99c1142f5d-eNewsletter_Test10_16_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb3c6d9c51-99c1142f5d-70117141
We Love Electricity: Why the World Needs Nuclear
We Love Electricity: Why the World Needs Nuclear
We Love Electricity: Why the World Needs Nuclear | Energy for Humanity weloveelectricity.org
How do we meet global energy needs and stop
climate change? A growing number of environmentalists say nuclear energy
must be part of the solution.
CNNC Signed Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Hebei Province
CNNC Signed Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Hebei Province
CNNC held talks with and signed strategic
cooperation agreement with relevant leaders from Hebei province on
October 23th. Chairman of CNNC, Sun Qin, General Manager of CNNC, Qian
Zhimin, Secretary of Hebei Provincial Party Committee, Zhou Benshun,
Governor Zhang Qingwei and Executive Vice Governor Yang Chongyong
attended the signing ceremony.
Zhou Benshun said Hebei province will greatly cherish those two opportunities of CNNC, the nuclear power project and nuclear power industrial park to be built in Hebei province. After meeting, Qian Zhimin and Yang Chongyong jointly signed Strategic Cooperation Agreement between CNNC and Hebei Province and together inaugurated the new company, CNNC Huadian Hebei Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
Source: http://news.bjx.com.cn/
Zhou Benshun said Hebei province will greatly cherish those two opportunities of CNNC, the nuclear power project and nuclear power industrial park to be built in Hebei province. After meeting, Qian Zhimin and Yang Chongyong jointly signed Strategic Cooperation Agreement between CNNC and Hebei Province and together inaugurated the new company, CNNC Huadian Hebei Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
Source: http://news.bjx.com.cn/
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£13m fund for nuclear power technologies
£13m fund for nuclear power technologies
Business secretary Vince Cable today announced a new £13m fund to help develop innovative technologies for the current and next generation of nuclear power stations.http://www.bqlive.co.uk/2014/10/30/13m-fund-for-nuclear-power-technologies/
Westinghouse to Supply Advanced Safety System to Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants
Westinghouse to Supply Advanced Safety System to Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/30/678031/10105392/en/Westinghouse-to-Supply-Advanced-Safety-System-to-Ukraine-Nuclear-Power-Plants.html
Westinghouse
to Supply Advanced Safety System to Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants - See
more at:
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/30/678031/10105392/en/Westinghouse-to-Supply-Advanced-Safety-System-to-Ukraine-Nuclear-Power-Plants.html#sthash.2nHYPaZ3.dpuf
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/30/678031/10105392/en/Westinghouse-to-Supply-Advanced-Safety-System-to-Ukraine-Nuclear-Power-Plants.html
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