Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Saturday, September 23, 2023
(50) PG&E says customers likely to see big increase in power bills soon - YouTube
(50) PG&E says customers likely to see big increase in power bills soon - YouTube: PG&E says the rate increases are necessary to put 21,000 miles of power lines underground, but adds that the plan isn't enough to pay for all the necessary e...
Friday, September 22, 2023
Climate protests at UN Climate Week want to be too big and radical to ignore - Vox
Climate protests at UN Climate Week want to be too big and radical to ignore - Vox: How climate protesters want Biden to address the climate crisis.
Energy Department investing $325M in batteries that can better store clean electricity | The Hill
Energy Department investing $325M in batteries that can better store clean electricity | The Hill: The Energy Department will invest $325 million in batteries that can better store clean energy, it announced Friday. The funding will go toward 15 projects in 17 states and one tribal nation that aim to “advance energy storage technologies” and accelerate the development of long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies. Batteries are increasingly being used to…
EPA proposes to tighten pollution rule weakened by Trump | The Hill
EPA proposes to tighten pollution rule weakened by Trump | The Hill: The Biden administration is proposing new restrictions on companies that emit hazardous air pollution, after a Trump-era move to weaken regulations. However, its new draft rule also doesn’t return Clinton-era safeguards — which some environmental advocates say still leaves too much pollution on the table. Under the Clinton administration, any facility that emits “hazardous air pollutants”…
Court axes Biden move to shrink offshore oil auction | The Hill
Court axes Biden move to shrink offshore oil auction | The Hill: A federal court is ordering the Biden administration to move forward with an auction for the rights to drill for oil and gas offshore without taking steps to protect endangered whales. Judge James Cain Jr., a Trump appointee, issued an injunction blocking the administration from removing 6 million acres from an upcoming offshore oil and gas…
Understanding the Fukushima Nuclear Power Reactor and Its Environmental Impact
Understanding the Fukushima Nuclear Power Reactor and Its Environmental Impact: Understanding the Fukushima Nuclear Power Reactor and Its Environmental Impact - EnergyPortal.eu
How Geologic Factors Generate El Nino And La Nina Events | Principia Scientific Intl.
How Geologic Factors Generate El Nino And La Nina Events | Principia Scientific Intl.: El Ninos and La Ninas significantly alter the Pacific Ocean’s temperature, Earth’s atmospheric temperature, and change our climate
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry Announces Project Phoenix Participants and the Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition (NEXT) Program - United States Department of State
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry Announces Project Phoenix Participants and the Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition (NEXT) Program - United States Department of State: On the margins of the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry announced U.S. actions to further the role of new, secure, and safe nuclear technologies in accelerating the clean energy transition. These actions expand on Romania’s leadership role in building the first small modular reactor (SMR) in Europe […]
On the margins of the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry announced U.S. actions to further the role of new, secure, and safe nuclear technologies in accelerating the clean energy transition. These actions expand on Romania’s leadership role in building the first small modular reactor (SMR) in Europe and in converting a former coal plant to advance nuclear energy.
Building on his announcement of Project Phoenix at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh (COP27), Secretary Kerry announced in a dedicated side event that project proposals from Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland were competitively selected to participate in Project Phoenix and will receive support for coal-to-SMR feasibility studies. The side event took place at the University Politechnica of Bucharest and also featured the SMR simulator training center that was installed earlier this year. Secretary Kerry was joined by senior government officials from Romania, Slovakia, Czechia, and Poland, and senior executives from the nuclear industry.
Secretary Kerry also highlighted that the United States and the Government of Slovakia will co-host a Project Phoenix launch event, including a workshop with foreign partners in Bratislava on November 9. Project Phoenix supports energy security and climate goals by creating pathways for coal-to-SMR power plant conversions while retaining local jobs through workforce retraining.
While in Bucharest, Secretary Kerry also launched the Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition (NEXT) One Stop Shop for SMR Support. The One Stop Shop will provide countries in Europe and Eurasia that are approaching SMR deployment decisions at the NEXT virtual center where they can apply for a suite of advanced project preparation tools and services. These services may include in-person technical, financial, and regulatory consultancies and advisory services; expert study tours to visit U.S. nuclear facilities, national laboratories, and universities; competitively selected provision of an SMR simulator to support workforce development as a regional training hub; and university-to-university partnerships for curricula development, faculty and graduate student and other educational exchanges to support the next generation of nuclear engineers, operators, and technicians who prioritize the highest international standards of nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation.
Project Phoenix and NEXT One Stop Shop are subprograms of the U.S. Department of State’s Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program. The United States is committed to supporting the use of innovative, safe, and secure clean energy technologies to power global decarbonization efforts, advance energy security worldwide, and provide options to achieve net zero transition in hard-to-abate energy sectors.
Parametric Life Cycle Assessment of Nuclear Power for Simplified Models | Environmental Science & Technology
Parametric Life Cycle Assessment of Nuclear Power for Simplified Models | Environmental Science & Technology: Electrifying the global economy is accepted as a main decarbonization lever to reach the Paris Agreement targets. The IEA’s 2050 Net Zero transition pathways all involve some degree of nuclear power, highlighting its potential as a low-carbon electricity source. Greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear power reported in the life cycle assessment literature vary widely, from a few grams of CO2 equivalents to more than 100 g/kWh, globally. The reasons for such a variation are often misunderstood when reported and used by policymakers. To fill this gap, one can make LCA models explicit, exploring the role of the most significant parameters, and develop simplified models for the scientific community, policymakers, and the public. We developed a parametric cradle-to-grave life cycle model with 20 potentially significant variables: ore grade, extraction technique, enrichment technique, and power plant construction requirements, among others. Average GHG emissions of global nuclear power in 2020 are found to be 6.1 g CO2 equiv/kWh, whereas pessimistic and optimistic scenarios provide extreme values of 5.4–122 g CO2 equiv/kWh. We also provide simplified models, one per environmental impact indi
DOD Exercises Option on Second Micro Nuclear Reactor Design > U.S. Department of Defense > Release
DOD Exercises Option on Second Micro Nuclear Reactor Design > U.S. Department of Defense > Release: As part of the Strategic Capabilities Office initiative Project Pele, the DOD awarded a contract option to X-energy, LLC of Rockville, Md., to develop an enhanced engineering design for a
Release
Immediate Release
DOD Exercises Option on Second Micro Nuclear Reactor Design
Sept. 13, 2023 |
As part of the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) initiative Project Pele, the Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded a contract option to X-energy, LLC of Rockville, Maryland in order to develop an enhanced engineering design for a transportable micro nuclear reactor.
In 2022, SCO selected BWX Technologies, Inc. of Lynchburg, Virginia to build a prototype micro reactor. This work is underway and long lead hardware fabrication has begun. By executing this contract option with X-energy, SCO seeks to develop a complementary micro reactor design that builds upon X-energy's developments completed under Project Pele in 2022. This option continues funding for X-energy to develop its design to meet the technical requirements of Project Pele, targeting a reactor design which is ready for licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for both commercial ventures and military resiliency.
"Due to their extraordinary energy density, nuclear reactors have the potential to serve multiple critical functions for meeting resiliency needs in contested logistical environments," said Dr. Jeff Waksman, Project Pele program manager. "By developing two unique designs, we will provide the Services with a broad range of options as they consider potential uses of nuclear power for both Installation and Operational energy applications in the near future."
The DOD uses approximately 30 Terawatt-hours of electricity per year and more than 10 million gallons of fuel per day—levels that are only expected to increase due to anticipated electrification of the vehicle fleet and maturation of future energy-intensive capabilities. A safe, small, transportable nuclear reactor would address this growing demand with a resilient, carbon-free energy source that does not add to the DOD's fuel needs, while supporting mission-critical operations in remote and austere environments.
This contract option for one year of work by X-energy will not result in a completed engineering design, but will allow a thorough analysis of design options, leading to a Preliminary Engineering Design and initiation of a regulatory preapplication process.
"The Strategic Capabilities Office specializes in adapting commercial technology for military purposes," said Jay Dryer, SCO director. "By nurturing and developing multiple micro reactor designs, SCO will not just provide options for the military Services, but will also help jumpstart a truly competitive commercial marketplace for micro reactors."
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