Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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D.C. CIRCUIT HEARS CASE CHALLENGING NRC INACTION ON DOE'S YUCCA APPLICATION
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral arguments last week in a case that examines whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should be required to continue the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository proposed for Nevada. Read More »




JACZKO: NO TIMETABLE SET FOR SAN ONOFRE RESTART No timetable has been set for the restart of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) despite “erroneous reports” in the media that referred to June dates, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chair Gregory Jaczko said on Monday. Read More »


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ERCOT BRACES FOR TIGHT RESERVES AND POSSIBLE POWER SHORTAGES THIS SUMMER
Texas will have 74 GW of generation resources available this summer, including nearly 2 GW of capacity that had been mothballed—but the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) still expects tight reserves and expects calls for conservation to deter rolling blackouts, the Texas grid operator said last week. Read More »

NRC'S DECOMMISSIONING COST FORMULA IS FAULTY, GAO REPORT SAYS
A new study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should reevaluate the formula with which it calculates nuclear reactor decommissioning costs. In an analysis of 12 of the nation’s 104 reactors, decommissioning costs calculated for five reactors were 76% less than what would be required, Congress’ investigative arm says. Read More »

VERMONT PRIMED TO BECOME FIRST U.S. STATE TO BAN FRACKING

Vermont’s House last week voted 10–36 to give final passage to a bill that could make the state the first in the nation to ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Read More »

DUKE, PROGRESS AGREE TO CURTAIL MERGER COSTS TO RETAIL CUSTOMERS

Duke Energy and Progress Energy customers would not shoulder charges for costs of about $450 million related to the utilities’ proposed $26 billion merger if the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) speedily approves the deal, according to an agreement between the companies and the state regulatory body that was disclosed Monday. Read More »

REPORT: SOLAR POWER'S INCENTIVIZATION IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF OTHER ENERGY SOURCES

A new report funded by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) that examines historical and current federal incentives in energy markets suggests that current solar industry incentives are consistent with previous development-stage energy sources subsidized by the U.S. government. Read More »



Want more? Check out these stories from POWER's May 2012 issue:
Vogtle Gets Green Light
In February 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved two combined construction and operating licenses for Southern Nuclear’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Georgia. They were the first licenses ever approved for a U.S. nuclear plant using the one-step licensing process and the first allowing construction in more than three decades. Now the real work begins. More »

Managing the Catalysts of a Combustion Turbine Fleet
Natural gas–fired fleets comprising diverse turbine unit types are operating their units more these days because of the historic low price of natural gas. With increased operating hours, fleet owners are challenged to find the best ways to manage their SCR catalyst systems. More »

Speaking of Power: Abundance of Minerals
What do iPads, flat screen TVs, Chevrolet’s plug-in Volt, and Raytheon’s Tomahawk cruise missiles have in common? Each uses one or more of the 17 rare earth elements in their manufacture, and over 95% of those elements come from China. More »

From POWER's sister publications:
The Future of Renewable Energy Finance
March/April 2012| MANAGINGPOWER
Scaling back and outright expiration of government subsidies will make financing renewable energy projects more difficult in the future, according to experts at the law firm of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo. But there will still be a greater appetite for renewables than there is supply, so it should still be possible to find the funds to build the projects. More »

Design Features of Advanced Ultrasupercritical Plants, Part I
March/April 2012| COALPOWER
Advanced ultrasupercritical (A-USC) is a term used to designate a coal-fired power plant design with the inlet steam temperature to the turbine at 700C to 760C. In Part I of a three-part report, we introduce the A-USC boiler. Future reports will discuss the metallurgical and boiler design challenges. More »

EPA Regulation of the Electricity Sector: The Sky Is Not Falling
March/April 2012| GASPOWER
Gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing is not new, but the controversy over it is. While the process carries some notable risks, the potential and promise of fracking argue in favor of responsible development and regulation, not an outright ban. More »

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