Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

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

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Nuclear News Round Up (16th Nov – 22nd Nov 2012) from Assystem

Nuclear News Round Up (16th Nov – 22nd Nov 2012)

16 November, 2012
17 November, 2012
19 November, 2012
20 November, 2012
21 November, 2012
22 November, 2012

DOE selects Babcock &n Wilcox for Small Reactor program.


DOE selects Babcock & Wilcox for Small Modular Reactor program
The US Department of Energy (DOE) selected a project led by Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Bechtel, ...
www.greencarcongress.com/2012/11/bwsmr-20121121.html
And the DOE Small Modular Reactor Awards go to? | Blue Phoenix ...
Yesterday afternoon the Department of Energy (DOE) finally announced “one” of the expected two winners for small modular reactor (SMR) funding to help ...
www.bluephoenixinc.com/.../and-the-doe-small-modular-react...

Climate and Social Stress: Implications for Security Analysis

Climate and Social Stress:

Implications for Security Analysis


Authors:
John D. Steinbruner, Paul C. Stern, and Jo L. Husbands, Editors; Committee on Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Social and Political Stresses; Board on Environmental Change and Society; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council
Authoring Organizations
Description:
Climate change can reasonably be expected to increase the frequency and intensity of a variety of potentially disruptive environmental events-slowly at first, but then more quickly. It is prudent to expect to be surprised by the way in which these ...
Read Morehttp://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14682

5 Charts About Climate Change That Should Have You Very, Very Worried

5 Charts About Climate Change That Should Have You Very, Very Worried

Two new reports highlight the alarming consequences of staying our current course.http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/5-charts-about-climate-change-that-should-have-you-very-very-worried/265554/

Obama's Nuclear Power Plans

Obama's Nuclear Power Plans

This week in energy, let’s go nuclear for a change. And let’s start with the Obama administration’s plans for a new generation of nuclear power. This time around things will be smaller and ostensibly safer. This new nuclear generation was given greater impetus on Tuesday when the administration announced it would fund up to 50% of the cost of a 5-year project to design and commercialize small, modular reactors. Who’s funding the other 50%? The project, which hopes to be operational by 2022, will be led by Babcock & Wilcox…Read more...http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Obamas-Nuclear-Power-Plans.html
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FPL's typical residential bills will increase 5 cents a day or less


-FPL's typical residential bills will increase 5 cents a day or less in ...
Power Engineering Magazine
... incident at certain nuclear generation facilities; increased operating and capital expenditures at nuclear generation facilities of NextEra Energy or FPL resulting from orders or new regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; inability to ...http://www.power-eng.com/news/2012/11/23/fpl-s-typical-residential-bills-will-increase-5-cents-a-day-or-less-in-january-2013.html

Mass. AG backs shorter window for nuke renewals

Mass. AG backs shorter window for nuke renewals
Boston.com
Coakley is taking aim at current rules that allow the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to relicense a plant that has as many as 20 years left on its initial 40-year license. In a letter sent this week to a House committee, Coakley called for passage of a ...http://www.boston.com/news/local/new-hampshire/2012/11/23/mass-backs-shorter-window-for-nuke-renewals/gmJjrTAytrNAesg6GQdQbO/story.html

Problems at nuclear waste plant described


Oil Price.com: Energy Intelligence Report

Greetings from London.

This week in energy, let’s go nuclear for a change.

And let’s start with the Obama administration’s plans for a new generation of nuclear power. This time around things will be smaller and ostensibly safer.

This new nuclear generation was given greater impetus on Tuesday when the administration announced it would fund up to 50% of the cost of a 5-year project to design and commercialize small, modular reactors.

Who’s funding the other 50%? The project, which hopes to be operational by 2022, will be led by Babcock & Wilcox energy technology company of Charlotte, in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Bechtel International. And of course, we can’t forget Bill Gates, a key private investor. 

What is unique about the project is the small modular reactor design. They are about one-third the size of existing reactors. The technology used has already been implemented by the US Navy, but not commercialized. The administration is keen to point out that this new nuclear generation represents lower upfront costs, higher safety standards and greater flexibility—they can be used in small, remote areas that cannot support traditional reactors.

They are assembled at a factory site and transported, ready to use, to their intended location.

In terms of costs, these small modular reactors have a $250 million price tag, compared with as much as $9 billion for the typical large reactors currently built in the US.

What will this new nuclear generation mean for consumers’ utility bills? Well, no one can say with any certainty just yet. Whether these new reactors would translate into cheaper electricity prices has not been definitively demonstrated, though it is of course an ultimate goal.

Low natural gas prices are also a bit of a worry for the nuclear industry as a whole.

While nuclear is experiencing a bit of a revival in the US and coal languishes in its death throes, globally, coal is enjoying gains. Some 1,200 new coal plants are in the works worldwide—the bulk of them in China and India—as countries take advantage of cheap coal prices in the US. But even Europe is importing increasing amounts of coal from the US. US coal exports have reached a decade high.

For Europe, this is troubling. As the European public puts increasing pressure on governments to abandon any dreams of fracking shale gas reserves over environmental concerns, the energy gap is being filled in by more polluting coal. This is the subject of our special investor piece today. There is good news—and bad. While the European Parliament has rejected a fracking ban proposal, this doesn’t mean we’re about to see a shale gas free-for-all. Hurdles and pitfalls abound.

Another developing trend that has caught our eye is what appears to be the declining attraction of Canada’s oil sands among US companies. A recent report put out by Peters & Co. energy investment bank of Calgary notes that there are some $17 billion in Canadian oil sands assets up for sale right now. The logic holds that US companies are trying to get out. The report points out that the $17 billion is the equivalent of assets sold throughout the past decade.

Finally, amid all the hubbub of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) dramatic report about the US overtaking Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil (oops, hydrocarbons) producer, we’ve missed something in that figure-manipulating report: A largely unnoticed blurb about California’s energy woes end with the information that the Monterrey Formation in Southern California has 15.4 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil. This puts Bakken (North Dakota) to shame. It’s four times the volume of Bakken.

That's it for the news this week - i hope you enjoy our report below and have a great weekend.

James Stafford
Editor, Oilprice.com

Gas explosion at restaurant in northern China kills 14 people, injures 47

Gas explosion at restaurant in northern China kills 14 people, injures 47



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/23/gas-explosion-at-restaurant-in-northern-china-kills-14-people-injures-47/#ixzz2D9LSi76k

Gas explosion at restaurant in northern China kills 14 people, injures 47



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/23/gas-explosion-at-restaurant-in-northern-china-kills-14-people-injures-47/#ixzz2D9LSi76k
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/23/gas-explosion-at-restaurant-in-northern-china-kills-14-people-injures-47/

EDF Nuclear Plans Get Boost From U.K. $12 Billion Energy Support


EDF Nuclear Plans Get Boost From U.K. $12 Billion Energy Support http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-MDY7VP0UQVI901-0JQBLCEOLIJJG65205BJ5LFSVH

What We Missed in the IEA's Global Energy Report

What We Missed in the IEA's Global Energy Report

Richard Gilbert, G&M
On November 12, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) released World Energy Outlook 2012. Globally, the report provoked a flurry of inaccurate reporting about the prospects for U.S. oil production, consumption, and exports. The Globe and Mail focused more on the implications of an increase in U.S. oil production for Canadian oil exports. . .http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/article5517963.ece

The DOE Is Betting Big on Small Nuke Plants

The DOE Is Betting Big on Small Nuke Plants

Matt Wald, New York Times
. . .The department said the amount of money involved had yet to be negotiated. But the Obama administration has been seeking $500 million to spend over five years on two projects. . .http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/help-for-small-nuclear-reactors/

Friday, November 23, 2012

Over 3,000 Leaks Found in Study of Boston's Natural Gas Pipelines

Over 3,000 Leaks Found in Study of Boston's Natural Gas Pipelines

The city’s aging natural-gas pipeline system is to blame, according to a new study by researchers at Boston and Duke Universities. Their findings appear this week in the journal Environmental Pollution.The new study comes in the wake of devastating fires fueled by natural gas during Hurricane Sandy. Potential damage to gas pipeline pressure regulators, caused by flooding in Hurricane Sandy, has raised ongoing safety concerns in New York and New Jersey. “While our study was not intended to assess explosion risks, we came across…Read more...http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Over-3000-Leaks-Found-in-Study-of-Bostons-Natural-Gas-Pipelines.html

Nuclear Power in India, China and Japan

Farewell to a great blog: Idaho Samizdat

End of the line

After five years it is time to close up shop

Typewriter keys for an
Underwood Universal #5
This blog has ceased publication and the contents, all 1,600 blog posts, will remain available in archive status. I appreciate all the support from readers over the past five years.

The purpose of this blog was to have a “voice” in the dialog about nuclear energy, the global nuclear renaissance, and to be able to shape public views. This blog did not merely report the news.

It attempted to answer the "so what" question when it comes to nuclear energy developments.

I think it achieved those objectives.  I had a good run. Five years is a long time in the blogsphere.

This blog is called 'Idaho Samizdat" because I spent 20 years working at the Idaho National Laboratory and have the dust from the volcanic cinders of the Arco desert in my shoes.

The Idaho lab is the home of the birth of the nation's commercial nuclear power industry. The "samizdat" part came from the fact it is a Russian word that means "self-published," which is a great name for a blog.

The blog came to be named "Idaho Samizdat" to distinguish its online presence both for its geographic birthplace and its heritage as a source of "unofficial" information. This blog did not speak for any vendor, agency, or organization.

Publication began in January 2007. The blog was in continuous publication since then. For the month of April 2012, this blog had over 14,000 visitors and over 45,000 page views according to Google Analytics. About 63 percent of those visitors came from the U.S., and the rest came from 70 other countries.

Comments are turned off. I can be reached via email ~  djysrv [at] gmail [dot] com

Holtec Releases Statement on DOE's Small Modular Reactor Award Decision

Holtec Releases Statement on DOE's Small Modular Reactor Award Decision
Nuclear Street - Nuclear Power Portal (blog)
We respect the Department of Energy's (DOE) decision to make only one award at this time from four applications it received in May of this year for the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2012/11/23/holtec-releases-statement-on-doe-small-modular-reactor-award-decision-11231.aspx

Gas industry joins anti-nuke movement; Corporate lobbyists pose hard questions about cost of nuclear power


Gas industry joins anti-nuke movement; Corporate lobbyists pose hard questions about cost of nuclear power


http://www.pennenergy.com/wirenews/powernews/2012/11/22/gas-industry-joins-anti-nuke-movement-nl-corporate-lobbyists-pose-hard-questions-about-cost-of-nucle.html

Everyday explosions


Everyday explosions


http://www.thingsworsethannuclearpower.com/2012/11/everyday-explosions.html

Norway ringing in thorium nuclear New Year with Westinghouse at the party

Norway ringing in thorium nuclear New Year with Westinghouse at the party
SmartPlanet.com (blog)
Oslo-based Thor Energy will deploy a mix of solid thorium mixed with plutonium - a blend known as “thorium MOX” - Thor's chief technology officer Julian Kelly told the Thorium Energy Conference 2012. I first reported this for the Weinberg Foundation, ...http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/norway-ringing-in-thorium-nuclear-new-year-with-westinghouse-at-the-party/6421

Thorium Energy Conference 2013

Thorium Energy Conference 2013 - CERN Document Server
Conference. Conference title, Thorium Energy Conference 2013. Related conference title(s), ThEC13. Date(s), location, 28 - 31 Oct 2013, CERN, Geneva, ...
cdsweb.cern.ch/record/1494654

Atomic Power Review: More on DOE SMR funding; Westinghouse press release

atomic power review



Posted: 23 Nov 2012 10:55 AM PST
As expected, there have been a number of further press releases made after the announcement that the DOE had selected the Generation mPower SMR for its first round of funding and cooperation.  Most of these have been from parties who were not selected; below is a Westinghouse press release, commenting on the plans to build SMR plants at Ameren Missouri's Callaway site (which already has a very late design Westinghouse PWR plant, and plenty of space on site for further construction since Callaway Unit 2 was never built.)

------------------------------
----------------


WESTINGHOUSE, AMEREN MISSOURI AND THE MISSOURI ELECTRIC ALLIANCE REAFFIRM COMMITMENTS TO ADVANCE SMR TECHNOLOGY


Westinghouse Very Much Interested in New U.S. DOE Funding Opportunity to Develop and License its Passively Safe SMR Design


PITTSBURGH, Nov. 20, 2012 – Westinghouse Electric Company today confirmed its interest in applying for a new funding opportunity to be issued by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy in order to develop and license SMR technology. Upon successfully collaborating with the DOE in what would be a second phase of its investment program, the Westinghouse SMR would receive investment funds to accelerate the development and licensing of the passively safe design, which has the potential to provide an economic, secure source of emissions-free electricity generation to the world’s rapidly changing and diverse markets.

“The Westinghouse SMR has tremendous potential to advance clean nuclear energy technology and sustain U.S. nuclear industry leadership and competitiveness, and we have a partner in Ameren Missouri that is committed to collaborating with Westinghouse in this groundbreaking industry innovation," said Danny Roderick, Westinghouse president and chief executive officer. "We look forward to cooperatively working with the DOE to ultimately secure and match investment funds.”

“Working with Ameren Missouri, Burns & McDonnell, General Dynamics Electric Boat and the NexStart SMR Alliance, we will advance nuclear energy technology and economic development within the United States,” said Dr. Kate Jackson, chief technology officer and senior vice president, Westinghouse Research and Technology.

“Being the first-to-market with an American-manufactured SMR, Westinghouse, an American company headquartered in Pennsylvania for more than a century, will continue its global leadership of nuclear reactor technology and development. Using DOE NP2010 cost-share funds, Westinghouse delivered successfully the AP1000® reactor. Today, thousands are employed constructing four AP1000 units in the Southeastern United Sates that will ultimately produce safe, clean and reliable electricity for many generations to come. We are more than ready, willing and able to succeed again with a new DOE investment opportunity for SMR technology.”

After successfully negotiating a cooperative agreement with the DOE and securing the investment funds, the Westinghouse SMR team, including the NexStart SMR Alliance, a consortium of current and prospective nuclear plant owners and operators; cooperative, municipal and investor-owned electric service providers; and, other public and private enterprises, would work collaboratively to execute a proposed project having an objective of receiving from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) design certification of the Westinghouse SMR and then a combined construction and operating license for a Westinghouse SMR at Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center. Additionally, the group will work to bring other economic development opportunities to the State of Missouri and elsewhere within the United States.

Warner Baxter, president and CEO of Ameren Missouri, said that a next phase of the DOE’s investment funding process is significant from both economic and environmental perspectives. “The advent of small modular reactors will further ensure that the United States continues to become increasingly energy independent, while also creating a transformational economic development opportunity for the state of Missouri and our country, potentially creating thousands of sustainable, clean energy jobs across a broad spectrum. Ameren Missouri, our alliance and the entire state of Missouri stand ready to capitalize on this important project that will also help create a cleaner energy portfolio for our state and our country.”

Recently, nearly 300 potential suppliers attended a Westinghouse and Ameren Missouri-sponsored supplier summit in St. Louis. Industry sectors representing trades and union labor included constructors, machining, advanced manufacturing, control systems, design and engineering, heavy equipment, coatings, piping, tank and storage, large forgings, site prep, and balance of plant services.

The Westinghouse SMR is a 225 MWe integral pressurized water reactor (PWR) with all primary components located inside of the reactor vessel. It is the company's next product innovation utilizing passive safety systems and proven components, as well as modular construction techniques – all realized and already licensed in the nuclear industry-leading AP1000® nuclear power plant design, the first Generation III+ reactor to receive Design

Certification from the U.S. NRC and currently being built in China and the U.S. Westinghouse believes that by building upon the concepts and advances in – technology achieved in the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor, the Westinghouse SMR design will provide licensing, construction and operational certainty that no other SMR supplier can match with competitive economics.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants.

----------------------------------------------

10:00 AM Eastern 11/23/2012
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW

Fukushima Updates: Commentary - Is Nuclear Energy Losing Its Political Thunder in Japan

Here are the summaries of today's Fukushima commentary and updates. Please click the link for the full reports.
 
Commentary – Is Nuclear Energy Losing its Political Thunder in Japan? - It seems that the antinuclear politicians in Japan are “circling the wagons” in preparation for next month’s election. Antinuclear politicians in the Japanese congress (Diet) are joining forces to try and make the abolition of nuclear energy the major election issue, but it seems they are fighting a losing battle. The largely antinuclear Japanese Press is doing its best to abet the antinuclear political effort, yet even they are beginning to realize that there are bigger fish to fry before December 16.
Other updates - Tokyo’s gubernatorial race has split into two camps over the nuclear issue... On May 14, 2011, the Hamaoka nuclear unit #5 had a major seawater leak while it was shutting down due to Naoto Kan’s worst-case-earthquake-based mandate... The local government in Shimane Prefecture has completed the nation's first emergency plans for the 30km radius around Shimane nuclear station... Higher than anticipated radiation levels make the news when discovered by Japanese citizens, even as far away as Taiwan... Recent studies published in the United States have allegedly “proved” that natural background radiation (BKG) causes cancer.
 

Report of ICRP Task Group 84 on Initial Lessons Learned from the NPP Accident in Japan vis-à-vis the ICRP System of Radiological Protection

Report of ICRP Task Group 84 on Initial Lessons Learned from the NPP Accident in Japan vis-à-vis the ICRP System of Radiological Protection

Climate Change Challenges Transportation System In The U.S.


Climate Change Challenges Transportation System In The U.S. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/climate-change-transportation_n_2174703.html?utm_hp_ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=112312&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

Promoting nuclear securitry and nuclear safety in the Middle East region

Promoting nuclear securitry and nuclear safety in the Middle East regionhttp://nsspi.tamu.edu/pauloscornerarticles/2012-11/promoting-nuclear-securitry-and-nuclear-safety-in-the-middle-east-region

Nuclear Hangover: Ghost of Past Power Struggle Haunts Sandy's Victims Today

Nuclear Hangover: Ghost of Past Power Struggle Haunts Sandy's Victims Today http://truth-out.org/news/item/12781-nuclear-hangover-ghost-of-past-power-struggle-haunts-sandys-victims-today

The Power Mess on Long Island

New York Times - ‎Nov 18, 2012‎
Shortly after Hurricane Sandy knocked out the power for millions of people in the Northeast, Gov. Andrew Cuomo began hammering New York's utilities for their inadequate response to the disaster. They were not “God-given monopolies,” he said. And last ...http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/opinion/the-power-mess-on-long-island.html?_r=0

Strategy for closing nuclear power stations


Strategy for closing nuclear power stations
Swissinfo.ch
Published on Nov 21, 2012 by swissinfovideos. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, the Swiss government decided to phase out nuclear energy. Now the cabinet has unveiled the first part of its strategy to make a non-nuclear future possible.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uShvtyLP_ro&list=UUveNXE52LrCUmzelRMYS7NQ&index=1&feature=plcp

NuScale Power must reapply for nuclear power grant


NuScale Power must reapply for nuclear power grant
OregonLive.com
Modular reactors, about one-third the size of a conventional nuclear power plant, are designed to be less expensive -- and potentially safer -- than existing plants. The federal government is promoting their development in pursuit of alternative energy ...http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/11/nuscale_power_must_reapply_for.html

NuSale misses out on federal grant

Corvallis Gazette Times - ‎Nov 21, 2012‎
NuScale Power's hopes for a big jolt of federal funding suffered a major setback Tuesday, although company executives are hoping the disappointment is only temporary. It was a missed opportunity potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars. http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/nusale-misses-out-on-federal-grant/article_ae777b98-3372-11e2-aeeb-0019bb2963f4.html?comment_form=true
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West concerned about fuel move at Iran nuclear power plant


West concerned about fuel move at Iran nuclear power plant
Yahoo! News (blog)
Iran is the only country with an operating nuclear power plant that is not part of the 75-nation Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), which was negotiated after the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.http://news.yahoo.com/west-concerned-fuel-move-iran-nuclear-power-plant-180244702.html

Vietnam, Japan cooperate on nuclear energy use

Vietnam, Japan cooperate on nuclear energy use
VietNamNet Bridge
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese and Japanese experts discussed bilateral cooperation on the use of nuclear energy for the purposes of peace, security, and nuclear non-proliferation in Hanoi on November 20. The seminar was co-organised by the Ministry ...http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/53059/vietnam--japan-cooperate-on-nuclear-energy-use.html

Nuclear power back on the table as possible low-emission fuel

Nuclear power back on the table as possible low-emission fuel
Sydney Morning Herald
A PARLIAMENTARY committee has called on the state government to promote public discussion of nuclear power generation in NSW and recommended it push for a review of federal laws that prohibit it. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/nuclear-power-back-on-the-table-as-possible-lowemission-fuel-20121121-29qaz.html

Poll shows strong support for nuclear energy ahead of referendum in Bulgaria


Poll shows strong support for nuclear energy ahead of referendum in Bulgaria
The Sofia Globe
A public opinion poll in Bulgaria, which is scheduled to vote in a referendum in January on nuclear power, showed strong support for continued development of nuclear power, but only a small proportion of respondents said that they considered themselves ...http://sofiaglobe.com/2012/11/21/poll-shows-strong-support-for-nuclear-energy-ahead-of-referendum-in-bulgaria/

Global Insider: Czech Republic Reaffirms Its Nuclear Energy Plans


Global Insider: Czech Republic Reaffirms Its Nuclear Energy Plans
World Politics Review
Czech Prime Minister Czech Petr Necas announced plans earlier this month to significantly increase Czech nuclear power production by building new reactors at existing nuclear plants. In an email interview, Andrej Nosko, a senior program officer at the ...http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/12518/global-insider-czech-republic-reaffirms-its-nuclear-energy-plans

Thorium Energy Conference - ThEC12 in Shanghai


Thorium Energy Conference – ThEC12 in Shanghai – a ... - IThEO.org
All Thorium Energy efforts look different and we believe this is good, at ThEC12 we have learned much about the Chinese program. Though there are ...
itheo.org/.../thorium-energy-conference-–-thec12-shanghai-–-...

How to manage the dirty side of thorium and assure its global supply

How to manage the dirty side of thorium and assure its global supply ...
Thorium holds incredible promise to power alternative reactor designs and usher in an era of much safer nuclear power that would underpin a C02-free energy ...
www.the-weinberg-foundation.org/.../how-to-manage-the-dirt...

History of the AntiNuclear Movement - 3 Parts Installment



http://deregulatetheatom.com/reference/history-of-the-antinuclear-movement-part-1/

http://deregulatetheatom.com/reference/history-of-the-antinuclear-movement-part-2a/

http://deregulatetheatom.com/reference/history-of-the-antinuclear-movement-part-2b/

Michio Kaku: 3 meltdowns in Fukushima, but uranium actually totally liquified… 1st time in history — “Reactor actually melted totally” (VIDEO)

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 06:33 AM PST

Climate Change Causes Insurers to Rethink Price of Risk After Hurricane Sandy

 
REPORT    AIR DATE: Nov. 21, 2012

Climate Change Causes Insurers to Rethink Price of Risk After Hurricane Sandy

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec12/makingsense_11-21.html

Methane Is Popping Up All Over Boston


Methane Is Popping Up All Over Boston

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/methane-is-popping-up-all-over-boston/

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Emotional evaluation of risks should favor nuclear energy


Emotional evaluation of risks should favor nuclear energy


Debates about risky technologies should start with emotions to find the moral values about technology that people consider important. By starting with emotional responses, it might be possible to identify misinformation that can be corrected, but it is also possible to identify fears and apprehension that is based on real concerns that must be addressed before the technology can be deployed. On a number of emotional measures, nuclear energy is superior to available alternatives.

Laser enrichment for 100,000 tons of Paducah tails



DOE is talking with GE about a second laser enrichment facility to enrich nuclear tails.
the DoE has started talks with GE-Hitachi (GEH) subsidiary GLE to evaluate the possibility of building another laser enrichment plant at the Paducah site to enrich its stockpiles of high-assay depleted uranium tails. The DoE owns some 100,000 tonnes of such tails, which are stored at Paducah as well as at the shut down Portsmouth diffusion enrichment plant in Ohio.
http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/11/laser-enrichment-for-100000-tons-of.html

Russia is speeding up nuclear investment and targets getting 50% of power from nuclear by 2050 and 80% by 2100



Russia is speeding up nuclear investment and targets getting 50% of power from nuclear by 2050 and 80% by 2100
http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/11/russia-speeds-up-nuclear-investment-to

White House Announces $6 Billion to Promote Clean Energy – in Asia By Fred Lucas November 20, 2012 Subscribe to Fred Lucas's posts

 

White House Announces $6 Billion to Promote Clean Energy – in Asia

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/white-house-announces-6-billion-promote-clean-energy-asia

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The International Nuclear Safety Journal has just published its first issue

Dear all:

The International Nuclear Safety Journal has just published its first issue
at
http://nuclearsafety.info/international-nuclear-safety-journal/index.php/INSJ.
We invite you to review the Table of Contents here and then visit our web
site to review articles and items of interest.

There are another four articles under review and a second issue should be
published by the end of this year.

Today the INSJ has been assigned an ISSN number (2285 – 8717).

I hope we will receive more articles in the future.

Thanks for the continuing interest in our work,

Madalina Tronea
madalina.tronea@nuclearsafety.info

International Nuclear Safety Journal
Vol 1, No 1 (2012): International Nuclear Safety Journal
Table of Contents
http://nuclearsafety.info/international-nuclear-safety-journal/index.php/INSJ/issue/view/INSJ%201.1

Radiological Protection
--------
OPERATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION AT THE KIEV’S RESEARCH REACTOR WWR-M
        Yuri Lobach,    Igor Khomich,   Yuri Nesteruk,  Valery Shevel


Nuclear Criticality Safety
--------
THE EFFECTS OF STORAGE PATTERNS ON THE NEUTRON MULTIPLICATION FACTOR OF
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL CASKS
        Mosebetsi Johannes Leotlela


Material Properties and Applications
--------
Monte Carlo Simulations about Neutron and Gamma Interactions and Shielding
Parameters of Algodonite Mineral
        Turgay Korkut,  Erhan Görmez

Editor's Note

Dear Readers
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.
I am joining the crush of cars that will hit the interstates today to make it
to a family gathering tomorrow. And sometime here and there I will have a
chance to catch up on some of the news - hopefully there won't be too much
(fat chance of that). At least I'm glad that I don't have to travel through LAX
today. Best regards to all.
Michele Kearney

Sizewell C nuclear power station consultation starts

Sizewell C nuclear power station consultation starts

Sizewell C proposal
Sizewell C’s two reactor domes (centre) next to the existing Sizewell B dome (left)
.
More than 5,000 people are expected to work on the construction of a nuclear power station in Suffolk at its peak.
EDF Energy wants to build Sizewell C next to an existing plant at Leiston.http://energyandnuclear.com/2012/11/21/sizewell-c-nuclear-power-station-consultation-starts/
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World Bank Report Released: Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided

World Bank Report Released: Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided

This week, the World Bank, a partnership established in 1944, that provides "financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world" released a report titled, Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided. According to the press release, the 106-page report available here,
says that the 4°C scenarios are potentially devastating: the inundation of coastal cities; increasing risks for food production potentially leading to higher under and malnutrition rates; many dry regions becoming dryer, wet regions wetter; unprecedented heat waves in many regions, especially in the tropics; substantially exacerbated water scarcity in many regions; increased intensity of tropical cyclones; and irreversible loss of biodiversity, including coral reef systems.
. . .
The report notes, however, that a 4°C world is not inevitable and that with sustained policy action warming can still be held below 2°C, which is the goal adopted by the international community and one that already brings some serious damages and risks to the environment and human populations.

Why President Obama Is Wrong To Separate The Economy And Climate

Why President Obama Is Wrong To Separate The Economy And Climate

Climate Reports Forecast Dire Future, Even If Action Is Taken



Climate Reports Forecast Dire Future, Even If Action Is Takenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/climate-reports-climate-change_n_2170101.html?utm_hp_ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=112112&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

IAEA Data on Sensitive Iranian Stockpile Mislead News Media

IAEA Data on Sensitive Iranian Stockpile Mislead News Media

WASHINGTON, Nov 20 2012 (IPS) - News stories on the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report suggested new reasons to fear that Iran is closer to a “breakout” capability than ever before, citing a nearly 50-percent increase in its stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium and the installation of hundreds of additional centrifuges at the Fordow enrichment installation.
But the supposedly dramatic increase in the stockpile of uranium that could theoretically be used to enrich to weapons grade is based on misleading figures in the Nov. 16 IAEA report. The actual increase in the level of that stockpile appears to be 20 percent.
The coverage of the completion of the installation of 2,800 centrifuges at Fordow, meanwhile, continued the media practice of ignoring the linkage between large numbers of idle centrifuges and future negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme.
The latest round of media coverage of the Iran issue again highlights the failure of major news outlets to reflect the complexity and political subtleties of the Iranian enrichment programme.
The IAEA report created understandable confusion about the stockpile of uranium enriched to 20-percent – also called 20 percent LEU (low enriched uranium). It does not use the term “stockpile” at all. Instead, it says Iran produced 43 kg of 20-percent enriched uranium during the three months since the August report and cited a total of 135 kg of 20-percent uranium now “in storage”, compared with only 91.4 kg in August.
Based on those figures, Reuters suggested that Iran might already be two-thirds of the way to the level of 200-250 kg that “experts say” could be used to build a bomb. The Guardian’s Julian Borger wrote that Iran was enriching uranium at a pace that would reach the Israeli “red line” in just seven months.
But analysis of the figures in the last two reports shows that the IAEA total for 20-percent LEU “in storage” actually includes 20-percent LEU that has been sent to the Fuel Plate Fabrication Plant in Esfahan for conversion to powder for fuel plates to be used by Iran’s medical reactor but not yet converted.

If the world were serious about addressing Climate Change

If the world were serious about addressing Climate Change

A new World Bank-commissioned report warns the world is on track to a “4°C world” marked by extreme heat-waves and life-threatening sea level rise.

The report is over 70 pages long.

The global community has committed itself to holding warming below 2°C to prevent “dangerous” climate change, the sum total of current policies—in place and pledged—will very likely lead to warming far in excess of this level. Indeed, present emission trends put the world plausibly on a path toward 4°C warming within this century.

Levels greater than 4°C warming could be possible within this century should climate sensitivity be higher, or the carbon cycle and other climate system feedbacks more positive, than anticipated. Current scientific evidence suggests that even with the current commitments and pledges fully implemented, there is roughly a 20 percent likelihood of exceeding 4°C by 2100, and a 10 percent chance of 4°C being exceeded as early as the 2070s.

Warming would not stop there. Because of the slow response of the climate system, the greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations that would lead to warming of 4°C by 2100 would actually commit the world to much higher warming, exceeding 6°C or more, in the long term, with several meters of sea-level rise ultimately associated with this warming.
http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/11/if-world-were-serious-about-addressing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fadvancednano+%28nextb