The NEI Morning Clip File

Here are some of the news clips we're reading at NEI this morning. Following President Bush's historic signing of the new energy bill, our own Skip Bowman, president and chief executive at NEI, made some comments:

"The legislation includes provisions that will enhance America's energy diversity. In addition, by supporting conservation, energy efficiency, new energy production and urgently needed investment in our energy infrastructure, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will lead the nation toward economic prosperity, greater security and even more environmentally friendly sources of energy.

"With the limited investment incentives for new nuclear power plant construction, authorization for nuclear energy research and development and other provisions, the law positions the United States to continue its global leadership role in addressing the energy needs of the 21st century.

"It is now time for the industry, government, consumers and other groups to work together to ensure adequate energy supply for our future. As a result of this legislation we have many of the tools necessary to move forward to new nuclear power plant construction in this country, along with pursuing the potential for the hydrogen economy, protecting our security though enhanced non-proliferation policies, and contributing to better public health and our environment by limiting air emissions."

In her recent article, columnist Leslie Kemeny calls on Australia to boost its nuclear energy education programs, so that its veil of nuclear ignorance can be lifted:

The new millennium will see the increasing use of nuclear science and technology in every field of human endeavour. The immense benefits far outweigh the risks. And the risks of radiation must be assessed scientifically and with informed realism.

The global community would be wise to make an educational investment in this area and encourage young people to grasp the many professional challenges of a nuclear future. It will be their task to eliminate unnecessary fear of radiation and to demonstrate that even very high levels of radiation can be managed with complete safety by appropriate design.

For Australia, the neglect of such a task would rob this nation of unique and important technologies in energy supply, fresh water and hydrogen production, space and marine propulsion. It would hamper the development and uses of powerful and vital nuclear techniques in medicine, industry and environmental science. The manipulative assessment of nuclear risk must not deprive Australians of these immense benefits.

The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, already the nation's most powerful nuclear plant, is getting a $700 million upgrade that will make it even more powerful:

The changes will wring more power from aging reactors. Similar changes are being made at other plants around the country and are an increasingly popular option.

"It's a proven way to help maximize the value of these facilities," said Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The changes involve replacing steam generators and improving turbines for each of the three reactors. It will add nearly 3 percent in total energy output.

While similar changes have been criticized in some projects around the country, experts say the Palo Verde plans make sense.

"They are not pushing safety at all," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "That is actually a prudent business decision."

The Boston Globe reports that there is a global movement away from coal, gas, and oil and towards nuclear fuel:

"The price of uranium has just about tripled since 2003," said Energy Department analyst Ed Cotter. "The analysts all seem to agree that it's going to keep going up and up as the world moves more and more to nuclear power plants. And this time, the market is global."

At the end of 2004, the International Atomic Energy Agency says, 440 power reactors were in operation around the world, the most ever. An additional 26 are under construction, and more than 100 are on the drawing board, with China, India, and other developing economies strongly committed to nuclear power.

... The world's shift to atomic-powered electricity stems partly from the rising costs of the oil, natural gas, and coal used to drive the turbines of a conventional power plant. Further, nations committed to the Kyoto Protocol on global warming -- the United States has not ratified the treaty, but more than 150 countries have -- are required to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that form when fossil fuels are burned. A properly functioning nuclear plant emits nothing into the air except water.

The result is a global swing away from coal, gas, and oil and toward nuclear fuel. That has created a chasm between supply and demand. The Energy Department says world uranium consumption is greater than 180 million tons a year, while the mining industry is turning out only 90 million to 100 million tons.

Come back this afternoon for more news from the NEI Clip File.

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