NEI has begun posting an Energy Markets Report (pdf) for readers on our website. This report is an eight page snapshot of what went on in the energy markets the previous week. It includes electricity, natural gas, and oil prices and graphs. It also includes, daily nuclear capacity availabilities and futures' prices as well as future capacity builds and short term outlooks.
The data presented are from Global Energy Decisions, InterContinental Exchange, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Edison Electric Institute and Energy Information Administration.
Here's a summary of what went on last week:
The data presented are from Global Energy Decisions, InterContinental Exchange, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Edison Electric Institute and Energy Information Administration.
Here's a summary of what went on last week:
- Electricity prices were mixed across the country (see pages 1 & 2). Gas prices at the Henry Hub fell by $.47 to $7.86/MMBtu (see page 4).
- Electricity demand is expected to increase by 0.5 percent in 2006 and by an additional 2.0 percent in 2007 due mainly to weather conditions and continuing economic growth. Electric power sector demand for coal is projected to increase by 1.2 percent in 2006 and by another 1.4 percent in 2007. Total natural gas demand in 2006 is projected to remain near 2005 levels, then increase by 2.3 percent in 2007 (see page 8).
For the report click here (pdf).
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Comments
Here's some news, Exelon cant hold its own... Paul, NIRS
Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:12 PM ET
By Bernie Woodall
LOS ANGELES, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Exelon Corp.'s plans to respond to a 1998 leak of radioactive water at its Braidwood nuclear power plant and other smaller leaks at other plants appear on track with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency staff, a spokeswoman for the Illinois EPA said after a meeting with the company on Friday.
on Friday, before the meeting, Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott chided Exelon for not telling the state EPA about the 1998 leak of at least 6.25 million gallons of radioactive water at the Braidwood plant until three months ago, and only then after citizens told the EPA about it.
Scott also said in a statement that federal and state officials need to tighten reporting requirements when a nuclear power operator makes a spill or leak of radioactive material.
Currently, companies need to tell the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency about a spill but are not required to notify all state environmental agencies such as the Illinois EPA, which is the guardian of Illinois' groundwater.
"We are disappointed to learn about the old incidents only recently," Scott said in the statement issued on Friday, before the meeting with Exelon staff.
"It has become apparent to me that the reporting mechanism in place is not adequate to protect the groundwater or the people that rely on it as a source of drinking water," Scott said. "I also intend to pursue avenues to correct this gap" and discuss the matter with Illinois' U.S. senators. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, both Democrats.
Exelon, with 10 U.S. plants and 17 reactors, has the largest number of nuclear power plants in the country.
After Friday's meeting, Illinois EPA spokeswoman Maggie Carson said the session was "very successful" and that Exelon presented technical remedies to the leaks at Braidwood and other, smaller leaks at other Illinois plants, including one at the Dresden nuclear power station in Morris, Illinois.
Both the Braidwood and Dresden nuclear plants are about 60 miles from Chicago.
The state EPA issued in December a violation order that Exelon officially responded to on Friday.
The Chicago-based Exelon faces a fine from the Illinois attorney general's office, according to the state EPA statement.
Exelon this week said it had created a reserve to remedy the problem of leaks at its nuclear plants that will result in an after-tax decrease of $4 million from previously reported 2005 income.
Exelon spokesman Craig Nesbitt said the company was not required to report the 1998 incident and at the time did not believe it was a serious event because the leak occurred above ground on plant property.
But since then, the water contaminated with tritium has seeped into groundwater off plant property.
"There's no question we didn't handle it the right way," Nesbitt, who did not attend Friday's meeting, said. "The object now is to find the correct remediation process."
There appears to be no immediate threat to drinking water, said the EPA's Carson, but she added that the EPA wants to ensure the safety of groundwater and is seeking to stiffen reporting requirements.
Exelon on Thursday also said it would inspect pipes and other systems at its 10 nuclear power plants to cut down or eliminate future leaks.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of 12.5 years found naturally in small concentrations in most surface water. A nuclear reactor, however, produces higher concentrations of tritium in water.
This service is not intended to encourage spam. The details provided by your colleague have been used for the sole purpose of facilitating this email communication and have not been retained by Reuters. Your personal details have not been added to any database or mailing list.
See NIRS website for petition and other documented tritium leaks in the Appendix at >
http://www.nirs.org/radiation/tritium/tritium01252006nrcpetition2206.pdf
Appears that all US units are going to have to do what Exelon is doing.
Next step is to get independent analysis at select sites since Exelon cant be trusted. Thats likely to happen at Braidwood.
Paul, NIRS
Just how much do you think Exelon and other nuclear plant operators should spend to correct a problem with a trivial impact on the environment and zero impact on human health?
Tritium is a naturally occurring isotope that is a weak beta emitter. It is pretty simply to test drinking water to ensure that no standards are violated. If no one drinks water that has an excessive level of tritium, there will be no harm to people, since beta emissions are shielded by such items as a single sheet of paper and human skin.
There are far more worrisome materials emitted in much larger quantities from coal, oil, wood, straw, ethanol, corn stalks and gas. Those emissions are accepted as a natural part of using those fuels.
I applaud NEI's decision to make these Energy Market Reports so conveniently available via the NEI Nuclear Notes Blog.
I will try to remember to point my readers to them on a regular basis.
Rod Adams
www.atomicinsights.blogspot.com
It is deliberate efforts such as these to trivialize and obfuscate the health risks associated with chronic exposure to this isotope that has spawned growing public mistrust of Exelon and all of its apologists. We have only exposed the tip of the tritium iceberg, then there are the dissolved and entrained noble gases and their long lived daughters and fellow travelers.
Because 3H can incorporate so initimately within the biology chronic exposure to tritium has been scientifically proven to can cause cancer, birth defects and genetic mutations.
Natural occuring tritium is 6 to 24 picocuries per liter according to ICRP.
Where do you suppose the 10 million picocuries per liter in test wells at Dresden came from?
I think you are going to be seeing alot more news about this as this hide and go seek game over the years is exposed.
Deny it you no doubt will continue to do... this page is not where these revelations will count most...
To be continued...
Paul, NIRS
Some of the surface storm drains were contaminated with over 1 million pCi/l of tritiated water.
Moreover, it was an informed UCS that originally disclosed to the media the August 30, 2004 Dresden pipe break, not the company.
Exelon then issued its newsrelease disclaimer that it was a "trickle from a faucet" more recently disclosed in Chicago Tribune to have been closer to 650,000 gallons.
Perhaps that is a trickle compared to the 6.75 million gallon release in 1998 at Braidwood.
Paul, NIRS