NEI Nuclear Notes

Here's a summary of U.S. nuclear plant performances last month: For April 2006, NEI estimates the average net capacity factor reached 80.6%. This figure is 5.1 percentage points higher than the same one month period in 2005. NEI estimates monthly nuclear generation at 56.9 billion kilowatthours for April 2006 compared to 55.1 BkWh for the same one month period in 2005. For 2006, NEI estimates year to date nuclear generation at 255.1 billion kilowatt-hours compared to 247.5 BkWh in 2005 (3.1 percent increase). For the report click here (pdf). It is also located on NEI's Nuclear Statistics webpage . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week: Electricity prices were decreasing in the West and mixed to decreasing throughout the rest of the country last week (see pages 1 & 2). Gas prices at the Henry Hub fell $0.21 to $5.92/MMBtu (see page 4). Uranium prices (from UxC and TradeTech) were unchanged at $43.00/lb U3O8 (see page 7). Nuclear capacity availability was at 85 percent last week. Three units were in refueling outages, three units completed refueling outages last week and eight units were shutdown for maintenance (see pages 2 and 3). For the report click here (pdf). It is also located on NEI's Nuclear Statistics webpage . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Natural Gas , Coal , Oil

Meet Tom Faranda . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Electricity

Or so says Stephen Aplin of Ottawa . Stop by and see what he has to say. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Electricity , Canada

News from Australia of a potential breakthrough in uranium enrichment , has set off an interesting discussion on the merits of nuclear energy over at the Daily Kos . Take a look when you get a chance, as nuclear energy gets more support than you might think. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Australia

Over in the Detroit News , John Engler, President of the National Association of Manufacturers , made a pitch for expanding the use of nuclear energy as a way to take some pressure off of America's manufacturing base: Deep-water exploration for oil and natural gas, constructing new refineries, developing clean-coal technologies, conservation and biofuels are all key parts of the equation, but our country needs to pursue every viable option. In the long term, nuclear power -- efficient and safe -- holds promise as a major source of electricity. The 2005 Energy Policy Act took valuable steps to encourage investments in nuclear power, but there is much more to be done. To maintain our global competitiveness and help create more American jobs, we must modernize the nuclear energy infrastructure. This will not only relieve the pressure on natural gas prices by freeing up supply, but will also provide the energy security that is essential for a robust economy. Read the rest right now . ...

From Monday's Philadelphia Inquirer : Before President Bush touched down in Pennsylvania Wednesday to promote his nuclear energy policy, the environmental group Greenpeace was mobilizing. "This volatile and dangerous source of energy" is no answer to the country's energy needs, shouted a Greenpeace fact sheet decrying the "threat" posed by the Limerick reactors Bush visited. But a factoid or two later, the Greenpeace authors were stumped while searching for the ideal menacing metaphor. We present it here exactly as it was written, capital letters and all: "In the twenty years since the Chernobyl tragedy, the world's worst nuclear accident, there have been nearly [FILL IN ALARMIST AND ARMAGEDDONIST FACTOID HERE]." Had Greenpeace been hacked by a nuke-loving Bush fan? Or was this proof of Greenpeace fear-mongering? The aghast Greenpeace spokesman who issued the memo, Steve Smith, said a colleague was making a joke by inserting the language in a d...

Alex Marion will fill the newly created role of executive director of nuclear operations and engineering at NEI , effective June 1. He currently serves as senior director of engineering and has been with the Institute since its formation in 1994. David Frank has joined Entergy as its vice president for supply chain management and chief procurement officer. Most recently, Frank directed Exelon Corp.’s strategic supply chain management operations. Donald Schneider has been named vice president of energy delivery for FirstEnergy Corp. , effective June 1. He has been with the company since 1982, most recently as vice president of commodity operations. Ali Jamshidi, current vice president of the energy delivery group, will replace him in that role. He also joined the company in 1982. Obituary Oren Benton, 72, died May 19 of colon cancer. He headed NUEXCO Trading Corp., which was the largest uranium trading operation in the world until its 1995 bankruptcy. Benton also was a former part-ow...

The latest issue of Nuclear Energy Insight is now available online. In it, you'll find an article on a new Wall Street report that says more nuclear power plants may mean lower electricity prices. There also are reports on a new coalition building support for nuclear energy and continuing momentum toward building new reactors in the United States. Other articles detail the nuclear energy industry's high levels of safety and operating performance in 2005, new legislation that seeks to facilitate licensing and construction of the Yucca Mountain repository, and strong public support for nuclear energy. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics

The NEI offices in Washington, D.C. are closed today in observance of today's Holiday. From everyone at NEI, we'd like to urge you all to take a moment to think about the men and women who have fallen in service to our nation, and the families they left behind. For more thoughts on today's observance, please read this piece by Ben Stein (Thanks to Instapundit for the pointer).

Just off the wire from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee : Media Advisory: Full Committee to Hold June 12 Hearing Who : Full Committee When : Monday, June 12 at 2:30 p.m. Where : SD-366 Why : To receive testimony regarding the implementation of Sections 641 through 645 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project within the Department of Energy. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy

Visit Freedom for Fission . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy

In an interview with the International Policy Network , Andrei Illarionov, a former policy advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, says that Europe's very freedom is at stake if it continues on its current course in energy policy: "It is no surprise that Europe is facing a cold, dark future deprived of energy. In recent years, many European leaders have been obsessed with energy rationing. They intentionally have demonised energy production and use. They have claimed that hydrocarbon energy is too cheap and demanded a carbon tax. They have adopted the Kyoto Protocol -- and cajoled Russia into joining,"” said Illarionov. "“Now that the bear of state interventionism and central planning is out of its cave, the Russian authorities are effectively offering the energy rationing so desired by European leaders. They shouldn't be surprised: this '‘chilly war'’ is exactly what they have worked so hard to secure,"” he continued. Illarionov suggests that t...

Here's Gregg Easterbrook at Slate on some inconsistencies in Al Gore's new documentary, An Inconvenient Truth : Broadly, An Inconvenient Truth denounces consumerism, yet asks of its audience no specific sacrifice. "What I look for is signs we are really changing our way of life, and I don't see it," Gore intones with his signature sigh. As he says this, we see him at an airport checking in to board a jet, where he whips out his laptop. If "really changing our way of life" is imperative, what's Gore doing getting on a jetliner? Jets number among the most resource-intensive objects in the world. This raises the troubling fault of An Inconvenient Truth: its carelessness about moral argument. Gore says accumulation of greenhouse gases "is a moral issue, it is deeply unethical." Wouldn't deprivation also be unethical? Some fossil fuel use is maddening waste; most has raised living standards. The era of fossil energy must now give way to an ...

Take a look at Supporters of Nuclear Energy . Also, over at Potential Energy , the debate over future nuclear build in the U.K. continues, with Gia Milinovich outlining the areas where she's going to be concentrating her efforts : What Is This Radiation Stuff Anyway And Is It Really All Bad? Safety- Zero Risk or Safe Enough? Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Power- How Green Is Green? Public Perception- Why Does Nuclear Get Such a Bad Rap/How on Earth Can Anyone Think Nuclear is a Good Idea? Energy Conservation- An Absolute Necessity or Plain Stupidity? As I'm sure you might suspect, I have answers of my own, but please stop by Potential Energy and share your own thoughts. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , United Kingdom , Natural Gas

Senator John McCain is attracting some positive attention from Bloggers courtesy of his speech earlier this week in New Hampshire . Here's Blue Crab Boulevard : I'm not a fan of McCain, as anybody who's been reading here for any length of time knows. But the headline of this article is something I happen to believe in. We need more nuclear energy in this country. I worked in that field for many years. I know how safe those plants are. I know that despite what the media and the activists tell you that Three Mile Island was not a disaster, but rather a testimony that reactors are incredibly safe with incredibly overbuilt safety systems. Don Surber took note of the speech as well. Thanks to The Blogometer for the pointers. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Economics , Senator John McCain , New Hampshire

Last year in a post about the uranium supply , my colleague Clifton Farrell briefly mentioned the possibility that thorium could be used to power reactors too. Lo and behold, there's a blog about it now. Be sure to stop by Energy from Thorium sometime soon. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Uranium , Thorium

Senator Hillary Clinton gave a speech on energy policy at the National Press Club earlier this week , and in stark comparison to President Bush's speech on energy policy at Limerick yesterday , had little to say about nuclear energy : Nuclear is now very much in the news as a potential power source because of its lack of contribution to global warming. If you look at nuclear energy, which currently provides 20 percent of our energy with virtually no emission of greenhouse gases, we do have to take a serious look, but there remain very serious questions about nuclear power and our ability to manage it in a world with suicidal terrorists. So I have real concerns, specifically about a plant in my state near where I live, Indian Point, which has had a number of problems, and more generally with the capacity and quality of the oversight provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. So we need to resolve problems with the NRC, as well as questions of cost, safety, proliferation and wa...

President Bush made a strong pitch for an expansion of nuclear energy (registration required) in his speech yesterday at Limerick Generating Station. Click here for the transcript. Here's an excerpt: People in our country are rightly concerned about greenhouse gases and the environment, and I can understand why -- I am, too. As a matter of fact, I try to tell people, let's quit the debate about whether greenhouse gases are caused by mankind or by natural causes; let's just focus on technologies that deal with the issue. Nuclear power will help us deal with the issue of greenhouse gases. Without nuclear energy, carbon dioxide emissions would have been 28 percent greater in the electricity industry in 2004. Without nuclear power, we would have had an additional 700 million tons a year of carbon dioxide, and that's nearly equal to the annual emissions from 136 million passenger cars. Nuclear power helps us protect the environment. (Applause.) And as our friend Pat Clea...

We're still waiting on a press report and a transcript from President Bush's speech on energy policy that he was scheduled to deliver today at Exelon's Limerick Generating Station , but that hasn't stopped our friends in the "no solutions" crowd from chiming in. And lo and behold, one of the regulars has decided to show his face : “It is especially troubling that President Bush would select the Limerick plant to tout the safety of nuclear power,” said Joseph Mangano MPH MBA, National Coordinator of the Radiation and Public Health Project research group. “We found that the local rate of childhood cancer in the 1990s was 77% above the state and national rates, and we are concerned that toxic emissions from Limerick are causing local cancer rates to rise.” We've been following Mr. Mangano's exploits since August 2005, and we're amazed anyone gives him the time of day. As NEI Health Physicist Ralph Anderson has said : Mr. Mangano's allegations o...

In an interview with Steve Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley Livermore Lab , Michael Kanellos of CNet makes a common mistake about projected new nuclear build: Nuclear fission, or traditional nuclear energy, can't be an easy way out of burning fossil fuels either. To go all nuclear, the world would need enough nuclear plants to provide 3 terawatts of energy. "We'd have to build a gigawatt reactor every week for fifty years," he noted. I love this line of thinking: Since we can't build enough nuclear power plants to supply all of the world's energy needs, we shouldn't build any at all. Nobody in business or government is proposing supplying all of our future electricity needs with nuclear energy. All we are saying, and it looks like we're going to have to keep saying it, is that nuclear has to be on the table. And in fact, if we kept nuclear energy's share of American electricity generation at 20%, we could go a long way toward reducing carbon emi...

From UPI : With projected energy costs expected to increase by 30 percent by 2025, a U.S. energy public interest group Wednesday recommended to state and federal lawmakers expanding energy resources to include clean coal and nuclear energy to meet the nation`s fossil fuel demands. 'Tackling our long-term energy needs require action now. Failure to take action will result in higher costs in the future, relocation of domestic industries abroad, loss of jobs, and rising energy prices which will impact consumers` lives,' said Ellen Berman, president of the Consumer Energy Council of America. The report by CECA, called 'Fueling the Future: Better Ways to Use America`s Fuel Option' finds the only seemingly way out of U.S. dependence on foreign oil and to shortstop the energy shortfall is to diversify their energy needs through nuclear energy, clean coal and renewable energy resources. For a copy of the report, click here . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Ele...

We've still got a boatload of material to talk about from last week's Nuclear Energy Assembly , but this morning I wanted to point to a post from Tom Benson from iNuclear . After working things out with our media people, NEI granted Tom a press pass to cover the meeting. Click here for his observations. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy

Over at Intellibriefs , we found a transcript of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address where he touched on the further development of the nation's nuclear energy sector: We must also take steps to develop nuclear energy, a nuclear energy sector based on safe, new generation reactors. We need to consolidate Russia's position on the world markets for nuclear energy sector technology and equipment, and make full use here of our knowledge, experience, advanced technology, and of course, international cooperation. Restructuring in the nuclear energy industry itself also aims at enabling us to achieve these goals. We must, of course, also focus work on promising new directions in energy -- —hydrogen and thermonuclear energy. I have to wonder: What does President Putin know about nuclear energy that so many detractors of the technology throughout Western Europe refuse to see? Do I have to remind everyone again what happened last Winter ? Technorati tags: ...

New York Times columnist John Tierney just previewed former Vice President Al Gore's new documentary on global warming (free text here ), An Inconvenient Truth , and writes that there were more than a few things missing: Gore shows the obligatory pictures of windmills and other alternative sources of energy. But he ignores nuclear power plants, which don'’t spew carbon dioxide and currently produce far more electricity than all ecologically fashionable sources combined. A few environmentalists, like Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace, have recognized that their movement is making a mistake in continuing to demonize nuclear power. Balanced against the risks of global warming, nukes suddenly look good --— or at least deserve to be considered rationally. Gore had a rare chance to reshape the debate, because a documentary about global warming attracts just the sort of person who marches in anti-nuke demonstrations. Gore could have dared, once he enticed the faithful into the ...

From UPI : Designing complex systems such as nuclear reactors for use in space is a complex task, but U.S. scientists have made it easier using genetic algorithms. The researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy`s Oak Ridge (Tenn.)National Laboratory use the genetic algorithm optimization tool -- a method similar to the natural selection process. Nuclear Systems Integration Specialist Louis Qualls and colleagues can quickly perform searches of huge numbers of potential solutions to an engineering problem and rapidly identify the best options. He said it takes months or years to perform all of the necessary calculations for some projects using traditional methods. Thanks to IlliGAL Blogging for the pointer. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Genetic Algorithims , Engineering

Senator John McCain was in New Hampshire last night and repeated his call for the expanded use of nuclear energy : The United States needs to overcome its fear of nuclear power and embrace the technology as a way to wean itself from fossil fuels, Sen. John McCain told an audience in Manchester yesterday. Nuclear power "is safe. The technology is here," McCain said, speaking to a crowd of about 200 at a breakfast hosted by The New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women. "It's a NIMBY (not in my backyard) problem, and a waste-disposal problem. It is not a technological problem." McCain pointed to France, which draws more than three-quarters of its power from nuclear plants, and Russia, which has plans to build 40 new plants, as examples. "We've got to get over it, get over Three Mile Island," he said, referring to the 1979 accident at a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant. For a previous post on one of the Senator's earlier speeches, click here . ...

The battle in the press over the future of nuclear energy in the U.K. continued today, with Robert Davies of AREVA taking to the pages of the Guardian on the issue of costs: Building a nuclear power plant is not cheap. Decommissioning costs money. But this does not mean that nuclear power is more expensive than other generation technologies. When combined with the fact that it produces reliable, low-cost electricity without releasing carbon dioxide, it has a clear role in the UK's future generation mix. Let us be guided by today's knowledge rather than yesterday's dogmatism when we develop Britain's future energy portfolio. And when you get a chance, stop by the discussion over the cost of nuclear energy at Potential Energy . And click here for a selection of letters from the Times . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , United Kingdom , Natural Gas

He'll be at the plant tomorrow to give a speech on energy policy . Stop by here tomorrow for details. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , President Bush , Exelon

In last week's edition of The American Enterprise , columnist William Tucker took a look at how the American South is taking the lead in examining the possibility of building new nuclear power plants and what it might mean for the future of the country: Just as we have oil-exporting nations and oil-importing nations, so the country may be dividing into power-producing and power-consuming regions. New York City already buys much of its electricity from Canada and may end up importing from below the Mason-Dixon Line as well. All this may shift the country's industrial base. "We know where there'’s cheap electricity, industry will follow," says Jim Kearse, of Barnwell County. "“We want growth in this area. We'’re building our industrial base."” "The South shall rise again" -- —that'’s been the prophesy of the last two centuries. But who would have thought nuclear power would lead the way? Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , ...

One big piece of news over the weekend was the long-planned demolition of the cooling tower at Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Oregon . Click here for video from the local NBC affiliate. I'm not exactly surprised at all the interest, as our own experience with online video here at NEI seems to suggest that folks like watching stuff explode -- or implode, in this case. One of my colleagues, Trish Conrad, was on the scene to get some equal time in the media for the pro-nuclear message amidst a sea of anti-nuke hysteria. Here's a note she sent me last night: I did taped interviews with the local NBC and CBS affiliates re: the Trojan cooling tower implosion shortly after an anti rally concluded in downtown Portland. I broke the ice by talking about being from here before we started rolling. Thought it might give me more credibility since I didn't know these people. Started off with the numbers about support nationally and by existing facilities. The reporter made a comment abou...

Here's a recent announcement over at Potential Energy that cheered me: Hello everyone, I'm responsible for moderating the comments that get posted here. Please note that from now on I will only approve comments that attribute the source of any figures quoted. Thanks, Samuel Rae Outreach Officer, Institute of Physics That's the general rule we follow here, and I'm glad to see Potential Energy doing the same. As always, be sure to stop by and contribute to their debate, and be sure to come with your reference materials. UPDATE : Here's a post where we need some of our supporters to take a stand -- a discussion about decommissioning costs . Once again, we have a case where the clean-up costs from the U.K.'s nuclear weapons program is being lumped together with decommissioning costs for commercial nuclear reactors. Please stop by, and, as always, keep your contributions factual, and back up your conclusions with links to online sources. Technorati tags: Nuclear ...

Here's another environmentally concious blogger , and a member of Greenpeace, who thinks it's time for more widespread adoption of nuclear energy. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy

Meet Steve Schulin . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy

Some local reporters are taking advantage of the critical mass of nuclear energy professionals in San Francisco for NEA 2006 to put together some stories. Click here for a piece from the city's ABC affiliate, and here for a piece from the San Francisco Chronicle . For President Bush's video address to NEA 2006, click here , or use the viewer below: Back at the conference, NEI handed out some industry awards, with the top prize going to a team at Progress Energy. From the NEI press release : Employees at Progress Energy's Brunswick nuclear power plant have been awarded the nuclear energy industry's B. Ralph Sylvia Best of the Best Award for an increase of record magnitude in the power station's generating capacity. The team won for making the energy facility in southeastern North Carolina one of only three U.S. nuclear power plants to achieve a 20 percent uprate in thermal power over the original operating license. Accomplished in two phases approved by federal reg...

Earler this week, we told you about Vietnam putting together a financing package to build that nation's first nuclear power plant . Now there's news that Japan is ready to help train plant personnel , and Russia wants to build the plant . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , China , Vietnam , Japan , Russia

From the AP : GE Energy, which moved its nuclear business from California to Wilmington three years ago, has broken ground here on a plant here that will focus on developing a new line of nuclear reactors for the international market. The high price of oil is one trigger behind the rush to tap the fast-growing market overseas, especially in China and India, GE officials said. Nuclear energy has a real opportunity to help the "developing world get on with its business," David Calhoun, GE infrastructure president and CEO, said during Tuesday's groundbreaking. Congrats to our friends at GE. Click here and here for more. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , China , India , General Electric

Click here for the video. Here's the transcript: I am grateful to Tony Earley [chairman and CEO, DTE Energy and chairman of the board, Nuclear Energy Institute] and Admiral Skip Bowman [president and CEO] of the Nuclear Energy Institute for hosting this annual assembly. I appreciate the opportunity to address so many leaders in the field of nuclear energy. We are entering a time of great promise. Our economy is creating new jobs. It is also creating new demands for energy. Our electricity demand is projected to increase nearly 50 percent over the next 25 years. America needs domestic sources of clean, affordable electricity, and that is why I strongly support nuclear power. America’s 103 nuclear power plants now account for about 20 percent of our nation’s electricity, more than any other source except for coal. And those plants generate safe, reliable power without producing any air pollution or greenhouse gases. There is a growing consensus that nuclear power is a key part of a...

Visit Ejecutive . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy

...Comes a magazine advertisement for a Bendix research reactor . Thanks to Modern Mechanix for the pointer. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power

Out in San Francisco, NEI is holding its annual meeting, the 2006 Nuclear Energy Assembly . Although the general session didn't get underway until this morning, our board had some business to attend to last night : The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has re-elected DTE Energy Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Anthony F. Earley Jr., as chairman of its board of directors. John W. Rowe, chairman and chief executive officer of Exelon Corp., has been elected vice chairman of the NEI board of directors. Rowe succeeds Robert B. McGehee, chairman and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Inc. NEI also elected four new members and re-elected six members to its board of directors. Three members were re-elected and one new member was elected to the board's Executive Committee. The newly elected member of NEI's Executive Committee, which sets broad policy for the industry, is Thomas B. King, president and chief executive officer, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Re-elected to th...

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week: Electricity consumption is expected to increase only slightly in 2006 (0.1 percent) in response to weak heating-related demand this past January and the lower expected cooling-related demand this summer, compared to 2005. Electric power sector consumption of coal is projected to be flat in 2006 and increase by 2.5 percent in 2007. Power sector demand for coal continues to increase in response to high natural gas and oil prices. With weak electric heating load due to the warm January and much weaker expected cooling load this summer compared to 2005, the consumption of natural gas for generation of electricity is expected to fall by 2.8 percent in 2006, then increase by 2.3 percent in 2007 (see page 8). For the report click here (pdf). It is also located on NEI's Nuclear Statistics webpage . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Natural Gas , Coal , Oil

Vietnam is ready to issue bonds to pay for the construction of that nation's first reactor... Indonesia continues to target 2015 for the start of operations of their first reactor... And China announced that their largest nuclear reactor has been successfully connected to their national power grid . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , China , Indonesia , Vietnam

Aussie Prime Minister John Howard was in Washington this week to talk nuclear energy with top officials of the U.S. Government : "It may be desirable that Australia in the future builds nuclear power plants," Mr Howard told reporters in Washington, after meetings with US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. Mr Howard's enthusiasm for a possible nuclear future came after he told Mr Bodman that Australia wanted to be fully consulted over plans for the big six nuclear-power countries - the US, France, China, Britain, Russia and Japan - to forge a new informal trading bloc. But Mr Howard poured cold water on suggestions Australia could become a waste dump for nuclear material from other countries, arguing that this was never contemplated. "What I indicated to (Mr Bodman) is that we would want to be kept fully informed of how this proposal developed. At this stage, Australia is a willing seller of uranium subject to the pro...

As you might expect, U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech last night backing new nuclear build in the U.K. is stoking conversation across the Atlantic. Here's Peter C. Glover : Though nuclear power is not the whole answer, until a sensible alternative comes along - and 'renewables' are about as sensible an answer as lighting a match under water - then nuclear power will have to produce around 20% of our future needs, at least - and cut carbon emissions to almost nil. The environmentalists would soon go quiet once the blackouts, failure of cold water, cold houses and aged deaths started to occur under their crackpot schemes. Actually, that's pretty tough on renewables. Here at NEI, we believe new nuclear build will make the electric grid safe for intermittent power sources like renewables. Here's Tim Sewell : Tony Blair has outraged elements of the green movement with his speech last night putting energy diversification back on the agenda "with a veng...

We've already introduced you to John Wheeler, host of This Week in Nuclear . Now, take a listen to The Atomic Show . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Electricity

Some may say that U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair is only counting the days before he leaves 10 Downing Street, but that's not the case when it comes to energy policy. From the BBC : Prime Minister Tony Blair has given his strongest signal yet that he backs the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK. The prime minister told the CBI annual dinner that the issue was "back on the agenda with a vengeance". He said Britain faced the prospect of being largely reliant on foreign gas imports for its future energy needs. Thanks to The Oil Drum: United Kingdom , for the pointer. And in their comments section comes an interesting expression of support: I am 100% behind this. I only hope he can last long enough to pull it off. I am no great fan of Blair, but at last, he is grasping the nettle. If he is looking for a legacy, then Nukes would be it, and help this country get past PO and mitigate GW. Without Nukes, the lights start to go out within 10 years. An...

From AFP : Environmental officials in Beijing have asked residents to stop driving their cars to work one day a month in an effort to clean up the capital's stifling air pollution and ease traffic jams. More than 200,000 drivers in up to 100 Beijing auto clubs have agreed to comply with the voluntary request, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said in a report posted on its Web site. "As soon as people leave their homes they are faced with the depressing sights and sounds of noisy, congested roads, while the black exhaust leaves their minds muddled," the report said. I guess Beijing is a lot like Northern Virginia... Technorati tags: Environment , Energy , China

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a full committee hearing on the Yucca Mountain Project this morning. For a path to all the details on this morning's hearing, as well as transcripts of witness testimony submitted for the record, click here . Our CEO, Skip Bowman, submitted written testimony to the committee as well. Click here for a press release summarizing the key points. From our release: Bowman said that DOE must make visible and measurable progress in implementing an integrated national management strategy for used reactor fuel. The department must address several issues to provide stability, clarity and predictability of the nation's used fuel policy and conditions must be in place for near-term movement of used nuclear fuel, assurance of transportation safety and security, and licensing and construction of the repository planned for the Nevada desert 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The industry's policy priorities for meeting this obligati...

One of the things that has made contributing to NEI Nuclear Notes so enjoyable has been seeing the way the debate about nuclear energy is developing in the blogosphere. Yesterday, I told you about how one Aussie environmentalist was challenging the current orthodoxy in the environmental movement about nuclear energy. Now here's an Aussie blogger, Peter Campbell , that wants a more public debate: We need to have a genuine debate on whether Australia should embrace nuclear power or not. We need a debate in the federal parliament so we can see and hear what our politicians'’ views are and what they are based on. We also need to see how they are representing their constituent's views. We need an independent scientific and social enquiry to assess the pros and cons of nuclear power based on factual information, not just opinions, which the Australian public can read and assess. This enquiry should take public submissions. Then we need a referendum that asks Australian voters w...

During a recent visit to Denver, economics professor David Robinson had an interesting conversation with his cab driver : He told me he's starting a new political party called the "practical environmentalist party." It might have been hot air -- there are lots of smart, strange people trying to solve the world's problems who don't end up doing much, but I asked him what his program would be. And he said "Nuclear power. If we don't switch to nuclear power soon we're cooked." That's when I started to believe that the environmental movement will be supporting nuclear power soon. Looks like the message is getting out. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics