NEI Nuclear Notes

Over at the Concord Monitor , reporter Lisa Arsenault is looking back at the fight over the construction of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant , in the wake of the revival of the fortunes of the nuclear industry. Click here for a sidebar. Thanks to NH Insider for the pointer. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , New Hampshire , Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant

Folks seem to be talking about nuclear energy everywhere -- including a debate with candidates for the 75th District in the Michigan House of Representatives . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , Michigan

We've referred to Dr. Patrick Moore, the co-founder of Greenpeace and co-chair of the CASEnergy Coalition , many times here at NEI Nuclear Notes. Back in May, Moore gave a speech at our industry's annual meeting, the 2006 Nuclear Energy Assembly : Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Patrick Moore

Since the start of this blog, I've talked about the need for the debate over nuclear energy to focus on sound science and not hysteria. What happens when hysteria takes hold? Visit Saving the Planet One Bag at a Time to find out. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , India

Bill Bradley looks at how Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger avoided getting tripped up by the same issue that toppled his predecessor: The reliability of the California electrical grid. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Electricity , California

A few days ago, I mentioned that many of the folks who had been more vocal about closing the nuclear reactors at Indian Point Energy Center had disappeared from the public square in the wake of the power outage gripping parts of New York City. It looks like I spoke too soon. From the New York Sun : And the winner of this week's gubernatorial debate between Democrats Eliot Spitzer and Thomas Suozzi was … Republican John Faso. Both Messrs. Spitzer and Suozzi said they'd close the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County, this after a week of 95 degree heat that left tens of thousands of Queens residents without power. The nuclear plant provides 2,000 megawatts of electricity, or about 11% of the state's supply, without supporting Middle East oil potentates or creating the pollution generated by burning coal. After watching the debate, we rang Mr. Faso and asked him about Indian Point. "It's amazing that they would have answered the question that way,

From Senate Energy and Natural Resources . Now we've got a witness list : The full committee hearing on spent fuel will be held Thursday, August 3, at 10 a.m. in SD 628. The purpose of this legislative hearing is to receive testimony on S. 2589, to enhance the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, to ensure protection of public health and safety, to ensure the territorial integrity and security of the repository at Yucca Mountain, and for other purposes. WITNESS LIST Senator Harry Reid Senator John Ensign Panel 1 The Honorable Edward Sproat, III Director Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management U.S. Department of Energy The Honorable David Wright Commissioner, South Carolina Public Service Commission Testifying on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory and Utility Commissioners Washington, DC Geoff Fettus Esquire Natural Resources Defense Council Washington, DC Robert Loux Executive Director Agency for Nuclear Projects Off

Over the past couple of months I’ve been working on an integrated schedule of all the activities related to new plants between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the nuclear industry . To map and analyze all the activities and resources in planning these tasks, we have been using a software tool called Primavera : With Primavera, you will: • Select the right strategic mix of projects. • Assure project, IT and corporate governance. • Enhance processes and methods. • Improve project team collaboration. • Measure progress toward objectives. • Complete more projects successfully and with the intended payback. For those who have never heard of Primavera , it is a tool 100 times better and more sophisticated than the standard planning tool Microsoft Project . Many utilities use this tool to help them plan for construction projects, maintenance and refueling outages, and company plans and objectives to name a few. There are basically three topics put into our schedule to help us plan and

Sorry for the delayed post, but I've been on the road. This week, Michael Stuart and I traveled to the Golden State at the invitation of the Diablo Canyon chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear . Diablo Canyon is located just west of San Luis Obispo, which has experienced a record breaking heat wave in the past few days, causing blackouts throughout the region . Sometimes wind and solar just aren't enough . The purpose of our visit was to conduct a workshop on how a small group of people can make a big difference in public outreach and education, and specifically how to address these issues in a public forum. (If you're wondering why we should receive such an invitation, check out some of our history of successful public outreach in places like Illinois and Mississippi .) We were offered no payment (except travel expenses and a few meals) for designing and conducting the workshop, but we were rewarded with the opportunity to meet the sharp, fun professional

Here's a summary of U.S. nuclear plant performances last month: For June 2006, NEI estimates the average net capacity factor reached 95.5 percent. This figure is 3.9 percentage points higher than the same one month period in 2005. NEI estimates monthly nuclear generation at 68.5 billion kilowatt-hours for June 2006 compared to 66.4 BkWh for the same one month period in 2005. For 2006, NEI estimates year to date nuclear generation at 387.5 billion kilowatt- hours compared to 377.5 BkWh in 2005 (2.6 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

Forbes.com has put together an online slideshow on the Top 10 Best Paying Blue Collar Jobs , and nuclear power plant operator finished at No. 4. Electric power installers and repairers finished at No. 7. If you're interested in pursuing a career in the nuclear power industry, check out the Careers and Education section at NEI.org . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Energy

President Bush addressed a meeting of the National Association of Manufacturers here in Washington yesterday, and he continued to beat the drum for more nuclear energy : Here's some ideas. One, we must -- we must expand our nuclear power industry if we want to be competitive in the 21st century. (Applause.) We have got to be wise -- we have got to push hard to build new plants. And the energy bill I signed last year is -- it's a good step forward. This government is going to spend a lot of money on fast breeder reactor technology. We're going to join with other countries to work on fast breeder reactor technology so that we can burn reprocessed fuel which will reduce the waste on civilian nuclear energy. In other words, there's technological gains to be made that will enable us to even advance nuclear power even faster. And by the way, it's not only in our interest to develop nuclear power, it's in the interest of our country that India and China develop nuclea

The folks who held a competition for the first non-governmental human space flight ever are up to their old tricks again. This time they're offering a cash prize for automobile design : Goals of the Prize Our goal is to stimulate automotive technology, manufacturing and marketing breakthroughs that: * Radically reduce oil consumption and harmful emissions * Result in a new generation of super-efficient and desirable mainstream vehicles that people want to buy How it will work The rules are being shaped by our philosophy that the Automotive X PRIZE must: * Achieve our main goals (above) * Be simple to understand and easy to communicate * Benefit the world - this is a global challenge * Result in real cars available for purchase, not concept cars * Remain independent, fair, non-partisan, and technology-neutral * Provide clear technical boundaries (i.e., for fuel-efficiency, emissions, safety, manufacturability, performance, capacity, etc.) * Offer a "level playing field"

It isn't pretty. From The Worcester Telegram : More than 60 percent of the region'’s electric power plants are powered by natural gas and oil, costly commodities that show no signs of abating in price, he said. Less costly power sources, such as nuclear, wind or liquefied natural gas , have encountered various levels of opposition across the region, decisions that have an impact on what a customer pays to keep the lights on, Mr. van Welie said. "The fuel issue is dictated by politics,"” he said. "What we'’re trying to do is make the problem visible and tell everyone here is what the current system is costing us. Going forward, we need to get the New England governors to come together and make some of the tough political decisions that have to be made. There'’s no such thing as a risk-free decision, and we can'’t keep saying '‘no' forever."” How much sense does this make: Public opposition is strongest against the three fuel sources that

New Eurasia takes a look at the latest news. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Electricity , Kazakhstan

From the AP : Californians rank global warming among their top three environmental concerns, saying it is more of a problem than water pollution and pollution in general, according to a poll released Wednesday. The annual survey by the nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California found that adults are increasingly listing global warming as the most important environmental issue, believe global warming has already begun and say the state needs to take immediate action to deal with it. While air pollution and energy issues remain the top two environmental concerns, voters are giving global warming more attention. And that sentiment was realized before the current heat wave that is stifling much of the state. Of course, there is a compromise: Build new nuclear capacity to keep the lights on and reduce carbon emissions. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Electricity , California GHG , Global Warming

Are you concerned about nuclear issues and the Fall elections? If so, please take a look at Vote for Nuclear , our one-stop shop for energy policy issues, and how you can let your congressman or senator know what you think. The upcoming election promises to be a contentious one, and energy security will be one of the most prominent issues in the mix. Get involved and make a difference. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics

As the California heat wave continues, the state is beginning to count the cost in human lives : Across the state, the death toll continued to climb, with more than 60 Californians believed to have died from the record heat wave . One of the hardest-hit counties was Fresno, where hospitals were filled to capacity and the morgue ran out of room. "On a usual day, our doctors will probably autopsy three to four people at the most," said county Coroner Loralee Cervantes. "By noon today, we've already done three autopsies. We're working all hands on deck right now. This morning I was truly nervous about the capacity of our facility and our ability to keep up." In some areas of the morgue, bodies were being doubled up on gurneys because of lack of space, she said. The morgue was holding 43 bodies Wednesday, 20 of which were suspected of being heat-related deaths. They included Araxie Long, 82, and her son, Carl Long Jr., 53, found dead inside their two-bedroom Fre

A primer by Robert Samuelson . Technorati tags: Energy , Technology , Environment , Oil , Economics

After listening to a television interview with a member of the local chapter of the " no solutions " brigade, one Australian blogger needed to vent : I was just watching the local news, and I was annoyed by the leader of the Greens party here saying that his policy is No to everything nuclear. Such an idiot. The problem with some environmentalists is that they support policies that actually damage the environment. If you had the choice between pollution in the air you breathe, versus pollution in barrels in a storage facility, which would you choose? Obviously pollution in barrels is better than in the air. Apparently, the choice isn't so obvious to everybody. And here's another Aussie who, while undecided on the future of nuclear energy, sees plenty of contradicitons inherent in the positions of local anti-nukes . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Australia , Green Party

Meet The Realist Party : That's right, the headlines about record temperatures are everywhere and our desire for 68 degree interior temperatures just won't be satisfied with ever growing populations, rising prices of oil, and antiquated energy provisions. We're well on into the time when we should be determining how to supply our needs domestically and pollution-free nuclear is the key. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity

For those of you with friends and family in need of a good primer on nuclear energy, you could do worse than the summary provided by the folks at How Stuff Works . Thanks to Growing Up All Over Again for the pointer. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week: Electricity prices increased again last week due primarily to record hot temperatures (see pages 1 & 2). Gas prices at the Henry Hub rose $0.49 to $6.09/MMBtu despite record temperatures (see page 4). Nuclear capacity availability was at 99 percent last week. Fermi 2 finished a maintenance outage and was the only plant offline during the week (see pages 2 & 3). Crude oil prices were $75.21 / barrel (see page 5) and uranium prices rose to $47.25 / lb U3O8 (see page 7). 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

From The Boston Consulting Group : The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) today announced that its study, Economic Assessment of Used Nuclear Fuel Management in the United States, concludes that nuclear fuel recycling, as part of a portfolio strategy in which a large scale integrated recycling plant complements a repository (such as the planned Yucca Mountain repository) could be attractive for solving the long-term used nuclear fuel management requirement of the U.S. nuclear power market. Conducted for Bethesda , Maryland based AREVA, Inc., BCG performed the first extensive study of proprietary operational and financial data from decades of AREVAÂ’s nuclear recycling experience at La Hague and Melox facilities in France . The study shows that the economics of recycling and disposal of high level waste in Yucca Mountain are comparable to the economics of the targeted once-through U.S. fuel cycle, especially considering uncertainties that surround the nuclear fuel cycle, such as capital inve

Just in from Senate Energy and Natural Resources via e-mail: A hearing has been scheduled before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Thursday, August 3, 2006 at 10:00 AM in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Building. The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on S. 2589, to enhance the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, to ensure protection of public health and safety, to ensure the territorial integrity and security of the repository at Yucca Mountain, and for other purposes. Click here for the legislation in question. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Used Fuel , Energy , Technology , Electricity , Yucca Mountain , Nevada

From Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle : At this point "there's probably an even chance either way that (Yucca Mountain) opens or doesn't open," said geologist and MIT Professor Alison McFarlane, co-editor of "Uncertainty Underground," a 431-page anthology of scientific reports on Yucca Mountain published by MIT Press in May. "It has suffered some severe blows in the past couple of years. There are a number of people in the (scientific) community who are talking about whether we need a 'Plan B,' " she said. McFarlane believes that some kind of underground repository in the United States is "absolutely necessary." But she thinks it might be wiser to build the repository elsewhere, perhaps in a state closer to the East Coast, where there are far more nuclear power plants and, therefore, less need to transport nuclear fuel to Nevada. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Used Fuel , Energy , Technology , Electricity ,

Today's Washington Post contains a profile of Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute , and I suggest you read it all. There's a lot to like about his work to get America to kick the oil habit, and his ideas to improve energy efficiency are very compelling. However, when he makes claims about nuclear energy, I suggest that the world check his math very closely: Unlike some environmentalists, Lovins remains adamantly opposed to nuclear power, which he says doesn't make economic or nonproliferation sense. New U.S. subsidies in last year's Energy Policy Act, he notes, "are equal to the entire capital cost of the next six reactors . . . but is similar to defibrillating a corpse: it will jump but not revive." Not so fast, Amory. Beginning last year Summer, my colleague David Bradish began taking a hard look at RMI 's research and found a lot of it wanting when it came to its methodology . A couple of months later, Lovins sent us an email asking David t

With temperatures in Northern California cresting over 100 degrees , and the world's leading social networking service knocked offline for 24 hours because of power outages in Southern California, a group of Silicon Valley business owners are calling for California to get over its phobia of nuclear energy (subscription required): Silicon Valley Leadership Group is calling on California to re-examine its fear of nuclear power plants. The powerful business advocacy group will use its annual July 21 energy summit to call for reopening the discussion of constructing new nuclear power plants in the state, says SVLG energy director Justin Bradley. "We think it's past time to begin the discussion," Mr. Bradley says. "It's cheap, it's clean and it works." For video of Skip Bowman's speech from last September where he asked the state to reconsider its position on new nuclear build, click here . For an op-ed I wrote for the San Jose Mercury-News in M

Yesterday from NRC : The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed Early Site Permit (ESP) for the Clinton site, about six miles east of Clinton, Ill. The report contains the NRCÂ’s finding that there are no environmental impacts that would prevent issuing the ESP. Combined with the recent issuance of a final Safety Evaluation Report on the application, this marks the end of the staffÂ’s technical review on the Clinton ESP, although additional steps must be completed before the NRC reaches a final decision on the matter. To review the Clinton EIS online, click here . Please note that this is the second EIS that the NRC has issued on an ESP, with the first coming in April when the Commission issued its decision on Entergy's application at Grand Gulf . In turn, the NRC will be holding a hearing on the EIS for Dominion's ESP application at North Anna in mid-August. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Powe

From the AFP : Residents of a drought-stricken Australian town will vote this week on whether they're prepared to drink water recycled from sewage -- the first such scheme in the country and one of only a handful in the world. The controversial proposal has divided the town of Toowoomba in the state of Queensland, which has faced water restrictions for a decade. Local Mayor Dianne Thorley, who is leading the "Yes" campaign, said that without drought-breaking rains the town's dams could dry up within two years. She insisted the 73 million dollar (US 55 million dollar) plan to pump purified wastewater back into the main reservoir for drinking was safe. "Somewhere, sometime we have got to stand up and change the way we are doing things," she told AFP as the town prepared for the July 29 referendum. Given the city's location near a sea coast , one might think there would be other options . Then again, others might not relent in their mindless opposition .

And lives to tell the tale . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , Greenpeace

Hawaii-based Dan Seto says it's time for the Aloha State to take a look at a nuclear reactor. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , Hawaii

Meet Jim Mathies . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity

From The Australian : KIM Beazley has withdrawn his support for Labor's long-standing ban on new uranium mines in Australia, staking his leadership on a policy of more mining and exports. As part of his efforts to appear decisive, the Labor leader has set out an alternative to John Howard's plans for Australia to become "an energy superpower". The Opposition Leader said last night his change of position was aimed at lifting prosperity but he remained totally opposed to nuclear power in Australia because it was "not in our national interest". In the Sydney Institute speech, Mr Beazley also said he did not believe uranium enrichment would happen in Australia for years -- and not if he became prime minister. For a look at Howard's opening salvo on this issue from last week, click here . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Australia

From Reuters : If Californians do not conserve considerably on Monday, rotating outages are possible with demand forecast to reach record levels again due to the heat wave, the California Independent System Operator said in a release. On Friday, the peak demand reached a new record of 49,036 megawatts, up almost 8 percent over last year's record and almost 2,500 MW over the current record of 46,561 MW set earlier last week on July 18. Meteorologists forecast the mercury on Monday would reach 84 degrees Fahrenheit in San Diego, 85 F in San Francisco, 86 in Los Angeles, 97 in San Jose, 107 in Fresno and 110 in Sacramento. As always, check in with the California ISO for the latest. UPDATE : We Support Lee is taking a closer look at the situation. Technorati tags: Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , California

Tim Worstall gives a lesson to the Mayor of London. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , United Kingdom , Ken Livingston

Saturday marked the end of the 2006 Science Teachers’ Workshop , so a report is in order. The Virginia Section of the American Nuclear Society , the Virginia Chapter of the Health Physics Society , and North American Young Generation in Nuclear sponsored this three-day workshop, which was held at Virginia Commonwealth University . Here are my personal reactions. It was fun! We had about 45 interested, open-minded individuals, and they were appreciative of the effort we had made. I’m hopeful that the workshop will be helpful for their lesson preparations. It was educational! Naturally, it was educational for the students (the science teachers) but it was also educational for the instructors (the nuclear professionals who presented the workshop). It is often said that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it, and I found that to be true. Preparing a lecture on radioactive waste management required me to brush up on my facts and figures, try to put historical events in perspective,

We Support Lee is taking a closer look. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity

Meet Budi Sudarsono . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics

I love posts like this one from Gia Milinovich at Potential Energy : When I started Potential Energy in May my secret hope was that I'd be able to find some kind of anti-nuclear info that stood up to scrutiny. I was hoping that I'’d uncover something that backed up all of those bad things I've heard about nuclear power my whole life. I failed. I don't know about anybody else, but I live for moments like this one. Here's her conclusion: I would imagine a lot of previously anti-nuclear people would find it difficult to look at nuclear power without their pre-conceived ideas getting in the way. It wasn't very easy for me, but I forced myself to look at all of the issues in a way I never had before. I started out leaning towards anti-nuclear and have become a supporter. In the end, that's all our industry is really asking of folks -- just give us a chance to talk about our real record. Let us separate the science from the hysteria, and find some common groun

100,000 people are without power in the New York City borough of Queens , and Lawhawk has got a question for the region's anti-nuke protesters : Conservation can only do so much. People need the power, and the inability to provide it safely has led to these recurrent problems in parts of the area. The power distribution companies must do better in upgrading their systems to handle the loads, or else we're facing a situation whereby we'll continue to see scattered blackouts due to transmission and distribution failures. Meanwhile, isn't it curious that we don't hear much about wanting to shut down Indian Point nuclear power plant right now? Guess someone realized that the area doesn't have sufficient power generation capabilities, and a shutdown would mean much of the area going dark. This sort of tactic is pretty typical for a lot of environmental extremists. They complain about high prices for oil and natural gas, but then turn around and oppose drilling in AN

We won'’t spend too much time dissecting or rebutting the Union of Concerned Scientists news release from yesterday. Mostly because it'’s the same rhetoric they have been spitting out for years. But I do have to set the record straight on a few things. In a letter to James E. Dyer, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation at the NRC , Lochbaum writes: While your staff held two public meetings with the industry on this subject (and who knows how many secret phone calls), there was no publicly available documentation about the specifics of the rumored initiative other than the few words appearing in NEI's PowerPoint slides for the May 9th public meeting on June 28th when you proposed to deny our petition. The truth is there were four public meetings, the first was held in December 2005. Two of which I attended with our chief health physicist Ralph Andersen. And don'’t even get me started on the Mr. Lochbaum's quote in the news release: "On June 28 of th

Tim Worstall is on the job. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Uranium , GHG

That's a question the editors at SciDev.net are asking their readers to help them answer : The arguments for bringing nuclear energy in from the cold have become powerful. Technical factors, such as future energy demand, the problems of global warming, and the increased safety of new nuclear technologies, appear to be pushing the risk-benefit balance back into nuclear's favour. But the social and political challenges remain, and these will not be solved by focusing on nuclear energy alone. While there is no reason for excluding nuclear technology, it’s also not the only solution. Each energy technology should be assessed on its own merits. Developing countries need to build skills and expertise in a range of energy technologies so they can choose which best addresses their needs. Countries that develop this capacity will be best placed to meet their own energy needs on their own terms. Send your comments to editor-at-scidev.net. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power ,

From the Sydney Morning Herald : Prime Minister John Howard says Australia could become an energy "superpower", but he has angered green campaigners who accuse him of looking after industry rather than the environment. While protesters and political opponents claimed he had done nothing to curb climate change, Mr Howard said Australia could supply the world with low-cost energy. He told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) that his government would encourage further exploration of oil and continue to develop renewable energy resources such as hydro, wind and solar. Mr Howard also said Australia could not afford to ignore developments in nuclear energy, especially as the country has close to 40 per cent of the world's known low-cost uranium deposits. "Australia's energy exports are forecast to grow to around $45 billion in 2006-07, more than three times what we earned last year from meat, grains and wool combined," he told a CEDA busines

Couple of links from the U.K. today that ought to be off interest: Yesterday, the U.K. government confirmed it would be reducing its ownership stake in British Energy . The Wylfa nuclear plant , which supplies electricity to Britain's second largest aluminum smelter , will close in 2010 as scheduled . Britain's largest business organization is warning of potential power shortages this Winter . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Environment , Electricity , United Kingdom

If you're looking for a 100% electric car, your search might be over. Say hello to the Tesla Roadster . Detail from Wired Thanks to Instapundit for the link. For more coverage, click here . Technorati tags: Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics , Electricity , cars

It was only a month ago that the province of Ontario announced an ambitious plan to upgrade its electrical generating capacity -- a plan that included the building of two nuclear reactors and the refurbishing of six others. Now, Duncan Hawthorne, CEO of Bruce Power , says the plan doesn't go anywhere near far enough : ``The government's proposal for 1,000 megawatts of new nuclear makes no sense to me,'' Duncan Hawthorne told an RBC Capital Markets conference on nuclear power in Toronto today. ``It's not nearly enough.'' Ontario plans to build two new reactors and refurbish six others as part of a C$46 billion ($40.6 billion) plan to avert energy shortages over the next two decades, Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan said last month. That won't be enough to offset the shutdowns slated to start in 2014 at Bruce Power's B complex and Ontario Power Generation Inc.'s Darlington plant, Hawthorne said. ``Bruce B and Darlington will need refurbishm

Christie Todd Whitman, former EPA Secretary and co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition , delivered a speech earlier this week at the annual meeting of U.S. Women in Nuclear . To join the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition , click here . Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Electricity , Environment , Energy , Politics , Technology , Economics

Some folks can't seem to get over the old left/right political fight when it comes to nuclear energy. Here's Polly Toynbee from the pages of the Guardian (U.K.): The old right has been on an arduous journey, with most finally converted to the truth universally acknowledged, except by flat-earthers: the world is warming at life-on-earth threatening speed. When the climate-deniers' case collapsed, they retreated to an ideological redoubt claiming global warming was a natural phenomenon, not amenable to man-made remedy. But that fortress crumbled too, and even US President George W. Bush, last of the naysayers, conceded. For some reason the old naysayers, barely batting an eyelid, shifted over to nuclear as the only salvation, though those who have been so wrong owe a little humility when it comes to next steps. I guess Toynbee is referring to famous right wingers like James Lovelock , Stuart Brand , Jared Diamond and Patrick Moore . There are other examples if you bother

From the AP : Japanese companies Marubeni Corp. and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. as well as Shaw Group Inc. of the United States are expected to join Toshiba Corp.'s bid to acquire Westinghouse Electric Co., a news report said Thursday. Marubeni, a major trading company, Ishikawajima-Harima, and Shaw Group are likely to join Toshiba, which is planning to buy the major U.S. atomic energy company for $5.4 billion, Kyodo News agency reported, without naming sources, which is customary in Japanese media. Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Power , Energy , Technology , Westinghouse , Toshiba , Marubeni , Ishikawajima-Harima , Shaw Group