Another Engineer for Nuclear Energy

After reading about how cooking fires fueled by wood are contributing mightily to global warming, Responsible Nanotechnology had this to say:

It's ironic, isn't it, that easy answers like 'no nukes' and 'comforting wood fires' don't always make sense in the real world. In fact, building more modern nuclear power plants might be a sensible replacement for fossil fuels.

Be sure to visit the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology

Another Blogger for Nuclear Energy

Visit Path is the Happiness.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Illinois, Sailing

SEJ Followup

Some bloggers from the Competitive Enterprise Institute were at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Vermont last week, and they took a look at some of the booth displays:

Next up are the companies represented by the Nuclear Energy Institute, which have been hoping for a while that global warming would be their savior. After all, atomic energy doesn’t generate greenhouse gases. As NEI’s own material puts it, “We need more electricity and we want clean air. With nuclear energy, we can have both.” Unfortunately, many of the same people doing climate change advocacy work today are the same ones who staffed the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s and 80s. Global warming may be “the greatest threat facing mankind,” but that doesn’t mean the environmental movement is going to embrace nuclear. It’s just not a position an ideological fashionable person takes.

NEI’s table giveaways are among the best. You’ve got a “Nuclear: The clean air technology” luggage tag, a small coaster/miniature mouse pad, a pen, and a pellet of uranium. Well, it’s just a “simulated fuel pellet,” but it’s interesting to know that something that small could replace an entire ton of coal. They’ve also got a fascinating pamphlet on the “effects and benefits of radiation.” Anyone who is willing to engage the general public on the benefits of radiation has my admiration.

He's talking about our own Melanie Lyons and Janice Cane, who braved the hostile anti-nuke crowds at the conference. Great job.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Grace Energy, Greenpeace, UCS, Wind Energy, Hydropower, Solar Power, Patrick Moore, CASEnergy Coalition, SEJ

C-SPAN Interview With NRC's Dale Klein Now Available

The video from the C-SPAN interview with Dale Klein we told you about last week has finally been posted.

Click here for the Newsmakers archive to find the interview. Click here for the transcript.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, NRC, Dale Klein

License Renewal Alert

We've gotten word that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will announce the issuance of a license renewal for two nuclear reactors sometime today. Stand by for more.

UPDATE: The lucky plant is Nine Mile Point, near Oswego, N.Y. The NRC has approved the renewal of operating licenses at Constellation's two reactors here for an additional 20 years. That means Nine Mile Point 1 will operate until 2029, and Nine Mile Point 2 until 2046. Constellation submitted its application in May 2004.

With renewal of the Nine Mile Point reactors, the total number of reactors with renewed licenses is now 46. For more details, click here.

The NRC release is not available on its Web site yet. When it is available, you can find it here. And of course, we'll update this post to link to the release itself as soon as we can. In the meantime, Constellation has issued a release as well.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, NRC

Energy Information Digest

The October issue of Energy Information Digest (PDF) is now available on the NEI Web site, in the Newsroom. In it, you'll find articles about the Department of Energy's plans to address climate change and energy challenges, California's new law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Illinois' new global warming initiative, new nuclear plant activity in Texas, deep-sea wind turbines, rebuilding New Orleans with sustainable development, Yucca Mountain legislation, and other topics.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Another Environmentalist for Nuclear Energy

In an column positing that environmentalism can become the new glue to cement the traditional alliance between Europe and America, Tom Friedman interviewed Jürgen Hogrefe, a former German Green Party spokesman and currently an executive with electric utility, EnBW:

“The Green Party has been extremely important for German society,” he said, helping to transform the post-Nazi society into a more liberal domain. But an antinuclear stance has been at the core of the party, and now that the German mainstream has embraced a green agenda, the Greens need to rethink nuclear energy. “The Green Party should redefine itself,” added Mr. Hogrefe. “In some fields they are very modern party. ... But concerning nuclear energy and ecology they are stubborn, not open enough to see what is happening around the globe.”

Maybe Mr. Hogrefe can compare notes with Patrick Moore someday.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Germany

FT Looks at the Nuclear Rebound

Here's a good overview piece on the return of nuclear power from the Financial Times. There's not a lot here that we haven't seen before, but it's still worth your time.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology

Fighting the "Nuclear Taboo" in the Czech Republic

Here's Daniel Kaizer from Czech Business Weekly, on Czech Prime Minister's Vaclav Klaus' recent support for expanded use of nuclear energy across Europe:

[W]e can’t allow ourselves to be suspicious of nuclear energy in principle. We have to face the fact that we’re increasingly dependent on Russian gas and oil, and that with every passing year our concern with Russia’s muscle flexing on the international scene grows.

That’s why we should applaud Klaus for breaching this topic and shooting at the “consensus” made up by the half-educated chattering classes. This iconoclastic position suits him much better than interfering into executive politics. Klaus has no right to decide how big a majority a prime minister must have in Parliament; he lost his instinct for politics about 10 years ago. But he’s a good provocateur; and no sacred cow of our public debate needs to be slaughtered more urgently than the nuclear taboo.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Natural Gas, Russia, Czech Republic, Electricity, Politics

Another Democrat for Nuclear Energy

Nashville in the 21st Century is reprinting excerpts from Rep. Harold Ford's (D-TN) book, Tomorrow's Patriots. The following passage comes from Chapter 3, which deals with energy policy:

Finally, it is past time for us to recognize our need to develop safe and effective use of nuclear energy. France relies on nuclear power for 78 percent of its electricity. Sweden and Korea each use nuclear energy to generate over 40 percent of their electricity. Yet here in America, we have not built a nuclear generator in over 30 years. This must change. Scientists at Oak Ridge have joined researchers across the globe as part of the ITER Project to develop the next generation of nuclear power – clean, safe and emission-free fusion power. While this kind of energy is still decades away from commercial availability, it will be a big part of our future.

This seems to be happening more frequently. Credit Instapundit with the link.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Harold Ford, Tennessee

Live From Vermont: Patrick Moore vs. the Anti-Nukes

Hello from Burlington! I'm at the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference with Melanie Lyons, NEI media relations manager. This morning Patrick Moore spoke on a panel called "Cradle to Grave: New Nukes and Old Radioactive Waste," which focused largely on the safety and economic issues surrounding nuclear power. Patrick was outnumbered on this panel 2-1, as he was joined by Jim Riccio of Greenpeace and former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford, now of the Union of Concerned Scientists and an adviser to the Grace Energy Initiative. But Patrick held his own and shared a lot of facts about nuclear energy. I'll walk you through the proceedings in case you missed the webcast by Grace Energy Initiative.

Jim Riccio spoke first and painted nuclear power plants as prime targets for terrorism. From where I was sitting, it looked like he was doing a bit of fearmongering, basically saying it's only a matter of time before a plant is hit. Patrick Moore refuted this a bit later, noting that terrorists choose political targets, not industrial targets, and even if they did, nuclear plants are highly regulated and focused on safety. He later claimed that nuclear power plants have never tested their ability to sustain an attack from a commercial airline, but instead just say testing during station blackouts is for this purpose. I really don't know where he got that idea, nor the idea that a nuclear plant caused the Northeast blackout a few years back. For more background on the 2003 blackout and nuclear energy, click here.

Anyway, Dr. Moore talked a bit about his early days at Greenpeace, and why he left--choosing to spend his time being in favor of solutions to problems rather than simply protesting the problems. He made a very important point: Greenpeace is opposed to nuclear energy, as we all know. It is opposed to coal-fired plants and natural gas. And it opposes hydroelectric dams. That leaves the category of "other," which accounts for only 0.8 percent of the world's energy supply. This includes wind, solar, etc. While NEI and savvy environmentalists like Moore recognize that renewable sources of energy should be a part of the solution to climate change, we also know that they simply cannot be expanded enough to be the only solution. And Dr. Moore said repeatedly today that nuclear also is not the only solution--but it should be and will be an important part of it. So he asked how Greenpeace can possibly favor only 0.8 percent of the world's energy supply. If they are so concerned about climate change, shouldn't they be open to more likely possibilities?

Another important point Dr. Moore made: We should not ban the beneficial uses of a technology just because of its potentially dangerous uses. If we did that, we would have to ban machetes and automobiles, among other things.

On to Peter Bradford. He reiterated our own point that nuclear power is not the "magic bullet" answer to climate change. We agree. See above. Then he talked about the wedge theory (PDF), which David Bradish discussed in an earlier post this week. Basically, a wedge from renewable electricity replacing coal-based power is available from a 50-fold expansion of wind by 2054 or a 700-fold expansion of solar power. We would have to triple nuclear power's current capacity. Which even I can understand (after David explained it to me) means that nuclear requires less expansion because it can provide more energy. Bradford's take on the wedges? Nuclear can't be good because it's only one wedge, while renewables are two (solar and wind). That's just semantics.

Then the panel turned to a Q-and-A session. When asked "if no nukes, then what?" Riccio simply did not answer the question. He said the government and taxpayers would get a bigger bang for their buck of they spent it on renewables instead of nuclear, but that's as specific as he got.

Well, that's all from the SEJ conference. Melanie and I are having fun manning our booth and talking to the journalists and other exhibitors about nuclear, the clean air energy!

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Grace Energy, Greenpeace, UCS, Wind Energy, Hydropower, Solar Power, Patrick Moore, CASEnergy Coalition, SEJ

Patrick Moore In Showdown With Anti-Nukes

Later today, Dr. Patrick Moore of the CASEnergy Coalition will take part in a panel discussion sponsored by the Society of Environmental Journalists at their annual conference. The title is, "Is Nuclear Power the Solution to Climate Change," and he'll be joined on the panel by Peter Bradford, former Vice Chair of the NRC and now with the Union of Concerned Scientists as well as Jim Riccio, nuclear policy analyst for Greenpeace.

Two anti-nukes and Patrick Moore, I guess that's what SEJ thinks of as "fair and balanced".

If I sound a little skeptical of SEJ's motives, there's a reason, one that David Bradish hinted at earlier this week: SEJ has agreed to allow the anti-nukes at the Grace Energy Initiative to Webcast the panel. In isolation, that's not a problem. The problems started when Grace Energy worked to actively deceive the public into thinking that they were the sponsors of the panel.

Here's an excerpt from a press announcement they issued earlier this week:

The live GRACE Webcast:

"Dirty Power -- —False Promises: Nuclear Power & Climate Change -- is a panel discussion from the SEJ Conference called --— "Cradle to Grave: New Nukes and Old Radioactive Waste"”

Kind of nice, hijacking somebody else's event and putting your own name on the proceedings.

To SEJ's credit, they contacted Grace and got them to issue another release. But all credit here goes to Patrick Moore. Despite the fact that it appears that some anti-nukes are attempting to set a trap for him, he's moving forward regardless.

The Webcast is today at 11:15 a.m. U.S. EDT. Click here for the feed and watch the fireworks. We've got some NEI people on the ground in Burlington at the conference, so look for some first person accounts later on.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Grace Energy

Captain Ed and Nuclear Power

The influential blogger at Captain'’s Quarters, Ed Morrissey, posted a very strong endorsement for nuclear power as a way to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

He called for consideration of making most or all of our electricity from nuclear power. The problem is that today, more nuclear power plants will NOT reduce importation of petroleum. We'’ve already displaced oil as a fuel for electricity with our first big nuclear build back in the 70’s and early 80’s. In 1970, almost 35% of US electricity was fueled by oil. Today, it's down to 3%.

The real problem lies with the prospective fuel for generators --– imported liquefied natural gas. As domestic demand increases and North American supplies decline, energy planners and marketers are looking more and more to new LNG terminals to provide the gas to run combined cycle combustion gas turbine plants. Are we adding a NEW addiction to our old bad habit? Nuclear power could and should prevent that.

Morrissey goes on to advocate hydrogen fuel cells for autos and other independent uses. He rightly identifies the problem as the source of hydrogen.

Ed thinks that an "Moon shot"” program can get us off foreign oil and "“make it happen within the next ten to fifteen years."”

Well, as a nuclear engineer, I can feel the love, but it ain't gonna happen. The FIRST new nuke to make electricity is scheduled to come on line in 2015. As some of the commenters note, production of hydrogen for fuel will require nuclear power. The current government plan is first commercial-scale nuclear hydrogen production in 2019. Lab-scale demonstration of the thermo-chemical reaction is not planned until 2008 and that'’s using non-nuclear heat.

Still, as a public discussion of energy policy issues, it is way above what passes for public discourse in the main stream media.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG, Oil, Natural Gas, Hydrogen, LNG

Fighting Grace Energy's Myths With the Facts

Following up on David Bradish's post from the other day, our colleague Mitch Singer has produced a point by point rebuttal of the Grace Energy Report.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Grace Energy

More Democats for Nuclear Energy?

Thanks to my NEI colleague Donn Salvosa passing along the following exchange between Larry Kudlow and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi than ran this morning on CNBC (no link available):

KUDLOW: All right. We're here, back with more of my interview with House leader Nancy Pelosi. We'll get her thoughts on the U.S. policy in Iraq and on energy. I began by asking whether she would support an offshore drilling bill.

Rep. PELOSI: Depends. The Senate bill that is out there now is a much better bill than the House bill because it's targeted in what it would use the money for. I think we have to have some sunset to say, `How many years can we have tens of billions of dollars siphoned off from the federal government to a state?' Which is part of that bill? But there's really a need for remediation in terms of wetlands in New Orleans and the rest. So some kind of a bill like that might gain support just so long as it wasn't used as a model to do offshore drilling all over the country and in a way that is very close to shore.

KUDLOW: Expansion of nuclear power?

Rep. PELOSI: Has to be looked at. Technology has changed over the last, say, dozen years when this debate was going on a long time ago. I think we have to look at it. Because what is the alternative? You go to India? What is it, coal for all of those people, China and the rest? So I think it has to be revisited.

Next, click here for an interview Virginia Governor Mark Warner gave to Helen Smith and Glenn Reynolds where he expresses much the same sentiment.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Westinghouse Exec: PBMR Ready for Commercial Deployment by End of Next Decade

From Mining Weekly (South Africa):

“The PBMR is one of three reactor designs that we want to offer to clients as our developmental reactors,” explains Westinghouse senior vice- president and chief technology officer Dr Regis Matzie. The other two are both Westinghouse designs – the AP1000 and Iris.

“The AP1000 is our flagship – its development has been finished; it has been licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and it’s ready to launch,” he states.

The AP1000 is an advanced pressurised water reactor, and would be able to produce 1 117 MWe to 1 154 MWe.

For comparison, a single PBMR module would be a 165-MWe unit, although for power generation applications the PBMR would most often be constructed in four-, six-, or more module plants; a typical ‘four-pack’ modular unit would be able to deliver 660 MWe.

“We are currently bidding the AP1000 in China,” he reports.

“After the AP1000, chronologically speaking, will be the PBMR – we believe that the PBMR will be commercially ready by the middle of the next decade,” he says.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Technology, PBMR, Electricity, Westinghouse

A Cry for Common Sense Environmentalism

Here's Katherine Booth from the Yale Daily News:

Environmentalism is a great idea, up to a point. Let's run our buses on used cooking oil and recycle our red plastic cups, but let's also look to nuclear energy and expanded oil drilling in the United States to take care of our short-term energy crisis. Renewable energy may feel good initially, but a million wind turbines in Yellowstone or Yosemite would be ugly, expensive and incredibly inefficient. Look up the statistics - wind turbines and solar panels don't produce nearly the power you thought. And if you don't want wind turbines in Yosemite or the Branford courtyard, do you want them covering the state of Oklahoma? The self-righteousness of the environmentalist movement tries to make the conflict black and white, to sharply delineate between those who support the environment and those who gleefully turn it into a stinking cesspool. But even those who claim to be "environmentalists" are willing to take the fight only so far.

Of course Yale isn't going to put up windmills: not in Branford, not on Old Campus, not on top of Kline Biology Tower - but if they did, you'd have a right to be pissed off. So let's stop supporting equally ridiculous and impractical ideas elsewhere. If we dispense with the self-righteousness and base our opinions and decisions on a broader view of what is important - before the environmentalists decide that because humans are the cause of pollution, we ought to just get rid of them - we might find that most people, regardless of party affiliation, care about the Earth and are willing to move toward solutions that make sense.

A woman wise beyond her years.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Greenpeace Asks Romania to Become Overdependent on Russian Natural Gas

Well, not exactly, but that's the import of the international anti-nuke crusaders plea to the Romanian government not to build new nuclear power plants:

Bucking a trend in Europe, Romania plans to inaugurate its second reactor early in 2007 and has set a deadline for binding bids to build and operate a third and a fourth reactor for end-2006. "A major nuclear accident due to technical causes or following a terror attack will be devastating ... such as an accident at the Belene and Kozloduy plants in Bulgaria," Anamaria Bogdan, a spokeswsoman for Greenpeace in Romania, said in a statement.

"Nuclear energy is one of the worst options to solve Romania's energy (needs)," Jan Haverkamp, an expert with Greenpeace was also quoted as saying.

Sounds like Romania's leaders are on the same page as Czech President Vaclav Klaus.

My boss, Walter Hill, just returned to the U.S. after helping to run a communications seninar sponsored by the IAEA, and he made a point of mentioning that he came back impressed with the folks from Romania.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Natural Gas, Russia, Romania, Electricity, Politics

Update Your Bookmarks...

Just got a note from Peter Gowin at IAEA:

I am pleased to announce the new website of the INIS & Nuclear Knowledge Management Section. You can access the new site at

www.iaea.org/inisnkm

The new site unites the two formerly separate IAEA websites for INIS
(www.iaea.org/inis) and nuclear knowledge management (www.iaea.org/km) and informs you about activities, products and services of the Section, i.e. nuclear information in INIS and nuclear knowledge management.

I would like to invite you to take a few minutes to explore the new site. I would also be pleased if you could add a link to our new site on the webpages of your organization. Please do not forget to also update your bookmarks and links to the new site, since the old sites will not be updated any longer and will be disconnected from the net in due course.

Update your links/bookmarks accordingly.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology

Who Is Grace Energy?

At 1 p.m. this afternoon, Grace Energy Initiative released a document titled “False Promises: Debunking Nuclear Industry Propaganda,” in which the group addresses 10 nuclear industry claims and why they are misleading.

I’ve read so many of these types of reports that each time I read a new one, for fun, I test myself to see who the source is for each claim.

On our blog, we’re about to the point where the issues have been addressed and refuted on almost all aspects of nuclear power. So why bother addressing this most recent report? Because it goes beyond the typical anti-nuclear claims and on to dirty tactics involving the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 16th Annual Conference beginning tomorrow, which Eric will get more into in more detail in a later post.

Let’s begin. The report says on page 10 that “nuclear power is the slowest and costliest way to reduce CO2 emissions when compared to efficiency, distributed generation and some renewable sources.” yet whenever I hear this claim, I never see any information available on how much renewables, distributed generation and efficiency it would take. Considering that nuclear reactors are some of the largest sources for generation (9.25 out of the top 20 plants in the U.S. are nuclear, and one quarter of the Crystal River plant in Florida is nuclear), I find it hard to believe that a lesser effort would be required of distributed generation, renewables and efficiency.

Furthermore, in 2005, 73 percent of U.S. emission-free electricity came from nuclear (PDF). We’re not saying nuclear power will do it all. We’re saying that if the world wants to reduce emissions, it can’t exclude one of the largest sources of emission-free power. Once again, the antis are setting up a false choice between nuclear and alternative energies.

But let’s get into this a little more. I’m sure some of the readers have heard of Princeton’s Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow’s concept of stabilization wedges (PDF), in which, in a 50-year period, if all seven wedges are achieved worldwide CO2 emissions would be stabilized. How much is required for some of the wedges?

A wedge from renewable electricity replacing coal-based power is available from a 50-fold expansion of wind by 2054 or a 700-fold expansion of PV relative to today. The expansion factor for geothermal energy is about 100.

A 50-fold expansion of wind amounts to deploying two million wind turbines (of the one-megawatt size that is currently typical). The land demands are considerable: A wedge of wind requires deployment on at least 30 million hectares (the area of the state of Wyoming or nearly the area of Germany).

For a renewable energy technology, land demands for PV are relatively low because the efficiency of conversion of sunlight to PV is relatively high: An entire wedge of PV electricity will require an estimated two million hectares (the area of New Jersey).

Similarly, building a wedge with new nuclear power requires tripling the current nuclear electricity production, assuming the new plants displace coal. This would mean building about 700 new 1,000-megawatt nuclear plants around the world.

And this is just contributing one wedge out of seven from each of these technologies. Quite a challenge for each. Nuclear can definitely build another 700 gigawatts in 50 years, as we already have built about 400 GW in roughly a 30-year period.

On pages 21 and 22, the report blasts NEI’s false advertising on clean-air energy and the impact of nuclear power plants on marine ecosystems. I guess Grace Energy is not aware of the ecological stewardship programs many utility companies contribute to the environment (PDF, beginning on page 10). The Grace report says:

In actuality, the NRC has documented nearly 200 “near misses” to serious reactor accidents in the U.S. since 1986.

If readers have been around long enough, they will remember that this came from Greenpeace’s report last spring, which we debunked.

Many reactors are built near large population centers, especially along the eastern U.S., which is more densely populated now than when plants were constructed. For example, Oyster Creek nuclear reactor in New Jersey has seen local population triple in size since the plant was built, making safe and timely evacuation a non-reality for today’s surrounding residents.

If people are so fearful of nuclear power, why would Oyster Creek’s local population triple in size? Maybe nuclear plants are not as bad as everyone is falsely led to believe. And I love the assumption that since population tripled, “a safe and timely evacuation is a non-reality.” I guess Grace is not aware that

every two years, each nuclear plant conducts a full-scale emergency exercise involving a confidential emergency scenario to be handled by on-site and off-site emergency response organizations, including plant employees, local law enforcement, fire departments, radiological monitoring teams, among others. The NRC evaluates performance of the on-site plan and FEMA the off-site plan. Necessary improvements are identified to be corrected. In alternate years, plants conduct training drills, frequently unannounced, involving such key factors as coordination, communications, assessment of emergency, medical, and fire brigade response, and radiation dose measurement.

Back to Grace:

While the nuclear industry likes to point out that nuclear power is cheaper than other forms of electricity generation, it counts only the price of operating the plants, not the full costs of building them. Operating costs of nuclear power plants are in fact low, but to argue these are the true costs of nuclear power is disingenuous, and like arguing that it’s cheap to drive a Rolls Royce, counting only gasoline price and leaving out the purchase price.

To my knowledge, we never say that nuclear’s operating costs are the “true costs.” Here’s information on our Web site that shows much more than just the operating costs.

Let me expand on the Rolls Royce analogy a bit. When you get a nuclear plant, you are getting quality like a Rolls Royce. It’s expensive to buy, but you expect it to perform exceptionally well, be very reliable and last all the way 'til it’s time to retire it. How well it operates is the key. If they couldn’t operate well, then most likely there would not be a renewed interest in building more nuclear plants (PDF).

There is quite a bit more we can get into when debunking these reports, but I’m going to turn direction onto Patrick Moore. Since he will be on a panel at the SEJ conference on Friday, Grace Energy has put forth effort in this report and in other ways to attack his intentions and credibility. All I have to say is, if they’re going to get personal, it’s a sign that they can’t debate the issues. Just stick to the facts, as people are consistently advised on this blog.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Grace Energy

Another Environmentalist for Nuclear Energy

Visit Seeing the Forest for the Trees:

I believe the problem of where to put nuclear waste pales in comparison to what we face - and what we are doing now is just dumping the waste (CO2) from burning fossil fuel into the air.

Click here for the interview with James Lovelock that inspired him to write his pro-nuclear post.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG

Nuclear Supporters Outnumber Antis at Georgia Meeting

There was an NRC public meeting last week in Waynesboro, Georgia to gather comments regarding Southern Nuclear’s proposed expansion of Plant Vogtle. Articles in the Savannah Morning News and the Augusta Chronicle (registration required but it’s free) had different reports for the number of attendees, but both noted that nuclear supporters greatly outnumbered antinuclear activists. The Savannah article said:

The majority of Burke County residents spoke in favor of expansion, including resolutions of support for the Waynesboro City Council and the Burke County Commission.

Mal McKibben of Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness said

This is important…because a key factor in the NRC's decision-making is how much support local leaders give to nuclear projects. If pro-nuclear folks don't show up, the field is left to well-organized and highly vocal anti-nuclear groups that come from all over the Southeast.

Local NA-YGN members were also at the meeting and report that the speakers were split half in favor and half opposed. DeLisa Pournaras, the chair of the local section, spoke on behalf of the organization and discussed the safety record and environmental and economic benefits of nuclear power plants. She wrote to me

I think the meeting went very well. There was overwhelming local support present of course, and we counted about 8…NA-YGN members at the meeting. There were about 150 people there total, and 50 gave comments, including several local leaders. Even though the majority of the people there were there to support Vogtle, we counted 25 anti-nuclear speakers from 7 or 8 activist groups, and they had the floor for about 1.5 hrs straight. Anti-nuclear groups present: Women's Actions for New Direction, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, The Sierra Club, Nuclear Information Resource Service, Georgians Against Nuclear Energy, Turner Environmental Law Clinic, Southern Alliance For Clean Energy. There were also a few other's that I didn't recognize.

Groups in support: Local citizens and Plant Vogtle neighbors, local leaders, Burke Co. School System, Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness, Women in Nuclear, NA-YGN, and others.

We counted the same number of speakers (25) in support of Vogtle expansion and they had the floor for 2.25 hrs. In my opinion, that wasn't enough time. I'm glad that I was able to speak for NAYGN, but in retrospect, I think we should have had several other NAYGN members get up to speak their support as well. There were several circumstances that prevented others from speaking…but this was one of only a few chances to voice our support for the Vogtle expansion. From what I understand, the next public meeting will be held in July 2007 to discuss the NRC's investigation results.

...It's important that we continue to gather support for the next meeting, so that we will have a larger presence in July. I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting, and would encourage as many of us as possible to participate in future public meetings of this sort.

Another NA-YGN member, Amy Marshall, wrote

I feel the meeting was very informative in learning about the tactics of the anti-nuclear groups. I had no idea they are arguing that nuclear power is much more expensive in the long run compared to other sources of energy, even compared to coal fired generating plants, and that nuclear power produces extreme amounts of harmful waste.

I was also surprised to learn…there were groups publishing information that the new reactors "will require tens of millions of gallons of water above and beyond the tens of millions Vogtle is already pulling from the Savannah River." That statement leads one to believe that nuclear power plants use up all of this water and do not return any of it back to the river, nor does the statement describe the timeframe over which tens of millions of gallons are taken from the river. The anti-nuclear groups are making statements to validate their cause but their statements are neither accurate nor complete.

I learned a lot at the meeting, and it has motivated me to stay more aware and involved in the future of the nuclear industry.

Amy, you’re not the first person to be shocked by the blatant lies and propaganda that some antinuclear activists spew. And I’ve found that nothing spurs nuclear supporters to action more than hearing for themselves the rubbish that is being spread.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Georgia, NRC

NEI Energy Markets Report (October 16th - 20th)

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week:

Electricity prices mostly increased throughout the country again last week (see pages 1 & 2). Gas prices rose at the Henry Hub increasing $.79 to $5.69 / MMBtu (see page 4).

Nuclear capacity availability was at 74% last week. Twenty four reactors were down for refueling and six were offline for maintenance (see pages 2&3). Palo Verde 3 tripped after a device that measures the position of fuel rods in the reactor core failed to show the location of a control rod. River Bend was down briefly after isolation valves on two feedwater switches inadvertently closed, causing a reactor trip.

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, Oil

EU Approves New Reactor Build at Flamanville

From Business Week:

The EU on Tuesday approved French plans to build a new atomic power reactor expected to be a model for the next generation of more fuel-efficient nuclear energy stations.

Under EU nuclear rules, the European Commission must clear investments for building or renovating nuclear power plants.

Electricite de France SA says the new station -- to be built at Flamanville (current plant pictured at left), northern France -- will be able to generate 1,600 megawatts of energy using European pressurized-water reactor, or EPR, technology that aims to use 17 percent less fuel.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Environment, Electricity, France, Politics, EU

Leading Global Utilities Urge Support for Low Carbon Technologies

From Reuters:

Leading electricity companies from around the world on Tuesday issued a report urging governments to adopt new sustainable energy and climate policies to avoid a future environmental crisis.

The report, released by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and eight power companies, contained an agenda to secure future electric generation, bring power to more people around the world and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The companies included ABB Ltd. of Switzerland, EDF Group and Suez of France, Eskom Holding Ltd. of South Africa, CLP Holdings Ltd. of Hong Kong, Entergy Corp. of the United States and Kansai Electric Power Co Inc. and Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc. of Japan.

In the "Powering a Sustainable Future" report, the companies urged governments to start favoring low carbon sources of electricity like nuclear, solar and wind power, to boost energy conservation programs and to invest more in energy technologies.

"Governments must set the framework and give financial support for the development of low carbon technologies. Nuclear power is part of the solution," said Bruno Lescoeur, senior executive vice president, international industrial and public affairs at Electricite de France SA (EDF).

Click here for the press announcement and here for the report.

Though Entergy is named in this story, other electric utilities like Xcel and Duke Power have come to the same conclusion.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG

AECL CEO Takes On Lovins

Now that Amory Lovins has had his say in the pages of the Toronto Star, AECL President and CEO Robert Van Adel is firing back today in a letter to the editor.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Electricity, Carbon Emissions, Rocky Mountain Institute, Amory Lovins, AECL, Canada, Ontario, CANDU

Thorium Fuel Company Goes Public

We haven't heard much from our friends at Energy from Thorium lately, but this interview from Newsweek with Seth Grae, board member at Thorium Power Ltd. might wake them from their slumber.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Thorium, Seth Grae, Thorium Power Ltd.

Double-Checking The Facts on Amory Lovins

After giving an interview with the Toronto Star, Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute is starting to kick up some dust again. And as any reader of NEI Nuclear Notes remembers, whenever Lovins makes his case against nuclear energy, we warn folks to double-check his data.

Below I've listed a selection of entries from our archives where we've dealt with his claims in detail:

Rod Adams vs. Amory Lovins
Bad Data Leads to Bad Conclusions
More Bad Data From Amory Lovins
Revisiting RMI's Bad Data
Revisiting RMI and Amory Lovins

I'd also suggest you take a closer look at some of the more recent work by Rod Adams of Atomic Insights.

Lovins math continues to confuse me
Are these examples of the "micro" power that Lovins likes?

And here's a doozy you shouldn't miss:

Amory Lovins' Academic Career

Happy reading!

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Electricity, Carbon Emissions, Rocky Mountain Institute, Amory Lovins

NRC's Dale Klein on C-Span

Sunday's edition of Newsmakers on C-SPAN featured an interview with NRC Chairman Dale Klein. Though video of the interview is not yet available online, you can click here for a transcript.

For another view, click here for an account from a diarist at TPM Cafe.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, NRC, Dale Klein

Alabama Paper Endorses New Nuclear Build

Reacting to last week's NERC report on grid reliability in North America, the Mobile Press Register had this to say:

Among the energy mix, the United States must revitalize its dormant commitment to nuclear energy and expand development of alternative energy sources and conservation programs. Meeting the nation's future energy needs will require greater investment of resources and creative solutions.

Power companies will have to "think outside the box" to keep the nation energized.
Alabama is in the unique position to revitalize plans to build three nuclear power units near Scottsboro. State and federal regulators should do all they can to encourage the Tennessee Valley Authority to proceed with the units.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Power, Nuclear Energy, Electricity, Energy, Politics, NERC, Grid Reliability

ANS, U.S. WIN Team Up to Educate Mississippi Teachers

Our friend Alan Smith from Entergy sends along the following news from Mississippi:

Volunteers from the Mississippi Section of the American Nuclear Society and U.S. Women in Nuclear presented information about nuclear science and technology to educators at the Mississippi Science Teachers Association's 2006 Convention (Pictured here are Undree Wells and Scott Stanchfield of ANS). Over 450 science teachers attended the October 23-24th event in Jackson, Mississippi. In a break-out session, a presentation entitled "Nuclear Science and Technology -- In the Classroom Around the World" was made to inform teachers about available classroom resources as well as careers in the nuclear industry. Hands-on demonstrations were used to provide examples of classroom activities available to educators.

Volunteers at the event included Bill Bird, Mark Eckenrode, Thomas Hallmark, Jean Kinnard, Alan Smith, Scott Stanchfield, Charles Turk, Undree Wells, Latrecia Lewis and Fatma Yilmaz.

Thanks to everyone from ANS and U.S. WIN for participating. Getting a new generation of students interested in nuclear technologies is critical if we're going to build new plants and keep the current fleet operating safely and efficiently, and making sure their teachers are up to speed on the latest is a critical element of that effort.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, ANS, U.S. WIN

Merrifield Won't Seek Third Term at NRC

Released by NRC very late last Friday afternoon:

Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield, one of five members of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, notified White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten on Friday that he would not be seeking a third term at the NRC. Commissioner Merrifield, a Republican, was first appointed by President Clinton to the NRC in October of 1998, and subsequently reappointed by President Bush in August of 2002.

Merrifield, whose term ends on June 30, 2007, informed Bolten that it was his intention to serve out the remainder of his term, but was notifying the President well in advance of his plans to leave the Commission to allow the Administration to have sufficient time to find a suitable replacement.

“It has been an honor to serve the nation as a Commissioner,” Merrifield commented. “NRC is an outstanding agency and I am proud to have served for over 8 years.” He also stated that it was a very difficult decision not to seek a third term but believes that the agency is strong and well prepared for the future. “Commissioner Merrifield has made extraordinary contributions to the work of the NRC and rendered exceptional service to the American people,” said NRC Chairman Dale Klein.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Electricity, NRC, Jeffrey S. Merrifield

Another Blogger for Nuclear Energy

Visit Advanced Nanotechnology.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

AEI Seminar Video Available

The seminar at the American Enterprise Institute that I covered a few weeks back, "Is Nuclear Power a Solution to Climate Change and Rising Energy Prices?", is now available in video format over at C-Span. Click here (Real Player) to launch the video.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG

German Nuclear Update

German Prime Minister Angela Merkel is taking the gloves off when it comes to the phase-out of nuclear energy in her country:

In a speech to a party rally in Wiesbaden, Merkel went further than before to criticise her junior coalition partners, the Social Democrats, for their refusal to reconsider laws requiring German producers to shut down nuclear plants by 2020.

"I consider it to be wrong that we're turning off our nuclear plants only because that is what was agreed," Merkel said. "The bad news is, however, the Social Democrats consider that to be important," she added.

Merkel said the conservatives could still push for a review of the phase-out.

"No one can prevent us from discussing the topic of energy anymore. We're facing challenges and need to develop strategies to ensure our energy supplies over the years ahead," she said.

Nuclear power currently supplies a third of German electricity. Opinion polls regularly show the vast majority of the public opposed to any further extension of nuclear power.

I like that last paragraph, don't you? It makes it sound as if Merkel is proposing some massive nuclear building program, when all she's really talking about is keeping all energy options open -- and that means not hamstringing the German economy by phasing out virtually all of its emission-free generating capacity.

If Merkel is able to shed her current partners in the German coalition government in a susequent election, the phase-out will be history.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Economics, Electricity, Germany

Bull Market in Uranium May Create Up to 34,000 New Jobs

One ancillary benefit of the bull market in uranium: New jobs. Here's Strathmore Minerals President David Miller from a Q&A he did with StockInterview.com:

When annual uranium production reaches 20 million pounds U308 in the United States, the industry would create about 4,000 direct jobs in the mining industry and nearly 30,000 in support services.

Beats importing even more natural gas, don't you think?

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Uranium, Mining

More on Vaclav Klaus and Nuclear Energy

My friend Pat Cleary over at NAM Blog picked up on Vaclav Klaus' endorsement of nuclear energy this morning. Check it out.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Natural Gas, Russia, Electricity, Politics

Bye, Bye, China Syndrome

The most terrifying vision of nuclear power from the ‘70’s was the image of the self-melting radioactive lava from a former reactor core eating its way to China. People seemed to understand it intuitively no matter how over-represented the risk.

The new reactors make that scenario obsolete with a solution that’s “as dumb as a brick” - hire a bunch of boilermakers to lay down a brick patio under the reactor vessel. Of course, one has to use high temperature alumina brick and lay it about 1.5 meters (~5 feet) thick and wide enough to act as a “cookie sheet.” There will be minor specification changes necessary but nothing that the refractory industry can’t handle easily. Alumina brick is already used for lining glass furnances and slag pits.

Yet, I’ve have NEVER heard or read of the nuclear industry mentioning this in public. We engineers know about it but the ramifications of this feature on the public debate haven’t yet been communicated to the world. In my marketing classes at B-school, I was taught to never confuse a feature and a benefit (unintentionally, that is.) Nobody CARES about our firebrick patio, especially if we insist on calling them "passive corium barriers." But tell them that there can never be a China Syndrome in the new designs, that the China Syndrome is obsolete, and you’ve communicated a real benefit.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Technology, Politics

Another Endorsement for Energy Diversity

From today's Dallas Morning News:

Larry Makovich, managing director for consulting group Cambridge Energy Research Associates, said the urgency to bring more power-generating plants online cannot be understated.

"A fundamental reality of the power business is there is no single fuel of choice, so if you are going to survive in the long run, you need to have a good mix of fuels and technologies," he said. "If we are going to keep supply and demand in balance, you're looking at a five-year lead time, so you have to get started building these plants now."

More support for the NERC report.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

NIRS Debuts Beyond Nuclear

We knew it was only a matter of time before the anti-nukes started some high-profile organizing to fight the resurgence in nuclear energy. The result: "Beyond Nuclear" a Web site/fundraising tool that debuted on the Web today courtesy of our friends at NIRS.

They've got a rather impressive array of actors and other artists serving as the backbone of the campaign, including Ed Asner, Ed Begly, Jr. and James Cromwell.

There isn't much there right now, but I'm relishing the opportunity to have the nuclear professionals here at NEI Nuclear Notes go head to head with a bunch of actors.

Let the games begin!

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, NIRS

Should Singapore Develop Nuclear Energy?

Over at Singapore Angle, Speranza Nuova is asking just that question.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Singapore, Asia

Time to Level the Energy Playing Field?

Responding to a recent column by Tom Friedman in the New York Times regarding the political opportunity that lies in promoting energy independence, our friend Geoffrey Styles had this to say:

The political opportunity may be great, but it'’s going to require some icon-breaking for both sides, if we want real progress, rather than well-intended but impractical remedies. I plan to suggest some concrete examples during the next couple of weeks, but topping the list is the need to mesh our energy and environmental priorities in a way that treats all primary energy sources --—i.e. those that create net new BTUs, rather than changing them from one from to another -- equally, and differentiates between them based on their total environmental impact, with greenhouse gas emissions as first priority. That means coming up with a systematic way to evaluate the life-cycle environmental consequences of a wide range of energy sources, including ethanol and other biofuels, clean coal, nuclear, oil sands, offshore drilling, photovoltaics and wind power, and then prioritizing our efforts.

Might a new consensus be developing on this issue? I sure hope so, and the nuclear industry is ready to play a significant role in what comes next.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG

Klaus Issues Energy Warning on Russia to EU

Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus tried to send a message about energy independence to the rest of Europe during a press conference earlier today:

Speaking before an informal EU summit that will discuss EU energy dependence, Klaus voiced doubts about the EU being able to find a joint position on the issue towards Russia.

According to Klaus, the European energy strategy should not be dependent on the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin with whom participants in the summit will meet today.

It is necessary to start with the energy industry in Europe and "certain taboos that have been forced on Europe in the past years according the operation of thermo- or coal-fuelled plants or nuclear energy should be abandoned," Klaus said.

"If we ban this in Europe there is and there will be dependence from Russia and we cannot achieve anything," Klaus added.

Glad to see more people are paying attention to the problems endemic in overeliance on Russian natural gas supplies.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Natural Gas, Russia, Electricity, Politics

Another Blogger for Nuclear Energy

Visit Hard at Wonk.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Technology, Politics

Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Last Rounds

I’m sure by now many readers are getting tired of reading about Dr. Caldicott and her latest book “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer.” So if the readers can hang with me for one last post on the book I would really appreciate it.

Chapter 9 – Renewable Energy: The Answer

Caldicott, p. 161:

Many kinds of alternative solutions are currently on the drawing board because of the extreme urgency of countering global warming. For instance, the conversion of coal to a synthetic fuel, which can be used for transportation and which would contribute much less to global warming than petroleum, is actively being championed by Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

I don’t know about you but I’m a bit stunned to see that she would mention coal as a solution to climate change.

Caldicott, p. 161:

However, the world at large has already begun to shift over to alternative energy sources, as is documented in several recent studies…Globally, more electricity is now produced by decentralized, low-carbon or no-carbon competitors than from nuclear power plants-about one-third from renewables (wind, biomass, solar) and two-thirds through a very efficient form of energy production in which electricity is made from waste heat emanating from industry in a process called fossil-fuel combined-heat-and-power CHP, or cogeneration.

For those readers who have been around for sometime you can probably guess whose ideas are these. If you guessed Amory Lovins you are correct. And if you’ve been around quite a bit you already know of the many posts we have written on Mr. Lovins and his ideas. I like his ideas about energy efficiency; however, when it comes to comparing to nuclear I find them way off. My opinion of course.

Back to Caldicott. Maybe I’m misinformed but I thought that “alternative energy sources” did not include natural gas which is the primary source of fuel for cogeneration. If she’s concerned about climate change, and she believes that nuclear produces only about one-third of the lifecycle emissions as natural gas, then why go for natural gas anyways. I find this puzzling.

Caldicott, p. 170:

It is imperative that the federal and state governments subsidize these important and critical new energy sources (wind).

So she rails against subsidies for nuclear in Chapter 2 but states in Chapter 9 that “it is imperative” that wind receives subsidies. I have no problem with wind receiving subsidies but am a little confused by this logic. The way she made it sound for nuclear in Chapter 2 is that subsidies are bad. But in Chapter 9 subsidies are apparently appropriate for wind.

Chapter 10 – What Individuals Can Do: Energy Conservation and Efficiency

Caldicott, p. 175:

Europeans use approximately 50% less energy per capita than Americans, while maintaining the same standard of living…If Americans change the way they live and decide to take responsibility to clean up the polluted planet, millions will follow.

Energy does not really have much to do with standard of living. It’s the consumption of electricity (ppt) that does. Regardless. I think she has a good point about conserving electricity. Do we really need to have lights on in rooms that aren’t even being used? Do we really need to have the AC set to 65 so our offices are so cold that we need heaters under our desks to keep warm? I don’t know the numbers specifically but conservation could go a long way. And the same goes with efficiency. According to EIA data (PDF), we saved less than 2 percent in 2004 utilizing demand side programs compared to what we generate in the U.S. I am sure we could do a lot better.

Think of electricity like water. Do you leave the faucet running when you’re not using it? Do you run the faucet while brushing your teeth? Same applies to electricity.

However, you still need a source to supply electricity and with a 45%-50% increase in electrical demand by 2030 projected in the U.S. (pdf), we are going to need all the supply available. Just to give an idea of the magnitude of the increase, think of adding about 300-350 new nuclear plants to the grid by 2030. That’s almost the current capacity of the world’s existing nuclear fleet (pdf). Not one source can scale up that fast to meet all that demand. And that’s exactly what NERC’s latest assessment states on page 7:

Long-term electricity supply adequacy requires a broad and balanced portfolio of generation and fuel types, transmission, demand response, renewables, and distributed generation; all supply-side and demand-side options need to be available.

That is all from me. I hope the readers have enjoyed this debunking session over the past several weeks. For the previous posts on Dr. Caldicott’s book see below.

"Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer"
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Round 1
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Round 2
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Round 3
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Rounds Four and Five
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Rounds Six, Seven and Eight

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Helen Caldicott

NEI Energy Markets Report (October 9th - 13th)

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week:

Electricity prices mostly increased throughout the country last week (see pages 1 & 2). Gas prices rose at the Henry Hub increasing $.79 to $4.90 /MMBtu (see page 4).

Nuclear capacity availability was at 78% last week. Twenty reactors were down for refueling and four were offline for maintenance (see pages 2&3).

The North American Electric Reliability Council released its 2006 Long-Term Reliability Assessment which can be found here: http://www.nerc.com/~filez/rasreports.html. According to the summary, “electric utilities forecast demand to increase over the next ten years by 19 percent (141,000 MW) in the United States and 13 percent (9,500 MW) in Canada, but project committed resources to increase by only 6 percent (57,000 MW) in the U.S. and by 9 percent (9,000 MW) in Canada.”

For the podcast click here. 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, Oil

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell Urges Passage of Yucca Mountain Bill

In an October 16, 2006, letter (PDF) to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said he is a "strong advocate for the creation of a national repository of spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada" and urges the senator to "take whatever action is necessary to ensure that construction of the final repository proceeds." In particular, he states his support for S.3692, the legislation proposed by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) Sept. 27.

Pennsylvania has nine nuclear power plants on five sites. Due to the lack of a permanent SNF [spent nuclear fuel] repository, the commonwealth has now accumulated one of the largest inventories of SNF in the nation. Unfortunately, many of the spent fuel pools in Pennsylvania are filled to or near capacity. As a result, those sites in Pennsylvania have been forced to add on-site dry storage capacity. These facilities are expensive to build and maintain, and they obviously are not capable of addressing long-term storage needs for spent fuel and again present serious security concerns for which no state is prepared to address in perpetuity.

...

While I believe that S.3692 moves things in the right direction, I urge the Senate to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that construction of the final repository proceeds. To this end, Congress should enable full funding and continued development of a permanent repository at Yucca Mountain for the nation's high-level radioactive waste and SNF.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Yucca Mountain

Nuclear Energy Insight

The latest issue of Nuclear Energy Insight is now available online. In it, you'll find an article on a new uranium enrichment facility that will bring jobs and economic stability to New Mexico. There also are reports on a noted environmentalist’s continuing support for nuclear energy and a Maryland county courting a new nuclear plant project. Other articles include new-plant activity in Texas, strong public backing for nuclear energy, and a former nuclear plant’s return to nature.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

More Nuclear News From Australia

Public debate over climate change must include low-emission, baseload nuclear energy, Australian Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane told the opening session of the 15th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference in Sydney on Monday.

“Nuclear energy could be—I argue it must be—a major part of the global strategy to curb greenhouse emissions,” Macfarlane said, noting that while “there are emissions across the entire cycle of building, maintaining and decommissioning a nuclear power station,” these emissions are “one-hundredth of the total emissions of a fossil-fueled power station.”

“We are now seeing a global collision of economic and greenhouse challenges,” Macfarlane added. “Nuclear power has the potential to bridge that emerging gap between this country’s economic development and the impact it has on our environment.”

For the full speech, click here. And for our coverage earlier this week of Prime Minister John Howard's favorable attitude toward nuclear, click here.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Australia

The Atomic Show, #32

Rod and Shane interview Ruth Sponsler, the brains behind We Support Lee.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Uranium

Toshiba Completes Purchase of Westinghouse

For more, visit We Support Lee, which has a nice roundup.

Congrats to everyone at Toshiba, Westinghouse and British Nuclear Fuels, PLC. Congrats also to the Shaw Group and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Toshiba's minority partners in the sale.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Westinghouse, Toshiba, Ishikawajima-Harima, Shaw Group, British Nuclear Fuels PLC

New Nukes and Grid Recovery

The recent NERC report on grid reliability should focus our attention on one of the advantages of the next generation of nuclear build – “net load rejection.”

While only a very few nuclear units today can withstand a grid blackout without scramming, the newly designed plants will all be able to. Net load rejection allows a nuclear unit to automatically disconnect from a dead transmission grid, decrease reactor power to only internal demand, and keep running. Those “hotel” loads are typically 5% of maximum power and include pumps, fans, control rod drive mechanisms, etc – everything to keep the plant running. The generator keeps spinning at rated voltage but only energizing plant loads.

Once the grid is stabilized, the system dispatchers then will have the option of using the large nuclear units to help bootstrap the grid (and the tripped generating units) back up to normalcy. Restoring a dead grid from a system’s large nuclear units is much easier than doing the same from the typically very small units equipped with “blackstart” capability or outside transmission links. (Hydro plants can be an exception in being very large.) During the great blackout of 2003, all the nuclear units in the affected region tripped. It took a minimum of 24 hours to restart them after transmission power was locally available and then bring them back on line. At least one required special NRC dispensation.

The as yet unbuilt new designs (EPR, AP1000, and ESBWR) all have this feature as part of their licensing basis. New European and Asian nukes will often have it too at grid operator insistence. Some Gen III+ units offer it as an option too.

One issue is the institutional arrangements for incentizing reactor owners to invest in this feature and to use it. A nuclear reactor owned and operated as a merchant plant could save a few million in construction costs and minimize risk of plant damage by just tripping off an unstable grid. They would only lose a day or three of lost revenue otherwise. Merchant plants in general have been criticized for not being good "grid citizens." Maybe the new nukes can avoid that PR trap.

This is an issue that NERC, FERC, and NRC need to address at the regulator level. Nukes with net load rejection should be justly compensated for that service.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Politics, NERC, Grid Reliability, Westinghouse, General Electric, Areva

SF Chronicle Profiles PG&E's Peter Darbee

From a column by David Lazarus:

Peter Darbee, now winding up his second year as chief exec of PG&E Corp., is a self-professed conservative and no great friend to progressive causes.

So he's as surprised as anyone to find himself emerging as a corporate leader in, of all things for an energy industry heavyweight, saving the planet from global warming.

"If you had asked me five years ago, this wouldn't have occurred to me," Darbee acknowledged in an interview. "Somewhere in this process (of becoming CEO), I developed a point of view."

That point of view, specifically, is this: "The Earth is warming. Mankind appears to be responsible. The need to take action is now."

[...]

"What he's talking about is very welcome," said Carl Zichella, California regional director for the Sierra Club. "It's important to have business leaders of his caliber talking about this."

Not that PG&E and the Sierra Club are suddenly in bed together. Zichella said that if Darbee is really serious about safeguarding the environment, he'd also be looking to mothball the company's Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

PG&E is spending more than $700 million in ratepayer funds to refurbish the plant and keep it operational for at least another 20 years -- even though it's run out of room for spent fuel rods and now intends to store them, at least temporarily, on a hillside overlooking the coastal facility.

"They could just as easily be spending that $700 million on renewables," Zichella said.

Darbee responds that nuclear energy, which accounts for about 20 percent of electricity generation nationwide, has its place if our primary goal is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

"The threat of global warming is so significant," he said, "that many environmentalists who opposed nuclear energy now support it."

One day, it's Democrats supporting nuclear energy. The next, it's a Republican admitting that his views on global warming have changed, and it's time for caps on carbon emissions.

There's a chance for a deal here. The world can't afford to pass it up.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Technology, Politics, PG&E, California, Peter Darbee, GHG, Climate Change

Blogs React to the NERC Report

Click here for a nice overview from TailRank.

For our original post, click here.

Technorati tags: Electricity, Energy, Politics, NERC, Grid Reliability

The Lesson of the Floating Nuclear Power Plant

Every couple of months, news about a floating Russian nuclear power plant hits the wires, and online discussion spreads everywhere. On one level, it's really quite astonishing. Here, inside NEI, we've got plenty of U.S. Navy veterans, so the idea of a floating nuclear power plant doesn't seem terribly outlandish.

On the other hand, I think it provides an important lesson for folks in the nuclear industry, because it tells us something about how we need to communicate with the public. And in this case, it seems as if too much is never enough. Act accordingly.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Electricity, Environment, Russia

Another Blogger for Nuclear Energy

Meet The Paragraph Farmer.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Technology, Politics

An Areva-Mitsubishi Alliance?

From today's FT:

French nuclear group Areva is in talks to link up with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan in an attempt to bolster its competitive position as governments edge closer to launching nuclear programmes to address pressing energy needs.

It is understood that discussions are at an advanced stage, and include taking joint orders, technology exchange and plans to develop a new type of pressurised water reactor, the preferred standard for 70 per cent of the world's new power stations.

More, from Reuters.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Technology, Politics, Areva, Mitsubishi

Gaia Devotees Ponder Nuclear Energy's Benefits

A Gaia Theory conference held this weekend at George Mason University's Law School drew nearly 200 environmentalists, educators, policymakers ... and the nuclear energy industry. Our message: Nuclear energy has a role to play in addressing climate change.

James Lovelock, a British environmental scientist who postulated the Gaia Theory as a way of understanding the planet as a self-regulating entity, would agree. Essentially, his theory asserts that living organisms and their inorganic surroundings have evolved together as a single living system that greatly affects the chemistry and conditions of Earth’s surface.

In his latest book, "The Revenge of Gaia," Lovelock writes, "There is no alternative but nuclear fission until fusion energy and sensible forms of renewable energy arrive as a truly long-term provider. Nuclear energy is free of emissions and independent of imports from what will be a disturbed world."

I staffed a booth for the Nuclear Energy Institute, a conference co-sponsor, along with fellow blogger Michael Stuart of Dominion. Frequently asked questions focused on used fuel, new plants and radiation. Although many attendees were in the "no nuclear" camp, we shared information on nuclear energy's clean-air benefits, as well as its safety record and contibution to national energy security. Many attendees were especially intrigued by the U.S. Department of Energy's reprocessing initiative called the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

Most encouraging aspect of the day: Many attendees listened to our message. Still, there continued to be some doubters. As one attendee said: "I can't decide if you are the craziest person here or the bravest person here." We'll opt for brave.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Gaia, James Lovelock

PPI Report Endorses Broader Role for Nuclear Energy

Earlier today, the Progressive Policy Institute issued a new report entitled, A Progressive Energy Platform, one that includes an endorsement of an expansion of nuclear generating capacity. Click here for the Executive Summary and here for the full text.

The following is from the text of the report:

Nuclear power holds great potential to be an integral part of a diversified energy portfolio for America. It produces no greenhouse gas emissions, so it can help clean up the air and combat climate change. And new plant designs promise to produce power more safely and economically than first-generation facilities.

For example, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has certified three new designs that would use significantly fewer pumps, pipes, valves, and cables than firstgeneration facilities. That will reduce the plants'’ complexity, making them easier to inspect and maintain. From a safety perspective, the new plants rely on natural forces such as gravity, natural circulation,and condensation, assuring safe shutdown even in the event of an accident.

In addition to these three new approved designs, at least four other designs may soon win NRC approval. Among these is the promising modular, "“pebble bed"” reactor design. As the name suggests, these smaller plants would use hundreds of thousands of uranium pebbles rather than large cores to generate power. As researchers at MIT recently concluded, these pebbles burn more completely than their traditional counterparts and are thus less of a weapons proliferation concern, simply because there is much less viable material left at the end of the process.

It will take time to bring these nextgeneration facilities online. Progressives should support efforts to expedite the process.

The energy bill of 2005 included a few worthy measures on that front, including federal investments, loan guarantees, and tax credits that promise to trim $200 million to $300 million off the costs of new reactors, allowing them to generate power more cost-effectively than gas- and coalfired power plants.

We've said it before, we'll say it again: Nuclear energy -- it's not a left/right question anymore.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Ritch: New Reactors Not a Proliferation Threat

And speaking of the conference in Sydney, WNA Director General John Ritch took to the podium today to make the case that increasing global nuclear generating capacity would not increase proliferation risk, and that the world needs 20 times more nuclear generating capacity in order to stave off global warming.

Click here for more from the AP.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Australia Nuclear Update

Australian Prime Minister John Howard gave the strongest signal yet that his nation intends to develop a peaceful nuclear power program in an interview with national broadcaster Channel 9:

"In an age where we're worried about global warming we should be looking seriously at nuclear power as an option, because it's clean and it doesn't emit greenhouse gases and I can't understand why the extreme Greenies oppose it," he said.

Howard's comments came against the backdrop of the 15th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference, being held this week in Sydney. For more coverage on Howard's comments, visit the following links:

PM gives strong backing to nuclear power, The Age
Reactors could be up and running by 2015, The Australian
Nuclear Australia 'a decade away', news.com.au

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Australia

NERC Report: New Generation, Infrastructure Not Being Built Fast Enough

From today's edition of the New York Times:

Companies are not building power plants and power lines fast enough to meet growing demand, according to a group recently assigned by the federal government to assure proper operation of the power grid.

The group, the North American Electric Reliability Council, in its annual report, to be released Monday, said the amount of power that could be generated or transmitted would drop below the target levels meant to ensure reliability on peak days in Texas, New England, the Mid-Atlantic area and the Midwest during the next two to three years.

[...]

The report predicts that demand will increase by about 19 percent over the next 10 years in the United States, and slightly less in Canada, and that the construction of power plants and transmission lines to carry that load will fall far short of what is needed. In this country, utilities have contracts with new power plants for only about a third of the capacity that will be needed; in Canada, the number is about two-thirds.

The number of miles of transmission lines, which can help redistribute supplies, will increase by only about 7 percent, the report said.

Click here for the press release from NERC. Click here for the full report.

Technorati tags: Electricity, Energy, Politics, NERC, Grid Reliability

Wilson Quarterly Looks At Nuclear Energy

The Autumn 2006 edition of the magazine carries a pair of essays that are worth reading, along with an informative sidebar:

Nuclear Power is the Future, by Max Schulz.

Nuclear Is Not the Way, by Brice Smith and Arjun Makhijani

A Guide to Nuclear Power

Both articles also include a response from the other author(s). It's interesting reading.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Environment, Electricity

The Nuclear Energy Industry Posts The Help Wanted Sign

In a recent speech, NRC Chairman Dale Klein warned of the risk that the nuclear industry will face a shortage of skilled workers: "Every segment of the nuclear industry needs to work to increase the talent pool, though, so that we are not competing for a small number of candidates. If we all spend the next 20 years waving money and benefits at the same people, there will be winners and losers."

The competition for nuclear workers has already begun, and at least one company appears determined to be one of the winners. In addition to the usual college recruiting and advertisements in trade publications, it is sending interviewers to cities where its competitors have major offices. Employees of those competitors are receiving letters inviting them to come for interviews. Some people are actually receiving these letters AT WORK!

Readers should note that the nuclear industry requires workers from many disciplines. Take engineers, for example. The nuclear industry hires nuclear engineers, of course, but it also needs mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, and even materials engineers. If you work in an industry that is not doing well, you might want to think about switching to nuclear. For more information, check out the Careers and Education section on our public Web site.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Dale Klein, NRC

Visit FP&L's E-4 Online

Congrats to FP&L for creating E-4 Online, a great tool for educating the public about energy issues. The site, based on Macromedia's Shockwave technology, combines quizzes, online exhibits and interactive features that will keep students of all ages engaged and interested. To read more about how it was created, click here.

Go check it out now.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Environment, Electricity

President Bush: "We must promote civilian nuclear power."

The following is an excerpt from President Bush's speech yesterday at the National Renewable Energy Conference in St. Louis:

A controversial subject is nuclear power. You might remember, we've had a time in our country where people liked nuclear power, thought it was a strong solution to energy independence, and then we just shut her down because of engineering concerns. I strongly believe that if we want to keep this country competitive, if we want to make sure we can compete globally, we must promote civilian nuclear power. We must have more energy coming from nuclear power. (Applause.)

Nuclear power is renewable, and there are no greenhouse gases associated with nuclear power. One of the problems we've had is that nobody wants to build any plants. They're afraid of the costs of regulation and the litigious nature that surrounds the construction of nuclear power plants -- litigious problems surrounding the construction of the nuclear power plants.

And so, in the energy bill that I signed, the Congress wisely provided incentives and risk insurance for nuclear power plant construction. Last year only three companies were seeking to build power plants -- nuclear power plants. Today 14 have expressed new interest in construction. In other words, there's a new industry beginning to come back.

I think it's very important for us to spend dollars on how to best deal with the waste, in other words, research new ways to be able to assure the American people that we'll be able to deal with the nuclear waste in a smart way. And that's why we're teaming up with France, and Japan, and Russia to spend money -- $250 million from the United States' perspective, and they're matching it -- on what's called the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, all designed to research reprocessing and fast-burner reactors.

The idea is to take the nuclear industry, take the spent fuel, reprocess it, put it into a fast-burner reactor, which will yield about 90 percent less of the waste than under the current system. What I'm telling you is, is that the engineering is much safer today than it has been in the past, and we're spending money to make sure that we can deal with the waste in a sane way, so that we can with confidence say to the American people, now is the time to accelerate the expansion of nuclear power for the sake of national and economic security. (Applause.)

For more coverage of the speech, click here.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Environment, Electricity, President Bush, Missouri, St. Louis

Lowering The Level of The Debate at Grist

Kicking around the blogs today is this even-tempered quote from environmental journalist David Roberts:

When we've finally gotten serious about global warming, when the impacts are really hitting us and we're in a full worldwide scramble to minimize the damage, we should have war crimes trials for these bastards -- some sort of climate Nuremberg.

Here at NEI Nuclear Notes, we're not climate scientists, so we don't comment on climate science. We simply say the same thing over and over again: That if you want to continue to generate reliable and affordable electricity while constraining greenhouse gas emissions, you need to have nuclear energy as part of the world's energy mix. We're not the only ones who think this way.

Taking Roberts' thinking to its logical conclusion, what should we say about folks who cheer the elimination of nuclear energy from the global energy grid, and propose replacing it with renewable sources of energy that perform at their worst when demand is at its highest?

Don't forget, when the temperature rose in California, there were a number of people who didn't run their air conditioning because the cost of electricity was too high -- and now we know the results.

And as renewables are not a serious option when it comes to displacing baseload power, that means more coal-fired electric generation in a country where 30,000 people a year die from respiratory diseases caused by pollution from coal-fired power plants, and another 2 million per year worldwide are killed by air pollution.

The bottom line is this: These are serious issues and the decisions we make will have massive economic and social impacts around the globe, including, undoubtedly, ones that we cannot foresee. Comparing the people who disagree with you to war criminals does nothing to move us closer to resolving these issues, and doesn't do much credit to the cause that Roberts represents. For his defense of what he wrote, click here.

UPDATE: Roberts has retracted his call for Nuremberg trials. Good for him.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Natural Gas, Oil, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG, Grist

CECE Opens Office in China

Through our friend Norris McDonald, we hear that the Center for Environment, Commerce and Energy has opened an office in China. Good luck to them.

Technorati tags: Energy, Oil, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Natural Gas, China

DOE Selects Westinghouse/PBMR Team For NGNP Engineering Contract

From Engineering News:

America’s Department of Energy (DoE) has embarked on the first stage of a programme that could result in the construction of a South African-designed pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR) in the US.

This step took the form of a $3-million contract awarded on the last day of September by the DoE to a US-South African consortium, for first-phase engineering work for America’s Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) at the Idaho National Laboratory.

The South African members of the consortium are PBMR (Pty) Ltd, the company responsible for the development of the PBMR technology, and M-Tech Industrial, of Potchefstroom.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Technology, PBMR, Electricity, Westinghouse

Greenspan: Nuclear Could Play Role In Alberta Oil Sands

In a speech last Friday at the Calgary Convention Center, former U.S. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspand said that the province of Alberta needs to think about nuclear when it comes to extracting oil from the province's tar sands:

Greenspan also argued that nuclear power needs to be considered in Alberta’s oilsands industry, an idea that is increasingly gaining traction as an alternative to the burning of natural gas. Oilsands plants — which are set to quadruple their output over the next few decades — are enormous consumers of natural gas.

“The only concern that we have is that you’re still using a lot of natural gas … you could use nuclear up there as well,”Greenspan said.

Greenspan has been speaking frequently about energy issues since his departure from the Fed. For links to previous speeches, click here and here. For previous looks at the oil sands question, click here and here.

Technorati tags: Energy, Oil, Alberta, Canada, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Natural Gas, Alan Greenspan

NEI Energy Markets Report (October 2nd - 6th)

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week:

Electricity prices mostly increased throughout the country last week (see pages 1 & 2). Gas prices continued to fall at the Henry Hub declining $.24 to $4.11/MMBtu (see page 4).

Nuclear capacity availability was at 84% last week. Sixteen reactors were down for refueling and two were offline for maintenance (see pages 2&3).

Total electricity demand is expected to increase by 1.1 percent in 2006. Total electricity demand is expected to grow in 2007 by 1.3 percent as a result of continued economic growth and an assumed return to normal temperature patterns. Coal demand is expected be flat in 2006 and increase by 2.6 percent in 2007. The Henry Hub natural gas price is expected to average about $6.90 per mcf in 2006 and $7.53 per mcf in 2007 (see page 8).

For the podcast click here (10 MB). 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, Oil

Times Editor Endorses Expansion of Nuclear Energy

Here's Robert B. Semple, a member of the editorial board at the New York Times:

[W]e almost certainly need more and better nuclear plants, since nuclear energy is low-carbon energy. No new nuclear plant has been built for decades, mainly for cost reasons. But many people, including some environmentalists who once recoiled from the nuclear option, are now persuaded that global warming cannot be tackled without a new generation of cheaper, safer and more reliable nuclear plants.

Did a member of the New York Times editorial board just endorse a widespread expansion of nuclear energy in the U.S.?

I think I'm feeling a little faint ...

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Spain: Addicted to Natural Gas

From Bloomberg:

Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is a self-proclaimed anti-nuclear warrior.

When the aging Jose Cabrera nuclear reactor, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) east of Madrid, was shuttered in April, Zapatero refused to consider a new atomic plant. Instead, the reactor will be replaced with a generator that burns North African gas. Zapatero pledged last month to unveil a plan by the elections in 2008 to phase out all nuclear reactors.

Four decades after dictator General Francisco Franco bet on nuclear power to reduce dependence on foreign energy, Spain is Western Europe's fastest-growing natural gas importer. The shift has come with a steep price tag: The cost of energy imports rose 66 percent in two years to 32.1 billion euros ($41 billion) in 2005, the National Statistics Office in Madrid said.

``We are putting ourselves at the mercy of gas,'' Pedro Rivero, the chairman of Madrid-based Unesa, a utilities' trade group, said in an interview last month.

Gas-fed reactors produce power for about 35 euros a megawatt-hour compared with 14 euros for nuclear plants, according to Madrid-based Union Fenosa SA, owner of the Jose Cabrera plant. Spain gets 75 percent of its energy from fossil fuels, more than the 50 percent average for the European Union.

When you're addicted to natural gas in Europe, it means you're addicted to Russian, Algerian and Iranian natural gas. As we've seen, that's awfully problematic.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Russia, Spain

Australia Pushes for Asian Equivalent of Euratom

From One News:

Australia said on Wednesday it would push for Asia-wide regulations covering nuclear power, similar to Europe, which would boost confidence in nuclear non-proliferation following North Korea's reported nuclear test.

As Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam look at new nuclear plants to meet surging power demand, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Canberra backed an Asian equivalent of the European Atomic Energy Community, or EURATOM.

"The idea of the region working together under a single framework in the way that the European Union does is, I think, quite a good idea," Downer told an energy security conference in Canberra. "I think it's something we should look at."

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Australia, Asia

Namibia Wants to Develop Nuclear Energy

From mineweb.net:

The Namibian government is planning to exploit its rich uranium deposits to commercially generate electricity to achieve self-sustenance in power generation, as shortages loom in 2007, although how it is going to achieve this without any current nuclear power plant plans seems obscure. Namibia is now southern African region's largest producer of uranium, and is the 6th largest world producer.

Namibia imports 45% of its energy requirements from South Africa. Electricity demand peaks at 500 MW, but Namibia can only supply 393 MW if it runs its four power stations at full capacity with South Africa making up for the shortfall. South Africa has indicated that in 2007 it would not be able to meet the region's requirement due to growing demand in the country.

Thanks to Lowem Public Web Log for the link.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Namibia

Wolf Creek Applies For License Extension

From Reuters:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday that the application for a 20-year renewal of the operating license for the 1,166-megawatt Wolf Creek nuclear power station in Kansas was available for public review.

In a release, the NRC said its staff was looking at the application to determine whether it contains enough information for the required formal reviews.

The license renewal process, used to determine how an operator will manage the aging of a reactor, is a two-step process that includes a safety and environmental review.

The current 40-year operating license expires March 11, 2025.

For the NRC announcement, click here. Congrats to the team at Wolf Creek.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, NRC

German Coalition Tables Nuclear Question

From Reuters:

Germany's politicians and bosses of the country's utilities agreed on Monday to put off any decisions on the one energy issue that generates tension inside the governing coalition -- the future of atomic power.

"We discussed the fact that internationally nuclear energy is taking on an increasing significance. But at the same time we have a coalition agreement that sticks to phasing out nuclear energy," Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters after the government's second "energy summit".

She said discussion of the issue would be pushed back to the next energy summit in March and reiterated that the law requiring the gradual closure of all of Germany's nuclear power stations by the early 2020s remained in force.

Some in Merkel's camp have made no attempt to hide a desire to reopen the issue of phasing out nuclear energy, arguing that it would harm Germany's competitiveness as an energy producer. The utilities would also like to keep their reactors running.

Nuclear power, which supplies a third of German electricity, produces virtually no harmful carbon dioxide emissions.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Economics, Electricity, Germany, GHG, Coal

Exelon Examines Eight Sites For Texas Reactors

From Reuters:

Exelon Corp. (EXC), the largest U.S. nuclear power producer, said it is "actively" evaluating eight sites in Texas as possible locations for a new nuclear reactor, a spokesman said on Friday.

Chicago-based Exelon, which entered the Texas generation market in 2002 with the purchase of two aging natural gas-fired power plants from TXU Corp. (TXU), became the fourth company last week to say it wants to apply for a license to build a nuclear plant in Texas to meet growing power needs.

Of the 19 preliminary proposals for new U.S. reactors, Texas has attracted the most interest, with four proposals, according to data from the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Texas

WHO: Air Pollution Kills Two Million Per Year, Worldwide

From the Environmental News Service:

Air pollution in cities across the world is causing some two million premature deaths every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday (Oct. 5), urging nations to adopt stricter air pollution standards. The international health agency's new air quality guidelines call for nations to reduce the impact of air pollution by substantially cutting levels of particulate matter, ozone and sulfur dioxide.

"By reducing air pollution levels, we can help countries to reduce the global burden of disease from respiratory infections, heart disease, and lung cancer which they otherwise would be facing," said Maria Neira, WHO director of public health and the environment. "Moreover, action to reduce the direct impact of air pollution will also cut emissions of gases which contribute to climate change and provide other health benefits."

For the WHO release, click here. For the agency's air quality guidelines, click here.

Technorati tags: Environment, Air Quality, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, WHO

More Democrats Supporting Nuclear Energy

From Sunday's edition of the Cedar Rapids Gazette (archive link not available):

A core group of Iowa Democrats deserves praise for rejecting decades-old stereotypes about nuclear power and coming out strongly in favor of expansion of nuclear energy in the United States. Their involvement should help bolster support for nuclear energy, and possibly even lead someday to a new Iowa nuclear plant — and the great-paying jobs and substantial capital investment that would come with it.

That nuclear energy is on the cusp of a resurgence has been apparent since President Bush made nuclear expansion a key part of his energy policy. And while that energy bill attracted some Democratic support, many Democrats have always been wary of nuclear energy because of the party’s close association with environmentalists who generally despise nuclear power.

When the national Clean and Safe Energy Coalition was launched in spring, it was a good bet that its early inroads would be with Republicans, even though it intended to be a bipartisan group. Yet when coalition co-chairman Patrick Moore stopped in Palo on Thursday at the Duane Arnold Energy Center, the roomful of coalition members had a distinctly Democratic flavor.

The tide is turning. To join the CASEnergy Coalition, click here.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Friday News Roundup

Some items that I wanted to point all of you to before the weekend that we should have covered earlier in the week:

NRC Tritium Task Force Report Finds No Health Impact From Inadvertent Releases

Yankee Companies Score Legal Victory Under Nuclear Waste Policy Act

Greenpeace Co-Founder Urges Iowans to Join National Coalition Supporting Increased Use of Nuclear Energy

PG&E Seeks Supreme Court Review of Case on Environmental Impact of Potential Terrorist Attacks

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

The Caldicott Files: Lessons from History

If recent posts are any indication, contributors to this blog were shocked by presentations by Dr. Helen Caldicott as part of her book-promotion tour. If we had been better students of history, we might have been spared the shock. Consider the following descriptions of her:

Dr. Caldicott has considerable stage presence, a certain articulateness, and considerable gifts as an improviser.

[...]

The typical Caldicott lecture ... starts out with a quick and lucid account of the various forms of radiation. She then moves to note that it is possible to cause genetic and other physical defects through radiation. From there it is a grand leap to proclaim that nuclear power plants, because they produce radiation, which has been shown to cause various defects, must inevitably produce epidemics of such defects. (There is never any argumentation to suggest how the radiation is to be let loose upon the public so as to cause these defects.)

[...]

From this point on, coherence and evidence begin to go downhill.

[...]

The evidence is, regrettably, that Dr. Caldicott'’s impassioned speeches frequently have little to do with reality.

The author of these descriptions also noted that her critics have described her as "“overemotional"”.

Were these descriptions inspired by a recent visit to Poets and Busboys? No. You can find all this and more in The War against the Atom, by Samuel McCracken. It was published by Basic Books (New York) in 1982. Check out pages 113 through 116.

I guess some things never change.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Helen Caldicott

Another Blogger for Nuclear Energy

Here's one MySpace member who's on board with new build.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

Liveblogging: Is Nuclear Power a Solution to Global Warming and Rising Energy Prices?

Greetings from the conference center at the American Enterprise Institute, a few blocks from NEI HQ here in Washington, D.C. At the last minute I got wind of a day-long conference entitled, "Is Nuclear Power a Solution to Global Warming and Rising Energy Prices?". I figured it was a good subject for some live blogging, my bosses agreed, and so I'm here in the back of the room waiting for the festivities to begin.

We're in the middle of a pretty nasty rain storm here in D.C., so it looks like we might be starting a little late this morning. Here's a copy of the day's agenda:

9:00 Welcome and Introduction, Jon Entine, AEI

9:15 Panel 1: Nuclear Power and Climate Change

Panelists:

Judi Greenwald, Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Ernest J. Moniz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
William Tucker, author of Terrestrial Energy

Moderator:

Steven F. Hayward, AEI

10:45 Break

11:00 Panel 2: Economic and Regulatory Concerns

Panelists:

Christopher E. Paine, Natural Resources Defense Council
Paul Joskow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Richard J. Myers, Nuclear Energy Institute

Moderator:

Jon Entine, AEI

12:30 Luncheon

1:00 Keynote Address

Speaker: Dale E. Klein, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Chairman

2:00 Panel 3: Next Generation Nuclear

Panelists:

Edward Cummins, Westinghouse Nuclear

Edwin Lyman, Union of Concerned Scientists

Charles W. Pennington, NAC International

Moderator:

Kenneth P. Green, AEI

Click here for speaker bios. All in all, it's shaping up to be an interesting day. Though the presentations aren't available now, AEL tells me they ought to be posted on their Web site sometime this afternoon.

Stick with us, it's going to be a good program. Check back here at this post for updates throughout the day.

UPDATE: AEI's Steven Heyward mentions the paper on "Stabilization Wedges" that came out of Princeton a few years back -- one that claimed that stabilizing GHG emissions would be easier if we split the problem into seven distinct wedges, including expanded use of nuclear energy (an additional 700 GWe of nuclear capacity). Right off the bat, Hayward mentions that former Vice President Al Gore referenced the paper in his film, An Inconvenient Truth, but for some reason left out the nuclear energy wedge -- glad we're not the only ones who noticed.

INTERESTING FACT: From Heyward: If the U.S. had the same GHG profile as France, global emissions of GHGs would be 7-8% lower than they are today. France's GHG intensity is .29kg/C per dollar of economic output. The U.S. is .55kg/C per dollar of economic output.

JUDI GREENWALD ... of the Pew Center is at the podium right now. Much of the information we're seeing right now is stuff we've talked about here before. However, when we get to the section of her presentation on challenges, she lists two above all others -- waste and proliferation risk. Something to keep in mind when communicating with the policy community.

Here's the heart of Pew's position: Nuclear energy needs a "mandatory climate policy", one that installs a cap and trade system for carbon emissions. At bottom, that would provide the industry better long-term certainty, and send a clearer signal to the investment community than short-term tax breaks and incentives that may or may not remain in effect.

Another note: Greenwald says she's not sure what GNEP is really about, but that Pew has concerns over costs and once again, proliferation risk. MIT's Ernie Moniz is up next.

MIT's ERNEST MONIZ ... Some interesting points from the summary of Moniz's presentation:

• Pricing regime for CO2 emissions is critical. The sooner the better.
  
• Strongly endorsed government taking title of used fuel at interim storage sites for a period of up to 100 years.
• DOE should use this period to consider how Yucca Mountain might operate differently.
• Endorsed the establishment of an international "fuel leasing system" that would allow countries to have access to an economic source of nuclear fuel in exchange for forgoing enrichment (benefits with incentives for fixed time period that may be renewed).
  
• The Bush Administration and Congress needs to back off plans to advocate reprocessing, expressing particular concern over the MoX-Purex process.
• Endorsed the concept of GNEP, but thinks that we might be "getting ahead of ourselves" due to the long lead times involved in developing these technologies.

More interesting facts soon.

MINI-FACT UPDATE: Here's another one that William Tucker passed along. In 1990, a train full of coal left the Powder River Basin every 20 minutes. Today, that same train full of coal leaves every six minutes. In total , coal comprises 70% of the freight carried by rail in the U.S.

"FUNDAMENTALLY DANGEROUS TECHNOLOGY": From time to time, we've tried to drawn a distinction between extreme environmental activists who are reflexively pro-nuclear, and others in the activist community who are more thoughtful and are now re-thinking the nuclear energy industry in light of the threat of global warming and climate change. Coincidentally, Greenwald from the Pew Center mentioned earlier this morning when she said that there's a real split in the environmental community between those involved in the anti-nuke movement and those who are pondering the broad policy implications of global warming.

A lot of us in the industry would have thought that the National Resources Defense Council was one of those more thoughtful groups. But after sitting through a presentation by NRDC's Christopher Paine, I'm beginning to wonder. He's part of a panel going on right now on the economics of the industry, and in his presentation, he pretty much stuck to the economic case against the industry. But after saying that he wasn't reflexively anti-nuclear, Paine then said that industry costs are so high because nuclear energy is a "fundamentally dangerous" technology and the high cost reflects the threat the industry poses to the public and the environment.

Draw your own conclusions.

LUNCH BREAK: We've got about 20 minutes before NRC Chairman Dale Klein comes to the podium for the keynote address. The rest of the panel discussion that just ended covered a lot of the ground we've examined in detail here when it comes to the economics of nuclear energy, but one exchange was worth noting. During the Q&A, Paine from NRDC displayed a slide that show how California's electricity demand has held steady in recent years, and held it out as an example of how demand side management can work.

In response, Paul Joskow of MIT called the chart, "something of a cheap shot," noting that over that same period, California had experienced skyrocketing electric rates and had driven much of the heavy industry out of the state forever -- something we've noted before. He also later added that during the state's heat storm this Summer, only a fraction of California's wind energy capacity stayed in operation, a fact we've dealt with before as well.

ON DALE KLEIN ... The NRC Chairman's speech tracked many of the issues he's been fronting since he took over at the Commission a few months ago, namely removing uncertainty from the regulatory process, as well as his personal concerns about the challenges the industry faces in terms of the infrastructure needed to build and operate a new generation of nuclear plants. Of course what we're talking about is the twin issues of manufacturing infrastructure as well as the workforce question.

Other items of note -- Klein touted his decision to split the reactor oversight process in two between existing reactors and new reactor build, as well as the surge in hiring at NRC that will see 200 additional positions added to the agency work force every year between 2006 and 2008.

Klein's speech writer earned his keep with this line when Klein addressed the issue of quality of the paper work submitted to NRC: "Show me quality and clarity, and NRC will show you kindness."

Other interesting points: While the U.S. has been able to get away with importing science and engineering talent over the past few decades, the nation will not likely be able to turn the same trick when it comes to nuclear engineering, as China and India will need their own engineers in order to expand their own burgeoning fleets of new reactors. In addition, while NRC might not care where nuclear components are fabricated, components that are manufactured domestically will be easier for NRC to certify.

MONDAY UPDATE: Greetings to readers of NEI's Nuclear Energy Overview. AEI tells us that all of the presentations from the event will be posted over at their public Web site come Tuesday morning. Once the link is active, we'll pass it on to you. For UPI's summary of the meeting, click here.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Electricity, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Global Warming, GHG

Another Hawaiian for Nuclear Energy

Meet Michael R. Fox.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Hawaii

The Atomic Show, Episode #31

In their latest episode, Rod and Shane take a look at a 2006 paper published by Australia's Uranium Information Center.

Click here to listen.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Uranium

Caldicott on E&E TV

A previously recorded interview with Helen Caldicott is running today on E&E TV. I could do a point by point rebuttal, but there isn't anything there that we haven't seen before over the past few weeks. It's classic Caldicott, all of the same old charges delivered with the same old intensity.

We're glad to see that Caldicott deigned to mention David Bradish's efforts to debunk her book, chapter by chapter. Her claim that this proved that she's credible had me roaring. For those so inclined, here are all of our previous posts on Caldicott from NEI Nuclear Notes:

"Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer"
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Round 1
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Round 2
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Round 3
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Rounds Four and Five
Dr. Caldicott vs. Nuclear Power, Rounds Six, Seven and Eight
Postcards From A Nuclear Free Zone, Part 1
Postcards From A Nuclear Free Zone, Part 2
Continuing To Counter Caldicott

But as we've seen, Caldicott is at her best when she doesn't have to answer any hard questions -- like when she ducked a Q&A following her appearance at Vanderbilt earlier this week.

One last point: Be sure to pay attention to the advertisement before the interview.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Helen Caldicott

Continuing to Counter Caldicott

I’ve been getting reports from members of local chapters of North American Young Generation in Nuclear on the Caldicott book tour events they’ve attended.

I was surprised to learn that at the Vanderbilt University event last night Dr. Caldicott did not take any questions after she spoke. I sincerely hope that Dr. Caldicott is not ill, but if there wasn’t such a reason for omitting a question and answer session, then I’m very disturbed. We trust our universities, especially one as respected as Vanderbilt, to foster critical thinking and the exchange of ideas among students and in society. Were legitimate questions intentionally squelched because they may have cast doubt on the claims of the speaker? I hope not.

I received these words from DeLisa Pournaras that attended:

I have heard that many anti-nuke activists consider lying an acceptable means to an end, but I honestly didn't expect to see it. We were shocked. Example: She called NEI a bunch of liars, and then with a straight face told everyone there that the nuclear industry had not bothered to improve it's security since 9/11. She talked about everything we have to do for TSA at the airports (i.e.. metal detector lines, taking off shoes, etc) and then implied that no such measures are taken at nuclear plants.

There was a world of difference in her demeanor for the lecture last night vs. her interview[s] with you and Steve Kerekes...I'd swear it was a different person. Last night she was wild and irrational, doing her best to scare everyone there with skewed facts and half-truths. She's either done NO real research on nuclear power and she's just completely ignorant, or she's made the decision to lie and/or cloud the truth to benefit her cause. I honestly don't think she had much credibility during the meeting. She alluded to witchcraft and/or hell with almost every reference to nuclear power, but never backed up a word of it. How could a university student find that credible? Still, she had a following.

It was a good learning experience for us. It was extremely frustrating, but we were glad we got the chance to witness Dr. Caldicott's talent for story-telling. I don't have much respect for Dr. Caldicott after hearing her message. I expected much more from her, but at least we've got a better idea now for what we're up against.

Zack Rad also had problems with much of what she said last night (Zack was writing quickly because I've been begging for a report--blame me for any typos!):

• There was a barrage of shameless attempts to provoke the audience through any means. I was surprised when she opened by saying that nuclear power was sexist (referencing the trinity test: “it’s a boy”). A couple of other statements stood out, like repeatedly describing nuclear power as a threat to the testicles of men and the babies of women. I think she said the word testicles six times and I couldn’t even guess how many times she talked about babies. She’s definitely been trained on key words to get an audience concerned.
• No delineation between nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Describing the effects of radiation from an atomic bomb in the same sentence as radiation released from a commercial plant.
• After explaining that the nuclear reactor was born from the Manhattan project the conclusion was somehow reached that nuclear power leads to the nuclear bomb...never admitting that the production of a nuclear bomb is not in any way dependant on a nuclear reactor.
• An odd commentary on not “blowing her nose on trees” (when offered a tissue). An obvious appeal to the green community from a woman with a mountain of books to sell in the lobby.

Overall, I thought that the lecture was somewhat incoherent and rambling. It was a long string of provocative and frightening words with few salient points made. The lack of delineation between nuclear power and nuclear bombs should make even the least informed onlooker skeptical.

Except that I've found that most people aren't skeptical and really don't know about the vast differences between weapons and commercial power. It is something that we as an industry really need to address. After a Caldicott lecture last week I spoke to two women from Ohio whose town hosted a nuclear weapons processing facility. Much of the town is now contaminated and uninhabitable and some people became very, very ill. I don't doubt their claims because I know that there are places where, in the past, the government really made a mess while building weapons. I deeply empathize with people that have been affected by such mistakes. But I do try to explain to them that commercial nuclear power is completely different than weapons production. I couldn't convince them to save my life. When I insisted that nuclear power plants are not releasing plutonium to the ground or the air they looked at me like I was crazy. And I could not change their staunch belief that I must have been asked to sign something that requires me to stay silent on "anything bad" that happens at a power plant. And on and on.

Zack continues:

To believe her point would also require the belief in a massive conspiracy to cover up these “truths.” It reminds me of when people think they’ve learned a great secret which was revealed to them in an email forward.

Yep, as I've mentioned before, it boggles my mind to think of all the organizations (state, national, and international) and experts that must be in cahoots with the nuclear industry for Caldicott to be believed, not to mention the tens of thousands of workers.

In addition to the event at Vanderbilt, Sophie Gutner, Michael Stuart, and Charlene Cholatal of the Virginia chapter of NA-YGN went to Caldicott’s event at the University of Virginia last Saturday. They tell me that at this event Caldicott used a white board. Charlene sent me some notes:

She referred to uranium as "Un". This shows me how unfamiliar she is with nuclear terms.....I mean, who gets the symbol for uranium wrong?...[Later,] Caldicott said that the chemical reaction to create concrete releases more carbon dioxide into the environment, which leads to more global warming.

Holy smokes, in addition to advising people not to eat food from Europe or from the Hershey company, now she’s against concrete?

[She said] 'the role of a power plant is to boil water. Its like cutting cheese with a chainsaw.'

I’ve heard this from Caldicott so many times I have to assume it is one of her favorite phrases. Yes, nuclear is a fancy way to make steam to turn a turbine and generate electricity. So what? Over 90% of our electricity is generated using the steam cycle. And because it is a stable, reliable process it generates all of our baseload power.

This one is good:

[Caldicott said] ‘many [spent fuel] pools are on the roof of a reactor. All you need to do is take a missile to it to meltdown the plant.’ She then drew a containment dome with a little rectangle at the top - I was about to crack up laughing when I saw that one.

Raise your hand if you store your used fuel on top of your containment dome! No one? Ok…anyone willing to arrange a tour of a nuclear power plant for Dr. Caldicott?

[Caldicott said] ‘Since 9/11, the government has not increased security at the nuclear power plants.’ She discussed the force on force drills that some plants went through: 'In these so called mock terrorist attacks, almost 50% of the time, these terrorists got into the control room.' Where was she getting this information from?

I won’t speculate on her sources but I’m surprised she is still saying this since I gave her references on our radio interview on Monday and in a post below.

Charlene goes on:

One thing that struck a cord with me was the fact that she brought up an incident at a Sweden power plant where 2 out of the 4 diesels that were supposed to start after lightning struck "the tower". She said that two failed to fire, and minutes from disaster, they got the other two running…She also mentioned that "all power plants are the same." For the record, Forsmark (where this incident occurred) is a BWR, which is different from a PWR. We all know that. Apparently she does not. That instantly told me that she did not know her information at all.

Yep, she mentioned the same thing at a lecture I attended and I wrote about it. I didn’t previously catch her saying that all power plants are the same, but it doesn’t surprise me.

And some more tidbits:

[Caldicott says] it's very easy to melt a reactor…[and] she often referred to the fuel as 'radioactive hot waste bubbling.'<

For pete’s sake. The “melt a reactor” statement is preposterous enough given the security, natural and engineered barriers and the historical evidence. But the fuel statement…where to begin? Caldicott has spent 30 years speaking, writing and demonstrating against the nuclear industry, and she doesn’t know that a fuel assembly is solid metal and ceramic? Because if she does know that nuclear fuel is not hot and bubbly (or that security has increased since 9/11, or that fuel is not stored in the roof of containment, etc., etc.), then the only conclusion one could draw is…well, I’ll let you draw your own because I’m not supposed to get into character issues in a post.

I’ll just say that after being immersed in Caldicott’s books and lectures for the past week or so, I remembered an apropos phrase I read recently in someone’s tag line. It was “You cannot reason a [person] out of a position he [or she] did not reach through reason.” (The additions are mine to make it non-gender specific!)

I think Charlene has reached her own conclusion:

Now for some of my thoughts…Just because someone has an honorary degree in something , it does not mean that they know anything about it…To me, it seemed like her intentions were to sell her book, especially since that was one of the last things she said in her speech. It really disturbs me to know that there are people that spread this kind of misinformation, or more importantly, a one sided argument. With all of her scientific explanations that she gave at this speech, if someone did not have a working knowledge of nuclear theory, it would have seemed like the world was coming to an end. Combining the words "nuclear" , "cancer" , "global warming" and other nuclear-speak just proves to me that this woman just wants people to be swayed by what she has to say, as well as make them want to buy her book.

The Economist Sponsors Discussion on Nuclear Energy

Last month in the U.K., The Economist sponsored a discussion on the future of nuclear energy:

Among Britain's political class there is an emerging consensus: climate change is the challenge of our time. But each party proposes different solutions, and none is more divisive than nuclear power. In the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear power certainly trumps coal and gas every time. And unlike fossil fuels, uranium can be purchased from friendly and reliable countries like Canada and Australia.

Patrick Moore of the CASEnergy Coalition is one of the participants. Vijay Vaitheeswaran, who we have dealt with before, moderated the discussion. Click here (Mp3) to listen to the discussion. My friend David Bradish has described the discussion as "lively". Be sure to listen.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Electricity

More NPR Coverage on Nuclear Energy

On this week's edition of Justice Talking, the program took a long look at the industry's revival. Click here for the program in Windows Media, and here for an MP3 version. My NEI colleague, Steve Kerekes, makes an appearance alongside our friend Dr. Helen Caldicott. The program comes in at 51:01.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Helen Caldicott

CEO: PBMR Program Still On Track

Business Day recently interviewed Jaco Kriek, CEO of PBMR Ltd.

LINDSAY WILLIAMS: ... Alec Erwin said "“nuclear is a viable source"” at the High Temperature Reactor conference in Sandton on Monday, and that the SA government is currently planning the construction of 20 to 30 pebble bed modular reactors (PBMRs). Minister Erwin'’s words means we'’re serious about nuclear power. Jaco, is the PBMR a viable project, and will the first reactor be ready in 2013?

JACO KRIEK: We'’re going ahead with the programme. Nuclear power has a long time line - we'’ve been busy with the licensing process now for seven years, and as I was saying earlier today in Switzerland it takes 20 years to get a nuclear station built. So nuclear with its specific requirements takes a long time.

Click here for a transcript.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Technology, PBMR, Electricity, South Africa