NEI Nuclear Notes

As an admitted media-obsessed political junkie, I enjoy watching any political ad; if there were campaign ads out there by candidates running for dog catcher, I'd probably watch 'em. With advertising budgets a bit bigger and the stakes a whole lot larger, the presidential campaign ads are, for me, must-see viewing. The first RNC TV spot to be released , " Balance ," has really caught my eye. Perhaps it was just pure nostalgia - that 1970's Social Studies class filmstrip aesthetic really took me back. (Here's a helpful Wiki link to " Filmstrip " for those under the age of 30.) More likely it was the ad's claim that Obama has said "No to Nuclear Power." The creators cite a Newton, Iowa Town Hall event from Dec. 31, 2007 as the source for quotation. A couple of quibbles: the event happened on Dec. 30th , not the 31st. More significantly, the full transcript shows Obama supporting nuclear energy at the end of his response to the questione...

Not here, where roses bloom and politics is the sport of gentlemen </snark>, but Germany. We noted the other day (scroll down – lots of good reading) that Germany was experiencing some buyers’ remorse over its decision to pull the plug on nuclear energy and that the prime minister, Angela Merkel, was beginning to signal a turnabout in policy. But politics is politics. Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats, are roughly comparable to America’s Republicans – that is, conservative leaning - and the Social Democrats to Democrats – liberal leaning, perhaps a bit more toward classical socialism than the Dems. Smaller, single-issue, regional and fringy parties usually form coalitions with the more like-minded of the big two. So, the Greens, the enviro-(friendly/extreme – your choice) party, usually works with the Social Democrats. However, the governing coalition now consists of both big parties, rather like the Dems and Reps hanging out together.  The result would please Dr. ...

Tom Farrell appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box yesterday and said Dominion is "trying very hard" to build North Anna Unit 3. That alone was enough for me to gleefully revise my personal talking points on the subject but there was more. "I think our plant will be the first to come on line in more than 30 years." Asked when that would be, Farrell said 2016. Woohoo! A related article is in the Richmond Times-Dispatch .

Thomas F. Farrell II, CEO of Dominion, appeared on CNBC plugging nuclear energy specifically , as part of the mix to alleviate our energy woes. Here is the video ! Here is a text story based on the video, from the Richmond Times-Dispatch , " Dominion CEO tells of North Anna plans ." And these are some highlights - can anyone recall comparable comments from a utility executive, ever? "Right now, more than 50 percent of the nation's electricity comes from coal. That's problematic as we all know," Farrell said, alluding to the effect burning coal has on greenhouse-gas emissions. "The country is going to have to move in the direction of nuclear power." "There are 104 plants right now. We probably should have, as a nation, 200 or 250 plants. Now that's a long-term prospect." Thanks to Michael Stuart for the tip.

A few bits of news show the nuclear renaissance colliding with the problems besetting the world these days – and demonstrating its value every time. And by value, we mean the jingle in the pocket as well as the zap in your sockets. --- Germany, as you may know, was an early supporter of nuclear energy that changed course, at least partly, because its governing coalitions usually include the Green Party, and doing away with nuclear energy is an article of faith for the Greens. But now, with energy plants having to shut down due to legislation, feet are growing colder : RWE AG. said delaying a planned nuclear energy phase-out in Germany would help ease pressure on energy prices, adding that it welcomes renewed talks by lawmakers in the country over a possible delay. Extending nuclear power plant operation in Germany by 25 years to between 50 years and 60 years could yield an additional economic value of 250 billion euros, the company said in a statement. Well, an energy c...

In the unlikely event you've missed it today, The Wall Street Journal has published a special package on Energy and nuclear is the cover girl/boy. WSJ editor Michael Totty has written the lead article, The Case For and Against Nuclear Power . (Janus-like, Totty sees, and provides, both arguments.) Sidebar materials include a podcast interview with Eileen Claussen , president of the nonpartisan Pew Center on Global Climate Change . Interesting exchange at the 8:44 mark, Totty : What's your assessment? Will the [nuclear] industry succeed? Or will nuclear power, at least in the U.S., slip in importance over time as other energy sources come up? Claussen : Well, if you look at the mix of sources that we now have—I think coal is about 50% of electricity generation, nuclear is about 20%—renewables, for all the growth we've seen, particularly in wind, is still in the single digits. So even if we worked really hard to increase the share of renewables, we're still going to ne...

Credible, dispassionate, informed: Dan Yergin on The Charlie Rose Show , Friday, June 27, 2008. Dr. Daniel Yergin is the Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates ( CERA ), a preeminent source of independent analysis and information on the global energy picture. In Friday's appearance on Charlie Rose, Dr. Yergin gave a nearly hour-long interview on the current energy situation. Dr. Yergin explained the combination of factors that have given us $140/bbl oil. He described the urgency of expanding our use of energy efficiency to help in the short-term. He suggested the most important energy problem our leaders should focus on is natural gas. With so much natural gas used to produce electricity, we are growing dependent on imported natural gas, which suffers from the same pricing and political risks we see in our dependence on imported oil. Our prodigious consumption of natural gas for electricity generation links electricity prices to the vagaries of natural gas, spreading the ...