NEI Nuclear Notes

This isn’t bad : Nuclear energy remains vital to cope with rising energy demand, mainly in emerging economies, fight global warming and avert increased damage to the environment, the IEA warned on Wednesday. Here’s another bit from the same Agence Presse Francais story: The IEA also warned that global nuclear generation capacity could fall by 15.0 percent by 2035 if countries such as Germany and Belgium pressed ahead with cutting their nuclear output in the light of the nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan in April. This is exactly right. In a Dow Jones story, EIA even calls it a warning: But the report's "Low Nuclear" scenario is still only a possibility, rather than a certainty, said Fatih Birol, the IEA's chief economist. "We made the low nuclear scenario to show governments the consequences" of the policies they are considering in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Birol told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview. It is intende...

From NEI’s Safety First web site : Japanese Regulator Confirms No Criticality at Fukushima Daiichi November 9, 2011 Plant Status Sustained nuclear fission did not occur at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility last week, Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said, confirming earlier reports from Tokyo Electric Power Co. Plant employees detected a trace amount of radioactive xenon-135 gas in the reactor 2 containment vessel last week, which led to initial concerns there might have been an ongoing nuclear reaction in the vessel. After investigation, TEPCO said the xenon was produced through spontaneous fission, a form of radioactive decay. NISA said the density of the xenon did not change when a boric acid solution was injected into the reactor, demonstrating that criticality was not occurring. Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues Japan’s environment ministry has begun a study of radiation levels within 12 miles of Fukushima Daiichi to pinpoint areas tha...

Two weeks ago, I blogged about Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) accusing Entergy of not being truthful when it came to Strontium-90 (Sr-90) emissions from the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant . I just found out that Entergy’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Roderick West responded to Rep. Markey’s accusations in a letter to the congressman last week. Entergy’s overall position remains the same: While some may speculate as to the source of the Sr-90, the scientific evidence does not support any connection between the operations of Vermont Yankee and the June 2010 fish sample. In the letter, West quotes an Aug. 2 post written by Bill Irwin, radiological health chief at the Vermont Department of Health, who provides detailed information and data on the types of fish sampling conducted and compares that to previous research. However, without further evidence, Irwin says it is impossible to draw a clear conclusion that the Sr-90 that was found in the fish could be a res...

Last night on CNN , Erin Burnett had Erin Brockovich on as a guest. Yes, that Erin Brockovich . It was a pretty typical segment, with Burnett chatting up Brockovich about her new book, " Hot Water ," a thriller she co-authored with CJ Lyons. In the course of the interview, which you can watch by clicking here , Brockovich started throwing out all sorts of accusation concerning illnesses being caused by nuclear facilities including power plants. What really caught my attention was when Brockovich mentioned the " Tooth Fairy Project ," that inexhaustable fountain of junk science fronted by Joseph Mangano. Said Brockovich: "There was a facsinating study that was done called the 'Tooth Fairy,' where they were actually studying baby teeth. And they were finding 33% increase in disease just in and around these nuclear facilities." Yes, we've seen studies like that before -- and we've managed to debunk them . What has me shaking my head is why jo...

From NEI’s Safety First web site : TEPCO Begins Purifying, Desalinating Fukushima Daiichi Used Fuel Pools November 7, 2011 Plant Status Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported Sunday that it has begun removing radioactive cesium from the used fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi reactor 2. TEPCO said this is a preparatory step to desalinating the pool water to avert corrosion of metallic components. After the March 11 accident, TEPCO used seawater to cool the fuel in the reactors and the pools. The company has been purifying and recycling water since July to cool the reactors, but it has now begun to purify the water in the used fuel pools. TEPCO reported that it has already begun desalinating reactor 4’s pool. Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues The Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, which conducts nuclear facility inspections for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, is to establish an independent committee to investigate whether its inspection procedures have reli...

There are some endorsements you just can’t say very much about: The Dalai Lama has been an active voice opposing nuclear weapons. But after a whirlwind trip touring the tsunami-devastated northeastern patch of Japan for the first time, the religious figure said he is not absolutely against the promotion of nuclear energy. Instead, the Dalai Lama on Monday said he is in support of using nuclear energy for peaceful means as a way to bridge the socioeconomic gap in developing countries in the absence of more efficient alternative energy sources. A little more: He noted that other energy sources like wind and solar are too inefficient to put into realistic practice to meet the needs of fast-developing countries. The Dalai Lama sounds a bit like a nuclear energy advocates, though the way he advocates can be surprising: On Monday, he urged people on both sides of the contentious nuclear argument to look at the issue “holistically.” “Just to look at it from one side ...

Working in Washington, D.C., I’ve become very accustomed to seeing street protests of all types and sizes. From the big, inflatable scary rat that pops up on a sidewalk, to construction workers chanting and banging on drums, to the truckers of America riding on Independence Avenue honking their horns, there’s always a little something for anyone who is ready, willing and able to protest. So, when I saw this little nugget in last Monday’s Politico Morning Energy , I got very excited to see what the day would hold: Noon - The group Beyond Nuclear holds a Halloween event in front of DOE headquarters to protest federal support for nuclear power. Costumes and street theater have been promised. Costumes? Street theater? What more could a girl want on Halloween? Well ... exactly that! The group was not as organized as one might think. Other than “Mr. Burns” speaking into a camera, I’d call the “Scream Rally” a poor showing at best. But, Beyond Nuclear, the proud organizers of this e...