Atomic Insights

In a turbulent electricity fuels market, nuclear fission fuels provides some price stability

Atomic Insights Blog — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:01:00 GMT

One of the trends that has become obvious to the fuel traders in the electrical power business is that their job is quite a bit more "interesting" today than it was 5-10 years ago. Instead of being able to reliably contract for coal, residual oil or natural gas at stable prices or with moderate inflation escalation for 10 years at a time , the traders are finding rather wild price swings...(read more)

Atomic Friend Kissed by an Elephant While In South Africa

Atomic Insights Blog — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Dr. Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar is one of my favorite nuclear scientists. Her technical specialty is waste handling and recycling, but she is also a great teacher and communicator. When not working abroad, she participates in a very interesting partnership between Idaho State University and Idaho National Laboratory. During Atomic Show #105, I chatted for well over an hour with Mary Lou and her husband...(read more)

Economist Article on Amory Lovins - Important Point of View from a Establishment Media Outlet

Atomic Insights Blog — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:20:00 GMT

One of the reasons that I write so often about Amory Lovins is that I believe that the man is a danger to the health and prosperity of billions of people. His views, if accepted, would put the world into a precarious position with less access to clean water, healthy food and reliable electrical power. Unfortunately, he has a great PR department that helps him gain access to the halls of the Pentagon...(read more)

Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG) approves sales to India - next step is up to US Congress

Atomic Insights Blog — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:05:00 GMT

Dan Yurman at Idaho Samizdat has a full series of very informative posts about the tension filled effort to get full concurrence from the 45 member Nuclear Supplier's Group - an organization of the countries that export nuclear related goods and services - to allow sales to India, the world's most populous democracy. It is also one of the largest potential markets for new power systems since...(read more)

Letter from inside the storm center in Jackson MS

Atomic Insights Blog — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:26:00 GMT

As I have mentioned several times here on Atomic Insights, I hold a special place in my heart for people who respond and rebuild electrical power systems after a damaging storm. When I was growing up, I clearly remember my Dad's "storm training" days. Dad was a supervising engineer for Florida Power and Light and completed a 35 year career with the company. One day per month, he was able...(read more)

Forging Constraint Rapidly Disappearing

Atomic Insights Blog — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:44:00 GMT

One of the more frequently mentioned constraints on new nuclear power plant construction is the production of large steel components like reactor pressure vessels. Until recently, there was only one place outside of Russia - Japan Steel Works - with the capability to produce the 500 ton forgings required to allow the manufacture of a reactor pressure vessel without welding pieces together. I think...(read more)

Smoking gun part 13 - Energy Reorganization Act of 1974

Atomic Insights Blog — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:46:00 GMT

Many observers of the nuclear industry will point to the disestablishment of the Atomic Energy Commission as one of the major turning points in the development of nuclear power as growing alternative energy source. For nearly 30 years from 1946-1974, the AEC was a focused agency responsible for all aspects of nuclear power research, development and regulation. After the Energy Reorganization Act of...(read more)

Has the fossil fuel industry worked to slow nuclear power development?

Atomic Insights Blog — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:41:00 GMT

After pointing to the clear thinking on the natural progression of energy technology provided on Chicago Boyz , I have continued to participate in an interesting conversation thread tied to Shannon Love's post titled Fantasy Energy . Shannon's position is that the only real opposition to nuclear power developments has been the technology fearing leftists who vocally oppose nuclear power and...(read more)

Another favorable view of nuclear power from a South Carolina senator

Atomic Insights Blog — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:12:00 GMT

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has published an opinion column titled We have an efficient, clean energy alternative . Here is a sample excerpt of a column that is really worth reading in its entirety, even if you have to look past some of the partisan rhetoric: An energy policy that offers barriers instead of solutions, punishment instead of promotion or rests on hope rather than real answers is no strategy...(read more)

Lancet article about "low dose" radiation cardiac health effects

Atomic Insights Blog — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:28:00 GMT

I will state up front that I am not an expert in human health. I am, however, a student of words and language and must make an observation about an article in the August 30, 2008 issue of The Lancet titled "Can low-dose radiation increase risk of cardiovascular disease?" . For people that read just headlines and article summaries, the news of this article has been touted as providing more...(read more)

Wind energy food for thought from Morgan Stanley

Atomic Insights Blog — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:43:00 GMT

Today has been a "clean up the office" day. I ran across an old issue of the Wall Street Journal that I had squirreled away, meaning to do something with it. As leafed through the paper, I tried to figure out just why I had saved that particular issue. I realized that it was for the small advertisement in the bottom right hand corner of the front page. The paper was dated June 25, 2008. The...(read more)

Clear thinking on the natural progression of energy technology

Atomic Insights Blog — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:34:00 GMT

My friend, David Bradish at NEI Nuclear Notes pointed out a well written essay by Shannon Love on Chicago Boyz titled Fantasy Energy . Here is a sample from that blog: I think it important to emphasize that we would need to move to nuclear energy even if we had an infinite supply of fossil fuels and an infinite carbon dioxide sink. Fossil fuels just don’t have the energy density we will need moving...(read more)

John R. "Grizz" Deal - CEO of Hyperion Power Generation, Inc. on The Atomic Show #104

Atomic Insights Blog — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:16:00 GMT

On August 29, 2008, I spoke with John Deal, the CEO of Hyperion Power Generation about his company's plans to build 4,000 small nuclear power plants sized to be able to be transported anywhere in the world on the back of a truck. (Of course, there are places in the world not reachable by truck, but anything that can be put on the back of a standard flat bed can generally be carried via large helicopter...(read more)

PBMR Update - Green Light Given to Graphite Production at SGL Carbon

Atomic Insights Blog — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:55:00 GMT

I have been publishing Atomic Insights since 1995 and have not yet published a press release article. I am going to break that string today. A few minutes ago, I received the following from Tom Ferreira - PBMR Corporate Communications. It is interesting enough to publish directly without editing: Production of graphite feedstock for the PBMR Demonstration Power Plant on track Production of graphite...(read more)

Freakonomics Discussion on the Delay in Accepting New Technology Like Nuclear Power

Atomic Insights Blog — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:55:00 GMT

Bill Tucker, author of Terrestrial Energy (warning: Terrestrial Energy has a fascinating intro video that plays automatically unless you skip it) has produced a series of posts for the Freakonomics blog hosted by the New York Times. The comments are being moderated - which slows down the conversation, but elevates it to something worth reading. On Bill's most recent of the three guest posts, titled...(read more)