Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

New RSS feed for Idaho Samizdat

2009-01-04T19:16:00Z

Google's acquisition of Feedburner is the reason For those of you who read posts on this blog with a feedreader such as FeedDemon or other RSS client, the code for the RSS feed has changed. This is due to the purchase of Feedburner, which used to provide the RSS feed, by Google. You can click on any of the icons below to update your RSS feed. The first one with the universal orange icon for Read More......(read more)

States push the envelope on nuclear energy

2009-01-04T18:34:00Z

Legislatures are taking a strong role Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kentucky are three states which will are grappling with the issue of nuclear energy in 2009. In Missouri, the fate of AmerenUE's proposal for a new nuclear power plant will likely be decided by the state legislature this term. At issue is whether the utility can recover the cost of construction while it is building a new plant. In Oklahoma Read More......(read more)

Virginia uranium prospects heat up

2009-01-04T16:13:00Z

Challenges include a state ban and the lack of a mill on the east coast The prospects for uranium mining in Chatham, VA, may be heating up. The impetus for the change comes from two key developments. First, on Nov 6 the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission unanimously approved a study of the issue. It could be the first step to lifting the state's long standing ban on uranium mining Read More......(read more)

Looking ahead to 2009

2008-12-19T03:37:00Z

What's in store for the nuclear energy industry? With the financial world in turmoil and a new president coming into office in January 20, the outlook for 2009 is anything but business as usual. In fact, the unstable natures of the U.S and global economies are causing anyone with large investment decisions to make to sit on the sidelines. However, globally, China and India are moving ahead with Read More......(read more)

Looking ahead to 2008

2008-12-19T03:37:00Z

Did the nuclear renaissance bloom in 2008?

2008-12-19T03:34:00Z

The answer is yes with some caveats In 2008 the nuclear renaissance finally began to bloom. In a six week period spanning September and October of this year, six plants have filed COL applications with the NRC and seven filed in the preceding six months for a total of 13 applications and 19 reactors. Add to that the five applications and eight reactors that filed in 2007 and you don't just have Read More......(read more)

Not even close and no cigar

2008-12-19T03:27:00Z

A few instances where things went haywire in 2008 Covering the global nuclear energy industry requires a certain amount of restraint. Otherwise it would not be possible to offer straight-faced reportage of some of the absurdities that crop up wherever people are involved in nuclear energy, whatever their intentions. Here for your review is a spotlight on an highly selective list of things that went Read More......(read more)

Obama's Energy & Environment Team

2008-12-14T12:34:00Z

They can sing but can they dance? President-elect Obama has picked a sterling team to head up the federal government's energy and environmental agencies. The group as a whole has outstanding credentials and all of them can sing from the same hymn book on the urgent need for change in energy and climate policy. The key question is this; once they get to Washington, can they do the dance Read More......(read more)

Western Lands Uranium Gopher for 12/14/08

2008-12-13T05:02:00Z

Mining media reports and press releases for useful stuff. This is an edited version of an article originally published in Fuel Cycle Week , V7N307 on 12/10/08 by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC. This is the last publication of this column for 2008. The column will resume in January 2009. This column continues its admittedly non-rigorous coverage of the stocks of a handful of U.S. uranium Read More......(read more)

Idaho Falls stands up for Areva

2008-12-12T16:45:00Z

NRC public meeting is rally point for 'Eagle Rock' uranium enrichment plant On a cold winter night in Idaho more than 400 people turned out in Idaho Falls packing a hotel conference room to standing room only in a show of support for Areva's planned $2.4 billion 'Eagle Rock' uranium enrichment plant. In the emotional highpoint of the meeting, Steve Laflin, CEO of International Read More......(read more)

Pebble Bed follows Eskom into funding limbo

2008-12-07T12:18:00Z

Lack of money for light water reactors impacts commercial development of advanced nuclear fuel concept The South African government's inability to fund conventional LWR reactors will significantly slow down development of the new pebble bed technology. The announcement by Eskom last week that it was canceling its $12 billion tender for conventional light water reactors is having a severe effect Read More......(read more)

An alternative to nuclear loan guarantees

2008-12-06T17:25:00Z

Betting the company, even with insurance, is a bad idea Advocates of loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants have argued that federal insurance for 100% of the loans and 80% of the cost of the new plant will provide confidence to investors. The idea is that by reducing lender exposure to risk of default to just 20% of the cost of the plant that investors will provide the funds to build Read More......(read more)

Eskom cancels its $12B nuclear tender

2008-12-05T13:56:00Z

"It's too big. We can't do it," says the utility Another casualty of the world wide credit crunch in the nuclear industry was record Friday Dec 5. Eskom, the troubled South African electric utility, canceled its plans to build two nuclear power plants worth $12 billion. Bloomberg wire service reports that despite the severe shortage of electricity which has hampered major industries Read More......(read more)

India enters the nuclear renaissance

2008-12-02T14:30:00Z

Change occurs in the blink of an eye and also over a lifetime Two months ago when Nitin Pai, the editor of Pagati, a political journal in India, asked me to write an article on that nation's entry into the nuclear renaissance, I had no idea it would publish in the context of international turmoil over the terrorist attacks which took place in Mumbai last week. The most immediate impact in terms Read More......(read more)

Nuclear engines of job creation

2008-11-30T15:49:00Z

Expansion of federal loan guarantees could create 100,000 jobs The Federal loan guarantee program for construction of nuclear power plants, set by Congress at $18.5 billion, could if expanded to cover the entire fleet of proposed new reactors, create nearly 80,000 construction jobs, and more than 17,000 permanent operations jobs over the next 10-15 years. Every reactor construction project generates Read More......(read more)