Nuclear Energy Institute

Forget the Scots, Here Come the Welsh

2008-12-31T18:49:00Z

Well, of course we want Scotland to see the error of their ways and keep their nuclear plants up and running. There seems to be a little pushback on closing them : [Iain] McMillan [director of CBI Scotland , the Scots version of the Chamber of Commerce] said that the proposed local income tax, to replace council tax in Scotland, could turn businesses away from the country, and the [ Scottish National Read More......(read more)

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T16:00:00Z

Many thanks to all NNN readers who made 2008 such an electric year: records were set for visitors, page views, and visits. We look forward to an even more exciting 2009. Below, the top 12 most-read blog posts of the year. 1. Barack Obama on Nuclear Energy 2. John McCain on Nuclear Energy and Yucca Mountain 3. Amory Lovins and His Nuclear Illusion - Final Thoughts 4. Nuclear, Wind, Coal, Gas and Oil Read More......(read more)

The Dirty Energy Sector

2008-12-24T17:15:00Z

We were expecting a little better from a story called U.S. Energy Industry Is Wary of Obama, although we think almost all industries are wary of a major change in political authority. Priorities are bound to shift and they have to hope it isn’t away from them. But this story seems to want to go further in its Cassandra-like warning: President-elect Barack Obama hasn't appointed a single person Read More......(read more)

The Whole Energy Portfolio

2008-12-19T19:53:00Z

Investors Business Daily has an interesting editorial touting nuclear energy in terms of interest to their readers: the pocketbook. Until recently, there was no domestic capacity to manufacture the huge components needed to build nuclear reactors. Global nuclear giant Areva and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding are partnering to start building heavy nuclear components. The U.S. had very little enrichment Read More......(read more)

A Modest Request

2008-12-19T18:47:00Z

Here is CNN’s Lou Dobbs’ intro to a discussion about the odd weather permeating the country: DOBBS: Welcome back. And let's talk about what is happening across this country. The weather is just unbelievable. And let's also talk about what it all means for discussion of global warming. Unusual storms and a deep freeze across much of the country tonight. An overnight storm dumped about three Read More......(read more)

NuScale News

2008-12-19T18:18:00Z

NuScale Power , the Oregon-based company that is developing small, modular light water nuclear reactors, has received a lot of positive media attention in 2008. Earlier this year they were featured in a Popular Mechanics article, " Mini Reactors Show Promise for Clean Nuclear Power's Future ." And in his Emerging Tech blog , Forbes Magazine's Josh Wolf included NuScale Power in his Read More......(read more)

2008 Nuclear Industry Summary of Events

2008-12-19T18:00:00Z

Dan Yurman at Idaho Samizdat wrote about what did and didn't work for the nuclear industry in 2008. Plus here's his outlook for the industry for 2009 . Check them out! Read More......(read more)

Smart Meter. Art Meter?

2008-12-19T17:25:00Z

Talk about suffering for your art. Or energy consumption. Swiss-born artist/inventor Annina Rüst has developed Project Thighmaster , a device which allows consumers to measure, and experience, the effects of their energy consumption. From Rüst's artist statement , The system consists of a personal techno-garter -- inspired by the Opus Dei cilice popularized in Dan Brown's Davinci Code -- worn Read More......(read more)

Scientific American: A Second Look at Nuclear

2008-12-19T16:40:00Z

Matthew Wald , Energy reporter for The New York Times , has written the cover story for Scientific American 's special edition, Earth 3.0 . Wald's piece, " Can Nuclear Power Compete? ", went online Tuesday and is currently the most-read energy story on the SciAm site. The pull quote, ...Like another moon shot, the launch of new reactors after a 35-year hiatus in orders is certainly Read More......(read more)

President Bush on Nuclear Energy's Revival

2008-12-19T14:38:00Z

Making the rounds in his farewell tour , President Bush stopped by the American Enterprise Institute yesterday afternoon and was asked about the progress of the nuclear renaissance during his administration. Mr. DeMuth : Let me ask you two questions, if I may, about energy policy. The first is, are you satisfied with the progress in recent years in reviving nuclear energy? The second is about ethanol Read More......(read more)

Shearon Harris Plant Receives License Renewal

2008-12-17T18:50:00Z

The NRC has approved the Shearon Harris plant 's application for license renewal; extending plant operations for an additional 20 years, through 2046. Per the NRC press release, After carefully reviewing the plant’s safety systems and specifications, the staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal, because the applicant had effectively demonstrated the Read More......(read more)

Keeping Your Toes Cool in Dubai

2008-12-16T21:04:00Z

We’re not terribly critical of energy end users, though our father certainly could be if we let out the air conditioning by leaving the front door open too long. But even we might find our limit. This caught our eye while we were working on a story about the proposed 123 agreement between the U.S. and UAE (we’ll have more on that later): Versace, the renowned fashion house, has defended its proposal Read More......(read more)

Used Nuclear Fuel and the Fission-Fusion Cycle

2008-12-16T19:40:00Z

President-elect Obama often mentions the "safety" of used nuclear fuel as a block to a whole-hearted embrace of nuclear energy, so we wondered what thinking was going on that seeks to mitigate or even eliminate permanent or even (long-term) interim storage. We might be all aboard the Yucca Mountain Limited, but recognizing the skittishness that some feel about it, what else might we do? The Read More......(read more)

Arjun Makhijani and Nuclear Absolutism

2008-12-16T14:57:00Z

The Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital blog has an interesting post of a debate between two environmentalists with, shall we say, divergent views of nuclear energy. As it happens, we attended the same debate and Nuclear Energy Overview, the weekly newsletter for Nuclear Energy Institute members, covered it. Here's some excerpts from that story, focused on Arjun Makhijani's comments Read More......(read more)

Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Home to One-Fifth of the Nation's Crocodiles

2008-12-15T19:30:00Z

Florida Power & Light (operator of Turkey Point ) has the best idea when it comes to nuclear plant security: host hundreds of crocodiles . ;-) National Wildlife Federation took notice of the crocs in their October/November issue: In the 1970s, engineers designed a 6,800-acre system of canals to cool the power plant. In doing so, they also inadvertently created a crocodile Eden, closed off from Read More......(read more)