May, 2009

Westinghouse affirms commitment to localization, infrastructure - Follows signing of nuclear cooperation agreement by U.S., India - By Linton Levy - Westinghouse Electric Company announced today that it will begin discussions with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd., (NPCIL) with a goal of reaching agreement on the deployment of Westinghouse AP1000(TM) nuclear power plants in India. The...

Canadian government to sell off AECL's Candu division as part of deal - Edited by Abby Gessner - According to a report by the Canwest News Service, The Canadian federal government has taken the the first steps to getting out of the nuclear power business while, at the same time, committing itself to holding onto its nuclear research facility at Chalk River, Ont., the home of the rusting reactor...

Chevron CEO shares his views on nuclear power, fossil fuels, and the future - By David J. O'Reilly - Chairman and CEO Chevron Corporation Presentation from the Chief Executives' Club of Boston Boston, Massachusetts, May 7, 2009 Thank you very much. It's good to be in Boston. I'd like to thank Peter Rollins, your president, for the invitation to join you. And Tom May, thank...

Nuclear advocate and nuclear opponent to debate June 10th at The Commonwealth Club - By Stephen Heiser - As sweeping energy legislation winds through Congress, the chiefs of Chevron and The Sierra Club will sit down – for the first time ever – to address their vision for powering America’s future. Chevron CEO Dave O’Reilly and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope both...

The Swiss can teach a lot to Germany about how to identify potential nuclear waste storage sites, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said . - By Abby Gessner - He spoke to journalists after his Swiss counterpart, Moritz Leuenberger, addressed members of the German parliament's environment commission about Switzerland's attempts to find an acceptable depot for its nuclear waste. "Switzerland...

Certification of National Ignition Facility Marks Major Milestone in Scientific Advancement - By Stephen Heiser - The Department of Energy today announced that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has certified the completion of the historic effort to build the world’s largest laser. Housed at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the National...

Energy ministers of leading industrialized countries met in Rome, Italy, this past weekend and gave greater prominence to nuclear energy than before. A special report on energy economics in the financial crisis was delivered to them . - By Linton Levy - The meeting of the energy ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK...

CEO Speaks to press and shareholders at annual meeting - Edited by Stephen Heiser - According to a Rueters report, Cameco will have to expand uranium production "dramatically" over the next decade in order to meet rising demand for the nuclear fuel, the company's CEO said. "The uranium industry is capable of responding to the growth in demand and Cameco will play a major...

Federal contractors that were heavily fined for environmental and safety violations at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site will receive much of the $2 billion in economic stimulus money the government is spending on cleanup there . - Edited By Abby Gessner - Two contractors receiving much of the money; Washington Closure Hanford and CH2M Hill, have repeatedly been fined or had their...

Senator speaks out in Oak Ridge - Edited by Abby Gessner - According to an AP Report, Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander has called for doubling the number of nuclear reactors nationwide, a potentially $700 billion proposal that calls for building 100 more over 20 years. "It is an aggressive goal, but with presidential leadership it could happen," the third-ranking Senate Republican...

NRC Finds Foreign Ownership Not an Issue - By Randy Brich - On May 18, 2009, four US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioners, including the new Chairman appointed recently by President Obama, ruled against the Consolidated Petitioners (i.e., an amalgamation of Native Americans and environmental groups) on a variety of issues regarding the renewal of the Source Material License for Crow...

According to a report in The Moscow Times, Rosatom has announced a landmark deal to supply U.S. companies with enriched uranium fuel, in what is the first commercial nuclear energy contract between Russian and U.S. corporations. The agreement will see state uranium-trader Tekhsnabexport, a unit of Rosatom, provide enriched uranium to U.S. electricity companies Pacific Gas & Electric Company...

Hay details future to stock holders - By Stephen Heiser - Clean-energy investments are positioning FPL Group, Inc. for continued growth in a low-carbon future, FPL Group Chairman and CEO Lew Hay told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting. Hay noted that companies with low carbon-dioxide emissions rates are poised to benefit if federal policymakers set a price on carbon in response...

The Shaw Group Inc. announced several changes to the executive team of its Power Group . - By Linton Levy - Monty Glover assumes the newly established position of President of Construction with the overall responsibility for construction within the Fossil and Nuclear Divisions of the Power Group. Mr. Glover joined Shaw in 2001 as Vice President of Construction Operations and was named President...

Many Middle Eastern countries have recently announced their intention to build nuclear power plants for civilian purposes - By Stephen Heiser - Russia and Jordan signed a 10-year nuclear cooperation agreement on Friday, under which power plants, desalination stations, research facilities and personnel training centers will be built in the Hashemite Kingdom. The agreement was signed in Moscow...

Duke Energy may be building its last two coal plants to bet instead on nuclear power, chief executive James Rogers said on Tuesday. - By Abby Gessner - Rogers described his company as the third largest U.S. generator of electricity from coal and the third largest from nuclear. If Duke Energy had to choose between one technology or the other Rogers said: "I'm betting on nuclear."...

Exelon Receives FERC Approval for Proposed NRG Acquisition, Commission’s unanimous approval considered a major step in completing the regulatory approval process - By Abby Gessner - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has unanimously approved Exelon Corporation’s application for its proposed acquisition of NRG Energy, Inc., as required by Section 203 of the Federal Power...

Achievement of an average capacity factor of 93.9 percent at Exelon’s owned and operated nuclear plants - By Linton Levy - Exelon Corporation has announced that it has released its annual sustainability report. Titled Sustainable Advantage, the report is part of Exelon’s continual effort to be transparent and keep the public informed of its progress on environmental, safety and community...

Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Friday that it has sold nuclear power plant equipment to the largest nuclear energy generating facility in the United States . - By Linton Levy - The company said it has shipped the equipment composed of control element drive mechanisms (CEDMs) and replacement reactor vessel heads to the Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Tonopah, Arizona, which has...

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) plans to develop the Emirate's first nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi to meet the national power requirement by 2020. - Edited By Abby Gessner - The nuclear power plant will be located at Al Bayyaa, next to the frontier with Saudi Arabia. The plant will be built in three phases and will have a capacity of 5000 MW upon completion. Each phase will...

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Exelon Corp's hostile bid for independent power producer NRG Energy Inc on Thursday, even though NRG has rejected the deal. - By Stephen Heiser - FERC issued an order authorizing the proposed deal but said the approval "should not be construed as favoring or disfavoring" the Exelon bid. NRG discounted the approval, noting...

Areva congratulates UniStar Nuclear Energy, and its parent companies EDF and Constellation, for its selection as one of four companies notified by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enter the final phase of negotiations for a loan guarantee . - By Stephen Heiser – UniStar has applied for a federal loan guarantee in support of its development of Calvert Cliffs 3 using AREVA's EPR™...

Only corporate R&D facility chosen among 46 designated by the U.S. DOE as “Energy Frontier Research Centers” - By Abby Gessner - GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric Company, announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of 46 new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) being established...

Nuclear Energy elicited support from congressional leaders on a bipartisan basis today at the Nuclear Energy Institute's annual conference here. - By Linton Levy - House Majority Whip James Clyburn and Sens. Robert Bennett, Ben Nelson and Lisa Murkowski all voiced strong support for nuclear energy as a technology that, based on its proven performance, can enhance U.S. energy security by reliably...

President Barack Obama approved plans for the U.S. to help the United Arab Emirates become the first Arab nation with a Nuclear Power Industry. - By Abby Gessner - In a document released by the White House on Wednesday, Obama said the nuclear cooperation agreement is in U.S. interests. The State Department will send the nuclear power cooperation agreement to Congress, which has 90 days to either...