December, 2011

Peter Bradford and Mark Cooper have words for the other four NRC commissioners. They're wrong. Peter Bradford former NRC Commissioner The New York Times reports that two leading anti-nuclear activists based in Vermont have spoken up in defense of Gregory Jaczko , the controversial...

Another fearless look ahead Each year this blog posts its fearless outlook for the coming year. For 2012 I will add the caveat that while no one can predict the future, there are plenty of pointers to how things might work themselves out over time. That's what this blog is reporting here. Japan...

Four calling Birds Photo Credit: J Matlock The 82nd Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up Atomic Power Review This post is the collective voice of blogs with legendary names which emerge each week to tell the story of nuclear energy. If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear renaissance...

This blog will be dark for the Christmas holiday As 2011 comes to an end in what is for now called the "post-Fukushima era," I would like to thank my readers for their kind attention and continued support of this blog. The month of December was notable for two news items that...

It opens the door to construction of four new reactors at two sites the U.S. Concept drawing: AP1000 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted to approve the design for the Westinghouse AP1000 1,100 MW nuclear reactor for use in the U.S. The action sets the stage for construction...

An advanced reactor could be used to consume 112 tonnes of weapons grade material GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has proposed to the U.K. government to build an advanced nuclear reactor that would consume the country's stockpile  of surplus plutonium.  The technology is called PRISM which stands...

It's a no brainer to write about the tsunami, but a lot more happened than on one day in March This is an updated version of my report published at Fuel Cycle Week , V10:N453 on 12/15/11 by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC While mainstream newspaper editors are scratching their heads...

Happy Birthday EBR I Exactly 60 years ago today in Arco, Idaho, scientists and engineers successfully used nuclear energy to power four 200-watt light bulbs, laying the groundwork for decades of clean electricity and a strong U.S. nuclear energy industry. At 1:23pm on December 20, 1951, Argonne National...

Recent decisions by Luc Oursel on capital spending top the list of discussion issues Jacques Besnainou Jacques Besnainou, the CEO of U.S. Areva, based in Bethesda, MD, told a group of nuclear energy bloggers in an telephone conference call Dec 19 that the time line for getting the capital...

This week’s carnival is up at ANS Nuclear Cafe . This post is the collective voice of blogs with legendary names which emerge each week to tell the story of nuclear energy  If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear renaissance, the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Blogs is where to find it. Past editions...

Questions are raised about decommissioning the six damaged reactors Japan Prime Minister Noda Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Friday Dec 16 that the government and TEPCO had regained control of the damaged reactors at Fukushima located about 150 miles north of Tokyo. In a televised...

Regulatory approvals for safety set the stage for reactor construction and operation licenses A majority of the members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have voted to certify the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactor design. A vote on the final rule is needed to complete the process...

Bill Gates went to Beijing, but he didn't ink a deal, yet   TerraPower, the privately-held nuclear reactor development firm  funded by the Gates Foundation, got a lot of ink in the world press last week.  The reason was that Microsoft billionaire and its former CEO Bill Gates (right...

The firm slashes investments globally in the wake of the Fukushima disaster last March Areva CEO Luc Oursel The Associated Press reports that Areva, the French state-owned nuclear giant, is making massive cuts in its global investment program including the Eagle Rock Enrichment Plant...

Chief of Staff Bill Daley breaks White House silence over escalating conflicts about the NRC The shouting may be over in the long simmering dispute that broke out into the open last Friday at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko has issued an apology via the...

Four commissioners write to the House Oversight Committee blaming Chairman Gregory Jaczko about a toxic atmosphere Next Wednesday December 14 the House Oversight Committee will hold a very unusual hearing in which four NRC Commissioners will air their complaints about NRC Chairman Gregory...

It sheds new light on the high profile statement of NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko about the condition of spent fuel pool #4 The Associated Press has an insightful and disturbing report about how the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission came to do two things in the first week following the events...

The 82nd Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up : Nuclear Clean Air Energy   This post is the collective voice of blogs with legendary names which emerge each week to tell the story of nuclear energy If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear renaissance, the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Blogs...

Another in a series of reports about progress in the global nuclear energy industry Fennovoima To Choose Finland Reactor Design By 2013 Image: World Nuclear News ( NucNet ): Finland’s Fennovoima, which has been given permission in principle to build a new nuclear unit on a greenfield...

In an end of year meeting with reporters the Chairman explains what the agency plans to do next year NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko sat down with reporters from the mainstream media and the major wire services this week to discuss his 2012 budget. He got lots of ink from it, metaphorically speaking...

Another report in a continuing series in the post-Fukushima era Plans for development of new nuclear reactors continue to emerge, or change from the past, as a result of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. This  trend is visible in China where the government is getting ready to start approving new...

Fermi reactor concept - Image courtesy of Will Davis at Atomic Power Review If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear renaissance, the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Blogs is where to find it. Past editions have been hosted at Next Big Future . Yes Vermont Yankee, Atomic Energy Review, Canadian...

The New York Times puts her in the batter box, but her wild swings at nuclear energy produce a strike out In the world of baseball, a batter who steps away from home plate with his leading foot instead of a straight-ahead stride is said to "put their foot in the bucket." It...

The NRC said the cracks in the shield building are not a threat to safety The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a statement Dec 2 it has determined that it is safe to re-stasrt the Davis Besse nuclear power plant located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, 40 miles southeast of Toledo. ...

The environmental group has filed a contention saying the safety analysis is outdated The Natural Resources Defense Counsel ( NRDC ), one of the nation’s leading environmental groups, told the NRC Nov 28 that the re-licensing application for Exelon’s Limerick nuclear power station has an out-of-date...