Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

End of the line

2012-11-22T16:37:00Z

After five years it is time to close up shop Typewriter keys for an Underwood Universal #5 This blog has ceased publication and the contents, all 1,600 blog posts, will remain available in archive status. I appreciate all the support from readers over the past five years. The purpose of this blog was to have a “voice” in the dialog about nuclear energy, the global nuclear renaissance ...read more...(read more)

Dan's 2nd Day Idaho Nuclear Chili

2012-11-21T23:00:00Z

~ Updated for 2012 ~ Fed Up with Turkey? Try this Recipe! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and wanting to take a break from reading, thinking, and writing about nuclear energy, I'm offering for the 6th year my tried and true cooking instructions for something completely different. Sunday night you will be fed up, literally, and figuratively, with turkey. Instead of food fit for pilgrims ...read more...(read more)

First fuel loading at Kudankulam

2012-09-23T13:59:00Z

The Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board gave a green light for the action Russian build VVERs at Kudankulam Work began on Wednesday, Sept 19, to load commercial fuel (3-5% U235) into the core of the first of two 1,000 MW Russian built VVER nuclear reactors located on India's southern tip in the state of Tamil Nadu. A spokesman for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL ...read more...(read more)

US nuclear news roundup for 09/23/12

2012-09-23T12:12:00Z

Despite seemingly intractable problems at several reactor sites, there are some positive developments Common sense report on Indian Point New York Governor Andrew Cuomo New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has tried mightily to create a rationale for closing the twin nuclear reactors at Indian Point. However, it appears there is opposition based on the expected economic consequences ...read more...(read more)

Japan’s U-turn on the zero option for nuclear energy

2012-09-22T15:20:00Z

The Cabinet hits the brakes on a formal policy to phase out all nuclear reactors in 30 years. Hiromasa Yonekura, Chairman of the Keidanren business lobby (L) Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...read more...(read more)

Intractable delays at three U.S. nuclear plants

2012-09-16T14:30:00Z

Restarts of reactors at three utilities are still distant gleams in the eyes of their operators Customers of three nuclear electric utilities will have a long wait for the restart of four U.S. reactors. The sites are Southern California Edison's (SCE) twin 1100 MW units at San Onofre, the 478 MW Ft. Calhoun plant near Omaha which is owned by OPPD, but operated by Exelon; and the 860 ...read more...(read more)

Is there nuclear energy squeeze play in Japan and France?

2012-09-16T13:25:00Z

Political expediency seems to be the motivation in Japan, but the picture is less clear in France Last Friday Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda appeared to bow to overwhelming anti-nuclear sentiment in his country in an effort to save his party's fortunes in the upcoming elections later this fall. But Japan will operate its current fleet of reactors for at least the next ...read more...(read more)

Calling Out Red Herrings about MOX Fuel for TVA

2012-09-09T22:59:00Z

The path to using it is paved with government documents T he Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is considering a plan to burn mixed oxide fuel in two of its power reactors starting in 2018. While the utility hasn’t formally made up its mind, the decision process reached a new stage with the release this week by the Department of Energy (DOE) of a “Draft Surplus Plutonium Disposition ...read more...(read more)

Mix it up about MOX in Chattanooga

2012-09-09T22:11:00Z

A hearing on the potential use of MOX fuel on two TVA reactors is set for September 11 The American Nuclear Society is putting on a full court press over a MOX fuel hear on Tuesday this week. They ask for your help with a September 11 public hearing in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We need as many people to attend as possible. The hearing begins at 5:30 PM with an informational open house ...read more...(read more)

Power projects seek investors on a global scale

2012-09-03T18:37:00Z

China's huge sovereign wealth fund is a frequent target of power proposals The Peoples Republic of China is sitting on huge cash reserves available for investment, domestic or foreign. According to some estimates, the amount is about $4 trillion. If every dollar of hard currency China holds was translated into a second of travel at the speed of light, it would be about two-thirds ...read more...(read more)

Hopes dim for restart of San Onofre Unit 3

2012-09-03T01:36:00Z

Layoffs equal to the staff of a nuclear reactor and removal of fuel from Unit 3 are troubling signposts for the future of the power station Steam generator problems that have kept both Units 2 & 3 offline since last January played a role in two new sets of consequences in August. Southern California Edison (SCE), which owns and operates the twin 1,100 MW nuclear reactors, said it was ...read more...(read more)

Exelon wins one, loses two

2012-09-02T18:27:00Z

It signs on to manage Ft. Calhoun and signs off on plans for a new build in Texas Exelon ( NYSE:EXE ) took over the management of the Ft. Calhoun Station which is owned by the Omaha Public Power District ( OPPD ). The troubled plant hasn’t generated electricity since last Spring when it was safely shut down in response to flooding along the Missouri River. (right) OPPD has been working through a long ...read more...(read more)

119th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers

2012-08-26T17:32:00Z

The 119th weekly Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up at Vermont Yankee The Carnival is the collective voice of blogs by legendary names that 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. The publication of the Carnival each week is part of a commitment by the ...read more...(read more)

LWR SMRs have fuel advantages

2012-08-23T23:23:00Z

Fast reactor designs face export controls and the need to develop new fuel types which may slow time to market This article is based on a presentation given by Andrea Jennetta, Publisher, Fuel Cycle Week , at a conference held in July in Washington, DC, on commercializing small modular reactors. Research for and preparation of the slides was a joint effort by myself, as a reporter for Fuel Cycle Week ...read more...(read more)

IAEA sees green lights for nuclear energy

2012-08-19T19:31:00Z

Fukushima related fears have slowed but not stopped development of new reactors The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) said this month in a series of reports that the events which took place at Fukushima, Japan, in March 2011 are expected to slow, but not stop, nuclear growth. The agency said that 29 countries are planning to start using nuclear power, and the number of reactors under construction ...read more...(read more)