China is reported to have 11 nuclear power reactors in commercial operation, and more about to start soon. China plans to to have 60 GWe in operation by 2020 and 200 GWe by 2030.

S. Korea wants to be atomic energy power

Published: Jan. 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- South Korea is aiming to grab at least 20 percent of the global market for nuclear reactors in the next 20 years, the government announced Wednesday.

The South Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy says the country's goal is to become one of the world's top three atomic energy powers by the year 2030, the Yonhap News Agency reports.

My Comment: I left Korea in September 1953 after a year in the war at the front lines. Korea was in shambles. I never dreamed they could survive and make nuclear power plants and autos.

December 2009

Reporting from Stockholm - For nearly 30 years, no nukes were good nukes in this Scandinavian nation. Spooked by the meltdown at Three Mile Island, Swedes voted decisively in 1980 to ban expansion of nuclear power, and lawmakers pledged to close down all of Sweden's reactors by 2010.

Many here were therefore stunned this year when the government announced a sudden U-turn in energy policy. Not only should the country's 10 nuclear power stations stay open, officials said, but the plants should be allowed to buy new reactors to replace the old ones if necessary.

Release Date: November 6, 2009

DOE Signs Cooperative Agreement for New Hydrogen Power Plant
Hydrogen Energy California to Construct IGCC Plant for Clean Power

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has signed a cooperative agreement with Hydrogen Energy California LLC (HECA) to build and demonstrate a hydrogen-powered electric generating facility, complete with carbon capture and storage, in Kern County, Calif. The new plant is a step toward commercialization of a clean technology that enables use of our country’s vast fossil energy resources while addressing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Yes and this process is one of low efficiency energy wise and all of the CO2 must be sequestered.

Nuclear Loan Guarantees Should Be Doubled -US Energy Secretary

By Ian Talley, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Federal loan guarantees for new nuclear power plant construction should be at least doubled to allow construction of four to five additional plants, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said late Thursday.

If Congress were to approve this, companies such as Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) and Progress Energy Inc. (PGN) could be among the beneficiaries of the new loan guarantees.

Chu, in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, said additional nuclear power plant loan guarantees would help rejuvenate a domestic industry and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Although companies have submitted 18 new nuclear power plant license applications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy only has authority for $18.5 billion, enough for four to five plants.

"If you really want to restart the American nuclear energy industry in a serious way...we [need to] send signals to the industry that the U.S. is serious about investing in nuclear power plants," Chu said on the sidelines of a conference here.

Chu didn't say when he would formally propose such an expansion.

Looks like there might be a lot of business for the US if we compete for these nuclear plants. The French seem to have the inside track.

Amid the gathering storm over Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions, the race is on among Arab states to build nuclear power plants of their own, opening up immense trade opportunities for the industrialized world as well as the specter of proliferation.

The United States, Britain, France and Russia are competing for contracts in the nuclear energy bonanza that is emerging in the Middle East as Arab states seek to generate more power to feed their growing economies and to build desalination plants, a vital element in development plans as water resources shrink.

Saudi Arabia's minister of water and electricity, Abdullah bin Andul-Rahman al-Hussein, told the kingdom's al-Watan newspaper in late August that Riyadh was working on plans for its first nuclear plant. Saudi Arabia and the neighboring United Arab Emirates signed preliminary agreements with the United States for nuclear technology in 2008.

In May, France's economy minister, Christine Lagarde, said Paris was close to finalizing a nuclear energy cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates. In 2007, France also pledged to help Morocco, a former colony, and Qatar, another of the Gulf states, to develop their nuclear programs.

The U.A.E. is the furthest along among the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- which also includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain -- although Riyadh's plans are accelerating.

The U.A.E. hopes to have its first nuclear plant online by 2015. Two years ago, there was little interest in nuclear energy around the Arab world. But now that's all changed -- to a large degree because of what's happening in Iran .Apart from the six Gulf states, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, Egypt and even impoverished Yemen are also committed to pursuing nuclear energy programs.

TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved Progress Energy's controversial proposal to build a nuclear plant in Levy County, the first such plant approved in Florida in 33 years. The vote by Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink comes as Progress seeks to raise its base rates by 30 percent to pay for the nuclear plant, which would not be up and running until at least 2018

Yes, the Southern States will lead us into the nuclear power expansion.

Breaking Ground for AREVA and Northrop Grumman

Posted by admin On July - 22 - 2009

( By AQG ) [Approx. Read Time: 1.5 minutes]

French nuclear giant AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to break ground this evening on the first full-scale manufacturing facility dedicated to supply heavy components to the nuclear industry. Click here to see the webcast live beginning at 6:00 p.m. EST.

AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, a sector of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), have joined forces to build a new manufacturing and engineering facility in Newport News, Va., to supply the growing American nuclear energy sector. AREVA Newport News will be the first full-scale manufacturing facility dedicated to supply heavy components, such as reactor vessels, steam generators and pressurizers to the U.S. nuclear power plants to be built in 35 years. AREVA has been manufacturing quality heavy components for the global commercial nuclear industry for more than 30 years at its Chalon/St. Marcel plant. Industry experts have viewed limited production of heavy components positioned against rising demand as a constraint on nuclear energy’s expansion. The joint venture aims to establish a facility for manufacturing heavy components for the U.S. EPR, AREVA’s Generation III+ nuclear reactor. nuclear energy industry. These components will supply the first new

Together with Northrop Grumman’s experience, AREVA Newport News will provide a secure domestic link in the supply chain for deploying the U.S. EPR and supporting a diverse energy mix that will mean safe, clean, affordable electricity for Americans.

The 300,000 square-foot facility is estimated to bring more than 500 skilled hourly and salaried jobs to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

My comments: It is too bad that the US companies such as General Electric electric, do not devolope such a mfg facility.

GE Energy Signs Contract for Nearly $1 Billion to Support New Power Plant Project in Saudi Arabia

GE Energy has signed a contract for nearly $1 billion to supply more than 30 Frame 7EA gas turbines for the Sau

di Electricity Company's (SEC) Riyadh Power Plant 10 (PP10). This project, the latest in a series of GE contracts for SEC power projects, will add 2,000 megawatts of much needed power to help support the region's dynamic economic and population growth.

With all of that desert sun, Saudi Arabia chooses gas fired turbines. Is there a message there?

China is getting under way with nuclear power and the French are the beneficiaries because they stayed in the nuclear power business and the US did not.

China to build 5 nuclear power plants this year

BEIJING (The Associated Press) - Apr 20

China is planning to build five nuclear power stations this year to reduce the country's reliance on coal and oil, state media reported Monday.

The plants will be built in China's eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Shandong, as well as Guangdong and Hainan in the south, the official Xinhua News Agency cited the National Energy Administration as saying.

Construction of the Sanmen plant in Zhejiang began Sunday, Xinhua said, while the building of the plant in Shandong will begin in September. No other details were provided.

Government plans announced in recent years call for nuclear plants to supply 4 percent of China's power needs by 2020, up from about 2 percent currently.

It will require expanding generating capacity to 40 million kilowatts from 9 million kilowatts at present to keep up with fast-growing consumption in the country of 1.3 billion people.

China currently has six nuclear power plants, all located on the east coast. Beijing is also promoting solar, wind and other renewable energy, but is expected to continue to rely heavily on coal and oil.

Ffench nuclear technologies giant Areva SA said Thursday it is expanding production and creating 200 jobs amid growing international demand for nuclear power plants.CEO Anne Lauvergeon was quoted in Le Monde as saying her company, which provides nuclear reactors and fuel to countries around the world, was experiencing "rapid growth in the midst of a crisis" and is looking to recruit up to 15,000 new employees this year to add to its work force of 75,000.

In a statement, the state-controlled company said it would increase production capacity at its plant in Chalon-sur-Saone in Burgundy hiring 200 people "to keep pace with its strong international growth." The plant is to ramp up production of a new generation of nuclear reactors.

China is already adding 14 reactors to the 11 it operates, including three third-generation installations supplied by Areva and Westinghouse. And it won't stop there: Beijing has signed on for an additional 35 plants to be built over the next decade, nd is studying a further 80.

Areva has benefited from nuclear power's second coming as much as any other company. But its 2008 profits — $824 million on $18.4 billion in sales — were down 17% from 2007, due mostly to a whopping $2.4 billion write-down linked to construction troubles with its Finland reactor. The Finnish project was supposed to showcase Areva's third-generation earthquake- and missile-proof design, known as a European Pressurized Reactor (EPR). Areva beat out Westinghouse and General Electric-Hitachi in 2003 to win a contract with Finland's main utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) to build the plant. GE-Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Westinghouse all sell their own third-generation reactors, which are more efficient and safer than previous designs.

Areva spokesman Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier said the win was crucial to establishing the firm as the leader in advanced nuclear technology. "A nuclear installation is unique, because you can't simulate it on a computer or assemble and operate a prototype in a hangar," Saulnier says. "You only see how it works once you've built it and proved it's what you'd said it would be. "That's why winning the Finnish contract and building the world's first third-generation reactor is so important."

German power capacity could fall short of peak demand in 2012

Published:21-March-2008

The news source observed from the study that Germany will fall short of 15 power plants to meet power demands in 2020. This scenario is reportedly worsened by the lack of new power plants due to higher construction costs, pollution concerns and public opposition, according to Handelsblatt.

My comment: It is time the Germans go to nuclear power.

Toshiba of Japan bought Westinghouse and is set to do a big business in China and the US. It is apparent that the South will lead the US into nuclear power.

Westinghouse and its consortium are currently building four AP1000s in China (two each at Sanmen and Haiyang). Additionally, the AP1000 design has so far been referenced in combined construction and operating licence (COL) applications for 12 potential new reactors in the USA, all at sites in the south and southeast of the country.

APS Seeks Renewable Energy from Small Projects

PHOENIX, Mar 25, 2009 -- BUSINESS WIRE

Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) announces a Request for Proposal (RFP) for energy generated from small renewable projects.

APS is looking for new sources of renewable energy that cumulatively can provide 45,000 megawatt hours annually. Eligible resources include biogas, landfill gas, biomass, geothermal, solar, wind, hybrid wind and certain hydropower technologies. The projects must employ commercially proven technologies and provide at least 1,500 megawatt hours per year. The actual number of projects selected and the total energy received will depend on several factors, including the cost to customers.

My comment: We have now reached the ultimate in conservation. Get your friends and neighbors together and see what we can come up with. Any suggestions?

New DeVore Bill Would Allow Nuclear Power in California

California Political Desk

March 02, 2009

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, introduced a measure to end the moratorium on new nuclear power in California in an effort to expand the state´s low greenhouse gas emission energy supply. Assembly Bill 1025 is the fourth nuclear power bill authored by the Assemblyman in the past two years. DeVore believes that nuclear power should receive serious consideration as California struggles to grow its economy, while also meeting stringent emissions reduction goals.

Modern nuclear power is safe and cost-effective, and it is the only reliable source of electricity that can meet California´s growing energy needs without generating large amounts of greenhouse gases," said DeVore. "California´s economy will continue to suffer as long as our state´s energy costs remain far higher than in other states. To keep jobs in California and bring new employers to the state, we need to take a serious look at the benefits of modern nuclear power."

DeVore was joined by ten other Republican Assembly members in his effort to lift the 32-year ban on the construction of modern nuclear power plants. He expressed serious concern over the greenhouse gas reduction plan recently passed by the legislature in 2006, adding that the goals set in the plan could not be reached without allowing the construction of new nuclear power plants. Assembly Bill 32 of 2006 mandates that California´s greenhouse emissions be reduced by 25 to 30 percent by 2020, yet the renewable technologies supported by the bill´s sponsors cannot supply enough power to replace current natural gas and coal-based sources. Natural gas and coal provide about 60 percent of California´s electricity.

Nuclear power is the only technology available today that can be built on a scale large enough to power our modern society while also reducing California´s greenhouse emissions," DeVore added. "Rather than harming California´s economy by limiting the amount of electricity available, the state should be looking at ways to provide more energy without increasing our emissions. Modern nuclear power will help our state´s economy grow while also meeting our aggressive emissions reduction goals."

Nuclear power touted as solution to U.S. energy woes

Jan 30 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Dave Flessner Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.

The top U.S. executive for world's biggest nuclear power company appealed Thursday for President Barack Obama to use nuclear power to fuel an energy renaissance.

"It will be very good for our children and our grandchildren to have a clean, carbon-free source of energy from nuclear power," Areva President Jacques Besnainou told the Chattanooga chapter of the American Nuclear Society. "Nuclear power is not the only solution, but there is no solution without nuclear."

Such a move by the president would be comparable to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s, Mr. Besnainou said.

The French-owned Areva Inc. hopes to build one-third of the 100 new nuclear reactors that Mr. Besnainou expects to be constructed around the world by 2030.

The company already is building a uranium reprocessing facility in Idaho and a nuclear manufacturing facility in Virginia. Such projects ensure that "American nuclear plants will be American made," said Mr. Besnainou, who became a U.S. citizen four years ago.

Despite the global credit crisis and economic slowdown, Italy, the United Kingdom, China, India and France all are planning to build new reactors. Boosted by enhanced loan guarantees expected from the economic stimulus plan now moving through the U.S. Congress, Mr. Besnainou said he also expects a revival of nuclear power in the United States.

Critics object to expanding America's nuclear fleet until a disposal site is picked for the radioactive wastes generated from the 104 existing commercial plants. But Areva officials said they are able to recycle 95 percent of the spent nuclear wastes in France at plants that recapture most of the energy in spent fuel.

My comment: The French may be able to convince President Obama that nuclear is the way.

A new laser method to supply nuclear fuel

Inside a bland industrial building in Wilmington, N.C., an experiment is in the works that could vastly reduce the cost, time, and space needed to make fuel for nuclear power plants.

In that building, secret uranium-enrichment technology licensed by GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy is nearing a pilot test. If successful, the new technology will enable the company to supply low-cost nuclear fuel to power reactors worldwide, officials say.

Only broad outlines of the “Separation of Isotopes by Laser EXcitation,” or SILEX technology, are public. Most details are classified under the Atomic Energy Act.

Bernhard: U.S. needs 50 new nuclear plants
Advocate business staff
Published: Dec 9, 2008 - UPDATED: 2 p.m.

Making a plea to the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, the
chairman of Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group Inc. has called on the nation
to make a commitment to building 50 new nuclear power plants by 2030.
“If this nation and the Obama administration are truly serious about
controlling global warming, nuclear power must maintain its 20 percent
share of U.S. power generation,” Bernhard said during a keynote address
at the Power-Gen International 2008 trade show in Orlando, Fla. “That
will require the construction of 45 to 50 new nuclear plants by 2030,
while also maintaining operation of the current fleet.”

There are about 100 existing nuclear reactors in the United States.
Bernhard addressed the convention last week and the company released his
remarks this morning. U.S. Sen. John McCain had been more favorable than
Obama toward the idea of developing nuclear power more aggressively, but
Bernhard declined to address the nuclear views of the candidates during the election.

Shaw, which partners with Westinghouse Electric Co. on nuclear projects,
controls about half of the nuclear energy project work in the U.S.
Bernhard said U.S. energy demand requires that more nuclear plants be
built and that each plant will add $430 million in sales annually to the communities where they’re built.-

Clrivez says Russia will help build a reactor

CARACAS, Venezuela-President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Russia will help Venezuela develop nuclear energy a move likely to raise U.S. concerns over increasingly close cooperation between Caracas and Moscow.

Chavez said he accepted an offer from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for assistance in building a nuclear reactor.

"Russia is ready to support Venezuela in the development of nuclear energy with peaceful purposes and we already have a commission working on it," Chavez said.

My comment: Russia is not backward in getting new business around the world.

I though this is a timely article so I printed it here.

Time to Fast-track New Nuclear Reactors
Jack Spencer
WebMemo #2062
www.heritage.org
15 September 2008

Nuclear technology can help to meet America's growing demand for reliable, clean, affordable electricity. This has led many politicians, including presidential candidate John McCain, to conclude that the nation needs to start building new nuclear plants now.

The electric power industry has already begun plans to start building new reactors. While approximately 20 applications have been filed or are in preparation to build over 30 new reactors, no permits have been issued and no new plants have begun construction. A primary reason is that the regulatory process remains arduous and unknown. To overcome this, Congress should authorize a fast-track permitting process for a limited number of reactor projects.

A Slow, Arduous Process
The Department of Energy instituted the Nuclear Power 2010 program in 2002 as an effort to address the regulatory and institutional barriers to new reactors' near-term deployment. As its name implies, the original time frame called for new reactor deployment by 2010. Unfortunately, the program has not succeeded in this regard. Most believe that the earliest that a new plant will come on line is the latter half of the next decade.

The problem is not technical or economic—new reactors are being built around the globe, and plans for more are being announced every month. The problem is political. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), after so many years with no applications for new reactors, does not have a proven process for efficiently licensing new reactors. The NRC estimates that it needs a minimum of 42 months to issue the design, site, and construction/operation licenses required for reactor construction to begin. This includes—in addition to the safety assessments that are NRC's primary responsibility—about two years for environmental reviews, a year for design reviews, and a year for public hearings. And even this time frame is contingent on complete applications and minimal opposition from outside interests. This has led for calls to streamline the process.

Streamlining is necessary because the process cannot just be sped up. Specific procedures are in place that the NRC must follow, and that process takes time. Simply adding manpower, as some have suggested, would only provide marginal benefit. Because training regulators can take two years, it would be years before the NRC could hire and train enough people to shorten time schedules.

To speed up the current permitting process, Congress should authorize a fast-track program that is open to new reactor applicants that meet certain conditions. The goal would be to cut by at least 50 percent the amount of time it takes to permit a new plant. This must be done without sacrificing safety standards or security.

The lessons learned from the fast-track program could be applied to necessary regulatory overhauls in the future.

The program's objective would be to reduce the permitting schedule from four years down to two or less and should be available for up to two construction permits per reactor design.

The fast-track program would consist of:

1. Focusing NRC Resources. Per congressional direction, the NRC should focus its resources on permitting designated fast-track applications as quickly as possible without sacrificing safety or quality assurance.

2. Mobilizing National Laboratory Capabilities. Although the NRC already uses the national labs to support their activities, the national labs should be compelled by Congress to organize themselves to support the fast-track applications.

3. Focus University Funding Around Supporting the Effort. The Department of Energy funds programs that support nuclear education in the university system. These programs should be focused on supporting the NRC's fast-track program. This would not only provide additional resources to fast-tracking permits but would also develop a workforce with the technical expertise to design and operate America's reactors.

4. Ensuring a Science- and Technical-Based Assessment. The NRC must have the freedom to pursue a transparent, fact-based process in a non-adversarial environment. While inputs from local stakeholders must be accommodated, the NRC must be allowed to make decisions based on good science and engineering in a timely manner. This requires an efficient process that allows legitimate concerns to be heard and resolved without being hijacked by outside, agenda-driven interests.

Fast-track program applicants would have to meet certain criteria. These would include:

1. NRC Certified or Proven Design. The NRC has already certified four designs (although one is currently being amended) and reviewing three others. While only reactors with certified designs are licensable, applicants with designs that are nearing completion, especially if those designs are proven elsewhere, should be eligible for a slightly modified fast-track program that would include design certification.

2. Proven Site with Broad Public Support. The reactor site must already be licensed for operating reactors, and the applicant must demonstrate that the new reactor is welcome by the local community. Furthermore, the applicant must establish that an additional reactor will be safe and environmentally compatible. Under such conditions, the NRC should be permitted to provide an expedited environmental review, which takes roughly two years under current policy.

3. Proven Reactor Owner/Operator. The application must be submitted by an operator with extensive experience with nuclear operations and be in good standing with the NRC. This is not to suggest that some current COL applicants are not capable, but fast-track applicants must have extensive nuclear operations experience and credibility with the state and local community. Each applicant would have to demonstrate its competence to the NRC before entering the program.

4. Proven Demand. The applicant must demonstrate that there is a market for the power to be produced by the reactor.

5. Complete COL (Combined Operations and Construction License) Application. The applicant must have a full and complete COL application per NRC guidance. One of the current problems slowing the NRC is the lack of completeness of some of the applications. Complete applications are critical to ensuring that the NRC is able to conduct a comprehensive design and safety review without having to go back to the applicant for additional information.

6. Long-Lead Components Commitment. The applicant must demonstrate both a financial commitment and a preparedness to earnestly move forward by securing a source for timely delivery of long-lead components. Many of the components used to build a nuclear power plant must be ordered years in advance. Applicants seeking fast-track permits should be required to place early orders or deposits as soon as they are granted a fast-track permitting status.

7. Applicant Fees. Like most other NRC activities, industry should fund most of the activities associated with the fast-track program through the assessment of a program participation fee.

To execute the program, Congress must:

1. Provide Specific Direction to the NRC, National Labs, and Department of Energy. Congress must explicitly state its intentions for the fast-track program and make funding contingent on the NRC, national labs, and DOE to organizing themselves to achieve the objective of early completion of new reactor construction.

2. Adequately Fund. If Congress is serious about reducing the time it takes to permit and build new reactors, it must give NRC, the national labs, and the DOE the resources and regulatory flexibility they need to get the job done. Rebuilding America's energy infrastructure is exactly the kind of direction that each of these institutions should be working toward.

Many Benefits, Few Drawbacks

Many in Congress have begun to realize that the nation's energy, economic, security, and environmental objectives cannot be met without nuclear power. This has led to multiple initiatives to restart the industry in the U.S. Unfortunately, many of these plans rely heavily on subsidies and are not sustainable. However, instituting a program to fast-track the notoriously arduous process of permitting new plants would demonstrate Congress' commitment to nuclear power and provide the regulatory stability that investors need to grow the industry. Furthermore, it would provide a common purpose around which America's energy-related institutions could organize. And finally, it would provide the information necessary to bring about comprehensive regulatory reform that the nation needs for a nuclear renaissance to take hold.

Jack Spencer is Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

From Republican Whip, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO).

“Unfortunately, not only has the new majority in Congress failed to take meaningful steps to bring down the price at the pump, it actually helped expand our nation's dependence on foreign oil cartels like OPEC by nearly seven percent in 2007 alone.”

A statement that will undoubtedly be true if Obama becomes president.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi dos not know that natural gas is a fossil fuel. We have few competent leaders in the House of preventatives.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" where host Tom Brokaw pointed out that the "alternatives" that Democrats say should be our sources of energy aren't going to be available any time soon. In response, the thimble-brained Pelosi said, "You can have a transition with natural gas. That is cheap, abundant and clean compared to fossil fuels." Later she said, "I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels." She followed up by saying wind, solar, biofuels and "a focus on natural gas, these are the real alternatives."

An excerpt from an article by:

Nouriel Roubini: 'Worst' Recession in Decades Ahead

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 8:30 AM

The U.S. is in for the "worst" recession in decades, one that may well be more severe than the downturn that followed the stock market bubble in 2001 and the savings and loan crisis of 1991, says Nouriel Roubini, former Clinton White House economist

"Roubini says that evidence is mounting that debt-burdened consumers may have reached the tipping point, as energy and food costs soar. A sharp slowdown in consumption growth will be the last straw that will trigger an economy-wide recession," he says.

Could be true the way things are going. May even be a depression

PNM Issues RFP for Renewable Energy

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jul 21, 2008 -- BUSINESS WIRE

PNM has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for renewable energy projects that will decrease its dependence on fossil fuels and help PNM meet the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS).

Through the RPS, PNM earns renewable energy certificates (RECs) for each kilowatt hour of electricity that it generates or buys from clean, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. PNM is required by state mandate to generate 6 percent of its retail energy from renewable resources. This 6 percent mandate will be in place until 2011, when it will increase to 10 percent. In 2015, the requirement will be 15 percent, and by 2020, it will reach 20 percent.

My comment: About time that New Mexico gets under way. Bill Richardson was going to do this years ago. By 2011 they will have a bunch of solar junk in the desert and wonder why they tried such a venture in the first palace.

Bids for nuclear power soar
Dec 10, 2007 - Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
Author(s): Greg Edwards
Dec. 10--The long-discussed second coming of the U.S. nuclear power industry is gathering steam.

Federal regulators have received license applications for six new reactors in the past five months. They include Dominion Virginia Power's filing late last month for a license to build and operate a third nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station in Louisa County. Officials expect applications for at least two dozen more reactors. Until this year, no company had applied to build a new reactor in the U.S. since the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania in 1979. A failure of that plant's cooling system resulted in a severe meltdown of the reactor core, but the reactor' containment building remained intact and prevented the potential release of massive amounts of dangerous radiation.

Italy Plans to Resume Building Atomic Plants

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

ROME — Italy announced Thursday that within five years it planned to resume building nuclear energy plants, two decades after a public referendum resoundingly banned nuclear power and deactivated all its reactors.

“By the end of this legislature, we will put down the foundation stone for the construction in our country of a group of new-generation nuclear plants,” said Claudio Scajola, minister of economic development. “An action plan to go back to nuclear power cannot be delayed anymore.”

The change is a striking sign of the times, reflecting growing concern in many European countries over the skyrocketing price of oil and energy security, and the warming effects of carbon emissions from fossil fuels. All have combined to make this once-scorned form of energy far more palatable

Pitch for nuclear energy made by two lawmakers at conference

Apr 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Greg Edwards Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Congressional leaders with years of experience on energy policy opened the second and final day of an energy conference in the nation's capital.

"The future of this country is dark without nuclear power," said Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Dingell and Sen. Pete V. Domenici, R-N.M., ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, acknowledged the need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and address global warming. Both made a pitch for increased use of nuclear power.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week awarded $18.3 million to four industry teams to further develop plans for an initial nuclear fuel recycling center and advanced recycling reactor as part of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). Today's awards include $5.9 million to EnergySolutions; $5.7 million to the International Nuclear Recycling Alliance, led by AREVA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; $5.5 million to General Electric-Hitachi; and $1.3 million to General Atomics. These firms will further develop detailed studies that build on conceptual design studies, technology development roadmaps, business plans submitted earlier this year by these four industry consortia.

GNEP is part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative and seeks to enable the expanded use of economical, carbon-free nuclear energy worldwide to meet growing electricity demand. GNEP seeks to close the nuclear fuel cycle in ways that reduce proliferation risks rarities xwsstp and further increase global energy security

I hope this endeavor is successful. since it it vital to the further use of nuclear power.

GE Unit to Help Meet Global Energy Demand by Investing $5 Billion Outside US by 2010, Expands in Southeast Asia, Mideast, India

SINGAPORE & STAMFORD, Conn., Mar 11, 2008 -- BUSINESS WIRE

GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE (NYSE: GE), announced today that it plans to invest US $5 billion - nearly a quarter of its total plan -- outside the United States to grow and help meet soaring energy demand by the end of 2010. It has opened offices in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and expanded in India.

. . "As we deepen our understanding of new international regulatory and legal environments, we are pursuing our full suite of products and segments, with emphasis on renewable energy, captive power and water projects," said Colleen Harkness, Managing Director and head of global growth at GE Energy Financial Services. "Our transaction targets range from small, growing power companies and independent power producers to major regional players and large multi-national corporations."

This excerpt from a GE announcement makes me, a GE retiree, a little nervous. Investing in renewables is not a good practice in my view.

From Professor Ferdinand E. Banks

Every time I turn on the TV I hear how wonderful Stanford Group people are when it comes to economics and finance, but according to your article, Ms Christine Tezak of that group implies that nuclear is sub-optimal. Let's put this thing into perspective. A nuclear plant can and should be constructed in 4 years, and if such a facility has the efficiency of Swedish installations, it will be able to produce the lowest cost power in the world, guaranteed. Maybe not today, as Bogart said in 'Casablanca', but soon - especially since its life will not be the 30 or 40 years on which cost-calculations are often made, but at least 60 years. Moreover, once they start building new plants again, the technological improvements that should have been made years ago will take place.

Professor Banks is a man after my own heart. Don Lutz

It sound like Russia intends to capture the worlds business in nuclear power plant construction. The US needs to do this to off set our imbalance of payments world wide. We could put lot of people to work if we did this.

ASE negotiating to build reactors in 20 countries, Sergey Shmatko, president of the Russian nuclear plant export company, told a press conference in Moscow last week. However, he said, many more countries than that are interested in development of nuclear energy.

ASE's completion of two VVER-lOOOs at Tianwan, China has shown that the Russians are ready to construct series nuclear units, Shmatko said. ASE plans to contract for the second stage of Tianwan, units 3 and 4, in November 2008. Shmatko said negotiations on the contract will be started in January or February, with an April target for signing the agreement on development of the detailed design.

According to Shmatko, ASE is now negotiating to build power reactors in several countries of the Middle East, in particular, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Egypt.

Shmatko said ASE has received inquiries from Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh and is also "actively negotiating" with Vietnam. It is expected that the first Vietnamese atomic power station, to be between 1,000 MW and 2,000 MW, will be commissioned by 2017 in the province of Nintuan; construction work is planned to begin in 2012, he said.
ASE also plans to take part in tenders for construction of nuclear power plants in Morocco and Turkey. Shmatko said ASE, which recently had a team in Turkey, has proposed construction of nuclear units at both of the two sites under consideration, provided financing is available.

ASE has also begun preliminary talks with potential customers in Latin America, he said. In Moscow, at the end of October, ASE provided to senators of the Chilean National Congress information on Russian nuclear technologies, ASE's experience and possibilities, new projects, and information on Tianwan-1 and -2, which entered commercial operation in 2007. One of the conditions in Latin American countries is that part of the power plant equipment be delivered by local companies, said Shmatko.

TVA a player in nuclear's comeback

Feb 26 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Herman Wang Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn. The Tennessee Valley Authority is riding the wave of the nuclear industry's renaissance, investing billions of dollars in a revived program to keep up with the region's growing demand for electricity.

TVA, a pioneer in nuclear energy 40 years ago, is spending $2.5 billion on completing the unfinished Unit 2 reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant in Spring City, Tenn.

Last November, it submitted an application for a license to build two next-generation reactors at its Bellefonte site in Hollywood, Ala., after construction stopped there two decades ago because of delays and cost overruns.

"Nuclear is very important," said Jack Bailey, TVA's vice president of nuclear generation development. "It provides stable, competitively priced power for customers in the Tennessee Valley. Going forward, nuclear looks good, in terms of expanding its use."

This GNEP sounds good, but I do not think the US will get leadership in either party's president to pull it off. We do not have an Eisenhower any more and are not likely to get one in this century.

PURPOSE

As part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) seeks to develop worldwide consensus on enabling expanded use of economical, carbon-free nuclear energy to meet growing electricity demand. This will use a nuclear fuel cycle that enhances energy security, while promoting non-proliferation. It would achieve its goal by having nations with secure, advanced nuclear capabilities provide fuel services — fresh fuel and recovery of used fuel — to other nations who agree to employ nuclear energy for power generation purposes only. The closed fuel cycle model envisioned by this partnership requires development and deployment of technologies that enable recycling and consumption of long-lived radioactive waste.

The Partnership would demonstrate the critical technologies needed to change the way used nuclear fuel is managed – to build recycling technologies that enhance energy security in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, while simultaneously promoting non-proliferation.

BENEFITS

Provide abundant energy without generating carbon emissions or greenhouse gases.
Recycle used nuclear fuel to minimize waste and reduce proliferation concerns.
Safely and securely allow developing nations to deploy nuclear power to meet energy needs.
Assure maximum energy recovery from still-valuable used nuclear fuel.-Reduce the number of required U.S. geologic waste repositories to one for the remainder of this century.

Areva files for EPR certification in USA

12 December 2007

The French owned Areva has underlined its commitment to the completion of its first European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) plant in the USA by 2015 by submitting a design certification application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Approval of the application would allow Areva to deploy its third-generation EPR technology in the USA through UniStar Nuclear, its joint venture with Constellation Energy. UniStar recently submitted an application in Maryland for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the potential construction of a new nuclear unit at Constellation Energy’s Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant.

Areva is confident of success with the application due to its experience in licensing in the US as well as in licensing the EPR technology in Europe. The EPR is currently the only third-generation nuclear reactor under construction anywhere in the world.

Areva-Bechtel to begin detailed design engineering of USEPR

06 February 2008

UniStar Nuclear Energy (UNE) has awarded a contract to an Areva-Bechtel Power consortium to begin initial detailed design engineering of the US Evolutionary Power Reactor (USEPR) design.

Detailed design engineering is a major milestone towards deploying a new nuclear power plant. It generates the tangible construction drawings and detailed specifications that are necessary to buy equipment and construct the plant.

UNE is a strategic joint venture between US utility Constellation and Electricité de France (EdF) to own and operate a fleet of USEPR plants in the USA and Canada. The 1600 MWe USEPR will form the basis of UniStar's proposed fleet of at least four advanced nuclear power plants in the USA. UniStar is working with Constellation, EdF, PPL, AmerenUE, and emerging energy companies such as Alternate Energy Holdings Inc (AEHI) and Amarillo Power to develop potential USEPRs in New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Idaho and Texas.

My Comment: The French are operational in the USA and intend to build nuclear power plants in the US. They are recruiting engineers in San Jose, California. I wonder how the Areva nuclear power plants stack up against General Electric's ABWRs? Seems like the turbine generators in the US are the domain of General Electric. I cannot envision Areva manufacturing the components, piping systems, and electrical components, etc, over seas and shipping them here. How would the quality assurance requirements be verified from a foreign country? The negotiations and contracts ought to be interesting to see.

Now that the UK has decided to go nuclear, it seems the all of the world suppliers of nuclear plants are rushing to get the business.

Nuclear Aim for EDF and Areva

Jan 10 - Evening Standard; London (UK) French eyes have lit up at the Government's go-ahead for new nuclear power stations with reactor builder Areva and the state- owned electricity generating company EDF saying they are ready to build up to four plants for the UK.

The Government's decision could see nuclear stations built next door to and replacing existing plants at Dungeness in Kent, Blackwell in Essex and Sizewell, Suffolk.

The vast majority of France's electricity comes from nuclear stations and France's preeminent manufacturer Areva, a company 34% owned by Siemens of Germany, immediately said it is ready to build up to six reactors in the UK.

Russia to Launch Nuclear University

Dec 24 - United Press International Russia will establish a nuclear-energy university in Moscow in 2008, RIA Novosti reported.

The national university will be based at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, coordinated with the Russian Education Ministry. Officials expect the program to be developed in the first quarter of 2008.

We still have to finish restructuring the nuclear sector, we will spend another two months on that, and I believe that all the organizational reforms in the sector will be accomplished by March 1, 2008, Russia's nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko said on Monday.

President Vladimir Putin signed a bill Dec. 3 on a state nuclear power agency that incorporates civilian and military nuclear facilities and enterprises, and appointed Kiriyenko its head, the Russian information agency Novosti reported.

My comment: Russia knows where the future is in energy production. And they are preparing well for it.

Southwestern Energy Service Providers Work Together to Get Large-Scale Solar Project Built

Dec 06 - Business Wire A multi-state consortium of southwestern energy service providers is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a utility-scale concentrating solar power plant. The plant would be owned by a third-party with consortium members each signing long-term purchase power agreements.

The size, design and location of the new solar project will be determined by the RFP submissions. It is expected to produce 250 megawatts and be located in either Arizona or Nevada. When completed, it would be the largest solar power plant in either state. A concentrating solar plant uses the sun to heat a liquid that can directly or indirectly drive a turbine.

The Southwest Energy Service Provider's Consortium for Solar Development (aka Joint Development Group) was formed with the goals of reducing solar energy costs and increasing efficiency through economies of scale. Members of the group include Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, Southern California Public Power Authority, Tucson Electric Power and Xcel Energy.

My Comment: The above is part of a recent announcement. This group of utilities' are playing the game. But they will show how bad the solar system is both from a financial and energy production standpoint . A 250 MWe solar plant is comparable to a 30 MWe convention power plant due to the low capacity factor of the solar system. A 250 MWe plant is not really a utility scale plant. Why don't they go to a 1,000 MWe solar plant? Well I guess that is too much of a financial gamble.

Things are looking up for nuclear

The NRC has received four applications since September 2007 to build seven reactors and has been notified by various companies to expect 17 more applications for 25 reactors through 2009.

China Nuclear Power Poised for Export in `Self-Reliance' Bid

By Dune Lawrence and Alan Katz
Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- China, its safety reputation tattered by lead paint in toys, cancer-causing chemicals in seafood and antifreeze ingredients in toothpaste, is gearing up to become the world's biggest producer and operator of nuclear plants.

The country plans to build about 30 new reactors by 2020, at a cost totaling 450 billion yuan ($61 billion). It could add as many as 300 in time, according to an official from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

Deals signed this year with Westinghouse Electric Co. and Areva SA will put the Chinese in position to copy the latest technology. Its biggest threat may be as a competitor in selling the $3 billion to $5 billion nuclear plants at home and abroad. China's atomic industry may follow the copy-and-compete blueprint laid out by local makers of cars, drugs and coal-fired power plants.

"The driving force is self-reliance,'' said Howard Bruschi, 67, Westinghouse's former chief technology officer, who two decades ago helped spearhead the company's efforts to get a foothold in China. "I don't kid myself that they want to make their own designs and develop them and export them.'' The country of 1.3 billion people needs clean sources of electricity to fuel the fastest-growing major economy. At the same time, as China is poised to pass the U.S. as the world's biggest producer of gases that contribute to global warming, it's under pressure to curb emissions. A new round of United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change opens next week on the Indonesian island of Bali.

PG&E and Ausra Announce 177 Megawatt Solar Thermal Power Agreement

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 05, 2007 /PRNewswire

Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has entered into a 177 megawatt solar thermal power purchasing agreement with Ausra Inc. The project, to be located in central California, is being developed by Ausra.

"Today's agreement between PG&E and Ausra highlights how clean energy will create jobs in California while delivering a reliable source of renewable energy," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I'm pleased to see California companies rising to the challenge of AB 32, California's historic initiative to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Clearly, California continues to lead the nation in clean energy research, development and generation."

The plant, to be located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is expected to begin generating power in 2010. Ausra has filed its Application for Certification for this plant with the California Energy Commission, which must grant approval before construction begins.

"Solar thermal technology provides our customers with a reliable source of clean renewable energy that is ideally suited to meet peak energy loads," said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement, PG&E. "By partnering with Ausra, we are taking another significant step in providing our customers with some of the cleanest energy in the nation."

At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September, PG&E and Ausra announced separate commitments to build and purchase 1,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next five years.

China continues to go nuclear

PARIS -- French state-owned nuclear-engineering company Areva SA said it clinched contracts valued at as much as ($11.87 billion) to supply a Chinese electricity company with two advanced nuclear reactors, fuel to power them for 15 years and more uranium for other plants.

The deal between Areva and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co., disclosed Monday in China, was signed later in the day during French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Beijing. It is part of China's plan to build dozens of reactors during the next two decades to help meet increasing demand for power.

The French are again underway with a very large 1,650 MWe nuclear plant

EDF starts construction of nuclear block at French power station Dec 05, 2007 -- Datamonitor

EDF has announced that it has started the construction of the future
European pressurized water reactor nuclear power station at Flamanville
in Normandy, France, on schedule.

The European pressurized water reactor (EPR) is a third-generation
nuclear reactor with a capacity of 1,650MW. It will continue the
technological development of the current pressurized water reactors,
bringing together all of the recent advances to offer the guarantee of
safe and competitive electricity production with no carbon dioxide emissions.

Exelon Nuclear Selects GE- Hitachi's ESBWR

Illinois-based Exelon Nuclear, the nation's largest nuclear utility, has announced it will use GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's (GEH) next-generation ESBWR reactor design if the company decides to build a new nuclear power plant in Texas.

Exelon Nuclear is studying locations in Matagorda and Victoria counties in Texas as potential reactor sites to help address that state's rapidly growing demand for energy.

As part of preparing a federal combined construction and operating license (COL) application, utilities choose a preferred reactor design. Exelon's selection of the ecomagination(SM) certified ESBWR now preserves the utility's timeline for a potential new build project. Exelon began studying the COL in the fall of 2006.

The GE ESBWR (Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor) demonstrates measurable environmental and economic advantages over existing reactor designs and competitor's new designs.

Bush Administration Aims to Tap into Ocean's Wind Power

A year after a bitter congressional fight over offshore drilling for oil and gas, the Bush administration now wants to tap the ocean's winds, waves and currents as a source for alternative energy.

The plans could mean that within a few years, towering wind turbines could start spinning off North Carolina's Outer Banks to harness the same gusts that have tossed ships out there for centuries.

U.S. Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne said Monday that the 1.8 billion acres of the federal Outer Continental Shelf could become "a new frontier" for the nation's energy resources.

His remarks come a year after Congress argued over whether to open up much of the nation's federal waters to drilling for oil or gas. Those proposals, ultimately shot down, brought strong opposition from environmental groups and some state governments.

But now the administration has found some common ground with environmental groups in the push for wind- and water-generated energy.

My Comments: Wave and ocean currents are a farce, but wind is OK. So is drilling off shore for oil and gas. But no one wants wind machines off of their shores. Ask environmentalist Ted Kennedy. But what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

California Republican Party Unanimously Supports Nuclear Power

INDIAN WELLS, CA – In a unanimous Sunday morning vote, hundreds of members of the California Republican Party agreed to work to end the state’s 31-year ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants. The official vote was taken at the California Republican Party’s semiannual convention which featured appearances by presidential candidate U.S. Senator John McCain, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the governors of Texas, Florida, Utah, and Minnesota.

The pro-nuclear power resolution, authored by California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine), was unanimously approved the day before by the state Party’s Initiatives Committee. The resolution places the full weight of the party of more than 5.3 million voters behind a ballot initiative to overturn California’s obsolete ban on the construction of new, safe, clean, and reliable nuclear power plants. The initiative is known as the California Energy Independence and Zero Carbon Dioxide Emission Electrical Generation Act of 2008.

My comments: It is time to get real and get on with the real solution to our energy problems both for global warming and energy. supply.

End GNEP, focus on start-ups, says US panel
30 October 2007

The USA should replace GNEP by a less aggressive research program,
instead giving top priority to achieving new reactor start-ups, a panel
of the US National Academy of Sciences has concluded.

Domestic radioactive waste management, security and nuclear fuel supply
needs do not justify the commercial-scale reprocessing facilities
visualized in the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) research and
development (R&D) program, and there is "no economic justification to
proceed", the panel found. Instead, the R&D program to develop nuclear
reprocessing and recycling technology and facilities under GNEP should
be replaced by a "less aggressive" program, and higher priority should
be given to facilitating the start-up of new nuclear power plants under
the Nuclear Power 2010 scheme.

I do not think I agree with this entirely. it seems to me the waste problems in the US have had front page for decades. It should not be neglected to the extent that the US give it second shrift. We can do both.

Uranium, not oil, will become the world's go-to energy source. And Uranium investors will gusher fortunes practically overnight.

Utah Uranium Corp. (UTUC)

Now trading under a $1.00. Look for this stock to build momentum
and 200%, 300% or even 400% profits within the next year.

My Comment: I put this here because it appeared in a financial magazine. I do not invest in materials and am not a financial advisor. But it is true, uranium stocks have been going up. With out the Fast Breeder Reactor, uranium stocks will probably always go up in price. It is fool hardy to use a fuel that has only a 0.7% isotope mass content in energy yield.

Southern California Edison Among Utilities to Work With the Clinton Global Initiative to Address Climate Change

NEW YORK, Sep 27, 2007 -- BUSINESS WIRE

Southern California Edison (SCE), which leads the nation in energy efficiency, joined seven other utilities and former President Bill Clinton today in announcing their commitment to investing in energy efficiency and seeking regulatory actions to increase that investment by $500 million annually from 2010 to 2016.

The commitment, which was announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York, would raise the companies' total investments in energy efficiency by $500 million annually to about $1.5 billion annually and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 30 million tons by 2016, the equivalent to removing 6 million cars from the road. It also will avoid the need for 50, 500-megawatt peaking power plants.

This is a bunch of Bull. There are no data that would verify SCE leading the nation in energy efficiency. Moreover, who is keeping accurate score? One way to accomplish the reduction is to raise the cost of energy so the poor will have to use less. That will work. How will they be more efficient in power production? Revamp all of their natural gas fired plants to the combined cycle configuration including existing peaking plants? The would cost too much. And stop using coal fired plants and switch to more efficient natural gas fired plants? This will not happen.

Next generation nuke plant designs sought

WASHINGTON, Jul 23, 2007 -- UPI

The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for industry teams to help conceptually design the department's "Next Generation Nuclear Plant."

The Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory is conducting the program that seeks to use cutting-edge technology in building a high temperature reactor capable of producing hydrogen, electricity and/or process heat. Officials said such a nuclear power plant would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling nuclear energy to replace fossil fuels in the petrochemical and transportation industries.

"Proceeding with conceptual design for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant brings the Department of Energy another step closer to developing this advanced new technology," Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon said. "Through this effort, (the department) will foster a public-private partnership to complete this development and spur the commercial scale deployment of advanced clean and safe nuclear energy as quickly as possible."

Expressions of interest, to be submitted by Aug. 20, will be used to identify a qualified pool of candidates to provide future engineering and design services, officials said.

Where has the DOE been the last few years?

I posted the below on my Hydrogen Web page.

A PROPOSED MODULAR-SIZED. INTEGRATED NUCLEAR

AND

HYDROGEN-BASED ENERGY SUPPLY-CARRIER SYSTEM

Bruce W. Spencer, Richard D. Doctor, and David C. Wade, Argonne National Laboratory

Prof. Kenneth Lee Peddicord Texas A&M University

Mr. Charles Boardman, General Electric Company

Dr. Giuseppe Marucci, ENEA (Italy)

Duke Plans More Coal Fueled plants

Duke Energy plans to build an 800-megawatt coal-fired generator at its Cliffside plant, located on the Cleveland/Rutherford County line

Environmentalists around the state plan to fight the plan at the hearing, which will be held at Chase High School on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.

Ulla Reeves, regional program director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said a number of organizations are joining to oppose the plant, including Carolinas Clean Air Coalition, Clean Water for N.C., N.C. Conservation Network and Appalachian Voices, among others.

"We are concerned because predominately the carbon dioxide emissions will contribute to global warming," she said.

She wasn't against new energy plants, but said, "we have to get smarter."

I wonder what get smarter means? Environmentalists need to suggest alternates, not just oppose energy projects. A nuclear plant is a smarter idea for no pollution or green house gases.

Italy Reportedly Facing Power Blackouts This Winter
Italy, which depends heavily on gas imports, is due to face an acute shortage of natural gas for its domestic power generation this year, according to the chief executive of Italian utility company Enel, as cited by Reuters.

FPL Describes Plans to Expand Capacity at Existing Nuclear Facilities, Pursue Building Two Nuclear Units

JUNO BEACH, Fla., Aug 15, 2007 -- BUSINESS WIRE

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) (NYSE:FPL) today said it proposes making nuclear power a bigger part of Florida's clean energy future.

At a Public Service Commission workshop on future energy needs today, FPL signaled its intention to file proposals by the end of the third quarter covering the expansion of power production at its existing nuclear generating facilities and to pursue building two new nuclear power units.

"These projects will meet the needs of our growing state by ensuring safe and reliable power," said Armando Olivera, president of FPL. "Nuclear power produces no greenhouse gases, and that is vital as we all work to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that are at the heart of climate change concerns. Moreover, adding more nuclear power will further diversify our fuel mix, which should contribute to increased price stability for our customers," Olivera noted.

California should take note and follow their lead.

South Korea, US to Cooperate on Sodium-Cooled Nuclear Reactor, and Fuel Reprocessing

Aug 12 - BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

South Korea and the United States have agreed to work together on fourth generation nuclear reactors and atomic fuel reprocessing, the Ministry of Science and Technology said Sunday.

The decision to cooperate in sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and pyro-processing was reached at a meeting between South Korea's Science Minister Kim Woo-sik [Kim U-sik] and US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.

SFR is a US-designed reactor that can better manage high-level wastes like plutonium. It has more safety features than conventional reactors, and is more efficient because it can use a wider range of fuel sources, including depleted uranium.

Pyro-processing is a process designed to store spent nuclear fuel that help could contribute to global non-proliferation efforts.

Kim, who met Bodman in the US last week, also exchanged views on expanding bilateral ties as Washington moves to expand its use of nuclear power generation in accordance with the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) plan, announced in February 2006.

Under the plan, the world's largest atomic energy user will move to increase nuclear power production while simultaneously designing and selling small-sized reactors and related technologies suitable for emerging economies.

The GNEP could allow the export of South Korean nuclear components to the US and foreign markets.

With 19 operational commercial reactors, South Korea has steadily built power plants since the 1970s, meanwhile gaining extensive experience in the nuclear energy field. The country can design its own reactors and is moving to export them abroad.

My Comments: Since I fought the Korean war it is a delight to me to hear that the South Koreans will develop the Fast Breeder reactor and fuel cycle and sell them world wide. The environmentalists will not be able to destroy this program as they did in the united States.

More nuclear on the way

River authority OKs water negotiations with Exelon Nuclear

Aug 16 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Victoria Advocate, Texas

A small but potentially significant hurdle has been overcome in Exelon Nuclear's plans to build a $4 billion nuclear power plant in Victoria County. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority board of directors passed a reservation agreement Wednesday that gives their general manager Bill West permission to negotiate with Exelon for possible use of their water. Nuclear plants require millions of gallons of water a day to operate and the action by the board was an attempt to convince Exelon to choose Victoria over Matagorda County for the plant site, West said.

Washington Group International to Build Uranium-Enrichment Facility
Washington Group International received a contract by Louisiana Energy
Services (LES) to provide construction services in building a
uranium-enrichment facility near Eunice, N.M. Providing construction
services for the National Enrichment Facility is an expansion of
Washington Group's role at the site, WGI said. The engineering,
construction and environmental services firm has been providing related
construction-management services there since mid-2006.

The $1.5 billion facility will provide the U.S. with an alternative
domestic source of enriched uranium required to operate the country's
nuclear power plants, Washington Group said. It is the first major
nuclear facility to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in
the U.S. in three decades, the company said.

Germany Going to Renewables

Merkel dashed the hopes of the energy lobby - led by E.ON, Vattenfall Europe, RWE and Energie Baden-Wurttemberg - to prolong nuclear power.

Under an agreement made in 2000 by the former Social Democrat and Green coalition led by Gerhard Schroder, Germany's 17 nuclear energy plants would be gradually decommissioned by 2021.

After Merkel, a conservative, was appointed chancellor in November 2005, the lobby went on an ultimately unsuccessful offensive to reverse the decision. But Merkel on Tuesday stuck to her coalition's policy of phasing out the plants.

The energy industry, however, criticized Merkel's plan as unworkable and likely to lead to higher rates for consumers.

My Comment: Germany is a relatively small country land area wise and this fact does not lend its self to renewables. Plus its climate is similar to that of Illinois which does not have solar electric systems. I doubt they have much wind area either. But they are a country that continually makes wrong decisions as they have here. Merkel is a woman who apparently doe not know much about energy. I am told that they are getting a lot of electric energy from France.

Senate votes to boast car, SUV economy standards to 35 mpg.

Automakers are currently required to meet an average for cars of 27.5 mpg and 22.2 mpg for SUVs. the new law requires a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020. Also the measure requires that half of their vehicles be capable of running on 85% ethanol fuel by 2020.

My Comments: It will be necessary to do away with SUVs and to down size autos to meet the 35 mpg requirement. As for the ethanol, it will never come to pass that one half of the vehicles are operated on ethanol. The legislators will learn about ethanol in the future. Ethanol, in fact, puts more CO2 into the atmosphere per each unit of energy output than gasoline does.

California will not have nuclear power in ten years, if ever. The electrical energy needs of the state will be provided by natural gas plants at a high relative cost of energy. Don't be talked into believing that renewables will supply a significant amount of the electrical needs.

Expanding nuclear power in California many years away SACRAMENTO (The Associated Press) - Jun 26 - By STEVE LAWRENCE Associated Press Writer

The failure of the federal government to open a storage site for radioactive waste means any chance to expand nuclear power in California is more than a decade away, according to a draft report prepared for the state Energy Commission.

A California law passed in 1976 prohibits construction of nuclear plants until the Energy Commission concludes that the federal government has found a proven way to store or reprocess spent nuclear plant fuel.

My Comment: Well Jimmy Carter won on that one and we all lost.

PG&E Adds Utility-Scale Solar Projects to Its Power Mix

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced today it has entered into agreements with two developers of utility-scale photovoltaic solar power: Cleantech America LLC and GreenVolts, Inc. The agreements will deliver up to seven megawatts (MW) of utility-scale renewable solar energy for PG&E's customers throughout Northern and Central California.

"These projects provide PG&E with a clean, reliable, and cost efficient way to deliver additional solar power to our customers," said Fong Wan, vice president of Energy Procurement, PG&E. "By harnessing the power of the sun's rays in a scalable way, we are taking a significant step towards reaching California's renewable portfolio goal of supplying twenty percent of our customer needs with qualifying renewable energy by 2010."

This ought to be in the comic strip. A utility scale photovoltaic solar system that is reliable and cost effective? It is just 7 MWe capacity and has a capacity capacity factor of only 15%. Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant will produce about 2,000 times more electrical energy in any given year and at a fraction of the cost. per kWh.

Bingaman, Domenici Offer Emission Plans: Proposals Face Vote in Senate

Jun 14 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Michael Coleman Albuquerque Journal, N.M. New Mexico's senators offered dueling proposals to slash greenhouse gas emissions Wednesday, setting up a showdown for a likely vote on the Senate floor today.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Democratic chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced a proposal requiring utilities to use at least 15 percent renewable energy by 2020.

Sen. Pete Domenici, the top Republican on the energy committee, introduced an alternative that would force utilities to meet a 20 percent mandate of "clean fuels" that would include nuclear and hydro power, as well as renewables like wind and solar.

Bill to Repeal Wisconsin’s New-Nuclear Plant Ban Passes

Special Committee; Moves to Full Assembly

The Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council’s Special Committee on Nuclear Power on May 10 voted to lift the state’s moratorium on new nuclear plant construction. The bill now will go to the full assembly for consideration.

Hitachi, GE likely to win 1st joint order for nuclear power reactor

May 23 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kyodo News International, Tokyo Hitachi Ltd. will likely clinch an order jointly with U.S. technology powerhouse General Electric Co. to build a next-generation nuclear power reactor in the United States, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Hitachi and GE will sign an agreement with U.S. energy company Dominion by September to build a 1.5-million-kilowatt economic and simplified boiling water reactor, or ESBWR, for Dominion's plan to boost its atomic power output in Virginia, they said.

The first joint order to be placed with Hitachi and GE is expected to be worth 200 billion yen.

ESBWRs are more powerful than advanced BWRs and require lower maintenance costs because of a simpler design.

Following approval by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Hitachi and GE will start building the ESBWR in 2010 to put it into use in 2014.

Here are two news excerpts of solar PV projects soon to be constructed. See my comments below.

.Largest U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System Begins Construction at Nellis Air Force Base

Construction on the largest solar photovoltaic system ever to be built in North America began today at Nellis Air Force Base.

. The Nellis solar energy system will generate in excess of 25 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually and supply more than 25 percent of the power used at the base. Occupying 140 acres of land leased from the Air Force at the western edge of the base, this ground-mounted solar system will employ an advanced tracking system, designed and deployed by PowerLight, to follow the sun.

Approximately 70,000 solar panels and the patented PowerLight PowerTracker(R) will capture up to 30 percent more energy than an equivalent ground-mounted fixed-tilt system. Rated at approximately 15 megawatts (MW), the array will generate the power of a rooftop solar system with a rating of approximately 18 MW7

MMA Renewable Ventures will finance, own and operate the landmark system and sell the power to Nellis under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Break Ground on 8.22-Megawatt Photovoltaic Solar Plant

An 82-acre tract in south central Colorado will be the site for one of the largest photovoltaic power plants in the United States. Dignitaries including Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, and executives from SunEdison and Xcel Energy spoke at today's groundbreaking ceremony for the 8.22-megawatt Alamosa Photovoltaic Solar Plant. The solar plant is financed and will be built and maintained by SunEdison, North America's leading solar energy services provider. Xcel Energy will buy the solar power generated by the Alamosa plant, which is scheduled for completion by early 2008.

The Alamosa Photovoltaic Solar Plant is an 8.22-megawatt (MW) facility that covers roughly 80 acres of land in Alamosa and San Luis Valley in Colorado. When completed, the facility will generate 17,000 MW hours annually,.

My comments:

They did not quote the capital cost of either project. The companies building the systems are financing each project and have sales agreements for the cost of energy delivered by each system. This is a bold move considering each supplier must deliver the energy for a predetermined cost per kWh.

Table of Data

	Capacity	Annual output	Capacity Factor	Area	Tracking
Nellis	15 MWe	25,000 MWh	19 %	140 Acres	Yes
Colorado	8.22 MWe	17,000 MWh	24%	80 Acres	Did not say

It is not possible to rely on data from a news paper, but the capacity factors do not make sense. If Nellis is a tracking system and the other is not, one would expect to see a much greater capacity factor for Nellis. This is not the case for the data shown.

At any rate it is obvious that the capacity factors are typical for solar PV systems, and are too low to provide economical electric energy.

GE Energy Celebrates Opening of 40,000 Square-Foot Advanced Technology Center

On Monday, March 26 at 9:30 am, GE Energy's Nuclear Business will host a reception and ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of its new, two-story, 40,000 square-foot advanced technology center at its Wilmington headquarters. Andy White, President and CEO of GE Energy's Nuclear Business, as well as Congressman Mike McIntyre and Wilmington Industrial Development CEO Scott Satterfield will speak about the company's initiatives in the nuclear power industry and investment in the Wilmington area.

GE will use the technology center to coordinate the commercial launch of its next generation reactors. The building will house more than 250 engineers, architects and support personnel. The center is one of several projects set to expand GE Energy's Nuclear Business headquarters site in Wilmington. In 2005, GE and the state of North Carolina announced expansion plans that included an overall investment of $77 million at the Wilmington site.

SOURCE: GE Energy

My comment: in the early 1950's GE moved their nuclear plant engineering operation to San Jose, CA and the Fast Breeder engineering was located in Sunnyvale, CA. And I worked at both places. Currently GE sold all of the land and buildings in San Jose and Sunnyvale and moved in mass to Wilmington, NC. All of the old timers are gone as well as some of the younger engineers who would not move to Wilmington, NC.

I wish them well. For us old timers it is a new world to develop nuclear power. It is too bad that all of the Fast Breeder Reactor engineering effort is now going on now only in Russia, China, Japan, and France. These countries will serve the world, we will not. And we will pay dearly for not doing so. And we can thank Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter for that as well as the environmentalists they paid off.

California ISO Enters New Era of Transmission Planning

FOLSOM, Calif., Jan 24, 2007 -- BUSINESS WIRE

The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) has entered a new era of transmission planning with a comprehensive plan that examines what California's power grid will need one to three years from now to ease bottlenecks and enhance reliability and what will be needed in five to 15 years to keep up with the expected growth in energy supply and demand.

The Transmission Plan is a living document that will grow and evolve over time. It is a collaborative effort that includes the work products of the California ISO, its Participating Transmission Owners (PTO), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the California Energy Commission (CEC) and many other stakeholders.

My Comments: These are the same folks that bought electric energy futures during the year 2000 fiasco and neglected to peg the energy delivery with the energy demand curve. Thus California had to pay for and give away millions of dollars of energy that was delivered when it was not needed.

GM is working on hybrid battery research

General Motors Corp. wants the world to know that the Chevrolet Volt electric concept car -- and the company's quest to diversify the energy sources used to propel the world's automobiles is a serious venture.

Nick Zielinski, chief engineer for the Volt, said GM wants a lithium battery that will last 10 years and 150,000 miles.

"We do set pretty aggressive targets for the durability of the vehicle," Zielinski said. "Right now, I don't think any of us are willing to give up those goals."

My comment: There is already a hybrid auto battery. What they need is a storage battery that can be discharged without losing battery voltage. It is questionable that the lithium ion battery can ever do that. Other metal hydride batteries cannot be discharges without losing significant voltage.

Uganda to Subsidize Use of Alternative Power Sources

Feb 20 - BBC Monitoring Africa The government has promised reasonable subsidies to the first 250,000 Ugandans who would voluntarily switch from hydroelectric power to alternative sources like solar, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya announced yesterday. The subsidies, the vice president said, are meant to ease pressure on the over stretched hydropower grid.

Prof. Bukenya yesterday said the incentive is also part of the rural electrification programme. He said the initial beneficiaries of the programme would be the middle class power consumers, who use water heaters and freezers in their homes or for businesses. The government would provide subsidies to such consumers to buy solar panels that would operate their freezers and water heaters.

This will happen the moment these power consumers get off the hydropower grid. He said the plan would see rural households concentrate on using solar power while district headquarters would remain on the national grid. For the last one and a half years, the country has faced a severe power crisis that was mainly blamed on the fall of Lake Victoria water levels.

He said district headquarters would remain on the grid system because potential investors that require more power than that generated by solar panels tend to set up their businesses within the environs of district headquarters.

My comment: OH brother ! solar panels to supply energy for freezers and water heaters. Not too bad for water heaters, they can take a lot of cold showers. But freezers? Food will spoil during long periods of no solar such as night time and winter periods when the sun does not shine for days. Professor Bukenya probably has not investigated solar panels which have capacity factors of only 15% to 20%.

Governor Rendell Says Merger of Renewable Energy Firms Will Generate $50 Million in New Investments, Create Jobs

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb 22, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire

Governor Edward G. Rendell today hailed the merger of California solar energy giant SunTechnics with Pennsylvania-based Mesa Environmental Sciences Inc., a move that will spark the development of $50 million in new solar energy projects and more than double the number of jobs at the company's new East Coast headquarters in Malvern, Chester County.

"This announcement reinforces how our clean energy initiatives have established Pennsylvania as a national leader in attracting international investment in alternative energy development," Governor Rendell said. "Our efforts will continue to pay off for years to come, creating high-paying jobs for Pennsylvanians and saving consumers billions of dollars in energy costs."

My comment: Since I lived in Pittsburgh for a year, I can tell governor Rendell that solar will not do well in Pennsylvania. This is another case of believing in what other say with out verification of the real facts. Winters in Pennsylvania are dark and snowy much of the time. What a farce about saving consumers billions of dollars in energy cost. It does not even do that in Sacramento, CA where it does not snow, but solar PV's are not popular.

British Energy Heralds New Nuclear Age; Generator in Talks With Rivals to Build New Reactors

Feb 11 - Independent on Sunday, The British Energy, the nuclear generator, has held talks with Europe's largest power companies about building a new generation of nuclear reactors in the UK.

The company has had meetings with executives from the French group EDF and German group RWE, which owns npower in the UK, ahead of next month's publication of the Government's White Paper on energy. E.ON is also understood to be involved

The above partial news release looks like the British are serious about new nuclear power plants.

NSA electricity crisis gets Senate scrutiny

The National Security Agency's impending electricity shortfall is "sort of a national catastrophe," Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said yesterday.

Rockefeller, who took over as head of the panel when Democrats regained control of the Senate this month, called the power shortage a symptom of a larger problem: the NSA's failure to manage long-range issues.

"They haven't focused on the large picture," the West Virginia Democrat said in an interview

Looks like some of us may have to do without electrical energy in the future. I am sure that California's dependence on renewables will not be successful and we will get some brown outs in the future.

Based on the news, several countries are expanding nuclear.

Bulgaria to build second nuclear plant

PLEVEN, Bulgaria, Dec 26, 2006 -- UPI

Bulgaria will employ about 10,000 people in the construction of its second nuclear power plant at Belene, on the Danube River bank.

Tsvetko Tsvetkov, governor of the Pleven municipality south of Belene, said once the first reactor of the nuclear plant is completed in 6 1/2 years and put into operation, about 5,000 people will be full-time employees, Bulgaria's Darik News reported Tuesday.

Russia's Atomstroyexport company is to built the Belene nuclear plant, whose two 1,000-megawatt, light-water reactors will cost $5 billion, the Sofia News Agency said.

The second reactor is to be put in operation one year after the first reactor.

The Kozloduy nuclear plant, on the Danube west of Belene, will be left with two of its six reactors operating when Bulgaria joins the European Union on Monday.

U.S and Russia Develop Action Plan to Enhance Global and Bilateral Nuclear Energy Cooperation

Dec 20, 2006 -- ENERGY DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman and Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) Director Sergey V. Kiriyenko last week submitted to U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin a joint work plan that will provide a framework for further bilateral cooperation in the development of nuclear energy technology and deployment. The plan was completed and signed by both parties the week of December 11, 2006, as part of an agreement that stemmed from the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, in July of this year.

"The Report establishes measures that will promote sustainable and safe nuclear energy use and expansion, in the United States, Russian Federation, and worldwide while strengthening nuclear nonproliferation and effectively addressing waste management. Specifically, it outlines national strategies in nuclear power; identifies the common bases for U.S.-Russian cooperation in advanced reactors, exportable small and medium reactors, nuclear fuel cycle technologies, and nonproliferation and; defines a plan for cooperation.

Principal areas of cooperation in nuclear science and technology outlined in the report include:

· The development of exportable small-and-medium power reactors;

· Use and design of fast reactors; How about this one?

· Development and demonstration of new nuclear fuels for fast reactors and processes for their fabrication;

· Development and demonstration of advanced methods for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel and transmutation;

· Developing methods for providing international nuclear fuel cycle services; and

· Development of nonproliferation and safeguard concepts, methodology and technology.

Clean Energy Could Create Thousands of Good Jobs; Significant Job Gains for California

WASHINGTON, Nov 1, 2006 -- U.S. Newswire

As America's energy dependence rises as a centerpiece of the national political debate, the Apollo Alliance released a report today documenting significant potential job gains from renewable power development in California.

The study, developed by the Renewable Energy Policy Project, demonstrates that the right federal and state incentives could create 95,000 new jobs in California related to manufacturing components for renewable energy projects, such as wind turbines and solar panels. In addition, thousands of California firms could benefit from the expanded manufacturing activity.

"The potential of an expanded renewable energy program will not only provide significant benefits to California, but to the nation," said Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance. "By investing in alternative energy programs, we can end our dependence on foreign oil while also creating thousands of good, clean energy jobs here at home and re-invigorate the manufacturing sector."

The report validates claims that the renewable energy industry has the potential to create significant job gains. Similar reports also agree that California stands to gain more from the burgeoning clean energy industry than any other state.

My Comment: Jobs in wind and solar PV's? Wind in California is going nowhere and is not labor intensive, Solar PV panels will not be as prevalent as the one million home initiative expects. And most jobs are not labor intensive, but machine intensive, except installation which I do not think will take place on a large scale once the performance becomes more known.

This is the kind of bull were have been hearing for years.

U.S. may speed approval of nuclear plants: Regulator hopes to cut license time for sites, including 9 in Texas
The new head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission thinks he can cut the time it takes to license a nuclear power plant in half, to about two years.

South Korea, Indonesia agree to build reactors, share nuclear fuel and
technology
JAKARTA, Indonesia (The Associated Press) - Dec 7
Indonesia and South Korea agreed this week to consider jointly building
nuclear power plants and exchanging fissile material and technology,
according to documents obtained Thursday.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his South Korean
counterpart Roh Moo-hyun signed a bilateral agreement on the peaceful
use of nuclear energy Monday, but kept the details under wraps.

The agreement, seen by The Associated Press, said cooperation may
include "research, development, design, construction, operation and
maintenance of nuclear power plants" and "manufacturing and supplying of
nuclear fuel elements" to be used in the facilities.

Indonesia has set a deadline of 2010 for the start of construction on
the country's first nuclear power plant as it seeks to reduce its
reliance on fossil energy in its efforts to provide electricity.

It expects the plant to begin operation by 2017 and hopes nuclear power
will contribute a total of 4,000 megawatts to the national electricity
grid by 2025.

The agreement signed Monday, which allows for the transfer of "nuclear
material, equipment and technology," stipulates that it can not be used
for the development of atomic arms or be used for military purposes.

It also says "uranium transferred pursuant to this agreement shall not
be enriched to 20 percent or more ... unless otherwise agreed by the
parties."

FuelCell Energy Submits 98.6 MW of Bids for Ultra-Clean, Multi-Megawatt Power Plant Projects in Connecticut
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean electric power generation plants for commercial, industrial and government customers, today announced that it has submitted bids for 98.6 megawatts (MW) of fuel cell power projects to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) for Project 100.

My comment: 98.6 megawatts and they are not willing to tell us where the hydrogen comes from. I wonder where or how they get clean hydrogen ? Certainly not from renewables.

Xcel Energy Explores Renewable Alternatives to Meet Growing Energy Needs in the Midwest

Nov 08 - Daily Reporter (Milwaukee) The upper Midwest needs power, but not necessarily a plant.

Xcel Energy had been looking into options of building a coal- fired base-load power plant and some potential locations to meet growing energy needs for its customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota.

It instead decided to pursue renewable alternatives and filed proposals last week to add hydroelectric and wind power resources throughout its territories.

The package will fill a 375-megawatt base-load shortfall (generation available 24 hours a day, seven days a week) projected for Xcel by 2015 due to a growing energy demand in the region.

The company said the renewable options will provide the same level of reliability as a new 375-megawatt coal plant but at a lower cost and significantly lower environmental impact, and Elizabeth Engelking, Xcel's manager of resource planning, said the company knows it's the best option.

Here is one that blows my mind. They are going to build a 375 MWe hydro dam and also a 375 MWe wind farm to provide 375 MWe of continuous power for a 100% base load system. . At it is cheaper than building a single 375 MWe coal plant?

Well they will need to build both a 375 MWe hydro system and a 375 MWe wind farm to cover the 100% energy generation capacity. There will be times when no wind is available and also times when no water is available. And that is a cheaper system than one coal plant? I doubt thy they will get a 100% capacity factor out of this arrangement.

New nuclear plant in Iowa?
A revival of nuclear power development in Iowa received the backing of Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, the Hawkeye Labor Council and several Democratic state lawmakers Thursday at the Duane Arnold Energy Center

Nuclear Industry Leader Voices Support for H.R. 5360, Urges DOE to Move Used Fuel From Reactor Sites
A Bush Administration legislative proposal to facilitate management of used nuclear fuel is strongly supported by the nuclear energy industry and would be "a major milestone" on the road to proper environmental stewardship of this material, an industry leader told the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality today.

General Electric plans to build two large Advance Boiling Water Reactors (ABWR) power plants

US NEWS:
--NRG ENERGY PLANS TO ORDER MAJOR COMPONENTS, INCLUDING THE NUCLEAR STEAM SUPPLY
system, by 2007 for two new General Electric ABWRs it plans to construct in
Texas, according to information provided NRC July 27. In a presentation to NRC,
representatives of STP Nuclear Operating Co., which will interact with NRC in
the licensing process, said the goal is to have the new units online by 2014-
2015. NRG holds a 44% stake in the two-unit South Texas Project, which is
operated by STP Nuclear. STP Nuclear said it plans to submit a combined
construction-operating license to NRC for the new units -- South Texas Project-3
and -4 -- in the latter part of 2007. Separately, Amarillo Power has made public
in a newly released letter its plans to also build two ABWRs in the vicinity of
Amarillo, Texas and has told NRC that it will work with STP Nuclear on a
standard ABWR design to submit to NRC.

Hybrids, flex-fuel cars not likely to impact energy use. Article in part.

Dec 6 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Justin Hyde Detroit Free Press Many of the U.S. auto industry's environmental efforts, including plug-in hybrids and flexible-fuel vehicles, will have little affect on the nation's energy use or output of greenhouse gases if the latest government forecast of energy trends through 2030 holds true.

While sales of flexible-fuel vehicles are expected to rise, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says E85 will barely get off the ground over the next two decades. More electricity will come from burning coal, which increases greenhouse gases, raising questions about the benefits of plug-in hybrids. And U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy is expected to increase, despite more fuel-efficient vehicles.

My Comment; So much for plug in hybrids

GE Energy, Bechtel Sign Front End Engineering Design Agreement for AEP's Second 'Cleaner Coal' Project; 630-MW Plant Planned for West Virginia Site

ATLANTA, Aug 17, 2006 -- BUSINESS WIRE

GE Energy (NYSE:GE) and Bechtel Power have signed their second agreement with American Electric Power (AEP) to move forward with plans for an integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC), or cleaner coal, power plant.

Under the agreement announced today, GE and Bechtel will proceed with the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase for a proposed, 630-megawatt IGCC plant in Mason County, West Virginia. Appalachian Power, an AEP subsidiary, would operate the plant, which would be located next to Appalachian's existing Mountaineer power plant.

My comment: Looks like the IGCC is becoming a reality. But sequestering the CO2 is not yet a reality.

Greenpeace Co-Founder Urges Iowans to Join National Coalition Supporting Increased Use of Nuclear Energy
Dr. Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace and co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, today brought his message about the benefits of nuclear energy to Iowa.

PSC Wants to Boost Nuclear

Sep 09 - Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission wants to go nuclear to fight rising electric bills. Four of the five commissioners who regulate electric rates in Louisiana said they want some utility to build a new nuclear plant in Louisiana in the near future.

Pennsylvania Redoubling its Purchase of Green Electricity

NORRISTOWN, Pa., Aug 29, 2006 /PRNewswire

Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the commonwealth has redoubled its green electricity purchase to 20 percent from 10 percent, harnessing state resources to further develop markets for sustainable energy sources that will create jobs, enhance homeland security and provide significant environmental improvements in Pennsylvania.

Through modifying its existing contract with Community Energy Inc., the commonwealth will purchase 200,000 megawatt hours a year, or 20 percent of state government's electricity, from renewable sources such as wind and hydroelectric energy, all at a premium rate of only 0.34 cents per kilowatt hour.

My Comment;

What a deal. Electric energy for 0.34 cents per kWh. About 5 times more than the average consumer pays for energy. The commomwealth uses tax payers money for this so why do they care about the cost?

Pacific Gas and Electric Company Adds More Renewable Geothermal Energy to Electric Mix

SAN FRANCISCO, July 28, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced it has entered into contracts with IAE Truckhaven I, LLC and Northwest Geothermal Company to purchase up to a total of 169 megawatts (MW) of renewable geothermal energy resources to help meet its customers' future electricity needs.

My comment: This is about all we will see in new Geothermal plants. It is peanuts in the overall needed generating capacity in California,

Entergy Keeps Buffer to Avoid Power Outages -- Tries to Make Enough so Losing One Plant Won't Shut System

Jul 28 - Commercial Appeal,

Rolling blackouts for electrical utilities are necessities to keep overall use within prescribed limits of generation capacity, Pat Nelson, regional customer service manager for Entergy, said this week.

"No one in the industry likes to see them, but you simply can't allow the drain to exceed the load capacity," Nelson said.

Nelson referred to blackouts in Northern California and in New York in recent days, where high summer temperatures have elevated the use of air conditioners.

In high temperatures like we've had this summer, the losses from the blackouts are somewhat offset by the high electrical use by customers who remain online."

However, without the blackouts, Nelson said the entire matrix could overload, short-out and collapse.

Washington Group International to Provide Architect/Engineer Services for New Coal-Fired Unit at Arizona Power Plant
Washington Group International Inc. (Nasdaq: WGII) announced today it has been awarded a contract by Salt River Project, the largest municipal provider of electricity to the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, to provide architectural, engineering, and procurement support services for a new 400-megawatt, coal-fired generating unit at the Springerville Generating Station in eastern Arizona.
BOISE, Idaho and PHOENIX, July 18, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

My comment: Coal may be the worst energy fuel to mitigate global warming, but it is growing in the US. We have a choice, nuclear with no greenhouse gases or coal with many.

Smart Energy Use; CEO Rogers Unveils National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 31, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) will join today with other utilities, regulators, environmental and consumer groups to promote investment in energy efficiency and to help create a sustainable national commitment to smart energy use.

This "call to action" comes as a National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (Action Plan) is unveiled today at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' (NARUC) summer meeting in San Francisco.

The Action Plan was developed over several months by a broad-based group of stakeholders and spearheaded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It highlights a series of energy efficiency best practices and recommendations designed to encourage innovative solutions that can be adopted and embraced by consumers, utilities and regulators in state after state across the country.

For more information on the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, visit: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/eeactionplan.htm.

My comment: Another set of good words about energy efficiency. Encourage innovative solutions, etc. Duke came to California and bought the Moss Landing power plant from PG&E. They built a 1,000 MWe combined cycle gas fired plant at the site. They are now selling out and leaving the state. They found out that California is a garbled energy state where a new power plant does not get a preference in capacity factor. Thus they were operating at a capacity factor or 40% and losing money just as Calpine did and went broke.

So much for deregulation.\

China, Russia To Join Generation IV Nuclear Energy Forum
China and Russia are expected to join the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), a group of leading nuclear nations who are working to develop more efficient and less waste-intensive advanced reactors, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon announced July 13.
Jul 18, 2006 -- STATE DEPARTMENT RELEASE/ContentWorks

California's conservation is not evident when it gets hot. News release:

California Breaks All-Time Record Demand For Peak Power; Call for Conservation Continues as State Faces Stubborn Heat Wave
The California Independent System Operator (California ISO) managed record high demand for power yesterday. With the help of consumers conserving, the ISO successfully matched megawatts to meet the new record for peak demand of 46,561 megawatts set at 2:41 p.m.
FOLSOM, Calif., Jul 18, 2006 -- BUSINESS WIRE

Democrats unveil unworkable energy plan

By Gretchen Randall

Date: May 17, 2006

Issue: Today Senate Democrats unveiled their plan called "Clean Energy Development for a Growing Economy." According to E&E Daily, the plan calls for more flex-fuel vehicles, reducing our use of petroleum, an increase in the number of gas stations selling alternative fuels, tax incentives for the purchase of hybrid cars and a requirement that oil companies invest in alternative fuels.

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee called the plan "more empty political rhetoric at the expense of the American people." The senator went on to say that opposition by "Senate Democrats over the past twenty years to reasonable solutions like expanding domestic refining capacity, increasing domestic supply by drilling for oil in Alaska and off our nation's coasts and opposition to local projects is the primary reason for the high price of energy today."

The senator also points out that many of these same Democrat senators push for alternative energy and then return home to oppose such projects in their home states such as the Cape Wind turbine project off Cape Cod, building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Massachusetts and a pipeline planned to increase supplies of heating oil and gas to New Jersey and New York.

Challenges emerge for wind power

July 12, 2006 - By Chris Mulick, Herald Olympia bureau A preliminary report shows the cost of building and operating Northwest wind farms has shot up by as much as 70 percent in two years.

A series of factors -- including increasing demand for wind farms, rising costs for materials and the weakening U.S. dollar -- have driven up construction prices.

At the same time, Northwest dams don't have enough remaining flexibility to supplement and smooth the up and down generation patterns of new wind farms.

My comment: It is becoming increasingly obvious that the backup for wind power is difficult to accommodate.

TheRenewablePlanet.com Launches Innovative Educational Resource That Connects People to Renewable Energy Solutions From Around the World

ONTARIO, Canada, Jun 20, 2006 -- BUSINESS WIRE

TheRenewablePlanet.com launched this week provides interactive maps and search features to access details about renewable energy projects. Students can quickly do research for school projects. Homeowners can find information that relates to their own home. Businesses and researchers can learn from existing projects in other countries. TheRenewablePlanet.com gives visitors the opportunity to add their project to the growing database of projects. This free exchange of information from around the world aims to speed up renewable energy development and ultimately reduce the effects of global warming.

Here is a good idea if they really see actual performance data about renewables. In California the actual solar and wind performance data are not revealed. We hear about all of the solar PV systems being installed, but never the resulting performance data. I once called SMUD about the performance a 540 MWe PV solar system they have in Sacramento, CA. Their reply was "We do not give out that data." Who can blame them? The performance is probably so poor that it is embarrassing. Typical of solar PV systems.

Sad to report, I went on the Web site 'TheRenewablePlanet.com and found they brag about the system, but no one will discuss its performance. You will have difficulty trying to talk to any one. I suspect the system's capacity factor is a dismal 15% if that. Don Lutz

GE Energy Signs Agreement to License, Develop Silex Enrichment Technology

GE will be in a strong positionto support anticipated demands for enriched uranium,” said Andy White, president and CEO of GE Energy’s nuclear division.

Silex’s technology represents a new, third-generation, laser-based “isotope separation” process for enriching uranium. The process should prove more efficient than existing civilian processes such as gas diffusion or gas centrifuge plants, GE said. “While Silex developed the technology concept, GE has the required technological and commercial capabilities to take it to the next level,” said Michael Goldsworthy,

Japan's first nuclear reprocessing plant to begin trial run Friday

AOMORI, Japan, March 29, Mar 29, 2006 -- Kyodo

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. plans to begin a test run of Japan's first plant on Friday to extract plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing, the plant operator said Wednesday.

The operator on Friday signed a safety agreement with Aomori Prefecture and the village of Rokkasho, which hosts the plant, and plans to conclude similar agreements with surrounding municipalities Friday before beginning the trial operation later in the day.

Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura on Tuesday announced a plan to sign the accord to pave the way for Japan Nuclear Fuel, chiefly controlled by the nation's utilities, to begin the operation to reprocess spent fuel from nuclear power plants that have been stuck with a growing volume of it.

The start of a test run represents a major step forward in Japan's attempt to establish a nuclear fuel reprocessing cycle centering on the so-called pluthermal method, under which nuclear power plants will use oxide fuel mixed with plutonium and uranium to be extracted at the Rokkasho plant.

The safety agreement comprises provisions on ensuring safety, information disclosure and the right of local governments to conduct on-site investigations of the plant's premises.

The test run will involve the same procedures as an actual operation, in which the spent fuel will be reprocessed to extract plutonium and uranium.

The plant, whose construction started in 1993, aims to start full operations in August 2007.

The construction costs have grown to 2.19 trillion yen as a result of delays in the start of operations due to a series of problems including a design error in the cooling devices.

Whitman, Moore to head nuclear PR effort

WASHINGTON, Apr 26, 2006 -- UPI

A former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief, along with a co-founder of the Greenpeace organization, will lead a nuclear reactor PR campaign.

Former EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore have been hired by the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade association of reactor operators, to campaign for the construction of new reactors, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Whitman, a former New Jersey governor, told reporters Tuesday she believes nuclear power is "environmentally friendly, affordable, clean, dependable and safe," During the same news conference, Moore -- who left Greenpeace in 1986 -- said his organization had been wrong to oppose nuclear energy, which he says is essential to help reduce global warming.

Moore is currently the director of a company that distributes geothermal systems in Canada.

Representatives of the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Teamsters Union also spoke in favor of new reactors,

Pebble-Bed Cracker to Begin Construction

Feb 21 - China Daily; North American ed.

A US$370 million nuclear plant using a new kind of technology is expected to start its construction this year.

The project is led by China Huaneng Group, the parent company of Hong Kong-listed Huaneng Power International Inc.

Industry analysts said the plant's new technology, called the "pebble-bed technology," is a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor technology that is supposedly safer.

Nuclear plants commonly use pressurized water or boiling water reactors.

Nine out of the 11 nuclear reactors running in China are designed with pressurized water technology imported from France and Russia, and the remaining two use Canada's pressurized heavy-water technology.

Liu Wei, vice-president of Beijing Institute of Nuclear Engineering, yesterday said that now is not the right time to use the pebble-bed technology commercially in building reactors, because the cost is still much higher than other technologies and it can be only used in small reactors.

Cost for building the pebble-bed reactors will be about US$500 more per kilowatt in capacity, compared with other commercialized technologies, Liu said.

Industry analysts said the pebble-bed technology can only be used in reactors of less than 300 MW, but China is building reactors of at least 1,000 MW each.

However, as the research evolves, the new technology could be competitive in 2020 or 2030, said Liu.

My Comments: At GE we investigated the Pebble Bed nuclear power plants. The concept was invented by the Germans. The concept can be expensive because the helium gas cooled reactors are very large compared to their output capacity. In addition the emergency cooling systems limit the power rating of the reactor because they use passive cooling of the reactor fuel pebbles. That is the pebble fuel emergency decay heat is cooled by conduction of reactor decay heat through the reactor vessel to air flowing over the outside of the reactor vessel by natural convection to the atmosphere. The Chinese must not have passive cooling because a reactor of 1,0000 MW e would be too large to permit passive cooling and certainly not conduction of heat through the core elements.

But it is good to see the Chinese exploring all facets of nuclear power systems.

I have to add this news item here because it is so important.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: Blacklight Power, a company founded by a medical doctor, claims to have found an alternative source of energy. And it has gotten $50 million from respected investors riding on it, according to VentureWire.

This is significant because alternative energy is a hot sector right now.

Some are calling the work of the company's founder, Randell Mills, profound. Others are calling it "utter nonsense."

Basically, Mills claims to have discovered a process that generates "hydrinos" — a previously unknown form of hydrogen in which electrons move below the ground state to release energy.

Numerous mainstream physicists, however, are calling such a result impossible, according to the piece in VentureWire. As in any boom, there are a lot of fanciful ideas emerging, and it is difficult to say which ones should be taken seriously. If you're an entrepreneur or investor looking at the clean-tech sector, there is a smorgasbord offer-out energy ideas floating around these days.

Meanwhile, Draper Fisher Jurvetson has finished raising $110 million for its clean-tech fund, DFJ Element, part of which will be invested from a Silicon Valley office. DFJ Element may. raise even more money, but the point is that $110 million is ready to invest, according to VentureWire.

If you like the above venture, I have another money making venture. There is a large famous bridge that spans between San Francisco and Marin County, California. I bought it, but am too busy to operate it. I can give you a good price on it. E-Mail me for the particulars and get rich quick. Don Lutz

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Tuesday the first new nuclear power plant in more than two decades could be completed by 2014 under administration proposals to reduce construction risks and speed licensing.

"If all goes well, we could see new plants online by 2014," he told the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade group.

My Comment: We have become a country that cannot move rapidly on anything. It should not take nine years to build something that has been developed 40 years ago and there are 103 operating today.

Deputy Energy Secretary Recommends More Use of Nuclear Power

Nov 23, 2005 -- STATE DEPARTMENT RELEASE/Content Works

Greater use of nuclear energy could help meet the world's increasing need for power to fuel economic growth, U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell says.

In November 21 remarks at the U.S.-Japan Nuclear Energy Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sell said the solution for meeting the expanding demand for energy around the world should include nuclear energy as an efficient alternative to oil, coal and natural gas.

The Bush administration "believes that nuclear power must play an enlarged role to meet the global demand for clean, affordable, safe, and reliable sources of energy, not just in the United States, but around the world," he said.

But Sell cautioned that although nuclear energy can provide "incredible benefits," it also has inherent risks.

The challenge for nuclear energy development is to find ways to increase the use of nuclear power while maintaining safeguards, the energy official said, citing concerns over the possibility of nuclear weapons programs in North Korea and Iran as well as the threat from terrorist organizations like al-Qaida.

Enriched uranium is the primary fuel for nuclear power reactors but also can be used in the development of nuclear weapons.

The United States is expanding the use of safe nuclear energy through international forums to accelerate development of advanced nuclear energy systems that offer sustainability, safety and proliferation resistance, according to the deputy secretary.

Sell also cited the U.S. effort to achieve an effective nonproliferation regime by calling on nations with uranium enrichment and reprocessing capabilities to refuse to sell enrichment and processing equipment to any state that does not already possess "full-scale, functioning enrichment and reprocessing plants."

The deputy secretary also lauded Japan for its commitment to responsible nonproliferation practices.

Currently, Japan has 16 operational nuclear power reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. organization tasked with verifying nuclear safety and security. In Japan, nuclear facilities are designed so that earthquakes and other external events will not jeopardize the safety of the plants.

According to Sell, Japan is currently the world's fourth largest energy consumer and second largest energy importer.

For additional information on U.S. nonproliferation efforts, see Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and the State Department electronic journal Today's Nuclear Equation.

Following is the prepared text of Sell's remarks:

U.S. Department of Energy

November 21, 2005

Issue Alert from Winningreen A120805

Nuclear waste could provide nearly endless supply of electricity

By Gretchen Randall

Date: December 8, 2005

Issue: In an article by Tom Randall printed in the December 8, 2005 Chicago Sun-Times, the author notes that 13 million pounds of "waste" nuclear fuel is sitting at both open and closed nuclear facilities in Illinois that could be used for electricity generation. According to Mr. Randall, "Under existing technology, reactors can extract less than one percent of the energy from nuclear fuel." But with a new generation of plant that reprocesses the spent fuel, 99 percent of the energy can be used to generate electricity, providing needed electric power and reducing the amount of spent fuel that must be stored.

The article points out, however, that hurdles exist to building the new reactors known as Integral Fast Reactors (IFRs). Research on the new IFRs was stopped under the U.S. Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary in 1994 for fear that it would produce bomb-grade plutonium, which it does not. Another hurdle is the long and laborious permitting process to build a new nuclear plant that discourages companies and their investors.

Both hurdles could be overcome if Congress and the administration would streamline the permitting process and restart the research once underway at Argonne National Labs. It is estimated the research would take about three years and cost about $300 million.

Comment 1: "Therefore, simply building IFRs next to existing nuclear plants in Illinois would enable us to use waste fuel over and over again, providing virtually limitless electricity for Chicago and northern Illinois. At the same time, we would dramatically reduce the problems of storing and transporting waste fuel, a concern for some in this age of terrorism." Tom Randall

Comment 2: "It is time for Illinois' congressional delegation, Republicans and Democrats alike, to lead a push in Washington to secure the state's economic future with the only practical source of electricity produced by a new generation of safe, pollution-free nuclear power plants." Tom Randall

Link: To read the article, "Nuclear waste a nearly limitless source of electricity" go to: http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-nuke08.html# <http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-nuke08.html>

100 MW's of New Demand Response Capacity to Help Prevent New England Winter Blackouts

BOSTON, Nov 29, 2005 -- BUSINESS WIRE

EnerNOC, Inc. announced today that it has made available 100 MW's of new demand response capacity from commercial, institutional, and industrial end-users in response to the Independent System Operator of New England's (ISO-NE) urgent request for up to 450 MW's of demand response capacity needed to help prevent blackouts this winter in New England. The new customers, located throughout the region in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut, now have EnerNOC's award winning technology and services in place to immediately respond to notifications to help preempt blackouts through a combination of load curtailment and onsite generation.

In a filing submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on November 1, 2005 requesting approval for emergency actions, ISO-NE identified a potential for natural gas shortages and price spikes due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita that pose risks to electrical supply in New England during prolonged periods of cold weather when both gas and electricity usage are highest. ''We're pushing the infrastructure in New England to its limits, both the electric infrastructure and the gas-supply infrastructure," said Gordon van Welie, ISO-NE Chief Executive Officer, in a statement made to the Boston Globe on November 16, 2005.

Consequently, ISO-NE is taking precautions to preempt rolling blackouts and demand response is an invaluable resource for quickly addressing resource adequacy needs. This is not the first time ISO-NE has called upon demand response resources to help preempt blackouts. In a press release issued by ISO-NE, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stephen Whitley commented on the state of the grid July 27, 2005, "Today's heat and humidity pushed electricity use to new levels in New England, affecting Southwest Connecticut in particular, where inadequacies in the electricity system make short-term emergency measures necessary. Fortunately, ISO-NE was able to call upon its emergency resources in Southwest Connecticut today to maintain power system reliability in that area."

The winter capacity situation in New England has been covered extensively in reports by The Boston Globe, The Connecticut Post, and New England Cable News, among others. "The call to action has been clear, quick, and emphatic and our customers responded enthusiastically, wanting to preempt possible business disruption and to help the grid. This is an unprecedented response for enabling new resource capacity in such a short period of time and illustrates that customers have a strong propensity to participate in demand response, especially when market rules are properly defined and customer incentives are clear." said Gregg Dixon, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for EnerNOC.

My Comment: This will wear thin if it happens often. Then there will not be so many willing participants.

ComEd Customers Set Winter Peak Demand Record

CHICAGO, Dec 20, 2005 /PRNewswire

Cold temperatures throughout northern Illinois and the Chicago area pushed ComEd customer electricity usage to a new winter peak yesterday. Demand for electricity in ComEd's territory unofficially reached a winter record of 16,081 megawatts (MW) between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday. Additional tabulations may adjust the final amount slightly.

The new mark eclipses the previous winter peak of 15,725 MW reached Dec. 7, 2005. The utility's all-time peak of 22,054 MW was recorded on Aug. 21, 2003. One MW powers approximately 700 homes equipped with air conditioning and modern appliances.

Besides cold temperatures, the utility attributes yesterday's record to steady growth in ComEd's service territory related to continued strong housing demand and a recovering economy.

While electricity bills will likely increase this month because of increased consumption, the price ComEd customers pay per kilowatt-hour has not increased since 1995, and will remain at current levels through 2006.

My Comment: The price of electrical energy has not gone up because ComEd has the most nuclear power in the country and the nuclear fuel cost is quite low.

China to Build 31 New Nuclear Power Stations before 2020

BEIJING, Sep 20, 2005 -- SinoCast

China is to build 31 more nuclear power stations before 2020 to increase the total nuclear power generation capacity to 40 million kilowatts.

Then, the country will turn into the major drive for market expansion and growth during peak period of a new round of nuclear power stations construction in the world, in accordance with estimation by International Energy Agency.

At the moment, China is capable of developing, designing and building 300,000-kilowatt and 600,000-kilowatt nuclear power stations, but it is still researching and developing technologies, design and equipment manufacture relevant to 1 million-kilowatt nuclear power stations.

Separately, the nuclear power stations China is to build before 2020 are those with an generation capacity of over 1 million kilowatts, so the country is seeking overseas partners in equipment making. Emphasis added

Foreign companies estimated that the 31 nuclear power stations would cost around USD 65 billion (USD 1 = CNY 8.11).

My Comment: Looks like a lot of business and jobs for the US if we can get some of this activity.

New Study Confirms Kyoto's Impotency; NCPA E-Team Scholar Says Study Proves Treaty Isn't the Solution to Global Warming

DALLAS, Jan 18, 2006 -- U.S. Newswire

A new study published in the British journal Nature suggests that the biggest ozone offender may literally be in our own backyard -- trees. National Center For Policy Analysis (NCPA) Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett states that the study proves the ineffectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol.

"The Kyoto Protocol rewards countries that plant trees because up until now, science believed that plants absorbed carbon dioxide, offsetting the effect of human carbon emissions," said Dr. Burnett. "However, this study shows that the very remedy Kyoto advances could actually exacerbate the problem."

The study suggests that while trees do soak up carbon dioxide, they also release methane, another ozone-depleting gas. Like carbon dioxide, methane traps heat, causing a rise in temperatures. According to the study, plants emit approximately 10 to 30 percent of the total amount of methane released into the atmosphere per year. This amounts to tens of millions of tons per year.

"If this study proves to be correct, it reinforces what I've argued all along, we can't trust the climate models and at best, we have woefully incomplete science," said Dr. Burnett. "Accordingly, Kyoto's prescriptions for response are fatally flawed as it is based on these two shaky pillars."

Vietnam to build first nuclear power plant in central region
Vietnam is likely to pour 3.4 billion US dollars into constructing its first nuclear power plant in central Ninh Thuan province, which is scheduled to become operational in the 2017-2020 period, a local official said here Wednesday.
HANOI, Oct 19, 2005 -- Xinhua

Nuclear Power: Back in the Game

Nov 13 - Power Engineering A combination of several important factors is making the resurgence of nuclear power more likely than ever before. Several power generators are seriously considering new nuclear power plants in their mix of generation assets.

The power industry in the United States is poised for a major shift with respect to the construction of baseload generating capacity, and nuclear power plants are sure to be part of the mix that will help diversify the country's generation sources. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) restructured licensing process, availability of advanced reactor designs, need for new baseload capacity, and incentives from the federal government to support design and construction of new nuclear power plants have created a highly favorable climate for new nuclear plant construction. Utilities are carefully studying their options and it is highly likely that several orders for new nuclear power plants will be placed in the next six months.

ISSUES DRIVING NEW NUCLEAR POWER

Over the past 15 years, combined-cycle, natural gas-fired power plants in deregulated markets are virtually the only baseload capacity that has been added to the U.S. electrical grid. As gas prices rise, many of these plants are becoming uneconomical and are being withdrawn from service. Another concern is the long-term effects of carbon dioxide production during fossil fuel combustion. This growing concern is increasing the possibility that new regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions or placing further limitations on other pollutants from fossil power plants will be enacted, creating additional barriers to baseload gas- and coal- fired Dower plant construction.

NEW REACTOR DESIGNS

Since the new regulations were issued, the nuclear power industry has taken numerous steps to lay the foundations for deployment of new nuclear power plants. Four applications were submitted to the NRC for approval of nuclear power plant designs. The NRC approved the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) designed by General Electric Co., the AP600 pressurized water reactor designed by Westinghouse, and the Systems 80+ designed by Combustion Engineering (now Westinghouse). The NRC is expected in the next few months to issue final approval of a fourth design, the AP1000 pressurized water reactor also designed by Westinghouse. (See sidebar for design details.)

The power industry is now planning on building several nuclear plants.

NuStart Energy Development LLC, the nation's largest consortium of nuclear operating companies, has selected Grand Gulf Nuclear Station at Port Gibson, Mississippi, and the Bellefonte site, owned by the Tennessee Valley

Authority near Scottsboro, Alabama, for combined construction and operating licenses for new nuclear plants. The Grand Gulf location was designated for our General Electric's ESBWR design, while the Bellefonte site will move forward with the Westinghouse AP 1000 reactor design. Entergy announced separately today their selection General Electric's ESBWR design for a COL application at its River Bend Station near St. Francisville, Louisiana.

The significance of these announcements today cannot be underestimated. Having our most advanced new plant design selected for two potential
locations for new nuclear plant construction in the United States is a major win for our business. These announcements come on the heels of our August 24 submission of the ESBWR to the NRC for final design approval and
certification.

National Academy of Sciences warns U.S. falling behind in science and technology

By Gretchen Randall

Date: October 13, 2005

Issue: The National Academy of Sciences warns in a new report, "Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future," that the U.S. must act now to prevent the loss of our position as world leader in science and technology. Some alarming statistics from the report are:

· Last year more than 600,000 engineers graduated in China, 350,000 in India and only 70,000 in the U.S.

· Last year 70 chemical plants were shut in the U.S. with only one new one being planned for construction here while 50 are being built in China.

· In 1999 only 41 percent of U.S. eighth-graders had a math teacher who had majored in mathematics at the undergraduate or graduate level or
studied the subject for teacher certification.

· In 2001 U.S. industry spent more on tort litigation than on research and development.

Excerpt from an article in which the author thinks that California has a good energy plan.

California Get's its Energy Policy Affairs in Order

California has adopted a “loading order” for new sources of electricity. The loading order prioritizes all new sources, with the most environmentally-friendly source being the first options and the least friendly being the last. Therefore, California’s first response to meeting growing energy needs is energy efficiency and demand response; then, renewable sources and distributed generation will be deployed; and lastly, clean and efficient fossil-fired generation will be utilized. This emphasis on clean power allows the CPUC to play an active role in California's emission reduction efforts and Greenhouse Gas reporting being spearheaded by the California Climate Action Registry.

As you can see the California energy plan involves greater efficiencies, conservation, renewable energy devices, and natural gas clean fueled power plants. If you believe this plan will work I have a bridge I can sell you. It spans from the city of San Francisco to Marin County.

Below are a few choice comments about California's Energy Plan

First reviewer comment:

My state government has repeatedly pursued long-term energy policies that reduce reliability and increase costs - the new plan is more of the same. Californians deserve better.

Please, provide a sound analysis of how this plan will lower the cost of electricity to the citizens and businesses of California.

Why will it NOT makes us dependent on the timely, regular delivery of LNG tankers from the other side of the planet to keep our electricity flowing?

What will happen on a hot, cloudy, windless afternoon when the solar panels are shaded and the windmills don't spin?

How does this plan provide value to the apartment dwellers whose bills will increase to subsidize the status symbol solar panels on the McMansions of the state?

Your article celebrates the "plan" and the process by which it was created with no attempt to justify or explain the consequences.

Second Reviewers comment:

Like most states, California's energy policy is founded on an economic oxymoron - treat energy as a scarce commodity but set prices to reflect abundance. The result is confusion among consumers and producers alike. If it's in the public interest to treat energy (this applies to natural gas, electricity and gasoline) as a scarce resource, then price it accordingly.

If it's in the public interest to keep prices low, then do whatever it takes to build refineries, power plants, electric transmission and natural gas pipelines; open more of the coast to petroleum exploration; and relax limitations on the use of nuclear power and coal for electric production. Above all, put in place a public information campaign that explains the what, how and why.

By selecting nuclear power, France is achieving energy independence and security of supply,

From the editorial page of the 5 October 2005 issue of the Wall Street Journal are smoe exrcerps of and artivcle following piece by Jean-Francois Copeâ€™, Franceâ€™s budget minister and government spokesman

ENERGY aâ€™ la FRANCAISE
By Jean-Francois Copeâ€™

For several months now, oil prices have been high and rising. Experts confirm that this upward trend will continue in the long term. The reason is simple: Demand keeps going up while reserves of oil - a finite resource - are not increasing commensurately. The result is all too familiar: At the slightest sign of international tension, prices skyrocket. The world economy is facing not just a simple oil shock, such as those we have seen in the past, but the advent of a new energy situation.

France, which does not have such fossil fuel reserves, should be more directly exposed to fluctuations in the price per barrel. But as President George W. Bush recently noted, France chose another path to ensure its energy independence: While the U.S. hasnâ€™t built any nuclear plants since the â€˜70â€™s, France has constructed 58 in that time period. Today, nuclear energy accounts for 78% of our electricity consumption.

The choice of nuclear power dates back to the end of World War II. With insufficient fossil fuel reserves, our country very early on invested in energy alternatives. The two oil crises of the â€˜70â€™s convinced us to accelerate the construction of facilities to produce safe and economically profitable nuclear energy. That strategy paid off: In 30 years, Franceâ€™s energy independence has risen from 30% to 50%. While turning toward nuclear energy might have seemed unusual 60 years ago, I believe that it was an especially visionary choice.

The development of nuclear energy enabled us to meet several objectives: energy independence and security of supply, and competitive stable energy prices. This nuclear option is also an economic and commercial asset for our country, whose capabilities in this cutting - edge area are world-renowned. In partnership with the French nuclear builder Areva SA and the European energy leader Electriciteâ€™ de France (EDF), we are building a revolutionary, safe and competitive nuclear reactor - the EPR - that will come on line around 2015. This new generation reactor will allow us to take a fresh step forward in risk prevention as well as in environmental protection, since it will create less waste.

European electric giant ABB to Serve China

The European electric giant ABB acquired a 2.6bn US dollar order in China last year. The corporation, which has already invested 600m US dollars in China, is currently planning to spend another 100m US dollars in building new factories and production lines in the coming two years.

"To us, China is a huge market full of opportunities and we are now playing a very important role in the country's development through sharing it with our technologies and helping it improve power supply security," said Peter Leupp, president of ABB China.

"Our great achievements indicate that we are capable of helping China out of the annoying power shortage in a reliable and energy- saving way," Leupp said.

Looks like Nuclear Power is on the way in the US, except in California. California intends to shutdown its current nuclear power plants and replace them with renewables.

TVA Today Update
TVA’s Bellefonte Site Selected by
National Nuclear Consortium
NuStart Energy Development LLC announced today that it has selected TVA’s Bellefonte Nuclear Plant as one of the two best sites in the country for a new nuclear plant and that it will seek a combined construction and operating license for the site.

NuStart, the nation’s largest consortium of nuclear-power companies, selected Bellefonte after a rigorous evaluation process involving nuclear-plant sites across the country. NuStart will do the design and engineering work necessary to apply for a combined construction and operating license with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“The Bellefonte site is a superior choice for a new nuclear plant because of the existing infrastructure and its ideal location that supports partnering opportunities with other NuStart utilities,” said Chairman Bill Baxter. ”We appreciate the strong support for Bellefonte from Senator Jeff Sessions, Congressman Bud Cramer and other members of Congress, the state of Alabama and the entire North Alabama community. We look forward to working with NuStart partners in pursuing a license from the NRC as the next step in this process.”

NuStart would seek a license at Bellefonte for the new Advanced Passive 1000 reactor design by Westinghouse.

“TVA’s primary nuclear focus today remains the restart of Browns Ferry Unit 1, but serious efforts are also being directed toward the exploration of future nuclear power, as well as other forms of power generation,” said Director Skila Harris. “The final decision on future power generation will depend on the projected demand in the Tennessee Valley and a careful analysis of the most cost-effective, efficient and smartest addition to TVA’s generation mix.”

NuStart also announced the selection of Entergy’s Grand Gulf nuclear-plant site in Mississippi as the site to pursue a license for the new Economic Simplified Boiling Water reactor design by General Electric. NuStart estimates design work for each of the two sites will cost about $400 million. This first-of-a-kind engineering has never been done because no utility has ordered a new nuclear plant in three decades.

According to NuStart’s proposal, the Department of Energy would pay 50 percent of the cost to develop the combined construction and operating license and complete the detailed engineering design as part of the government’s efforts to encourage nuclear investment. NuStart would pay the remaining costs.

Pending NRC approval for a combined license, any NuStart member company or group of companies could use the NuStart license to build a reactor on the Bellefonte site. TVA prefers to have a partner or partners participate in any new plant.

“TVA projects a need in the Tennessee Valley for new baseload generation around 2015, and nuclear power provides a clean, reliable and efficient source of power to meet our customers’ demands,” said President & Chief Operating Officer Tom Kilgore. “While TVA has not yet committed to build a new nuclear plant at Bellefonte, the NuStart work to develop a combined construction and operating license will provide the information we need to make a decision.”

The NuStart Energy Development LLC consortium consists of 11 companies: Constellation Generation Group, Duke Energy, EDF International North America, Entergy Nuclear, Exelon Generation, Florida Power & Light Co., Progress Energy, Southern Co., TVA and two nuclear-reactor vendors, Westinghouse Electric and GE Energy’s nuclear operations.

What Others Are Saying About NuStart’s Selection of Bellefonte
Here some remarks from others about Bellefonte being selected:

“I’m pleased that this rigorous selection process to determine the best nuclear sites in the country reinforces what the people of Jackson County and North Alabama have known for some time – TVA’s Bellefonte site is an ideal location for a nuclear plant. As we are faced with greater energy demands and more complex environmental challenges, we must pursue the nuclear-power option in this country, and Bellefonte can become the proving ground for a new generation of nuclear technology to meet America’s needs.”

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama

“Selection of TVA’s Bellefonte Nuclear Plant as one of two sites for the possible construction of the first new nuclear plant in this country in 30 years is great news for the state of Alabama. We have worked with TVA and the local community to aggressively pursue this project and the economic investment and jobs it can bring to our state. If this plant becomes a reality, it would not only be a huge plus for the local economy, but it would also provide a source of secure, reliable energy for our nation.”

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley

“The people of Jackson County and North Alabama deserve to have a fully operational facility at Bellefonte. Our community has worked for many years to position Bellefonte for a bright future, and I’m pleased that NuStart selected it today. The work that has already been completed and the strong support from our community and the state of Alabama give Bellefonte an advantage over other sites.”

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer of Alabama

“Our community wholeheartedly supports nuclear energy and has been waiting patiently for many years for a nuclear plant to be finished at Bellefonte. We appreciate that TVA continues to pursue all the options for building a generating plant at the site. We’ve had good news before, but this time we hope it will mean completion of the plant, which would be a giant boost for the economy of Jackson County. “

Dus Rogers, President & Chief Executive Officer
of the Jackson County Economic Development Agency

News release:

Russia to Help China Build Fast-Breeder Nuclear Reactors

Foreign Affairs News Keywords: CHINA, RUSSIA
Source: Inside China Today
Published: Jun 2, 2000 Author: AFP
Posted on 06/03/2000 01:15:01 PDT by Sawdring

BEIJING, Jun 2, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Russia is to help China construct a fast-breeder reactor as part of the nuclear cooperation between the two countries, Russian diplomatic sources said in Beijing on Thursday.

Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov discussed the construction of a 60-megawatt reactor during this week’s visit to Beijing, said the sources.

China is going ahead with the program even though most Western countries, with the exception of France, have stopped manufacturing the fast-breeder reactors, which create their own nuclear fuel.

My comment: Russia and China recognize that the Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor is the world's future energy source. But Presidents Clinton and Carter stopped all US support for the Fast Breeders as payback to the environmentalists.

California Hydrogen Highway completes the California Fuel Cell Partnership

By Lou Ann Hammond

Governor Schwarzenegger’s words in his State of the State address on January 6, 2004, "I intend to show the world that economic growth and the environment can coexist. And if you want to see it, then come to California."

In 1999 Gray Davis formed the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) to help advance full cell powered vehicles. The original eight members were; Fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power Systems (Ford and Daimler Chrysler currently own 35% of BPS), Daimler Chrysler and Ford Motor Company, Energy Providers (previously called oil companies) BP, Shell Hydrogen, Chevron Texaco and two government agencies, California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission.

CaFCP has a budget of $2,000,000 each year, coming from the private investment of each of the current 30 members.

According to CaFCP, the goals of the organization are;

· Demonstrate fuel cell technology by operating and testing vehicles on California’s roads;

· Demonstrate alternative fuel infrastructure technology;

· Explore the path to commercialization; and

· Increase public awareness through a coordinated outreach plan.

The California Fuel Cell Partnership is not the same thing as as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Hydrogen Highway. The Hydrogen Highway completes the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

CaFCP’s primary goal seems to be the commercialization and public awareness of hydrogen vehicles, while the Hydrogen highway provides the infrastructure for these vehicles.

Since CaFCP’s inception in 1999, more than 60 fuel cell vehicles have participated in the project. Together, these vehicles have logged more than 150,000 miles. Currently, 12 hydrogen stations provide fuel to vehicles in the urban areas of California.

The hydrogen highway plan states that 150 to 200 hydrogen fueling stations throughout the State (approximately one station every 20 miles on the State’s major highways) would make hydrogen fuel available to the vast majority of Californians.

Studies by the California Fuel Cell Partnership and others estimate that the initial fueling network will cost $75 - $200 million, the majority of the investment coming from private investment by energy companies, automakers, high-tech firms, and other companies.

According to Al Weverstad, 2005 Chairperson, CaFCP, the CaFCP panel meets with the Hydrogen Highway panel every six months. "This meeting is essential to keeping the vision of a hydrogen economy alive. The CaFCP will continue as a collaborative industry-government forum where the challenges of fuel cell vehicle commercialization can be addressed by a diverse group of representatives working toward a common goal."

There are still problems with fuel cell vehicles and the hydrogen infrastructure. Noone is denying that. According to Weverstad, "Without these real-world tests, with all of us working together, we wouldn’t know how close or how far away we are to finding solutions."

David Ouwerkerk, Manager, Commercial & Strategic Projects, General Motors, brought it home "In the hey-day of the railroads, each railroad company was sure they would be the winner. At the end of the day America had 13 different gauges of railways, instead of an cohesive infrastructure."

My comment: The technology for fuel cells and hydrogen production is well known. What is not known is: (1) The source of energy to produce hydrogen and (2) will the ultra high prices of fuel cells ever come down to enable them to be economic for auto application? For both questions the current effort has no bearing and is not closing in the problem.

Nuclear power will be necessary to produce hydrogen, but California's plan is to shutdown the Nuclear plants operating today and build no more. The California plan is a figment of politician's imagination with no possible results.

Mass. Regulators Approve Power Price Hikes

Oct 01 - United Press International Massachusetts utility regulators have approved the first of what may be several energy price hikes.

A 27.5 percent increase was approved Friday for the Massachusetts Electric Co., but rate increases are expected to be even higher -- up to 50 percent -- for large businesses, reported the Boston Globe Saturday.

Our review of the filing showed that the procurement of energy supplies was done appropriately, at market rates, said Timothy J. Shevlin, executive director of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy.

An average Massachusetts household using 500 kilowatt hours monthly of electricity, will have its bill raised from $63.68 to $81.20 a month.

The regulators are reviewing rate increase requests from several natural gas companies that, on average, would raise rates by an average of 26 percent.

How can this happen in Senator Edward Kennedy's state? The Senator is all for renewable energy systems. Where are they? Certainly renewables would mitigate the cost of energy.

Higher Natural Gas Costs Drive Increase to Wisconsin Public Service's 2006 Electric Rate Request

Green Bay, WI - 10/6/05 Public Service has asked the PSCW for an additional increase of about 5.7 percentage points due to higher fuel costs to generate reliable electricity for customers.

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a subsidiary of WPS Resources Corporation (NYSE: WPS), today updated its 2006 electric generation fuel cost forecast with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW). The update reflects the sharp increase in natural gas prices caused by damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and will add about 5.7 percentage points to an earlier rate request filed by the company.

In April of this year, Public Service filed for an increase in its electric rates for 2006. The increase is driven primarily by the company’s efforts to ensure electric reliability for its customers as it builds new power plants to meet increasing customer needs. In its initial filing, Public Service used Fall 2004 natural gas prices to predict the 2006 cost of fuel for its natural gas-fired electric generation facilities. However, natural gas prices have risen dramatically in past weeks due to production and supply disruptions in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the hurricanes.

An increase of 5.7 percentage points would mean a typical residential customer using 630 kilowatt hours of electricity would see their 2006 electric bill rise by $3.71 monthly due to the increase in natural gas prices, in addition to any approved increase resulting from the initial April filing. The result of the initial 2006 filing won’t be determined by the PSCW until late November or early December.

My comment: A $3.71 monthly increase does not seem like a large increase. However, this is a harbinger of things to come. Realize that the customers' heating bill will more likely be a larger increase in a state with winters as cold as Wisconsin. In my opinion, natural gas should not be used to generate electrical energy

Nuclear Plant Consistency Measure: Performance Reliability Is Key to Asset Risk Management

Nuclear plant owners and asset managers use more than a hundred performance indicators (PIs) to monitor and analyze plant and organizational performance. The most common approach is to use benchmarks and other pre-defined limits to identify ranges of acceptable or desired performance. Similarly the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has increased its emphasis on objective data to assess licensee performance, relying on the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) to evaluate each licensee on a quarterly basis. A benefit missing from the current approach to PIs and other performance measures has been the lack of forward looking or leading indicators that provide advance warning of degrading or trending unsafe performance. Our continued research into nuclear plant performance dynamics has led to the formulation of a new metric, Plant Consistency Measure, or CM, that offers benefits in signaling future performance risks.

Study: Injecting CO2 into oceans is tricky

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov 3, 2005 -- UPI

Some scientists propose capturing carbon dioxide and injecting it into the ocean to cut global warming -- but a Michigan scientist questions the theory.

The plan involves capturing carbon dioxide as it's emitted from power plants, then liquefying the gas and injecting it into the ocean.

Small-scale ocean experiments have been conducted, but not with good results since they are too costly and time-consuming to carry out under a wide range of ocean conditions.

A theoretical model developed by University of Michigan geology professor Youxue Zhang can be used to explore the fate of CO2 injected into oceans under various temperature and pressure conditions. Zhang's model shows liquid CO2 must be injected to a depth of as much as two miles to prevent escape.

Eruptions from injected CO2 are a serious concern. A CO2-driven 1986 eruption in Cameroon's Lake Nyos killed 1,700 people; two years earlier, a smaller release from Lake Monoun in Cameroon killed 37 people. The deaths were not directly caused by explosions, but resulted from carbon dioxide asphyxiation.

Statement from Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman Regarding EIA's Long-Term Energy Outlook

Dec 12, 2005 -- ENERGY DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks Earlier today the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration released their Long-Term Energy Outlook. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman's made the following statement regarding the EIA's Long-Term Energy Outlook:

"Today's forecast from EIA emphasizes something we already know - demand for energy around the world will continue to grow as economies expand and prosperity spreads.

"It also demonstrates that many aspects of President Bush's National Energy Policy and the energy bill he signed this summer will have a positive impact for decades to come: we will see more hybrids on the road as tax incentives continue to spur consumer interest and make them more affordable; nuclear power will expand as companies receive protections against bureaucratic delay; expanded use of coal, America's most abundant energy resource, can occur in an environmentally friendly manner thanks to investments in clean coal technology; and the use of renewable energy will continue to grow as development and deployment are assisted by new tax incentives.

"However, along with anticipated increases in demand come forecasts for higher prices, demonstrating that there is more to do - we will continue to encourage Americans to be more energy efficient; we will continue to urge energy companies to invest in new production and refining capacity to meet demand; we will continue to encourage the participants in the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline to complete their negotiations and begin development so that the vast natural gas resources in Alaska can reach the lower 48 states; and we must expand domestic production of oil and natural gas in environmentally responsible ways, starting with ANWR."

Media contact:

Craig Stevens, 202/586-4940

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