Archive for the ‘In The News’
Opinion: The lights could go out this winter if we close more coal and nuclear power plants
[via MarketWatch, December 5, 2018]
Shortages of natural gas could push the power grid to the limit
by TERRYÂ JARRETT
It’s been an early start to winter this year across much of the Central and Eastern United States. And plunging temperatures have highlighted a surprising fact: Not only are natural-gas prices soaring, but fuel stockpiles have dipped to unusually low levels.
It’s a somewhat unexpected turn of events — since the United States has been the world’s top producer of natural gas since 2009. But a number of factors are combining to significantly alter the landscape for utilities in the United States that rely on natural-gas-fired power generation.
Environment department accuses Los Alamos lab of violations
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — December 1, 2018 — State environment officials have accused Los Alamos National Laboratory of violating its hazardous waste permit and state regulations.
The allegations came in a letter the New Mexico Environment Department sent to lab officials in early November, days after a new contractor began operating the lab.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the allegations include sending tons of construction waste to a landfill in Santa Fe and sites in Albuquerque and Colorado between 2015 and 2017 without proper notification and labeling.
Can Lockheed Martin Produce Compact Fusion Reactor?
http://www.physics-astronomy.com/2015/02/lockheed-martins-new-compact-fusion.html
Lockheed Martin has a compact fusion reactor prototype that holds promise. Can they accomplish in a 5 years what physicists have failed to do (sustained fusion) in 50 years?
U.S. Nuclear Fleet Dwindles
“This year is expected to be a bad one for the nuclear energy industry in the U.S., with several reactors, including a handful in Illinois and New York, at risk of shutting down. Yet the dwindling number still produce roughly 70 percent of the electricity in the country that does not exacerbate global warming.” SciAm February 17, 2015
Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers #163
Catch the latest installment, hosted by The Hiroshima Syndrome.
http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2013/06/30/carnival-of-nuclear-energy-bloggers-163/
(ANS Cafe) Open Letter to Those Attending Global Power Shift and to the Climate Movement at Large
With the first Global Power Shift event wrapping up this week in Istanbul, Robert Margolis urges climate movement activists to consider nuclear energy as a critical component of any post-carbon vision for the future, and to engage with nuclear professionals to begin the dialogue that will lead to a successful and thriving future. http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2013/06/24/open-letter-to-those-attending-global-power-shift-and-to-the-climate-movement-at-large/
59th Carnival of Nuclear Blogs
Visit Yes Vermont Yankee, for the latest installment of the 59th Carnival of Nuclear Blogs.
Slow Economy Delays Nuclear Plans
Nationally, power companies have seen plans for construction of new nuclear power facilities stalled, in response to a slow economy and lack of an appropriate stimulus. Two years ago, it seemed a done deal, that nuclear was on the comeback, yet today the lack of a national plan to respond to climate change, which includes a carbon tax, and lower demand puts new construction on hold, much as we are seeing in other sectors, according to one Nuclear Energy Institute spokesperson.
WASHINGTON — Just a few years ago, the economic prognosis for new nuclear reactors looked bright. The prospect of growing electricity demand, probable caps on carbon-dioxide emissions and government loan guarantees prompted companies to tell the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they wanted to build 28 new reactors. [Read More]
Dr. John D. Johnson has a background in nuclear, experimental & accelerator physics. He worked for Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1990s and founded Docent Institute to raise awareness about the ethical use of advanced technology.