Alternative Energy / Nuclear Power

• What would be the Impact if we Discontinued Nuclear Energy?

  We are very much reaching limits in the field of energy. This seems to mean that we ending up taking more and more risks, so that there is a greater risk of things going wrong. At the same time, the world’s population is so high that without a good deal of external energy, we cannot provide basic necessities for nearly 7 billion people. So we almost have no choice but choose energy sources which are almost out of our reach. With the problems with nuclear energy in Japan, the question arises as to what would happen if we just discontinued…

• UAE to Become the First Arab State to Use Civilian Nuclear Power

  Construction work started at a site close to the UAE border with Saudi Arabia last December, and the first reactor is scheduled to go online in 2017, despite expected delays. The UAE managed to convince potential supplier countries of its peaceful intentions with a pragmatic approach to nuclear energy and a shrewd negotiation strategy. The country sequenced its international negotiations smartly, offered far-reaching concessions, espoused transparence and gained endorsements from well-known nuclear experts. Crucially, the UAE commands an effective security apparatus able to contain eventual terror threats, enjoys a stable government and is awash with cash. Its transparent and open…

• It’s Time for the US to Recycle Used Nuclear Fuel

  Dale Klein, Ph.D., former commissioner (and former chairman) of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Texas System and Associate Director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute pointed out again this week the U.S. has an extremely valuable resource in used nuclear fuel. Klein made his remarks Sunday morning at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) annual meeting, in Washington, D.C. reminding us that 95 percent of the energy value in a bundle of used nuclear fuel rods remains available to be re-used.  That’s 19 times the energy already…

• Why Nuclear May Not be the Answer to Oil Shortages

  If oil is in short supply, what should we do? One idea is to add nuclear, but this doesn’t work as well as one would like. The big issue I see is that nuclear power plants have a very long life. They are now being planned for a lifetime of 60 years. When one adds time for building and decommissioning, plants under consideration today may be finally wrapping up operations in 2080. The problem is that with peak oil, we really don’t know what the world will be like in 2080. There is a possibility that even with less oil,…

• Potential Job Boom in Nuclear Energy as Industry is poised for Enormous Growth

  One sure thing for future employment is in nuclear.  Now with three decades past the partial meltdown of a reactor at Three Mile Island and further expansion of nuclear power at a standstill, years of stagnant hiring comes to, as the American Physical Society, an independent group of physicists put it, “a greatly reduced interest among undergraduates in nuclear science and engineering programs.  This quote is from a recent report by the Society finding that the number of college nuclear engineering programs has dropped from 66 in the early 1980s to 30 in 2008. (page 4 of the pdf file)…

• Jordan Moving towards a Nuclear Future

  [AMMAN] Jordan is to enter the nuclear age with the announcement on 9 December that construction of its first nuclear research and training reactor will begin by February next year. The Jordan Centre for Nuclear Research, which will host the reactor, will be built at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, about 70 kilometres north of Amman. Nedal Xoubi, nuclear fuel cycle commissioner of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), told SciDev.Net that the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) will be built at the centre at an estimated cost of US$130 million. The building's foundation was laid last…

• This is Not Your Fathers Nuclear Power Plant

  On my recent trip to Oregon I met with venture capital investors in NuScale Power, which is trailblazing, the brave new world of “new” nuclear. Their technology has been pioneered by Dr. Jose Reyes, dean of the School of Engineering at Oregon State University in Corvallis. This is definitely not your father’s nuclear power plant. The company has applied for design certification with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a mini light water reactor with a passive cooling system rated at 45 megawatts. The idea is to site a dozen of these together which in aggregate can generate 540 Megawatts, little…

• China Steps Up Its Nuclear Program

  The Middle Kingdom currently has 12 operational plants generating 12 gigawatts accounting for 2.3% of the country’s power. Another 23 are currently under construction. It plans to add ten a year for the next decade, taking them up to 70 Gigawatts by 2020, and a staggering 400 gigawatts by 2050. That’s nearly the total power generated in China today. This will make China the world’s largest consumer of yellow cake (U3H8) for fuel. Canadian, American, and Australian uranium miners please take note. The goal is to meet the country’s insatiable demand for more electricity, as well as making a major…

• Critical Decisions Looming for Japan’s Nuclear Industry

  SITUATION: Japan is advancing with plans to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and boost its external nuclear exports. These decisions will impact the conduct of Japan’s global non-proliferation diplomacy. ANALYSIS: Assessing the degree of salience to Tokyo of non-proliferation goals will be aided by monitoring its policy in two areas: its negotiating strategy in nuclear technology supply talks with other states, and especially India, and its management of its internal nuclear power program. Other aspects of its nuclear diplomacy, including pressure for North Korean disarmament and support for enhanced global nuclear security, are likely to remain robust. External Trade Ambitions: Tokyo…

• Environmentalists Fear Nuclear Waste Treaty Could Turn Russia into a Nuclear Wasteland

  What should countries do with their nuclear waste? This question has been tormenting scientists and politicians since the early days of nuclear energy. Proposals have ranged from storing radioactive material in polar ice sheets, burying it in the ocean floor, or even blasting it into space. Although such ideas can sound amusing today, the amount of nuclear waste building up around the world is no laughing matter. A pending treaty between Russia and the United States could provide a solution but faces resistance in both countries. The agreement, which could go into effect this month, would enable the two nations…