September 2, 2008Full of GasNPR: Energy independence should be a topic for wide-ranging discussion about science, economics and lifestyle. But David Fiderer, an energy banker and Huffington Post blogger, says reporters are allowing politicians to hijack the conversation, making it about left and right all the while leaving reality out of the picture. September 1, 2008The future of trainsNature News: Rail travel produces more than a third less emissions than road transport — even though trains carry 7% of traffic, they emit just 0.2% of the carbon monoxide, 2% of nitrogen oxides and 1% of the volatile organic compounds. Although electric passenger trains are relatively green, most of the world's trains are used for haulage and run on diesel. Nature's Duncan Graham-Rowe sees how trains are switching to a greener track. August 30, 2008Opinion: The difficulty with switching to renewable energy in under ten years
Washington Post: Despite the current boom in green power, renewable sources such as the sun and the wind still provide just a tiny fraction of the U.S. electricity supply. The rest is mainly fossil fuels: coal, gas, oil. To replace one with the other over the course of a decade, energy experts say, would make the Manhattan Project look like a science-fair volcano.
And even if we wanted to try Gore's plan to make the US 100% dependent on renewable energy in under 10 years, his goal is likely to get more distant every year. That's because, even as Americans demand more action on climate change, their laptops and flat-screen TVs are demanding more electricity every year -- and they're not asking whether it's clean or dirty.
"This goal is so far outside the realm of possibility," said Richard Newell, a professor of environmental economics at Duke University. "It would be practically infeasible, politically impossible and economically and environmentally unwise."
August 29, 2008San Diego tries to shine with solar-power investmentSan Diego Tribune: The U.S. Department of Energy yesterday pledged nearly $500,000 in grants and technical assistance to San Diego as part of an effort to make the city a national model for solar power production. August 28, 2008Solar thermal power plant gets close to the cost of coal
Christian Science Monitor: From five miles away, the Nevada Solar One power plant seems a mirage, a silver lake amid waves of 110 degree F. desert heat.
As the first commercial “concentrating solar power” or CSP plant built in 17 years, Nevada Solar One marks the reemergence and updating of a decades-old technology that could play a large new role in US power production, many observers say. “Concentrating solar is pretty hot right now,” says Mark Mehos, program manager for CSP at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Co. “Costs look pretty good compared to natural gas [power]. Public policy, climate concern, and new technology are driving it, too.” Today the United States has 420 megawatts of solar-thermal capacity across three installations – including Nevada Solar One. That’s just a tiny fraction (less than 1 percent) of US grid capacity. But Nevada Solar One could signal the start of a CSP building boom. August 27, 2008US scientists challenge UK over new coal power plants
The Guardian: The British government will lose its leadership position on climate change and risk scuppering a global deal to cut emissions if it presses ahead with a new generation of dirty coal power, say leading US scientists and environmental leaders.
The heads of three influential groups, the Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council, representing more than 2 million members, have written to the foreign secretary, David Miliband, warning that the UK proposals for up to eight new coal plants threatens the chance of the US joining a post-Kyoto international agreement to be agreed in 2009. A recent report by the IPPR said the European Union's goal of reducing emissions from the power sector and heavy industry through its emissions trading scheme would collapse if the go-ahead were given to seven new coal plants in the UK and up to 75 across Europe./p> Wind energy bumps into power grid’s limitsThe New York Times: When the builders of the Maple Ridge Wind farm spent $320 million to put nearly 200 wind turbines in upstate New York, the idea was to get paid for producing electricity. But at times, regional electric lines have been so congested that Maple Ridge has been forced to shut down even with a brisk wind blowing. August 26, 2008Wind turbines make bat lungs rupture
ScienceNOW: For decades, researchers have noticed that mangled birds litter the ground surrounding wind turbines, and recently they've found that dead bats actually outnumber the birds, by as many as four times in some places. This was a surprise, as bats' sonar should allow them to detect moving objects even better than they do stationary ones.
The findings suggest a sudden drop in air pressure that ruptures blood vessels in the bats' delicate lungs, says Erin Baerwald, an ecology graduate student at the University of Calgary in Canada.
August 20, 2008Amateur scientists tinkering with fusors
Wall Street Journal: In the garage of his house, Frank Sanns spends nights tinkering with one of his prized possessions: a working nuclear-fusion reactor.
Mr. Sanns, 51 years old, is part of a small subculture of gearheads, amateur physicists and science-fiction fans who are trying to build fusion reactors in their basements, backyards and home laboratories. Called fusors and based on a 1960s design first developed by Philo T. Farnsworth, an inventor of television, the reactors are typically small steel spheres with wires and tubes sticking out and a glass window for looking inside. But they won't be powering homes anytime soon -- for now, fusors use far more energy than they produce. Ireland top of the world for renewable energy investmentSilicon Republic: Ireland has landed in the top 10 countries worldwide for attracting investment in renewable energy. August 19, 2008African sun fuels solar-powered study timeEnvironmental News Network: Burkina Faso student teacher Hema Cecile has a lot more time to crack the books thanks to a recent initiative from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). August 18, 2008Electricity without carbon fuelsNature News: Electricity generation provides 18,000 terawatt-hours of energy a year, around 40% of humanity's total energy use. In doing so it produces more than 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the largest sectoral contribution of humanity's fossil-fuel derived emissions. Yet there is a wide range of technologies — from solar and wind to nuclear and geothermal — that can generate electricity without net carbon emissions from fuel. Hot job market for nuclear engineeringUS News and World Report: "Nuclear Help Desperately Wanted" could be the sign in front of dozens of engineering colleges across the country. With worldwide interest in nuclear energy and technology skyrocketing, engineers with a nuclear background are feeling very popular these days. It's welcome news for a field that has been long stifled by negative public opinion. The challenge the discipline faces is how to meet this new demand after years of shrinking interest. August 13, 2008US number 1 in wind power electricity productionENN: US wind capacity is expected to increase 45% in 2008 although Congress' failure to extend the production tax credit (PTC) for the renewable energy industry threatens to derail further development, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Total US installed wind power capacity now stands at 19,549MW, up 2,726MW from the end of 2007, making the US the world leader in wind electricity generation, according to the AWEA's second quarter 2008 market report. Germany has installed generating capacity of about 23,000MW, but the US produces more electricity because of stronger winds, the AWEA said. August 12, 2008Anti-noise technique silences wind turbinesEnvironmental News Network: If wind energy converters are located anywhere near a residential area, they must never become too noisy even in high winds. Most such power units try to go easy on their neighbors' ears, but even the most careful design cannot prevent noise from arising at times: One source is the motion of the rotor blades, another is the cogwheels that produce vibrations in the gearbox. These are relayed to the tower of the wind turbine, where they are emitted across a wide area — and what the residents hear is a humming noise. "People find these monotone sounds particularly unpleasant, rather like the whining of a mosquito," says André Illgen, a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Dresden. August 4, 2008Upgrading the electrical gridNature News: Electricity grids must cope with rising demand and complexity in a changing world. Emma Marris explores the intricacies involved in controlling the power supply. The Industrial Physicist magazine wrote a similar piece in 2004, What's wrong with our electrical grid? August 1, 2008MIT develops new catalyst for house fuel cellsReuters: A U.S. scientist has developed a new way of powering fuel cells that could make it practical for home owners to store solar energy and produce electricity to run lights and appliances at night. July 25, 2008Middle East solar power could provide Europe's electricity says EUThe Guardian: Speaking at the Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona, Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau of the European commission's Institute for Energy, said that the Middle East could supply Europe's energy needs by building solar power farms that would the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and Middle East deserts on roughly an area the size of Wales. Scientists are calling for the creation of these series of huge solar farms as part of a plan to share Europe's renewable energy resources across the continent. The vision for the renewable energy grid comes as the EU commission's joint research centre (JRC) published its strategic energy technology plan, highlighting solar PV as one of eight technologies that need to be championed for the short- to medium-term future. The JRC plan includes fuel cells and hydrogen, clean coal, second generation biofuels, nuclear fusion, wind, nuclear fission and smart grids. The plan is designed to help Europe to meet its commitments to reduce overall energy consumption by 20% by 2020, while reducing CO² emissions by 20% in the same time and increasing to 20% the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources. July 23, 2008UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in chaos says reportThe Guardian: An internal audit undertaken by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has found significant financial risk that were exacerbated by misunderstandings, unminuted meetings and lack of sufficiently trained staff which has led to embarrassing cost overruns that forced the department to find £400m worth of emergency funds from other budgets to balance the books. July 22, 2008Alberta launches climate change action planENN: The Alberta government is surging ahead on its climate change action plan with two new funds totalling $4 billion to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to taking more than a million cars off the road each year. The province will create a $2-billion fund to advance carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects while a second $2-billion fund will propel energy-saving public transit in Alberta. July 21, 2008Texas approves massive new wind power projectAssociated Press: Texas officials gave preliminary approval Thursday to the nation's largest wind-power project, a plan to build billions of dollars worth of new transmission lines to bring wind energy from gusty West Texas to urban areas. July 17, 2008Floating wind turbines poised to harness ocean windsThe Guardian: A British company is poised to construct the world's first floating wind turbine, in a move that could herald a new generation of cheaper, less problematic wind energy. July 14, 2008UK to set no limit on number of new nuclear reactorsThe Independent: Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to fast-track the building of at least eight nuclear power stations to cut Britain's dependence on oil following the dramatic rise in its price. Brown is quoted in a speech at the "Union for the Mediterranean" summit in Paris as saying there will be "no upper limit" on the number of nuclear plants that will be built by private companies. This would mean, despite the decommissioning of nearly all the UK's current reactors over the next 15 years, that nuclear power, which currently provides about 20 per cent of Britain's electricity, could meet a bigger share. The location for the first batch of new nuclear power plants will be announced in 2010. The speech outlined the UK's vision of a "post-oil economy", calling for "a renaissance of nuclear power" and "massive expansion" of renewable energy in which the North Sea becomes "a vital energy resource through harnessing wind power. Related Physics Today article July 11, 2008Solar dyes give a guiding lightBBC: A new way capturing the energy from the Sun could increase the power generated by solar panels tenfold, a team of American scientists has shown. July 1, 2008India expands solar energy initiativeEETimes: In a country where millions of people worship the sun, the government has launched a "National Mission on Solar Energy" that seeks to tie India's economic development to energy efficiency. A separate initiative on energy efficiency has also been launched. Specific projects and funding will be announced soon. The announcement of the National Action Plan in New Delhi on Monday (June 30) comes as India is participating in United Nations talks on combating climate change. June 30, 2008Simple steps to energy self-sufficiencyWashington Post: As energy costs continue to soar, home owners are becoming concerned that energy expenses could compromise their long-term housing plans. The Washington Post investigates five steps towards reducing your energy costs. June 20, 2008Running on VaporsThe New York Times : Honda Motor chose a good week to introduce its new hydrogen-powered car. With gas prices rising above $4 a gallon, we could hardly be more eager for an alternative energy source, especially one that claims to have no bad effects on the environment. A car powered by a ubiquitous, inexhaustible gas that emits nothing worse than water. June 18, 2008The case for Yucca mountain revisitedScience: In papers published over a quarter of a century ago Isaac J. Winograd and Eugene H. Roseboom Jr discussed the assets and liabilities of burying high level radioactive waste (HLW) in areas with deep water tables, specifically within the several-hundred-meter-thick unsaturated zones common to the arid and semiarid Southwest U.S.A. This idea which was taken by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission eventually led to the proposal of using Yucca Mountain as a potential repository for HLWs. In the ensuing decades, a voluminous body of knowledge of the geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and paleoclimatology of YM and the surrounding southern Great Basin was acquired and documented in hundreds of studies by federal, state, university, and industry scientists. As a result of these efforts, Yucca mountain remains controversial for storage of HLWs. Winograd and Roseboom examine several reasons for this outcome, two of which would apply to any site being considered for the geologic isolation of HLWs, and suggest a potential way to move beyond the controversy. Economics of alternative energy improveCNET: Two reports released on Tuesday make the case that alternative forms of energy--everything from plug-in hybrid cars to solar power plants--are becoming more cost-competitive with fossil fuels. June 16, 2008Glassmakers rethink their craft to save energyThe New York Times: With higher energy prices seemingly here to stay, new ways to reduce the resources and energy consumed in making a wide range of everyday products is becoming essential. Consider industrial glass, the basic furnace, which melts sand into glass at extremely high temperatures, hasn’t undergone a fundamental change since the 1850s. Now glassmakers are developing techniques that radically change the way sand is melted into glass using ancient June 13, 2008Design changes dramatically increase fusion reactor's costScience: This month, funders of the €10 billion ITER fusion project, which seeks to demonstrate that a burning plasma can be controlled to produce useful energy, face the daunting task of keeping the project's budget under control, as scientists present a wish list of design changes. June 12, 2008G8 nations fail to take lead at climate talk: U.N.Environmental News Network: Industrialized nations are failing to lead enough at U.N. climate talks in Bonn even as developing states are showing interest in a new global warming treaty, the U.N.'s top climate official said on Wednesday. June 6, 2008Software update shuts US nuclear power plantWashington Post: A nuclear power plant in Georgia was recently forced into an emergency shutdown for 48 hours after a software update was installed on a single computer. The incident occurred on March 7 at Unit 2 of the Hatch nuclear power plant near Baxley, Georgia. The trouble started after an engineer from Southern Company, which manages the technology operations for the plant, installed a software update on a computer operating on the plant's business network. The computer in question was used to monitor chemical and diagnostic data from one of the facility's primary control systems, and the software update was designed to synchronize data on both systems. According to a report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, when the updated computer rebooted, it reset the data on the control system, causing safety systems to errantly interpret the lack of data as a drop in water reservoirs that cool the plant's radioactive nuclear fuel rods. As a result, automated safety systems at the plant triggered a shutdown. June 5, 2008Joint DoE NSF committee recommends switch from colliders to neutrinoNature: A road-map for high energy physics called P5 advises the department of energy and national science foundation to abandon plans to host the International Linear Collider (ILC) and concentrate on starting construction of NOνA, a programme that would send a neutrino beam from The P5 report maps out four different budget scenarios to pay for the experiments. June 4, 2008Collapse of US India nuclear deal worries India's nuclear companies
Vestas Wind Systems to open Houston research center
Bush administration files application to open Yucca mountain to nuclear wasteThe Associated Press: Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Tuesday he's confident the government's license application to build a nuclear waste dump in Nevada will "stand up to any challenge anywhere." June 2, 2008Dutch to weigh up benefits of nuclear power
Ft.com: The Netherlands has added its name to the growing list of European countries that might build nuclear power stations to help meet their greenhouse gas targets.
Maria van der Hoeven, Dutch economics minister, said she could not envisage a nuclear-free future if the government was to meet its CO 2 targets. "We are very gas dependent and we have to do something about it," she said. "In my opinion it will be very difficult to achieve a clean energy household in 2050 without nuclear energy." She is due to present a report to parliament next month outlining Dutch energy options. May 30, 2008US effort to push clean coal cools because of high costsNew York Times: Plans by the Bush administration to develop clean coal technology, where carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants is pumped back into the ground appear to be stalling despite support from President Bush, the three main presidential candidates, many other members of Congress, industry and environmentalists. “It’s a total mess,” said Daniel M. Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. May 29, 2008Recycling waste heat saving companies money
NPR: With rising fuel prices taking a bigger bite out of the profits of the nation's manufacturers, Tom Casten, the owner of Recycled Energy, says many of them could save a lot of money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by capturing that waste heat and recycling it to produce power.
Iran's nuclear program is feeding proliferation says report
Associated Press: Iran's disputed nuclear program has sent a wave of interest in atomic energy across the Middle East, a think tank said Tuesday, warning that it risked setting the scene for a regional nuclear arms race.
At least 13 Middle Eastern countries either announced new plans to explore atomic energy or revived pre-existing nuclear programs between February 2006 and January 2007, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, or IISS, said in a report. While the flurry of interest in nuclear power is still tentative, the report said countries such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria or Egypt could soon feel the need to match Iran's nuclear ambitions. ''If Tehran's nuclear program is unchecked, there is reason for concern that it could in time prompt a regional cascade of proliferation among Iran's neighbors,'' it said. May 28, 2008Italy joins growing list of European countries resuming nuclear energy programs
New York Times: Italy announced last 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. “Italy has had the most dramatic, the most public turnaround, but the sentiments against nuclear are reversing very quickly all across Europe — Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and more,” said Ian Hore-Lacey, spokesman for the World Nuclear Association, an industry group based in London. The rehabilitation of nuclear power was underscored in January when John Hutton, the British business secretary, grouped it with “other low-carbon sources of energy” like biofuels. It was barely mentioned in the government action plan on energy three years earlier. May 27, 2008Energy efficiency: overlooked and misunderstood
ENN: U.S. energy consumption at the end of 2008 is expected to total half of the energy consumed in 1970, according to a new report.
Yet the success in energy efficiency during the last 30-plus years has been paid little homage, and future gains are threatened by inaction, says “The Size of the U.S. Energy Efficiency Market: Generating a More Complete Picture” from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. May 22, 2008German government debates cutting back solar energy subsidies
New York Times: Thanks to its aggressive push into renewable energies, cloud-wreathed Germany has become an unlikely leader in the race to harness the sun’s energy. It has by far the largest market for photovoltaic systems, which convert sunlight into electricity, with roughly half of the world’s total installations. And it is the third-largest producer of solar cells and modules, after China and Japan.
Now, though, with so many solar panels on so many rooftops, critics say Germany has too much of a good thing — even in a time of record oil prices. Conservative lawmakers, in particular, want to pare back generous government incentives that support solar development. They say solar generation is growing so fast that it threatens to overburden consumers with high electricity bills. May 20, 2008MIT breakthrough boosts fuel cell output
The Register: Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a way to improve the power output of fuel cells by more than 50 per cent: a better membrane.
The material was developed specifically for direct methanol fuell cells (DMFCs) and sits between the cell's two electrodes. It prevents current flowing directly through the cell but also allows hydrogen nuclei - protons, essentially - to pass from the positive electrode to the negative, where they help complete the cell's energy-producing chemical reaction. May 18, 2008Wind power as an alternative energy source
Salon News: In 2007, some 20,000 megawatts of wind were installed globally, enough to power 6 million homes. Most wind power manufacturers are no longer American, thanks to decades of funding cuts by conservatives. Still, new wind is poised to be a bigger contributor to U.S. (and global) electricity generation than new nuclear power in the coming decades says a new report from the department of energy.
But while it is poised to happen, and other governments are working hard to claim market share, America will need a bold president to ensure leadership in this major job-creating industries of the 21st century says Joseph Romm. May 13, 2008Proliferation fears grow as more countries try to join the nuclear power club
Washington Post: At least 40 developing countries from the Persian Gulf region to Latin America have recently approached U.N. officials here to signal interest in starting nuclear power programs, a trend that concerned proliferation experts say could provide the building blocks of nuclear arsenals in some of those nations.
At least half a dozen countries have also said in the past four years that they are specifically planning to conduct enrichment or reprocessing of nuclear fuel, a prospect that could dramatically expand the global supply of plutonium and enriched uranium, according to U.S. and international nuclear officials and arms-control experts. Much of the new interest is driven by economic considerations, particularly the soaring cost of fossil fuels. But for some Middle Eastern states with ready access to huge stocks of oil or natural gas, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the investment in nuclear power appears to be linked partly to concerns about a future regional arms race stoked in part by Iran's alleged interest in such an arsenal, the officials said. May 2, 2008Inside Iran’s nuclear program
New York Times: The sprawling site, known as Natanz, made headlines recently because Iran is testing a new generation of centrifuges there that spin faster and, in theory, can more rapidly turn natural uranium into fuel for reactors or nuclear arms. The new machines are also meant to be more reliable than their forerunners, which often failed catastrophically.
On April 8, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the desert site, and Iran released 48 photographs of the tour, providing the first significant look inside the atomic riddle. April 30, 2008UK nuclear power revival at risk of delays
Daily Telegraph: Pensioned-off engineers will have to be brought out of retirement if the revival of nuclear power is not to be hit by serious delays, the UK government has been warned by members of the British Nuclear Energy Society.
A shortage of professional engineers and skilled trades is threatening plans to build new nuclear power stations around the country to ensure security of electricity supply and avoid the risk of blackouts, they claimed. April 28, 2008Nonproliferation essential to future of nuclear power says panel
Japan Times: Full-fledged reinforcement of the international nuclear nonproliferation framework is of vital importance for facilitating peaceful use of nuclear power and thereby for addressing the pressing global challenges of energy supply and global warming, according to a private policy study group.
To attain this goal, all nations, regardless of whether they have nuclear capability, must work on nonproliferation initiatives, such as stepped-up disarmament efforts and reinforcement of nuclear site inspections, according to the Study Group on Nuclear Nonproliferation. The proposal by the 12-member expert group, headed by Shunji Yanai, former ambassador to the U.S., was submitted to Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura last Wednesday April 25, 2008Uganda planning to build nuclear power plants
allAfrica.com: Hamstrung by unpredictable climatic changes that have reduced the water levels in Lake Victoria and the amount of hydroelectricity generated by dams along the River Nile, the Ugandan government is turning to the more predictable nuclear power.
The country's Energy and Mineral Development Minister, Daudi Migereko, estimates that Uganda will be in a position to generate nuclear energy from its uranium deposits within the next 10 to 15 years. April 15, 2008Defects found in European Pressurized Water Reactor
The Independent: The French nuclear safety agency has uncovered a series of defects in the construction of a European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPWR) in Normandy considered to be the template for the next generation of stations due to be built in Britain.
The agency, ASN, says that a quarter of the welds seen in its steel liner – a crucial line of defence if there were to be an accident – are not in accordance with welding norms, and that cracks have been found it its concrete base, also essential for containing radioactivity. The reports – in a series of letters covering inspections made between December and last month – will cause particular concern because similar defects have been listed in a previous report by the Finnish safety authority into the only other reactor of its type being built anywhere in the world. March 23, 2008Britain and France to take nuclear power to the worldThe Guardian: Britain and France are to sign a deal to construct a new generation of nuclear power stations and export the technology around the world in an effort to combat climate change. The pact is to be announced at the "Arsenal summit" next week when prime ministers Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy will meet at the Emirates stadium in north London. Britain hopes to take advantage of French expertise to build the power stations that do not rely on fossil fuels. Nearly 79% of France's electricity comes from its highly-developed nuclear power industry. The UK's ageing nuclear plants are ready for decommissioning and supply 20% of its energy needs. Brown hopes the partnership will create a skilled British labour force who would then work in partnership with France to sell nuclear power stations to other countries over the next 15 years. March 21, 2008Opinion: An International Fuel Bank for Nuclear Power
Die Welt: The idea of bringing the production and storage of nuclear fuel under international control is gaining support once again argues Matt Dupuis. The US should take the lead in creating a global fuel bank which would make it possible to test countries’ intentions while limiting their access to nuclear technology.
UK nuclear firm shares rise 20% after confirmation of tie-up talks with rivalsThe Guardian: British Energy is in talks with a number of rivals, which could lead to a tie-up or a takeover offer that some say would value the country's main nuclear power generator at more than US$14 billion. Shares in the British company soared by nearly 20% after it confirmed the discussions but declined to identify any of the potential partners or predators. EDF of France, E.ON of Germany and Centrica, owner of British Gas, are among the key players known to have been holding partnership talks that have turned into something more substantial. British Energy is in demand because it generates about a sixth of Britain's electricity but, more importantly ,has the most attractive potential sites to build a new generation of nuclear plants. The move comes as the UK government announced that the four new designs being considered for future nuclear reactors in the UK (the European Pressurised Reactor, Westinghouse's AP1000, ESBWR and Atomic Energy of Canada's ACR1000) have all passed initial safety tests. March 18, 2008Industry attacks slow clean up of UK's nuclear wasteThe Guardian: The government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has come under fire from the private sector for the allegedly slow speed with which it is handling the award of the second-biggest procurement contract ever - the £1bn-a-year Sellafield clean-up. Amec, which, with Washington Group and Areva is part of one of the four consortiums shortlisted for the work, said it was increasingly assessing overseas opportunities because of delays. Final bids for the work must be in next month and the contract is expected by the end of the year. "I am lucky," said Samir Brikho, Amec's chief executive. "This is a very small part of our business but if it was a very large part then I would be worried that it was continually delayed; that I was waiting and waiting and nothing was happening." It was not as though the clean-up agency was having to decide on which design of reactor it should choose, he added. "What are we fighting over? How to close a plant? They need to take a decision." Brikho speculated that the delay was a result of "turbulence" inside the NDA, with the departure of two chairmen in six months and a swathe of senior staff more recently. The NDA said it was inevitable, with so much riding on a contract that could have a total value of well over £10bn, that there would be statements such as those of Brikho but it denied there were any significant delays. March 17, 2008Crunch time for nuclear industry, as demand for core parts outstrips supplyBloomberg.com: From a windswept corner of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, Japan Steel Works Ltd. manufactures the central part of a nuclear reactor's containment vessel in a single piece, reducing the risk of a radiation leak. It is the only plant of its type in the world, and it can only produce four steel forgings a year. Utilities that won't need the equipment for years are making $100 million down payments now in order to get in line. Even after Japan Steel doubles capacity in the next two years, there won't be enough production to meet building plans. "If there are 50 to 100 reactors or more to be built, there will be a real shortage and real delays in deliveries," says Ron Pitts, senior vice president for nuclear operations at the construction and engineering company Fluor Corp. in Irving, Texas. The news comes as Russia announced plans to build four more nuclear power plants over the next twelve years at Tver, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk and Yaroslavl or Kostroma regions. March 13, 2008U.N. Alleges Nuclear Work By Iran's Civilian ScientistsWashington Post: Iranian nuclear engineer Mohsen Fakhrizadeh lectures weekly on physics at Tehran's Imam Hossein University. Yet for more than a decade, according to documents attracting interest among Western governments, he also ran secret programs aimed at acquiring sensitive nuclear technology for his government. Experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have repeatedly invited Fakhrizadeh to tea and a chat about Iran's nuclear work. But for two years, the government in Tehran has barred any contact with the scientist, who U.S. officials say recently moved to a new lab in a heavily guarded compound also off-limits to U.N. inspectors. |