World Bank / by Ioannis N. Kessides http://bit.ly/Pca83c [Abstract] Skeptics point out, with some justification, that the nuclear industry’s prospects were dimmed by escalating costs long before Fukushima. If history is any guide, one direct consequence of the calamity in Japan will be more stringent safety requirements and regulatory delays that will inevitably increase the … Continue reading »
Tagged with Nuclear …
The Official Report of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Investigation Commission: Executive Summary
The National Diet of Japan | Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission http://www.slideshare.net/jikocho/naiic-report-hires [From the New York Times] The nuclear accident at Fukushima was a preventable disaster rooted in government-industry collusion and the worst conformist conventions of Japanese culture, a parliamentary inquiry concluded on Thursday. The report, released by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation … Continue reading »
Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants
US EPA http://epa.gov/carbonpollutionstandard/ [From an EPA Press Release] Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for carbon pollution from new power plants…The rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be built in the future, and does not apply to existing … Continue reading »
Carbon Pricing, Power Markets and the Competitiveness of Nuclear Power
OECD, Nuclear Energy Agency http://bit.ly/qcavXg (RFFers have free access to this fee-based book through OECD iLibrary. If prompted for a password, look on the library landing page on the left) [Abstract] This study assesses the competitiveness of nuclear power against coal- and gas-fired power generation in liberalised electricity markets with either CO2 trading or carbon … Continue reading »
Energy Planning in Response to Climate Change: Accurate Costs are Critical
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (July 13 2011) / by Bruce Biewald http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/energy-planning-response-to-climate-change-accurate-costs-are-critical Article Highlights During the 1970s and 1980s, the actual costs (in inflation-adjusted dollars) of building US nuclear power plants were about three times as much as the estimated costs. So far, modern nuclear plants are also proving to be prone to cost escalation, … Continue reading »
Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future Draft Report to the Secretary of Energy
US DOE, Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future brc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/brc_draft_report_29jul2011_0.pdf [Global Security Newswire] The United States should designate one or more long-term atomic waste storage locations to replace canceled plans for an underground repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., a blue-ribbon task force said in a preliminary report issued on Friday (see GSN, July 6). The … Continue reading »
Technical Evaluation Report on the Content of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Repository License Application: Postclosure Volume: Repository Safety After Permanent Closure
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Division of High-Level Waste Repository Safety http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1119/ML111990436.pdf [From an AP story by Ken Ritter] A Nuclear Regulatory Commission report released Thursday makes no conclusions about whether entombing the nation’s most radioactive material at the Yucca Mountain site in the desert northwest of Las Vegas … Continue reading »
Indian Point Retirement Economic Analysis: Draft Report
Charles River Associates http://media40.wnyc.net/media/resources/2011/Jul/07/IPEC_Report_circ_draft_7-5-11.pdf [From a NY Time story by Patrick McGeehan] Shutting down the Indian Point nuclear power plant would lead to significantly dirtier air and higher electric bills for New York City residents, according to a report commissioned by the city that is circulating among state officials in Albany. The report, a copy … Continue reading »
Technical Advancements and Issues Associated with the Permanent Disposal of High-Activity Wastes: Lessons Learned from Yucca Mountain and Other Programs
US DOE, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board http://www.nwtrb.gov/reports/technical%20lessons.pdf [From PEN-e posting] This report from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board “is not meant to be an assessment of the licenseability of a Yucca Mountain repository. If licensing goes forward, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will determine whether a license should be granted. … The purpose of … Continue reading »
Research, Development, and Demonstration for the Future of Nuclear Energy
Harvard Univ., Kennedy School, Belfer Center / by Laura Diaz Anadon, Valentina Bosetti, Matthew Bunn, Michela Catenacci and Audrey Lee (Policy Brief) http://bit.ly/lkXTru Key Points On safety: The Fukushima accident highlights the need for improved preparedness for events beyond the design basis for nuclear reactors, strengthened emergency response, and safer management of spent nuclear fuel. … Continue reading »
