Carnival of Nuclear Energy 138

1. Atomic Insights summarizes Dieter Helm who is a Coal Critic, Atomic Agnostic, Natural Gas Enthusiast

As indicated by the subtitle of his book, Helm believes that the world, especially Europe, has achieved very little in the twenty years since the Kyoto treaty was signed. He believes that there is little hope that the process set in motion by that treaty will result in anything more than the continued annual consumption of a lot of aviation fuel to move people to ineffective conferences that are primarily climate theater. He provides a correcting prescription involving three main components.

Helm is pretty sure that natural gas will be the winner for the foreseeable future if his prescriptions are implemented, but atomic energy can prosper as long as it is not artificially constrained.

2. Atomic Show #193 – Nuclear Wrap Up 2012

Gwyneth Cravens, Will Davis, Meredith Angwin, Ben Heard and Rod Adams gathered from locations around the globe (California, Ohio, Vermont, South Australia and Virginia) to talk about the major nuclear stories of 2012.

3. Yes Vermont Yankee has the following

Deb Schulze wrote a statement which she presented to a Public Service Board hearing on Vermont Yankee: Schulze is a native of Vermont, and she is married to a Vermont Yankee employee. Her statement is a guest post at Yes Vermont Yankee: Vermont Yankee is an Asset to Vermont, and the Sky Is Not Falling.

4. Yes Vermont Yankee also has

Wind turbines continue to be built in Vermont, sometimes over the objections of the towns in which they are located. Two Vermont Senators have written legislation proposing a three-year moratorium on new industrial wind construction. Of the two senators, one is a Republican, one a Democrat, one is from the northeast part of the state and one from the southwest corner. Their bill may have enough votes to pass the Vermont Senate. Governor Shumlin vehemently opposes this bill, as do most of the anti-Vermont Yankee organizations. A Wind Moratorium Press Conference Tomorrow in Montpelier explains the background.

5. ANS Nuclear Cafe has “The Atlantic Generating Station”

With Russia currently constructing a smaller-scale floating and portable nuclear generating plant, Will Davis explores some very interesting nuclear history — a full-size, commercial nuclear power plant which was planned for construction and operation — at sea

6. The Hiroshima Syndrome -(January 4) Should Japanese Nukes Be Scrapped Because of NRA Seismic Judgments?

Over the past month, Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority has concluded that geologic anomalies running near and under the Tsuruga and Higashidori nuclear stations might be seismic. It makes no sense to cavalierly have the two nukes in question dismantled because of the possibility itself. Site-specific criteria should be set and the operators given the option to either upgrade or decommission the facility in question.

7. Atomic Power Review describes a documentary with the Nuclear Ship Savannah as the focus.

At Atomic Power Review, Will Davis gives details about a project which has completed a film documentary covering the history of the only nuclear powered commercial ship built in the United States, the N.S. Savannah, and which is now seeking donations to help promote the film. The NS Savannah is important to Davis for a number of reasons, and the history of the ship is worth preserving.

8. The Neutron Economy has “Scientagonism: The problem of antagonistic science communication”

Partisanship has become an all-too frequent feature of public discussions over high-profile scientific issues – including nuclear energy. But the real problem is antagonism – both perceived and real – toward deeply-held values undermines effective science communication. Steve Skutnik looks at whether communication strategies which focus on compatibility with audience values (rather than threatening identities) may be a way to depolarize such issues.

9. Canadian Energy Issues has “CANDU in Japan: different, proven, and symbiotic with the current fleet”

Japan is a highly advanced nuclear nation, and has extensive experience with many reactor technologies and fuel cycles. These include the so-called FUGEN reactor, which incorporated heavy water moderator, boiling light water coolant, and mixed oxide fuel. When Japan’s new prime minister Shinzo Abe said last week that he wants new nuclear reactors and that they should be much different from the 50 light water designs that for decades provided the bulk of Japan’s nuclear electricity, Steve Aplin of Canadian Energy Issues gave some reasons why the heavy water CANDU could perfectly fit the bill.

10. Things Worse Than Nuclear Power has as article about fewer white christmases.

Carbon dioxide emissions have increased dramatically worldwide in the last 30 years, not to mention the accompanying pollution. Why have they increased? Especially, why have they increased so much recently in countries like Germany and Japan, supposed champions of green energy and the Kyoto agreement?

11. Nextbigfuture – Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper polled 135 mayors in communities located near Japan’s 50 nuclear plants.

54 per cent would accept reactor restarts
Only 18 per cent were against the restarts
28 per cent chose not to clarify their position
two did not give valid answers.

12. Nextbigfuture – Construction of a new reactor was started this week in China and power was generated from the new Ningde-1 reactor. The Russian-designed model is the fourth to be inaugurated since China resumed approvals for new plants at the end of October.

13. Nextbigfuture – China has broken ground on a 3 billion-yuan (476 million-U.S. dollar) nuclear power project (pebble bed high temperature reactor) that will be the first in the world to put a reactor with fourth-generation features into commercial use, a Chinese energy company said Sunday. The project is part of the HSNPC’s broader plan to build a 6.6-gigawatt (GW) nuclear power plant that will require approximately 100 billion yuan in investment over 20 years. If completed, it would be China’s largest nuclear power plant, said the official. The rest of the plan includes four 1.25-GW AP1000 pressurized water reactors and a 1.4-GW CAP1400 pressurized water reactor.

14. James Conca has written at Forbes about US sailors suing the japanese over Fukushima radiation

US sailors are charging that the company lied about the high level of radiation in the area where they were carrying out a humanitarian mission after the tsunami-triggered reactor crisis. The sailors served on the carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.

15. NewsOk has an article that nuclear science is really science

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