PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Nuclear power’s catch: waste – Wire – News – Opinions – Belleville News Democrat
Nuclear power’s catch: waste
bnd.com Philadelphia Inquirer McClatchy-Tribune News Service 7 Oct 08
America’s realization that it must kick its expensive foreign-oil habit has energized the previously moribund nuclear power industry, which is proudly selling itself as the cheaper, cleaner alternative……………………….there has been little progress on solving the overarching problem of where to put radioactive waste – the lethal leftovers that can remain dangerous to health and life for centuries.Six years ago, Congress approved a plan to transport waste from nuclear plants to Nevada’s Yucca Mountain. But it was only four months ago that the Department of Energy submitted a waste repository application to the NRC. If approved, the first waste shipment isn’t expected to be sent to Yucca before 2020.
Meanwhile, the 64,000 tons of spent fuel now being stored on-site at nuclear power plants in 33 states will continue to grow.
But America’s nuclear-waste problem is much more pervasive than that. It involves not just what the nation’s existing power plants produce, but also the low-level radioactive material found in hospitals, universities and in other industries.
Tags: nuuclear, nuclearwaste, nuclear costs
Forget Nuclear
Forget Nuclear
Rocky Mountain Institute 9 Oct 08 – “……………….the private capitalmarket isn’t investing in new nuclear plants, and without financing, capitalist utilities aren’t buying. The few purchases, nearly all in Asia, are all made by central planners with a draw on the public purse. In the United States, even government subsidies approaching or exceeding new nuclear power’s total cost have failed to entice Wall Street.
……………………Uncompetitive Costs
The Economist observed in 2001 that “Nuclear power, once claimed to be too cheap to meter, is now too costly to matter”—cheap to run but very expensive to build. Since then, it’s become several-fold costlier to build, and in a few years, as old fuel contracts expire, it is expected to become several-fold costlier to run. Its total cost now markedly exceeds that of other common power plants (coal, gas, big wind farms), let alone the even cheaper competitors described below………………………………….New nuclear power is so costly that shifting a dollar of spending from nuclear to efficiency protects the climate several-fold more than shifting a dollar of spending from coal to nuclear. Indeed, under plausible assumptions, spending a dollar on new nuclear power instead of on efficient use of electricity has a worse climate effect than spending that dollar on new coal power!
If we’re serious about addressing climate change, we must invest resources wisely to expand and accelerate climate protection. Because nuclear power is costly and slow to build, buying more of it rather than of its cheaper, swifter rivals will instead reduce and retard climate protection.
…………………Nuclear plants have an additional disadvantage: for safety, they must instantly shut down in a power failure, but for nuclear-physics reasons, they can’t then be quickly restarted. During the August 2003 Northeast blackout, nine perfectly operating U.S. nuclear units had to shut down. Twelve days of painfully slow restart later, their average capacity loss had exceeded 50 percent……………………….Lacking investors, nuclear promoters have turned back to taxpayers, who already bear most nuclear accident risks and have no meaningful say in licensing………………….
The Micropower Revolution
While nuclear power struggles in vain to attract private capital, investors have switched to cheaper, faster, less risky alternatives that The Economist calls “micropower”—distributed turbines and generators in factories or buildings (usually cogenerating useful heat), and all renewable sources of electricity except big hydro dams (those over ten megawatts). These alternatives surpassed nuclear’s global capacity in 2002 and its electric output in 2006. Nuclear power now accounts for about 2 percent of worldwide electric capacity additions, vs. 28 percent for micropower (2004– 07 average) and probably more in 2007–08.An even cheaper competitor is enduse efficiency (“negawatts”)—saving electricity by using it more effi ciently or at smarter times…………….Small Is Fast, Low-Risk, and High in Total Potential
Small, quickly built units are faster to deploy for a given total effect than a few big, slowly built units.
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Nuclear energy has many pitfalls
Nuclear energy has many pitfalls Calgary Herald October 08, 2008 – “………………..If the costs aren’t astronomical enough to make Albertans think twice about nuclear power, perhaps the health safety concerns that preoccupy Dr. Helen Caldicott might prove a major source of consternation.The Nobel Prize nominee was in Calgary this week to raise awareness about the medical issues around nuclear, specifically the untold genetic damage that can take generations to unfold. Unfortunately, the renowned physician was refused a meeting with the government-appointed expert panel preparing an “unbiased” examination for the province,…………
It’s important people such as Caldicott are heard. If the Alberta government is to develop a safe and responsible policy for nuclear energy, all sides of this contentious issue must be fully debated.
Let’s start with the costs. Nuclear is the only energy technology that has the double whammy of high up-front and back-end capital costs. That price tag is a big unknown as industry and governments struggle to figure out how to decommission a plant, and deal with its highly radioactive waste over the very long term.
Nuclear energy has many pitfalls
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Renewable energy: The tide is turning – energy-fuels – 08 October 2008 – New Scientist Environment
Renewable energy: The tide is turning *
New Scientist 08 October 2008 * Jason Palmer * Magazine issue 2677WELCOME to the Bay of Fundy in eastern Canada, home to the highest tides in the world. Here, 100 billion tonnes of Atlantic seawater flow in and out of the 270-kilometre-long bay every day. The sea level at Fundy rises by an average of 11 metres, reaching a maximum of 17 metres at the narrowest point, twice a day without fail, thanks to the moon’s gravitational pull. Could this tidal movement be used to generate power?The unwavering predictability and scale of the tides in some parts of the world make them an attractive renewable energy source. The World Energy Council estimates that Fundy’s tides alone could generate 17,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy per year. Some estimates put the energy in the world’s tides at as much as 1 million GWh per year, or about 5 per cent of the electricity generated worldwide, though ..
Renewable energy: The tide is turning – energy-fuels – 08 October 2008 – New Scientist Environment
Tags: renewables
Obama and McCain Clash Over Energy, Nuclear, Climate
Obama and McCain Clash Over Energy, Nuclear, Climate
Environment News Service NASHVILLE, Tennessee, October 8, 2008 (ENS) – Energy and environment issues formed a substantial part of last night’s presidential debate between Democratic hopeful Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain…………………….McCain said “drilling offshore and nuclear power are two vital elements” of U.S. energy independence.
McCain’s energy policy depends heavily on nuclear power. “We can work on nuclear power plants. Build a whole bunch of them, create millions of new jobs,” he said when asked what would be his top priority as president………………………………….in response to a question from a member of the public on what sacrifices Americans will have to make, Obama called on Americans to “save energy in our homes, in our buildings.”
Obama promised “incentives so that you can buy a fuel efficient car that’s made right here in the United States of America, not in Japan or South Korea.”…………………………….
McCain dismissed Obama’s requirement that nuclear power be safe, saying, “Nuclear power. Senator Obama says that it has to be safe or disposable or something like that.”
“And I know that we can reprocess the spent nuclear fuel,” said McCain.
Obama and McCain Clash Over Energy, Nuclear, Climate
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Department of Energy faces huge cost increases – Mid-Columbia News | Tri-City Herald : Mid-Columbia news
Department of Energy faces huge cost increases
TriCity Herald By Annette Cary, Herald staff writerOct. 07, 2008
Cost increases and project delays continue to mount at the Department of Energy’s 10 largest projects at nuclear weapons sites, five of them at Hanford, according to a Government Accountability Office report to Congress………………………Estimated costs for DOE’s 10 largest cleanup projects have increased by a combined $25 billion over the past few years, with the largest increase in the cost to clean up and close Hanford’s tank farms, where 53 million gallons of radioactive waste are held in underground tanks………………………………
The estimated completion date has moved from 2032 to sometime between 2042 and 2050.
Schedule delays for the 10 projects GAO studied were as long as 15 years, with the longest delays projected at Hanford.
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Nuclear power &squo;not an option&squo; | Herald Sun
Nuclear power ‘not an option’
Herald Sun October 07, 2008
RENEWABLE energy is a better option for power generation than nuclear plants, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says.
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) head Ziggy Switkowski today said nuclear power was needed to help reduce Australia’s greenhouse emissions to acceptable levels.
But Ms Wong said Australians made their position on nuclear power clear before the election and the Government’s priorities lay in investing in new renewable energy technology and finding a low-emission solution to coal.
She said any global climate-change solution that did not tackle dependence on coal was no solution.
“There are a range of other energy sources which are more important for Australia to consider (than nuclear),” she said.
“We are abundantly blessed with renewable resources and we believe it is far more appropriate, far better for us, to be investing in developing the technology to utilise and commercialise our renewable energy rather than going down the nuclear path.”
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
We don’t need coal or nuclear power stations to save planet|11Oct08|Socialist Worker
We don’t need coal or nuclear power stations to save planet
Socialist Worker online Sadie Robinson October 2008 Supporters of coal and nuclear power say they are the only energy sources that can tackle climate change, but there are better alternatives, writes …………………………over the longer term there is a need to develop new forms of energy production.A number of nuclear and coal plants are to close down over the next 20 years. This will reduce Britain’s electricity generation by around 30 percent. But there is no reason why nuclear or coal plants should fill the gap.
Greenpeace published a report on Britain’s energy requirements last month. It concluded that “there is no need to build new fossil-fuelled power generation to keep the lights on”.
Efficiency
It argues that if the government meets its targets on improving energy efficiency and developing renewable energy, there will be no need for new electricity generation until after 2020………………….Nuclear is being promoted as clean, cheap and efficient, but it is the opposite of all three.
Carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere in every stage in the production of nuclear power. It has taken massive government subsidies to build nuclear power stations in the past, and new ones will require that again.
Nuclear energy requires the building of large plants far from the places where the energy will be used.
This wastes a massive amount of energy as it is lost in transmission from the plants to towns and cities………………………
Investing in clean energy and making changes to the way society is organised are the real way to meet our energy needs.
Renewable energy could end our dependence on fossil fuels and massively reduce carbon emissions.
We don’t need coal or nuclear power stations to save planet|11Oct08|Socialist Worker
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Govt stands firm on green energy promise – Breaking News – National – Breaking News
Govt stands firm on green energy promise
Sydney Morning Herald October 7, 2008 The federal government has rejected calls to dump its promise to have 20 per cent of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020………………………..federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says the RET is here to stay.“The government’s got a commitment to introduce a renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020 and we will remain committed to it,” he told reporters in the NSW city of Queanbeyan.
“We have work underway to actually put the system in place.”…………………………..
The Australian Industry Group on Monday called for the RET to be scrapped.
Mr Ferguson, who was visiting Queanbeyan’s new Dyesol factory which manufactures parts for solar panels, was less convinced about the need for a premium feed-in tariff for renewable energy than he was about the RET…………………..
Mr Ferguson is seen in some quarters as a staunch defender of the coal industry rather than a convert to renewable energy.
His unequivocal commitment to the RET may have recast that perception a little, but the green tinge was only partial.
Dyesol managing director Gavin Tulloch says Australia’s future lay in renewable energy.
Govt stands firm on green energy promise – Breaking News – National – Breaking News
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Your Renewable News – New wave of power in renewable energy market
New wave of power in renewable energy market
Your Renewable News Oct 07, 2008Energy experts say waves could rival wind and solar as power sources. Australia – and particularly the southern coastline – has a potentially inexhaustible source of renewable energy lapping at its shores: waves.Proponents of wave power – which uses off-shore buoys and pumps to run electricity generators – claim the technology could generate at least 35% of the nation’s power needs.If embraced, it could prove as efficient as wind power and more affordable than solar options, according to the three companies that have already started harnessing Australia’s oceanic energy.And governments are warming to the idea – but not as quickly as advocates would like. The Federal Government has pumped $5 million into the Biopower company, which runs prototype wave power units in Bass Strait, and the State Government has allocated $72 million for green energy initiatives, including wave energy.
Your Renewable News – New wave of power in renewable energy market
Tags: renewables
Bloomberg.com: Australia & New Zealand
JPMorgan Cuts Uranium Price Forecasts, Citing Financial Crisis
By Angela Macdonald-Smith Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its forecast for uranium prices through 2010 because of increased spot-market sales of the radioactive metal in September and the potential for the credit freeze to slow nuclear power project development…………………………….Uranium-oxide spot prices, which reached a record $138 a pound in June last year, dropped $4 to $49 in the week ended Oct. 6, The Ux Consulting Co. LLC said on its Web site.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,High up-front capital costs for nuclear power projects may slow the so-called nuclear renaissance, the securities firm said. Nuclear power stations can cost between $1,400 and $3,500 per kilowatt-hour of installed capacity, it said.
Bloomberg.com: Australia & New Zealand
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
A deadly proposition – Las Vegas Sun
A deadly propositionFuture Nevadans at risk of getting cancer if Yucca Mountain becomes nuclear waste dump
Las Vegas Sun 6 Oct 08 The Bush administration believes there is nothing wrong with building a nuclear waste dump that could cause at least one of every 125 individuals who live nearby to contract cancer. But if you happen to be one of those residents, chances are you won’t be feeling good about the odds of getting that potentially fatal disease.
Unfortunately, those will be the odds of getting cancer for future residents who live in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain should that site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas be turned into a dump for the nation’s high-level nuclear waste.
As reported by Lisa Mascaro on Thursday in the Las Vegas Sun, those are the odds that can be gleaned from the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest cancer risk standards for the proposed dump…………………………..Remember, too, that the cancer risk is in addition to the potential for catastrophic loss of life throughout the United States because of an accidental release of radioactive waste or a terrorist attack during transport to the dump. Let’s not forget the potential additional hazards for Nevadans should an accident caused by man or nature occur at the dump.
A deadly proposition – Las Vegas Sun
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Decision Delayed On Nuclear Waste Imports – Nashville News Story – WSMV Nashville
Decision Delayed On Nuclear Waste ImportsMaterial Would Be Shipped From Italy To Tenn. For Processing
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday it is delaying a decision on whether to allow EnergySolutions Inc. to import the largest-ever amount of nuclear waste into the U.S.The NRC said it will wait until a federal court decides whether an interstate compact can block disposal of the waste in Utah.The Salt Lake City-based company wants to bring the 20,000 tons of low-level waste from Italy through the ports of Charleston, S.C., or New Orleans for processing in Tennessee. After processing, about 1,600 tons would be disposed at the company’s dump in the western Utah desert.The proposal has drawn a record number of public comments — most in opposition to the plan.
Decision Delayed On Nuclear Waste Imports – Nashville News Story – WSMV Nashville
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Economy may disrupt candidates’ energy plans — Newsday.com
Economy may disrupt candidates’ energy plansBY newsday.com MARK HARRINGTON 6 Oct 08 – “………………………..paying for candidates’ wish lists, including new nuclear plants, wind farms and solar energy, may be hampered by a $10-trillion national debt that could grow by another $700 billion once the bailout package begins dispensing taxpayer cash……………………… The centerpiece of McCain’s plan is the construction of 45 nuclear power plants by 2030, at a cost of $6 billion per plant.
“The nuclear energy industry tells us they can’t borrow any money from Wall Street … unless the federal government underwrites those loans,” said Jerry Taylor, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a conservative Washington think tank. But Taylor said that with so much money tied up in the bailout, the government would be hard-pressed to guarantee huge loans for the nuclear industry.
Economy may disrupt candidates’ energy plans — Newsday.com
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Barack Obama on the issues – Las Vegas Sun
Barack Obama on the issues
LAS VEGAS SUN 6 Oct 08 “……………………Nuclear PowerObama, whose home state of Illinois has 11 nuclear power facilities, said it might seem to be in the best interests of his state to ship out the nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. However, the risks of transporting nuclear waste to another state poses an uncertain risk. Because a large amount of the spent fuel would likely travel by rail, it’s a serious concern for Chicago, which serves as the transportation hub of the country. Also, because Nevada elected officials have not wavered in their opposition, it could mean billions of more dollars are spent on the project without any results. For those reasons, Obama is opposed to making Yucca a permanent nuclear waste repository. He said a solution could be to find another state willing to serve as a repository, or finding regional repositories. “In short, the selection of Yucca Mountain has failed, the time for debate on this site is over, and it is time to start exploring new alternatives for safe, long-term solutions based on sound science.”
Barack Obama on the issues – Las Vegas Sun
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
1 This Month
22 June – Virtual Event –Climate Change: New Data, New Debate
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25 June- THE PUKE ON NUKES
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Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State
PETITION: “Global Appeal to Endorse Palestinian Right of Return of Refugees”
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