nuclear-news

USA’s Steven Chu selling nuclear snake oil to the American public?

Wednesday announcements are the latest in a long list of steps the Obama Administration has taken to help jumpstart America’s nuclear energy industry:

 U.S. Energy Secretary Tours Plant Vogtle, Makes Policy Change Announcement WJBF, 16 Feb 12, Energy Secretary Announces New Nuclear Energy Research Grants and Next Steps on Used Fuel Recommendations  “The resurgence of nuclear energy starts here in Georgia,” U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wedneswday, while on a tour of Plant Vogtle.

Secretary Chu stressed the importance of nuclear energy…and addressed funding plans in preparation for Plant Vogtle’s expansion.

Chu wants to spend $10 million in innovative research for nuclear
reactor and fuel cycle technologies.

Chu also says, in the last 3 years, the U.S. Department of Energy has
pumped $170 million in research grants for the next generation of
nuclear scientists…… Wednesday announcements are the latest in a
long list of steps the Obama Administration has taken to help
jumpstart America’s nuclear energy industry:

In 2010, the Department signed a conditional commitment for $8 billion
in loan guarantees to support the Vogtle project, where the Southern
Company and Georgia Power are building two new nuclear reactors,
helping to create new jobs and export opportunities for American
workers and businesses.

The Energy Department has also supported the Vogtle project and the
development of the next generation of nuclear reactors by providing
more than $200 million through a cost-share agreement to support the
licensing reviews for Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor design
certification.  The Vogtle license is the first for new nuclear power
plant construction in more than three decades.

The Department has worked to advance small modular reactors, which
provide an important opportunity for America’s manufacturing sector to
make and sell cutting-edge technology……
Promoting a sustainable nuclear industry in the U.S. also requires
cultivating the next generation of scientists and engineers. Over the
past three years, the Department has invested $170 million in research
grants at more than 70 universities, supporting R&D into a full
spectrum of technologies, from advanced reactor concepts to enhanced
safety design.

February 16, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA