Concerns in USA Congress as the Trump administration OKs nuclear energy transfers to Saudi Arabia

Trump administration OKs nuclear energy transfers to Saudi Arabia, sparking new battle with Congress

CNBC, MAR 29 2019 Tom DiChristopher @TDICHRISTOPHER

- The Department of Energy has authorized seven companies to share nuclear energy information with Saudi Arabia.
- News of the approvals has sparked accusations the Trump administration is doing an end-run around Congress and facilitating secret discussions.
- Veterans of nuclear policy say the authorizations are routine and do not raise immediate concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation

…………..The kingdom is currently reviewing bids from international companies to build two nuclear reactors. Westinghouse is leading the U.S. consortium competing for the contract against companies from China, France, Russia and South Korea.

U.S. companies need so-called Part 810 authorizations from the Energy and State departments to share non-public information as they attempt to convince the Saudis to choose American reactors and other services……..

Congress has sought to hold the kingdom’s powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for Khashoggi’s death. But President Donald Trump has stuck by his allies in Riyadh and cast doubt on the CIA’s assessment that the 33-year-old royal had a hand in the killing.

U.S. nuclear energy exports to Saudi Arabia have become a flashpoint in the dispute. While the Trump administration wants American companies to build the reactors, many lawmakers now say Saudi Arabia cannot be trusted with nuclear technology.

Rep. Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, suggested during a congressional hearing with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday that the transfers could put the Saudis on a path to developing nuclear weapons. He said the “secret” Part 810 authorizations appear to be part of the administration’s efforts to evade Congress and provide substantial nuclear technology and aid to the Saudis.

On Thursday evening, the Department of Energy confirmed that Secretary Rick Perry has issued seven Part 810 authorizations to export nuclear energy technology and services to Saudi Arabia.

The companies that received those authorizations opted not to disclose them to the public, fueling accusations of secret dealings.

Keeping the authorizations secret has only added to the considerable suspicions that Congress has about the Trump administration’s negotiations with the Saudis, said Countryman. He also believes the Trump administration has failed to adequately notify Congress of progress on nuclear cooperation with the kingdom……..

This month, Sen. Marco Rubio, R.-Fla., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., asked the Government Accountability Office to review the Trump administration’s negotiations on nuclear energy cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

The senators want the administration to strike a tough 123 Agreement with Saudi Arabia that explicitly prohibits the Saudis from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, known as the “gold standard.” They also want Saudi Arabia to implement the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which allows the IAEA to conduct inspections to assure a country’s nuclear energy program doesn’t morph into weapons development.

The Saudis have insisted on their right to enrich uranium and pushed back on the Additional Protocol…….. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/trump-team-and-congress-spar-over-nuclear-energy-transfers-to-saudis.html

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Energy efficiency – theme for July 2019

Energy efficiency represents the single largest potential contributor to global emissions reduction, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA 2017). It should be a key part of the global energy strategy, for several reasons:

It could reduce global electric demand by more than 20 per cent, based on current rates in the U.S. power sector, while maintaining high levels of services such as heating and lighting.
It avoids the need for increased energy, capacity and grid services, making it the least expensive way to decarbonise at scale.
It can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by billions of tonnes.

A dramatic example of the power of energy efficiency is lighting. In 2017 the United States passed the milestone of 1 billion LED and CFL lights installed, avoiding 142 million tonnes a year of carbon dioxide emissions, at a cost of about $7 per ton of avoided carbon dioxide. In contrast, the cumulative installed capacity of rooftop solar reached 8,000 MW in 2017, saving 8 million tonnes a year of carbon dioxide, at a cost of $360 per ton. Lighting efficiency thus yielded almost 18 times the avoided carbon dioxide, at about 2 per cent the cost per ton of rooftop solar.

Google provides another example of the power of energy efficiency. Its data centers now use 50 per cent less energy than the average data center, according to the company. Google also developed an improved chip, the TPU, which performs 83 times better than standard CPUs. The new chip allowed Google to reduce power consumption at its data centers by a factor of 30—far exceeding the effect on Google’s carbon footprint of all of the company’s renewable energy purchases. ” – John Woolard, Eco Business, 10 June 2019

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