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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

The devil, as usual, is in the details. For instance, the cost of a nuclear reactor per unit of electrical generating capacity declines with increasing size……There are economies of scale associated with security, too ….Nuclear power advocates have long promised far more than they can deliver, ignoring essential hurdles such as cost, safety, and performance. Decades of experience, however, have proven those promises to be hollow and hazardous. The notion that “small is beautiful” for nuclear reactors is not just fanciful; it is whistling past the graveyard of the “nuclear renaissance” that never was

The problems with small nuclear reactors, THE HILL, By Dr. Arjun Makhijani – 06/15/11  “…… the enthusiasts of small reactors are back, promoting “small modular reactors” (SMRs) which, they say, can solve the central economic problem of large reactors that each cost so much and take so long to build that it becomes a “bet the farm” risk. But this is hype and hope more than substance. Unfortunately, Congress and the administration are buying into it. Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, technology, USA | Leave a comment

Only lawyers see growth, as nuclear industry faces wind-down in Europe

.In such an environment, the only nuclear energy growth field currently is lawyers’ fees.

Nuclear Twilight in Europe

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OilPrice.com by John Daly , 15 June 2011
 It is becoming evident to many that the March nuclear catastrophe at Japan’s six reactor Daichi Fukushima complex has dealt a huge, possibly fatal, blow to the nuclear industry’s hopes of a revival.

Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, EUROPE | Leave a comment

For first time,U.S. utilities name nuclear wastes as their top worry

While respondents of the annual survey have cited nuclear waste disposal and storage as a concern in the past, respondents ranked it as a top concern for the first time this year,

US Utilities Concerned About Water, Nuclear Waste Disposal – Study WSJ, DOW JONES NEWSWIRES,-By Cassandra Sweet, * JUNE 13, 2011 U.S. utilities are increasingly concerned about adequate water supply and nuclear waste disposal and storage, Continue reading →

June 14, 2011 Posted by | business and costs | Leave a comment

India’s unrealistic nuclear power plans

Nuclear trade with India risks boosting arms race – The West Australian,Scott Ludlam,13 June 11 “……I have spent time in India studying the nuclear industry, which is famous for its unrealistic projections of future civil nuclear prospects. Continue reading →

June 14, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, India | Leave a comment

Economist urges Saudi Arabia to wards solar energy,not nuclear

“Spending this amount on solar energy projects will be relatively safer compared with nuclear energy, which is a time bomb that could explode at any time, as with what occurred in Japan.”.

Region urged to embrace renewable energy projects Japan’s Fukushima plant disaster should serve as a warning to Middle East countries bent on spending billions of dollars on nuclear plants Gulf News  By Orlando Crowcroft, Business News Editor  June 13, 2011 “……..Speaking just months after the explosion at Japan’s Fukushima plant in April, Abdul Gani Bin Melaibari, coordinator of scientific collaboration at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said that Saudi Arabia intended to build a total of 16 nuclear reactors by the end of 2030. At a cost of some $300 billion..

….. Critics point out that the investment in nuclear power comes at a time when other countries are shying away from nuclear energy, due to risks demonstrated all to clearly at Fukushima. For the kind of money that Saudi Arabia is willing to invest, there are far safer forms of renewable energy avaliable. Economic analyst Omar Al Jutraifani suggests that rather than spend billions of dollars on advancing nuclear energy — with all the risks that it involves — why not spend the money on other forms of renewable energy? ”

I think that the level of risks in such projects will be very high in all criteria,” he said. “Spending this amount on solar energy projects will be relatively safer compared with nuclear energy, which is a time bomb that could explode at any time, as with what occurred in Japan.”….. gulfnews : Region urged to embrace renewable energy projects

June 13, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, MIDDLE EAST | Leave a comment

Power transmission companies benefit from Germany’s nuclear shutdown

Dealtalk: German nuclear exit a boon for Siemens, ABB, By Marilyn Gerlach, FRANKFURT | Jun 10, 2011 (Reuters) – Germany’s nuclear exit and power shortages in China may help boost demand for switchgears and transformers, benefiting European power transmission suppliers such as Siemens and ABB.

Germany’s parliament began debating its new energy bill on Thursday, clearing the way for the shutdown of 17 nuclear reactors from 2015. Analysts say the nuclear capacity gap could be replaced mostly by renewables, which are volatile sources of energy and so trigger a need to invest in grid transmission infrastructure. ….http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/10/us-germany-siemens-idUSTRE7592YQ20110610

 

June 11, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Germany | Leave a comment

Japanese will need to conserve electricity as unofficial nuclear shut-downs increase

A spokesman for Kansai Electric, which supplies electricity to Osaka, Japan’s second-largest city after Tokyo, said Wednesday that it may have to ask its customers to save electricity this summer if many of the nuclear power reactors that supply electricity to the company remain idle, and if temperatures are high. 

Japan Expects Power Shortages Amid Growing, Unofficial Nuclear Shutdown, WSJ 11 June 11By MARI IWATA, TOKYO—Japan’s electricity shortages may be intensified over the coming months by a wide-scale unofficial shutdown of nuclear power plants across the country. Continue reading →

June 11, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Doom and gloom in the uranium industry

Paladin reacts to share price drop, SMH, June 10, 2011 Uranium miner Paladin Energy Ltd has sought to dampen market rumours about the company’s financing arrangements, a potential capital raising and a potential sale by Newmont Mining of its 6.71 per cent stake in Paladin.

Paladin issued a statement on Friday to clarify its position, after the company’s shares came under “considerable selling pressure” for two days……http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/paladin-reacts-to-share-price-drop-20110610-1fvoe.html

EYE ON EQUITIES

Analyst urges caution as First Uranium dips to all-time lows, DARCY KEITH Globe and Mail Update  Jun. 09, Shares in First Uranium Corp. (FIU-T0.56-0.02-3.45%) remain snuggled close to all-time lows after getting smacked Wednesday in response to weaker than expected fourth-quarter results. A resurgence in negative sentiment toward uranium producers after the Japanese nuclear crisis hasn’t helped matters.

Raymond James Ltd. analyst Bart Jaworski thinks investors may be wise backing away from the stock for the time being…..http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/features/eye-on-equities/analyst-urges-caution-as-first-uranium-dips-to-all-time-lows/article2053830/

 

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June 10, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Uranium | Leave a comment

TEPCO’s 570 billion Yen loss – then trillions in compensation

It is expected to become necessary for TEPCO to seek further loans from banks and support from the government to cover the nuclear crisis-related compensation, which is said to reach several trillion yen

TEPCO to see Y570 bil net loss, excluding nuclear compensation   Japan Today  06  June, :Tokyo Electric Power Co is expected to post a parent-only net loss of 570 billion yen for the business year to March 2012, excluding compensation to those affected by the ongoing crisis at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to an internal document. Continue reading →

June 6, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Uranium producers face a very uncertain future

investors may wonder whether Germany could be the first of many to pull the plug on nuclear projects. John Meyer, a commodities analyst at Fairfax, said: ‘The German pronouncement over the weekend was surprising and extraordinary and is a huge blow to the nuclear industry.’ He added: ‘If other countries follow Germany then the nuclear expansion forecast by uranium producers may be largely limited to the US and China

Geiger Counter: nuclear power vs nuclear peril, CityWire Money — by Rob Mackinlay  Jun 02, 2011 Germany’s plans to ditch nuclear power this week failed to unnerve uranium investors but uranium focused investment trust Geiger Counter may become a power or a peril in an investor’s portfolio. Continue reading →

June 3, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear events and policies spell gloom for uranium stocks

political pressure continues to mount against nuclear energy…..Many countries have announced in-depth safety reviews of their nuclear reactors, placing moratoriums on any new plants in the near-term…...

Uranium sector hurt by Germany’s ban By Jonathan Ratner, Vancouver Sun,  May 29, 2011 TORONTO – The uranium sector came under some selling pressure on Monday after Germany announced it will shut down all of its nuclear reactors by 2022, reversing a nuclear energy policy put in place in October 2010. Continue reading →

May 31, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

Would you trust Japan to lead global nuclear safety discussions?

Japan Seeks Lead Role in Nuclear Safety Guidelines,  WSJ.com, 27 May 11 By GEORGE NISHIYAMA DEAUVILLE, France—Japan wants to host an international meeting to discuss nuclear safety issues next year, as part of its efforts to share lessons learned from the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Thursday.

Addressing a lunch session marking the start of the G-8 leaders summit, Mr. Kan also said Japan wanted to contribute to creating an international standard on nuclear safety.

“It is our nation’s obligation to share information and lessons learned from the unprecedented experience we went through, and to achieve the highest possible safety standards for nuclear energy,” Mr. Kan told G-8 leaders after the summit host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, asked him to make the opening remarks…..Japan Seeks Lead Role in Nuclear Safety – WSJ.com

May 28, 2011 Posted by | Japan, marketing | 3 Comments

Japan’s nuclear lobby still promoting nuclear power

The sun sets on Japan’s nuclear age, The Irish Times -DAVID McNEILL, May 27, 2011 “……..Japan’s largest business lobby, the Keidanren, has made its position very clear. Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura this month demanded that Kan rescind his decision on Hamaoka, which he called “extralegal” and a “political performance”. With Japanese businesses already struggling to compete with mighty China, the nation cannot afford to ditch nuclear power, he warned.For that reason, many analysts say that Kan’s more recent pronouncements are rhetoric designed to appease angry voters. Continue reading →

May 27, 2011 Posted by | Japan, marketing | Leave a comment

Costly necessity to buy higher land for nuclear reactors

OECD Says Nuclear Land Costs to Rise by Up to 10% Post-Fukushima Bloomberg By Lars Paulsson – May 23, 2011 The cost of buying land to build nuclear reactors may increase by as much as 10 percent because the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11 will force developers to buy in safer areas, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency.

Luis Echavarri, the agency’s director general, spoke on May 17 by phone from Paris.

On nuclear land costs:  “I think the cost associated to the location could increase. You need locations better protected against earthquakes, tsunamis and floods. You will have to build plants at higher elevation than the sea and river levels. I think we are talking of something between 5 and 10 percent, but that is very significant.”..

May 24, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | Leave a comment

Ameren electricity company doesn’t support nuclear deal – too costly to customers

Ameren no longer backs nuclear permit compromise , Kansas City.com , 18 May 11 JEFFERSON CITY | Electricity provider Ameren Missouri says it no longer supports a proposed deal that emerged on the final day of the state legislative session to finance a site permit for a potential nuclear power plant.

The legislation had represented a last-ditch compromise among utility companies and industrial energy consumers, among others. It would have let customers be billed for some costs of a site permit application before a nuclear power plant actually is built. But the legislation failed to pass.

Richard Mark is the senior vice president of customer operations for Ameren Missouri. He said Thursday that the company now has concerns the deal could have resulted in significant rate increases for residential customers……Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/19/2887911/ameren-no-longer-backs-nuclear.html#ixzz1MrHa4LRQ

May 20, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

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