Taiwan government downgrades nuclear safety regulator
Cabinet demotes nuclear safety body Taipei Times, 21 Feb 13, SAFE?With the ministerial-level Atomic Energy Council set to be disbanded, the new nuclear safety regulator will be a third-level agency under the Executive Yuan
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporterDespite mounting public concern, the Cabinet yesterday declared that the agency overseeing nuclear safety would be downgraded from a ministerial-level council as part of an ongoing government restructuring plan.
The Cabinet yesterday approved the draft organic law of the nuclear safety regulatory authority, in which the current regulator, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), would be disbanded and replaced by a third-level independent agency subordinate to the Executive Yuan. Part of the AEC’s functions will also be transferred to two ministries in charge of economic affairs and energy and technology, as part of the government’s efforts to streamline its agencies.
As a third-level agency subordinate to the Executive Yuan, the nuclear safety regulator would have the same rank as an institution like the Aviation Security Council, according to the Cabinet’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.
Lawmakers, anti-nuclear activists and even some AEC officials have said that the downgrade would make it more difficult for officials in charge of nuclear safety regulation to coordinate with ministerial-level bodies to ensure nuclear safety……. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2013/02/22/2003555394
Obama close to nominating leaders for energy and climate change
Obama tipped to pick veterans to lead climate, energy push The Age, February 21, 2013 President Barack Obama is close to choosing two veteran Washington policymakers for top energy roles in his Cabinet who would continue many policies on clean energy and air-pollution curbs, according to people familiar with the decisions. Continue reading
Warning on UK subsidies for nuclear power, and conflict of interest
RWE boss warns over nuclear plant subsidies , Terry Macalister and Richard Cookson, The Guardian, 20 February 2013
CEO’s concern that consumers could face ‘unnecessarily high bills’ comes as industry staff are seconded to ministries RWE npower, one of the big six power suppliers, has warned ministers not to seal a long-term subsidy deal with the nuclear industry behind the backs of consumers and saddle them with “unnecessarily high bills” for the next 40 years.
The warning from Paul Massara, RWE UK’s new chief executive, comes as the Guardian can reveal that up to 15 private sector executives with links to the atomic sector have been seconded to government departments or other public sector roles.
“We are very concerned that decisions currently being taken around guaranteed revenue from new nuclear power stations in return for their delivery could force the next three generations of British consumers to pay an unexpected and perhaps unnecessarily high bill for the next 40 years, especially given the track record of delivery of nuclear power stations,” said Massara.
“There must be an open and honest conversation about the future direction of energy bills. Customers must be given the best information to be able to make informed decisions, take control of their bills and reduce their energy waste.”…..
. “We believe UK customers should not be made to write a blank cheque to pay for new power stations,” A Freedom of Information request undertaken by the campaign group, NuclearSpin.org, showed at least 15 people working for the nuclear energy industry or its consultants have been seconded to areas responsible for policy or regulation, some being paid for by the taxpayer…….
Rebellion looming in Utah and Florida against customers paying upfront for nuclear reactors
Editors Rebel Against Ratepayer Financing For Nuclear 
Plants, Forbes, Jeff McMahon 20 Feb 13, This is a tale of two editorials today: one in Utah, lambasting a lawmaker for trying to sneak a price hike into energy bills to pay for a proposed nuclear plant, and one in Florida, demanding the repeal of just such a price hike, which has collected hundreds of millions from ratepayers for nuclear plants that may never be built…
.. In Utah, State Sen. Curt Bramble introduced SB199, a bill that allows utilities to bill customers in advance for “zero-carbon emissions generation” plants that produce up to 3,000 megawatts. The Salt Lake Tribune sees right through that language, saying the bill was “dropped in the hopper at the behest of developers who just won’t give up the foolish idea of building a nuclear power plant on Utah’s Green River.”
The bill proves that nuclear power is too risky and expensive for private capital markets, says the Tribune, so utilities that want to build plants and developers who want the electricity are trying to shuffle the cost onto ratepayers. The problem is that the billions needed for permitting and design could, as the Tribune puts it, “lead to a dry hole.”
And that’s just what seems to have occurred in Florida, where the editors of the Lakeland Ledger and Winterhaven News Chief want to repeal a 2006 law that allows utilities to bill customers in advance for proposed nuclear plants. Thanks to this law, Florida Gas & Light will collect $151 million this year, by the Ledger’s account, and Duke Energy will collect $143 million.
And the utilities are not obligated to return that money. “To the contrary, the fee translates into hundreds of millions in profits for the companies, regardless of what they do,” the Ledger contends. “Duke Energy is forecast to pocket $150 million, whether the Levy plants are built or not.”….. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2013/02/20/editors-rebel-against-ratepayer-financing-for-nuclear-plants/
Obama shifting away from his previous pro nuclear stance
Obama’s Shifting Stance on Nuclear Energy?, Energy Collective, Joseph Koblich February 20, 2013 In his State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress in 2011, President Obama lauded nuclear power as an essential part of the non-carbon mix that he would champion while revamping our inefficient, high-carbon energy sector:
“Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all…”
In 2012′s address, the president mentioned “renewable energy” and “jobs”, but didn’t explicitly mention or neglect nuclear power. This year, however, he listed a number of energy sources on which the energy future of the United States would rely. Wind, solar, natural gas, and oil all made the list again this year, but nuclear power was absent. In the same breath that the president touted natural gas, he even pointed out “…our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.”….
Obama under mass pressure to act on climate change
US protesters urge Obama to act on climate http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/us-protesters-urge-obama-to-act-on-climate/story-e6frfkui-1226579935196#ixzz2LC6PreLO news.com.au by: Chantal Valery AAP February 18, 2013 TENS of thousands of protesters have gathered in Washington to urge President Barack Obama to take concrete measures to fight global warming. Continue reading
Utah Bill designed for ratepayers to pay upfront for new nuclear reactors.
The bill is basically an admission that nuclear power plants are far too expensive, and far too risky an investment, to be bankrolled through the private capital market.
Nuclear speculation SB199 would shift risk to ratepayers, Salt Lake Tribune Feb 20 2013 When the ink isn’t even dry before the sponsoring lawmaker starts distancing himself from a bill he just introduced, the possibility of that bill becoming law seems remote indeed.
Which is good, because Sen. Curt Bramble’s SB199 is a horrible idea.
UK government to subsidise nuclear power, backtracking on promises not to
At the same time some MPs are concerned that the energy bill, which is being scrutinised by MPs, would allow future governments to give nuclear power stations more money if it was needed, without telling parliament.
Suspicion about the clauses in the bill enabling future financial support have been fuelled by industry claims in recent weeks. Vincent de Rivas, chief executive of EDF, told MPs that he wanted the government to guarantee buying all the possible output from the new nuclear plants, not just what was needed.
“He [Davey] is saying there will be a subsidy. Perhaps an enormous subsidy. But you, parliament and the public, will not know what it is until it is too late to change.”
Nuclear power: ministers offer reactor deal until 2050 The Guardian UK Juliette Jowit, political correspondent, 18 Feb 13, Energy firms may get 40-year backing after government U-turn on subsidies. The government is launching a last-ditch attempt to sign up energy companies to build new nuclear power stations by proposing to sign contracts guaranteeing subsidies for up to 40 years.
The coalition agreement reached between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in 2010 promised that nuclear power stations would be built only if the industry got no public subsidy, but costly overruns for new reactors overseas and the exit of several major utilities from the UK programme, most recently Centrica, have driven ministers and officials to backtrack on that pledge and accept they will have to provide financial support. Continue reading
Serious obstacles to South Africa’s nuclear power plans
South Africa’s new nuclear challenges, Mail and Guardian Africa 15 FEB 2013 LYNLEY DONNELLY South African authorities will have to address two critical issues as the country faces signing for its new nuclear procurement megaplan. Funding and human resources capacity are two of the biggest challenges confronting any country embarking on a nuclear energy programme, according to Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
These are two critical issues that South African authorities will have to address as the country faces signing on the dotted line for its new nuclear procurement megaplan for six nuclear power stations by 2030. Funding was a “difficult issue” for the nuclear industry everywhere, said Amano, who was on a brief tour of South Africa last week…… Continue reading
UK govt twists and writhes – trying to give the nuclear industry a subsidy that doesn’t look like a subsidy
The government, which has ruled out any public subsidy for nuclear power, is determined to avoid the perception that it will support new nuclear at any price, even at the risk of the talks collapsing.
hangs in the balance amid increasingly fraught talks between EDF Energy and the Treasury over the price of electricity from EDF’s planned nuclear power station in Somerset.The two sides are negotiating over what price EDF should be awarded for the power it generates at Hinkley Point C, set to become the first new UK atomic plant built in a generation. But the gap between them is much wider than many in the industry were expecting. Continue reading
Obama aiming for action on climate change
Obama reaffirms support for renewable energy, PVTECH, By Felicity Carus – 13 February 2013, The president used his state of the union speech to underline his commitment to renewable energy President Barack Obama last night restated a renewed commitment to clean energy and pledged to return manufacturing jobs to the US in his state of the union address.
America was “finally poised to control our own energy future” and had begun to turn a corner in competing for clean energy capacity with China, he said.
“Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let’s generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year – so let’s drive costs down even further. As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.”….. Echoing his passionate comments on climate change in his inaugural address last month, the president also said that more needed to be done to tackle global warming “for the sake of our children and our future”. He added that if Congress did not enact “a market-based solution to climate change”, he would.
“I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”
Clean energy business groups welcomed the president’s comments last night…… http://www.pv-tech.org/news/obama_reaffirms_support_for_renewable_energy
UK nuclear price guarantee a tricky and controversial question
Lid to be kept on nuclear price guarantee – strike price ‘won’t reach three figures’ : http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2276494/Lid-kept-nuclear-price-guarantee–strike-price-wont-reach-figures.html#ixzz2Kc9vIVuf By JON REES 10 February 2013 The wholesale price guaranteed by the Government for nuclear power generation is likely to be less than £100 a megawatt hour.
Nuclear investors will be compensated if the price falls below the agreed level, but if the price is higher the energy giants must pay the difference to consumers.
Sources close to the negotiations with the Government last week claimed that the guaranteed figure – known as the strike price – ‘will not reach three figures’, which is considerably less than the £140 per megawatt hour equivalent for offshore wind.
If the strike price is set at a level that is seen as being too high it will prove politically controversial as EDF – the only company with firm plans to build new nuclear plants before 2020 – is owned by the French.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: ‘No commitment has been made on commercial terms or a strike price.’
Exelon nuclear company blaming wind energy for decline in electricity prices
Exelon is merely “looking for a scapegoat” after power prices plummeted following the utility’s “bet on the electricity spot market” with nuclear.
Exelon chief: Wind subsidies could shut down nuclear plants,THE HILL By Zack Colman – 02/08/13
A major utility that was ousted from a wind energy trade group last fall said continued government support of wind power could shutter nuclear plants.
Exelon Corp. CEO Christopher Crane told the Chicago Tribune in comments published Friday that his company might eventually have to close nuclear facilities “if we continue to build an excessive amount of wind and subsidize wind.”
Exelon vocally opposed the extension of the wind production tax credit last year. That led the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) to kick the Chicago-based utility out of the organization.
Exelon will likely try to quash AWEA’s push this year for a phase-out of the 2.2 cent per kilowatt-hour credit for wind power production. Exelon has ties to the White House, as one of its directors is a top fundraiser for and friend of President Obama. Former strategist David Axelrod also consulted for the utility, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served as Obama’s first chief of staff, helped create the firm through a merger in 2000 while working as an investment banker. Continue reading
South Dakota uranium decision a blow for the environment
Evidently, South Dakota lawmakers care more about foreign uranium companies than they do about their own citizens.
A tough day for uranium opponents, South Dakota Peace and Justce Center, February 8, 2013 Yesterday was a tough day for those of us who want to keep South Dakota’s water safe for future generations. At 10:00 am, the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing for Senate Bills 148, 149, and 150 to bolster state oversight of uranium mining (read more in our earlier post on the three bills). After hearing from ranchers, public health experts, activists, lobbyists, and South Dakota citizens who will have to deal with the fallout from Powertech’s proposed Dewey-Burdock Project in Fall River County, the Committee promptly voted to defer all three bills, effectively killing them.
Nuclear physicist Moniz next USA Energy Secretary?
Obama considers MIT nuclear physicist as next energy secretary. The Age, 7 Feb 13, President Barack Obama is considering naming nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz, one of his science and energy advisers, as the next energy secretary, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Moniz, who was undersecretary at the Energy Department during the Clinton administration, is a familiar figure on Capitol Hill, where he has often talked to lawmakers about how abundant supplies of US natural gas will gradually replace coal as a source of electricity.
Moniz is director of MIT’s Energy Initiative, a research group that gets funding from industry heavyweights including BP , Chevron, and Saudi Aramco for academic work on projects aimed at reducing climate-changing greenhouse gases.
He did not respond to an e-mail request for comment on Wednesday evening…… From his time in the Clinton administration, he has experience managing the department’s oversight of a chain of national laboratories and the US stockpile of nuclear weapons.
After Obama made good on a first-term campaign promise to shut down the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in Nevada, he named Moniz to a “Blue Ribbon” panel that looked for a new approach for storing toxic nuclear waste.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/obama-considers-mit-nuclear-physicist-as-next-energy-secretary-20130207-2e1lq.html#ixzz2KKsxrFxw
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