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Wind industry thriving in Europe, Nuclear declining

“in Europe, more nuclear and coal capacity were decommissioned than installed in 2009,”

Wind beating nuclear and coal  in europe CleanTech February 4, 2010 – by Dallas Kachan More signs of the ascendancy of renewables and the waning of conventional energy, at least in Europe, according to two new reports:

  1. Wind installations were up dramatically in 2009 despite the recession, driven by China, and accounted for the largest proportion of new power installations in the world, says one report, and
  2. In Europe, more nuclear and coal capacity were decommissioned than installed in 2009, according to the other Continue reading

February 5, 2010 Posted by | renewable | , , | Leave a comment

Cameco, Exelon, USEC, – Nuclear and Uranium Stocks are Losers

Top Nuclear Stocks Losers (NYSE: CCJ,EXC,USU) Trak In, Business and Finance News by EIN, 2010/02/05 Dallas, Tx – Cameco Corporation (USA) (NYSE:CCJ) went down 2.94% to $27.37 on 2.29 million shares. The stock hit an intraday high and an intraday low of $28.30 and $27.34 respectively. In the last six months the stock went down over 6%. Cameco Corporation is a Canada-based company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the exploration, development, mining, refining, conversion and fabrication of uranium for sale as fuel for generating electricity in nuclear power reactors in Canada and other countries. Continue reading

February 5, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stephen Chu’s religious faith that a nuclear waste solution will be found

(Despite 60 years of fruitless search ) “Chu, testifying to the panel members on the budget proposal, maintained that “we’re going to have a solution to nuclear, the backend fuel issue…”

GOP: Chu Sending Mixed Signals on NuclearEnergy and Environment National Journal  Amy Harder
February 4, 2010

Republican senators today accused Energy Secretary Steven Chu of sending mixed signals to the nuclear industry. Continue reading

February 5, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Activists get deep inside U.S. Nuclear Weapons Site in Europe

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Site in Europe  Breached By Hans M. Kristensen FAS Stategic Security 4 Feb 2010

A group of people last week managed to penetrate deep onto Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium where the U.S. Air Force currently deploys 10-20 nuclear bombs. Continue reading

February 5, 2010 Posted by | EUROPE, safety | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tax-payers giving a blank check to the U.S. nuclear industry?

“With hundreds of billions in bailouts already on the shoulders of US taxpayers, the country cannot afford to move forward with a program that could easily become the black hole for hundreds of billions more,” The Senate energy bill approved by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last June would create a Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) within the DOE that could distribute a virtually unlimited number of loan guarantees without any congressional oversight.

Obama’s Nuclear Giveaway, Buried in the budget is a plan to underwrite the nuclear industry’s revival.

Mother Jones 4 Feb 2010  By Kate Sheppard

“… the Obama administration’s 2011 budget proposes tripling the loan guarantee program—from the $18.5 billion that Congress has already approved to $54.5 billion. The program’s expansion is just one of several signs that the Obama administration is throwing its muscle behind the nuclear industry’s push for a massive expansion. Continue reading

February 5, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , | Leave a comment

$Billions for Nuclear Power Sneaked into the U.S Climate Bill

Nuclear’s Slice of the Climate Pie— Mother Jones, Feb. 3, 2010 By Kate Sheppard

Senators hoping to pass a climate and energy bill this year have listed increased support for nuclear power as one of the major enticements for Republicans and apprehensive Democrats to back the legislation. Continue reading

February 5, 2010 Posted by | climate change, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Unnecessary nuclear and uranium projects get $billions in U.S. budget

POGO is Shocked by Wasteful Spending in DOE Budget

Project on Government Oversight, Ingrid Drake, 4 Feb 2010 In the midst of initiating a federal spending freeze, it is shocking that President Obama’s FY 2011 Budget Request released this week pours billions of dollars into two unnecessary nuclear weapons construction projects. There is no demonstrated requirement for either the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) at the Y-12 National Security Complex nor the Chemical and Metallurgical Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

“Contrary to the spin, neither of these facilities are needed to ensure the safety, security and effectiveness of our weapons,” says Peter Stockton, POGO Senior Investigator.

In addition, DOE does not even have an estimated cost for completing the projects, as the budget describes their total costs as “TBD.” “To Be a Disaster,” is what POGO fears that term means, based on DOE’s atrocious record of soaring construction costs and overruns. For example, the cost of the Highly Enriched Uranium Manufacturing Facility (HEUMF) at Y-12 ballooned from $97 million to $549 million. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) project also experienced dramatically increased costs and delayed completion dates. The Department of Energy sold the NIF to Congress in the early 1990s with a reported cost estimate of $700 million and an original completion date of 2002, yet its most recent cost estimate is $5-6 billion with a completion date of 2010 — more than 600 percent over budget and at least 8 years behind schedule.

Despite the 10 percent spending increase on the nation’s nuclear weapons budget, one of the only areas to see reduced growth is the budget for weapons dismantlement, which was sliced almost in half….http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2010/02/pogo-is-shocked-by-wasteful-spending-in-doe-budget.html

February 5, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chernobyl taking in money, giving out radiation

Chernobyl: Leaking radiation and sucking up Canadian money Thirteen years after Canada and other nations pledged $768-million to render the destroyed nuclear reactor safe, the cost has ballooned to $2-billion and the job still isn’t done
KievTHE GLOBE AND MAIL Doug Saunders  Feb. 03, 2010

Almost a quarter-century after its explosion killed hundreds and shocked the world, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor still sits crumbling amid an uninhabitable wasteland in northern Ukraine, still emits surprising amounts of radiation, and still absorbs vast amounts of money. Continue reading

February 4, 2010 Posted by | environment, Ukraine | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bleak prospects for uranium price

An Un-Happy New Year For Uranium2/02/2010 Nine MSN By Andrew Nelson January was tough on uranium, with U3O8 prices dropping more than 5%, or US$2.25/lb to $42.25/lb from the prior month. The price is now at its lowest level since March 2009.The fairly steady decline that has been seen over the past few months is primarily the function of supply and demand fundamentals, with a high availability of stock not being helped by increasingly low-priced supply and light, mostly discretionary demand………….with demand remaining discretionary in nature, buyers are only really moving to lock in lower prices. Unfortunately, this demand is being met by an ever increasing willingness on the part of some sellers to lower prices further in order to close sales.

An Un-Happy New Year For Uranium

February 4, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear power on the nose in Italy

‘We are against nuclear power and today in Rome most of the regions stood for this idea’.

Political risk for Italian nuclear  World Nuclear News 3 Feb 2010 Italy’s inter-regional body rejected the nuclear energy policy proposed by Silvio Berlusconi’s government during a late January session. Meanwhile, regional elections are approaching, giving rise to fears for Italy’s nuclear renaissance. Continue reading

February 4, 2010 Posted by | Italy, politics | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Westinghouse nuclear plans delayed in Florida and in India

Westinghouse says Florida nuclear units to be delayed US nuclear regulator action delays Florida units By C.J. Kuncheria, NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Nuclear energy firm Westinghouse Electric, owned by Japan’s Toshiba Corp (6502.T), said regulatory issues would delay the starting of two reactors it is building in Florida by 1-½ to 3 years. Continue reading

February 4, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

French bank pulls out of Bulgaria’s nuclear power plant

France’s BNP Paribas Quits Bulgaria Belene N-Plant Nuclear Reaction 4 Feb 2010 BNP Paribas SA, France’s largest bank by market value, who was hired by the previous Socialist government to help fund the construction of Belene nuclear power plant at the Danube river town, has ditched the project…. Continue reading

February 4, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , | Leave a comment

Is Iran just playing for time on nuclear weapons?

Iran uranium offer dismissed by Europe as time-wasting The Guardian Julian Borger  3 February 2010 Officials say Ahmadinejad’s offer to export uranium in return for fuel rods was aimed at ducking threat of sanctions Continue reading

February 4, 2010 Posted by | Iran, politics international | , , , , | Leave a comment

Israel’s fear of Iran causing ‘nuclear chaos’

Deputy PM Ya’alon: Nuclear Iran could cause chaos in region Y Net 02.03.10,   Israel News Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) said at the Herzliya Conference that America’s “inability to act decisively to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear is now being exposed, and it appears that the current world order is based on organizations like the UN and the IAEA whose strength is in doubt.” Ya’alon said that a nuclear Iran could cause chaos in the region. (Yonatan Weber and Dudi Cohen)

Deputy PM Ya’alon: Nuclear Iran could cause chaos in region – Israel News, Ynetnews

February 4, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , | Leave a comment

Young Obama supporters tell Obama – Nuclear is Wrong Way

Dear Mr. President – Nuclear Power Will Set Back Race Against Global Warming « It’s Getting Hot In Here 2 Feb 2010 Dear President Obama,According to a report released by Environment America in November, the long process to build nuclear plants along with the carbon intensity of production will set us back in the fight against global warming. The next 5-10 years are CRITICAL for the future of my generation and the planet that your daughters will inherit. Continue reading

February 3, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment