March 2005

Nuclear Energy Update
Weeks of March 14th and March 21st, 2005

Welcome to Nuclear Energy Update. This is a weekly update compiled by The Eisenhower Institute of the most significant news items in international, domestic, and scientific nuclear energy news.

International

Rice Confirms US May Help India Build Nuclear Power Plant
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed during a visit to India that the US may help the country build one or two nuclear power plants to help it grapple with soaring energy needs. The statement reiterates a pledge made by President Bush last year to push for greater cooperation between the two nations, possibly including the necessary aid for the construction of civilian nuclear power facilities. (Joel Brinkley, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/international/asia/16cnd-rice.html, 3/16/05)

Taiwan Installs Controversial Reactor
Despite warnings of reactor rust and flaws in engineering, Taiwan has installed the core reactor of its fourth nuclear power plant. The plant, which could come online as early as next summer, has caused raging domestic debate. The 1,000 ton, Japanese-built reactor has been ready for installation since 2002, but was delayed by political hesitation over safety and waste disposal concerns. (http://science.news.designerz.com/taiwan-defies-safety-warnings-and-installs-reactor-at-nuclear-power-plant.html?d20050320, 3/20/05)

Bangladesh to Gain Access to Nuclear Minerals
Leaders from Bangladesh and China are expected to sign an agreement on the use of nuclear energy during the upcoming visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Bangladesh in April. The agreement is expected to expand Bangladesh's ability to obtain nuclear minerals in hilly and coastal regions. (http://www.newkerala.com/newsdaily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=88431, 3/20/05)

Nuclear Energy to Double by Mid-Century
According to Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), countries are increasingly turning to nuclear power to meet rising energy demands without environmental degradation. ElBaradei stated that by the most modest estimates, nuclear power production will at least double in the next half-century. He pointed to programs such as those in China and Finland as proof that the trend is already progressing. (Reuters, http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-energy-nuclear.html?, 3/21/05)

Jakarta Wants Nuclear Power Within a Decade
Surprising many analysts, Indonesia's ambassador to the IAEA announced that the volcanic country, hit several times by deadly terrorist bombings in recent years, plans to develop nuclear power within ten years. Despite domestic oil reserves, Jakarta claims it is having trouble keeping up with energy demands, and cites nuclear power as the only solution. There is international concern, however, that nuclear power in earthquake prone Indonesia would pose a serious security and health threat. (AAP, http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Indonesian-Npower-plan-slammed/2005/03/22/1111254017286.html, 3/22/05)

Russia to Pay Damages in Future Nuclear Accidents
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law ratifying the decades-old Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage. The convention will hold Russia liable for at least $60 million in damages after a nuclear accident. Since it is not retroactive, Russia will not be required to cover the Chernobyl accident. The ratification is seen as a positive sign to countries promising financial support for Russia's program to secure its nuclear material.(Associated Press, http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4883448,00.html, 3/22/05)

International Community Stands Behind Nuclear Power
According to the closing statement at a nuclear power conference in Paris, most of the 74 countries in attendance expressed confidence that nuclear power was the energy source of the future. Soaring fuel costs combined with increasing demands and environmental concerns make nuclear power an excellent energy source. Despite overwhelming support, however, it was noted that countries must ensure that nuclear energy does not go hand-in-hand with the proliferation of nuclear weapons (Agence France Presse, http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12634092-23109,00.html, 3/23/05)

Scotland Says No to Nuclear Power
Members of the Scottish Parliament are promising to block any attempts by the Labour party to build a new nuclear power plant in Scotland. Largely citing public safety and health concerns, members used terms like "political dinosaurs" and "off the agenda" to describe a nuclear energy bill. (BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4376391.stm, 3/23/05)

 

Domestic

Yucca Mountain Employee Falsified Documents
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has uncovered emails from an employee of the U.S. Geological Survey indicating "that he had fabricated documentation of his work," relating to computer modeling for water infiltration and climate studies at the proposed nuclear waste site. The discovery of the e-mails, which date from 1998-2000, will further delay licensing of Yucca Mountain as investigators determine if critical information is faulty. The prior deadline for completion, set for 2010, will not longer be possible. Many Nevada officials are calling for a complete cancellation of the program. (Associated Press, http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/17/yucca.mountain.ap/index.html, 3/18/05)

Security and Waste Disposal Concerns Hamper Nuclear Plant Expansion
The North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in Louisa County, Virginia, 80 miles outside of Washington, is one of only three plants to request expansion since the accident on Three Mile Island. While all three are still pending, local concerns over terrorism and what will be done with the nuclear waste may impede growth. The plant meets post-9/11 standards, but according to the chairman of the county's planning commission, that is not enough to guard against the versatile attacks terrorists employ. In addition, he points out that the national waste disposal sight, Yucca Mountain, is not due to be completed for years, leaving the local community to deal with the increased waste. (Michelle Boorstein, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50420-2005Mar19.html, 3/20/05)

Yucca Mountain Scientific Instruments Miscalibrated
In a second blow to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility project, it appears that certain instruments were miscalibrated for days and even months. This news could devastate attempts to license the site. One test needing review, in particular, related to the simulation of nuclear radiation to measure the effect on the stability of the structure. (Steve Tetreault, http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Mar-22-Tue-2005/news/26128912.html, 3/22/05)

Fuel from Weapons Grade Plutonium Makes Way to South Carolina
Two armed French ships are en route to the Carolina coast carrying four rods of MOX fuel. The MOX consists of transformed fuel taken from US nuclear weapons dismantled under a 2000 agreement with Russia. It will be used in a test-run at Catawba Nuclear Station. If successful, the French will aid in the construction of an MOX factory at the Savannah River site to dispose of the rest of the weapons grade plutonium covered in the agreement. (Maurice Thomas and Associated Press, http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/11225237.htm, 3/25/05)

Lawmakers Urge Alternative to Yucca Mountain in Face of Lawsuits
Mounting costs of actual and potential lawsuits from the nuclear industry have led some lawmakers to advocate an alternative site to the delayed Yucca Mountain waste disposal project. Over a dozen years of delays could cost the government $3 billion in damages as plants have been forced to independently warehouse spent fuel. Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, has proposed an interim, above-ground storage facility. In the meantime, a private, above ground dump in Utah has received licensing from the NRC and currently awaits final approval to begin accepting waste. (Erica Werner, http://news.yahoo.com/news?t_mountain_1, 3/25/05)

Wet Storage of Spent Fuel a Dangerous Terrorist Magnet
According to excerpts, made public this week, of a classified National Academy of Sciences report, the preferred method of storage for spent waste presents an extremely dangerous terrorist target. The report challenged claims from the nuclear industry, the NRC, and the Bush administration that leaving spent fuel rods in swimming-pool like structures until the pools fill is not only more cost-efficient but it perfectly safe. The pools, which store sometimes as many as 1,000 tons of rods, provide a cheaper alternative to costly dry-storage casks. If attacked, however, the water from the pools could drain, setting off fire and health hazards. (Shankar Vedantam, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5408-2005Mar27.html, 3/28/05)

Nevada Files Brief Against Department of Energy
Lawyers for the State of Nevada filed a brief in their lawsuit against the Department of Energy asking a federal court to intervene in the agency's plan to ship nuclear waste through Nevada to Yucca Mountain. The brief alleges that the DOE usurped the government's railroad agency and failed to conduct the required environmental studies before going ahead with it. DOE is expected to file its own brief in the coming weeks. (Associated Press, http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=3123169, 3/28/05)

 

Scientific

Nuclear Mini-Plant Could Alleviate Rural Energy Shortages
Toshiba Corp. is designing a nuclear reactor that would stand only seven feet tall, with a diameter of 30 inches, making it the smallest in the United States. The isolated village of Galena, Alaska, where temperatures reach 60 degrees below zero in the winter and materials for energy production are difficult to obtain, may be the test site of the tiny reactor. Unlike conventional reactors, the fuel would not be regularly replenished, remaining encapsulated for up to three decades. While residents of Galena hope the reactor will provide them with inexpensive fuel for the first time, neighbors worry the test reactor will not be able to endure the harsh Alaskan climate. (Dan Joling, http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3093019, 3/19/05)

Nuclear Energy Perfect for Desalinization
The American Nuclear Society has approved a position statement on the use of nuclear energy for desalinization. In light of the enormous power requirements to turn sea water into drinking water, the society recommended nuclear energy as a clean and efficient power source. Without new desalinization facilities, one third of the world's population will live in regions without adequate water supplies, in twenty years. (PRWeb, http://www.prweb.com/releases/200514/3/prwebxml220609.php, 03/23/05)

 

Op-Ed

Public Needs to Understand Safety of Nuclear Power
If America wishes to move away from its dependency on oil and the pollution of coal emissions, nuclear energy is the safest, cleanest, and most efficient way to achieve this goal. The industry, however, has done a very poor job of separating itself from the mushroom cloud of nuclear weapons. The American public must be taught to give up its fears of technology and mass destruction and learn to embrace the benefits of nuclear energy. (Stanley Crouch, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/291851p-249883c.html, 3/21/05)

 

Credits

Compiled by: Ivy Fitzgerald
Edited by: Suzanne Vogel

 

Nuclear Energy Update
Weeks of March 28th and April 4th, 2005

Welcome to Nuclear Energy Update. This is a weekly update compiled by The Eisenhower Institute of the most significant news items in international, domestic, and scientific nuclear energy news.

International

Taiwan Cannot Phase Out Nuclear Power Within Decade
Taiwanese Minister of Economic Affairs, Ho Mei-yueh, told the country's legislative body that it will be impossible for Taiwan to phase out all nuclear energy in the next ten years, as a fifth of the country's energy comes from nuclear facilities. She promised that no new plants would be built. Taiwan currently has four functioning nuclear power plants. (http://english.www.gov.tw/index.jsp?action=cna&cnaid=8123, 03/28/05)

US, Canada to Help Shut Down Russian Reactor
Officials from the US and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding meant to assist in closing one of the last Russian reactors producing weapons-grade plutonium. While Russia has shut down 11 such plants so far, this agreement is meant to ensure the timely end of all such reactors. The Department of Energy has noted the reactors will likely be replaced with fossil fuel plants. (Charles Digges, http://www.bellona.no/en/international/russia/nuke_industry/co-operation/37553.html, 03/31/05)

India Ratifies Convention on Nuclear Safety
India's Foreign Ministry has announced the signing of the 1994 Convention on Nuclear Safety, which obligates the country to adhere to specific safety standards in construction, operation, and regulation of nuclear power plants. India has long been known for maintaining high standards of safety. The signing of this convention is a sign of cooperation with the international community at a time when India is under fire for refusing to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (Harbaksh Singh Nanda, http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/?action=fullnews&id=93094, 04/01/05)

Britain Creates Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
In an effort to safely deal with the United Kingdom's many aging nuclear sites, the Department of Trade and Industry formally created the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The NDA will acquire ownership of many of Britain's main nuclear facilities, and contract-out the decommissioning activities. In part, the hope is to make decommissioning less expensive through competition, learning from US experiences. The price tag of cleanup in the US has so far been $150 billion. (Charles Digges, http://www.bellona.no/en/energy/nuclear/sellafield/37614.html, 04/04/05)

Nuclear Power to Be Pillar of Chinese Energy
Zhang Fubao, an official of the Chinese Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense, announced China's new, more ambitious, nuclear energy plans in remarks at the 6th International Nuclear Power Industry Exhibition in Shanghai. The plan includes the construction of 40 nuclear generation units in the next 15 years and studying heat reactors and fast breeder reactors. Currently, nuclear energy accounts for less than 1% of the country's energy supply, while coal facilities generate nearly 70% of power. (People's Daily Online, http://english.people.com.cn/200504/07/eng20050407_179904.html, 04/07/05)

 

Domestic

Congress to Discuss Yucca Mountain
In separate hearings, both the Senate and the House will be holding hearings in early April to discuss concerns over quality assurance at the proposed waste site. A Senate committee and a House subcommittee will hear testimony regarding allegedly falsified documents and mis-calibrated instruments in an attempt to assess the future of Yucca Mountain. There are currently at least three investigations into the project at the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior. (Associated Press, http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/mar/29/032910985.html, 03/29/05)

House Subcommittee Releases Yucca Mountain Emails
Representative Jon Porter (R-NV), Chairman of a House Subcommittee investigating charges on falsified Yucca Mountain documents, has released excerpts from the emails describing doctoring of information. In hearings commencing April 5, the committee will examine the text of the emails, the employee's work, and damage caused by the false data to determine if the quality of the assessment was undermined. The emails, dating from 1998 through 2000, relate to tests of water infiltration, and include an outright admission that names and dates were made up on at least one document. (Chad Bungard, http://reform.house.gov/FWAO/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=7447, 04/01/05)

Bill Reintroduced to Stop Utah Waste Storage
In an attempt to stop a plan by a nuclear consortium to store waste at Skull Valley in Utah, US Representative Rob Bishop has announced he will again introduce a bill that has failed to pass twice already. The legislation would designate 100,000 acres of Utah's West Desert as protected wilderness. While the bill does not specifically ban the use of the land as a nuclear waste site, it would forbid the use of railways which would inhibit transport of material to a potential site. (Travis Reed, http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=51598&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0, 04/01/05)

Yucca Mountain Pipe Fitters Told to Bypass Meter
As part of a wrongful termination lawsuit against project contractor Bechtel SAIC, a former employee is alleging that pipe fitters were told to intentionally damage a water pipe and then to install a pipe to bypass a state water meter. The plaintiff admits he never actually saw the pipe being installed. The suit alleges that he and another employee were harassed and fired after making several complaints relating to workers' safety and environmental standards. (Associated Press, http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/11307738.htm, 04/04/05)

Public Demands Backup for Emergency Alarm Systems at Plants
In a meeting with NRC officials, public petitioners demanded the agency require backup power systems for the emergency alarms at nuclear power plants. According to NRC documents, many plants around the country currently experience power failures to the systems. If an emergency situation occurred during a failure, the system would not automatically alert those living within ten miles of the plant to evacuate. Those leading the charge include 17 environmental and public interest groups as well as three New York county legislative assemblies around Indian Point. (Paul Gunter, http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0405-10.htm, 04/05/05)

Experts: US Needs Plant-by-Plant Examinations of Spent Fuel Security
Experts convened by the National Academy of Science believe every nuclear power plant in the country needs to be individually examined for security risks. Following an earlier report that spent fuel stored in pools is extremely vulnerable to terrorism, the panel said that neither the industry nor the NRC has established the safety of the spent fuel reserves. (H. Josef Hebert, http://www.nj.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/1112806684229500.xml&storylist=washington, 04/06/05)

Employee Suspected of Falsifying Data Still at Yucca Mountain
The employee accused to falsifying water-infiltration data at Yucca Mountain was brought back into the project as a contractor in mid-March. Officials say he returned to find a missing file regarding his project. This revelation contradicts testimony earlier this week by Charles Groat, Director of the USGS. Representatives from Nevada are fuming and remanding answers from the Department of Energy as to why an employee under investigation was allowed to return and why Groat testified to the contrary. (Keith Rogers and Steve Tetreault, http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Apr-07-Thu-2005/news/26239675.html, 04/07/05)

Government Will Move 12 Million Ton Waste Dump
The DOE has announced it will recommend in an environmental impact statement that a massive nuclear waste dump, predominantly open to the air, be moved away from its current home 750 ft away from the Colorado River. Officials estimate that it will take over $400 million from Congress to relocate the dump 30 miles northward. The decision was based on concerns that radioactive material was seeping into the river, which provides drinking water to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. (Associated Press, http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=76979, 04/07/05)

 

Scientific

New Alloy Absorbs Radiation Better
Researchers at Lehigh University, Sandia National Laboratory, and Idaho National Laboratory have found a nickel-based alloy with added gadolinium that demonstrates the highest ability to absorb radioactive neutrons of any known alloy. The patented material, which can be produced in large amounts, could provide added safety in the storage and disposal of the 50,000 tons of nuclear waste in the US. (Kurt Pfitzer, http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-04/lu-nav040405.php, 04/04/05)

Nuclear Reactor in Space will Open Many Opportunities
NASA's Prometheus program to use nuclear reactors in space has a hard road ahead. Cost overruns, technical, and safety concerns make the project risky. Once completed, however, the technology will provide planetary exploration programs with much more energy than previous electrical systems. A first mission could be short term, such as to the moon, or longer duration like investigating Saturn's rings. (Leonard David, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7411521/, 04/06/05)

 

Op-Ed

World Should Adhere More Strictly to NPT
According to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, for nuclear energy activities to be acceptable, the IAEA must be able to carefully monitor the program and safeguard against use of materials for weapons. Today, this standard is neither strictly nor consistently applied, allowing dangerous states like Iran to continue to develop nuclear capabilities under the guise of energy generation. To hedge the growth of this trend, states at the NPT Review Conference should consider enacting the following measures: Moratoriums on expanding nuclear fuel production and expanding net enrichment capacity, a freeze on weapons-grade material transfers, reassessing IAEA safeguards, and doing more to encourage non-nuclear energy sources. (Henry Sokolski, http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2005_04/Sokolski.asp, 04/05)

Nuclear Energy is the Safest and Most Reliable Power Source
America's largest energy source, coal, kills 25,000 people a year with the carbon emissions released into the air. Hydroelectric dams decimate natural salmon populations. Solar power is fantastically expensive and wind power is inconsistent. Accidents do happen, as the past shows us, but nuclear energy presents the only environmentally friendly source of power that could feasibly replace coal production in our time. (Nicholas D. Kristof, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/09/opinion/09kristof.html?hp, 04/09/05)

 

Credits

Compiled by: Ivy Fitzgerald
Edited by: Suzanne Vogel