Nuclear Power
“Risks of nuclear power cannot be controlled”
Dr. Inge Paulini, president of Germany’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection (FORP), has come out with a clear and categorical statement about the risks of nuclear power as the European Commission continues to weigh consideration of the energy source under its “green” EU Taxonomy. In a statement on the FORP website, Dr. Paulini said: “The…
Read MoreReactors are closing
There are presently 94 commercial nuclear power reactors licensed to commercially operate in the United States. While U.S. nuclear power stations were originally licensed to operate for a 40-year period, the bulk of the U.S. nuclear power fleet is now relicensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to operate for an “initial” 20-year license extension…
Read MoreNew reactor licensing of U.S. commercial power reactors
A brief controversial history of new reactor licensing Beginning in 2006, driven by directives from the United States Congress, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the US nuclear power industry embarked upon an application and licensing process for a “Nuclear Renaissance” of new commercial atomic power plant projects. The industry lobby and government regulatory revival…
Read MoreDecommissioning U.S. power stations
See NRC Information Digest (2021-2022) Appendix C, “Permanently Closed and Decommissioning US Nuclear Power Stations” Decommissioning is the process of decontaminating and dismantling permanently closed commercial nuclear power stations. Decommissioning involves the burial of the radioactive waste including contaminated materials (concrete, metals, components, soil, water, etc.) and the long-term management of those burial sites to…
Read MoreRelicensing U.S. commercial nuclear power stations
The “bridge to the future” for the US commercial nuclear power industry is now less apparent in new reactor construction than it is through the federal government’s ramping up of a license renewal program for existing reactors. License renewal is overseen by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The original operating license for US nuclear…
Read MoreThe Washington Post gets it wrong (again) on nuclear power
The Washington Post ran a January 1, 2022 pro-nuclear editorial full of the usual clichéd misconceptions about both France and Germany. This followed an article replete with similar errors of fact. Both times, we wrote in, but the Post has declined to publish our responses. Here is the letter to the editor sent in response to…
Read MoreNRC rejects Oklo application to build and operate a micro-reactor
Oklo Corporation does a better job of painting a picture of its Aurora micro-reactor mirage than convincing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff to jointly “pave the road as they travel” for an unproven technology. In this case, “A picture is worth a thousand words” literally does not apply to producing a cogent technical safety…
Read MoreU.S. Installed Solar Capacity to Surpass Nuclear Power in Three Years
According to a review of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) report “Energy Infrastructure Update for August 2021” performed by the Sun Day Campaign, the federal agency is forecasting that the nation’s installed utility-scale solar power generating capacity will surpass nuclear power generating capacity within three years. Sun Day further reveals the report’s finding…
Read MoreVladimir Slivyak of Ecodefense in Russia wins Right Livelihood Award!
Vladimir Slivyak [pictured] is one of Russia’s most committed and knowledgeable environmentalists, who has been spearheading important grassroots campaigns against environmentally damaging practices for decades. He has stopped projects related to the exploitation of fossil fuels, the use of nuclear power and coal, and the shipment of radioactive waste from abroad. As co-chairman and co-founder…
Read MoreGroups intervene on Oconee relicensing
Beyond Nuclear and Sierra Club have intervened in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) review of Duke Energy’s application requesting a second twenty-year license extension (60- to 80-years) for the three-unit Oconee nuclear generating station near Seneca, South Carolina. The groups have requested a public hearing before an Atomic Safety Licensing Board based largely on an…
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