Oklo has a plan to make tiny nuclear reactors that run off nuclear waste JUN 28 2021 The face of nuclear energy is changing, and one of the companies working to redefine what nuclear energy looks like is Oklo. The 22-person Silicon Valley start-up has a plan to build mini-nuclear reactors,…
IOUs cut carbon emissions in 2020, though the footprint remains big for some
IOUs cut carbon emissions in 2020, though the footprint remains big for some Energize Weekly, June 30, 2021 Coal-fired generation and carbon emissions are down among the largest investor-owned utilities, but even with sharp drops in emissions, the carbon footprint for some companies remains large, according to survey data from…
U.S. NRC launches investigation at Southern Georgia Vogtle 3 nuclear unit
U.S. NRC launches investigation at Southern Georgia Vogtle 3 nuclear unit Jun 21, 2021 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said Monday it launched a special inspection at Southern Co’s Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia to identify what led to remediation work at the third unit, which is under…
U.S. nuclear regulator approves fuel for next-generation reactors
U.S. nuclear regulator approves fuel for next-generation reactors June 15, 2021 The U.S. nuclear power regulator has approved production of uranium fuel that is far more enriched than fuel for conventional nuclear power plants, the company aiming to make the material said on Monday. Read more
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are building a $1 billion next-generation nuclear reactor in Wyoming
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are building a $1 billion next-generation nuclear reactor in Wyoming Jun 3, 2021 The billionaire friends Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are set to build a $1 billion next-generation nuclear reactor in Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon said on Wednesday. Read more
Xcel Energy Cuts Emission, Set to Attain Carbon Neutrality
Xcel Energy Cuts Emission, Set to Attain Carbon Neutrality June 8, 2021 Xcel Energy announced that it has achieved more than 50% of the carbon neutrality target and is among the few utilities that have pledged to cut emissions from the electricity generation process by 100%. Read more
Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant Trial Begins
Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant Trial Begins May 16, 2021 After years of dispute, oral arguments began Sunday in a trial concerning the ownership rights of the unfinished Bellefonte nuclear plant. Read more
New strategy for greener TVA will close coal plants, add solar and nuclear
New strategy for greener TVA will close coal plants, add solar and nuclear Thu, May 6, 2021 Nearly a century after the Tennessee Valley Authority was created to harness the power of the Tennessee River, America’s biggest public utility is planning to turn more to the sun, splitting atoms and…
New York advisory panel recommendations to include gas-fired plant moratorium
New York advisory panel recommendations to include gas-fired plant moratorium 03 May 2021 New York’s Power Generation Advisory Panel will recommend a moratorium against new fossil fuel-fired plant construction to the state’s Climate Action Council, the panel’s chair said May 3. Read more
Crucial test starts at Georgia Power’s Vogtle nuclear unit
Crucial test starts at Georgia Power’s Vogtle nuclear unit Matt Kempner, April 26, 2021 Georgia Power has launched a crucial series of tests at its first new nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle, a project that has promised more carbon-free energy but has taken far longer and cost far more than…
US fusion company expects commercial fusion power plant by the end of the decade
12 April 2021 California-based TAE Technologies said on 8 April that it had raised an additional $280 million for its reactor-scale demonstration fusion facility to support the final step toward its commercialisation. The private fusion energy company announced a technology milestone by producing stable plasma at more than 50 million degrees…
New partnership announced to build nation’s first advanced nuclear reactor in Tri-Cities
by Samantha Spitz, Thursday, April 1st 2021 Energy leaders announced a new partnership for the development of the country’s first advanced nuclear reactor, right here in the Tri-Cities. Energy Northwest, Grant County Public Utility District (PUD) and X-energy LLC are working together to build a Xe-100 advanced nuclear power plant…
Ohio House votes to kill scandal-tainted nuclear bailout
Jim Provance, Wed, March 11, 2021 The Ohio House on Wednesday voted 86-7 to repeal provisions of a law now tainted by scandal that would have financially benefited Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. as well as two northern Ohio nuclear power plants. Read more
Bill Gates’s next-gen nuclear plant packs in grid-scale energy storage
By Loz Blain, March 08, 2021 Wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, wave energy … Renewable sources are a crucial pillar of any plan to decarbonize the world’s energy generation industries and eliminate fossil fuel use. But for many reasons – intermittency, location dependency, land requirements, and others – they can’t do…
Collapse of the natural gas system from wellhead to turbine fueled Texas’ blackout
Energize Weekly, February 24, 2021 The near collapse of Texas’ electric grid was caused in the main by a failure of the natural gas system from the wellhead to pipeline to gas turbine, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA). “Texas has a power shortage because it…
No abnormalities found at Fukushima nuclear power plants
ANI, 14th February 2021 Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide on Sunday said that no tsunami accompanied the earthquake that struck Saturday Fukushima Prefecture and no abnormalities were found at nuclear power plants in the affected region. Read more
U.S. energy consumption will take years to rebound from pandemic, EIA says
Energize Weekly, February 10, 2021 It will take years for U.S. energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions to return to 2019 levels after the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy and the global energy sector, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Energy consumption in…
U.S. wind and solar generation set to soar in 2021, as coal-fired and nuclear plants close
Energize Weekly, January 27, 2021 The U.S. electricity generation fleet will continue its transformation in 2021 with wind and solar dominating new installations and nuclear and coal-fired plants steadily being retired, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Power plant developers and utilities are planning for 39.7 gigawatts (GW)…
Two FERC decisions pose problems for renewable energy generation
Energize Weekly, September 16, 2020 In a pair of September rulings, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has undercut the development of clean energy projects, according to environmentalists and a dissenting commissioner. A Sept. 1, FERC decision limited the flexibility of small, renewable energy projects to get certification that assures…
Wind and solar deployment continue apace in 2020, could supply 90 percent of the grid by 2035
Energize Weekly, June 17, 2020 Renewable power’s continuing decline in prices is spurring near-term expansion, even in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic and, according to a new report, could power 90 percent of the U.S. electric grid by 2035 while reducing wholesale electricity prices. The analysis by the…
NRC to grant waivers for work-hour limits at nuclear units to meet pandemic staffing needs
Energize Weekly, April 8, 2020 Faced with the risk of not being able to meet the rigorous staffing requirement for operating nuclear power plants during the ongoing pandemic, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it is prepared to grant exemptions from work-hour controls. The NRC in a March 28 letter…
Renewables poised to overtake coal and nuclear power in 2021, natural gas in 2045
Energize Weekly, February 12, 2020 Renewables are set to overtake both coal-fired and nuclear generation by 2021 and natural gas-fired generation by 2045, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Wind and solar are leading the surge in renewable generation, which EIA says will account for 21 percent of…
U.S. uranium production dives in Q3 as Trump administration punts on quotas
Energize Weekly, November 13, 2019 U.S. production of uranium concentrate plummeted 27 percent in the third quarter of 2019 to 32,211 pounds after the Trump administration balked at setting quotas for uranium imports. Production was down 94 percent when compared with the third quarter of 2018, according to the federal…
Five states with open electricity retail markets now have financial aid programs for nuclear plants
Energize Weekly, October 16, 2019 Five states have now moved to provide financial aid to their economically challenged nuclear power plants, according to a federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) report. In July, Ohio joined Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Illinois in offering financial relief or other assistance to their…
Worldwide nuclear generation rose 2.4 percent in 2018 with nine new reactors coming online
Energize Weekly, October 2, 2019 Nuclear power generation was up 2.4 percent worldwide in 2018 to 2,563 terawatt-hours (TWh) from 449 operable reactors, according to the World Nuclear Association, an industry trade group. There were 55 reactors under construction in 2018, with five new construction starts and nine new reactors…
EIA forecasts a 50 percent increase in energy demand by 2050 driven by Asian economies
Energize Weekly, October 2, 2019 World energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent by 2050, with most of that demand coming from growing Asian economies, according to the federal Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook. “Energy consumption was greater in Asia than in any other region in…
Building a Small Modular Reactor Fleet
Energize Weekly, August 28, 2019 By Budd Haemer, Senior Nuclear Counsel, American Electric Power About half the corporate leaders of the United States see nuclear power as essential to a sustainable energy future. Many of the leaders of the nuclear industry and in Congress see Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as…
Renewables briefly overtake nuclear and may be a sign of the future
Energize Weekly, January 3, 2018 Utility-scale renewable energy generation surpassed nuclear generation for the first time in three decades in March and April of 2017, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). While the phenomenon appears to be temporary, in 2017, it is marked by a series of trends…
