The great state of Texas seems to be poised to become the nuclear capital of the US based on the number of new nuclear plants that have been proposed for the state. TXU, Exelon, NRG and Amarillo Power have all proposed major new nuclear power plant projects in Texas, already the home of 4 of…
According to an article posted on Daily Yomiuri Online titled Toshiba near deal to produce nuclear plant parts in Russia there has been a lot of progress made towards an agreement between Toshiba and Atomprom, the Russian nuclear energy monopoly company. One result of the agreement might be the establishment of a joint venture factory…
Cognitive dissonance about climate change continues to amaze me. According to an article published on IOL.co.sa titled Cape must reduce power use by 2010 Cape Town, South Africa has passed a municipal ordinance demanding that businesses reduce their energy consumption by 10% by the year 2010 – that is just 3 years away. Though the…
There is an interesting controversy brewing in southern California, the land of eternal smog. The city’s Department of Water and Power, which now produces about 40% of its electricity by burning coal, has identified some renewable sources of emission free power in the desert to the east of the city. There is some sun out…
I realize that I get a rather biased view of the world because I specifically search out articles about certain new nuclear plant projects and about energy topics in general. That said, it seems that there is a growing confluence of factors leading to an increasing probability that there will be a lot of new…
There is a sobering article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal (subscription only) today titled Crop Prices Soar, Pushing Up Cost of Food Globally. Here is an excerpt from the story: One of the chief causes of food-price inflation is new demand for ethanol and biodiesel, which can be made from corn,…
CBS 60 MInutes has a nice feature on nuclear power tonight – April 8, 2007. For those who missed the show, you can find the video on the web at Vive Les Nukes!. The story talks about the French success in nuclear, the possibility for growth in the US, and the fact that nuclear is…
Shane and I jumped around a bit, but spent most of the time on Russian interest in nuclear power The Russians are actively traveling the world marketing their nuclear power plants and services. They have been in South Africa and Canada recently looking for cooperative arrangements to share technology and skills. Shane and I also…
Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) is one of the most respected analytical organizations in the energy business. Its founder and current chairman is Daniel Yergin, author of the seminal 1991 book on the oil business titled The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power. That book is one of the most dog eared…
Sometimes I get frustrated (I know, those of you who actually know me will be shocked, shocked I tell you, to hear that) by the lack of understanding that Americans display about events in other countries. We are a pretty insular people and often fail to understand what drives those events to occur. In particular,…
The needle moved today in the effort to change the general perception of nuclear power. Even in California – a place that I have often called “the land of the fruits and nuts” – there are plenty of people that “get it”. They understand that clean, safe, abundant nuclear energy beats the alternatives hands down….