One of the reasons that I am a strong advocate of smaller nuclear energy plants is that I resist the notion of the inevitability of greater interconnectedness and dependence. I like systems that have firewalls, circuit breakers, and air gaps to ensure that a failure in one location can be isolated. I do not like…
According the the UPI, an explosion in a gas pipeline in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia has resulted in service disruption to somewhere between 100,000 and 230,000 people. The article indicates that repairs should be completed by Monday January 18, 2010. The article does not state the cause of this explosion, but it implies…
John Wheeler, the host of This Week in Nuclear and I got together for a chat about a variety of nuclear topics. We talked about John’s recent trip to the western end of Puerto Rico, where he surfed near the dome of an experimental reactor called BONUS (Boiling Water Superheated). We talked about the effects…
John Wheeler, the host of This Week in Nuclear and I got together for a chat about recent developments in nuclear energy. We also talked a bit about a very old, completely decommissioned reactor called BONUS on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Topics discussed during our chat include the development of South Korea as…
On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, I visited the Politics and Prose bookstore in Chevy Chase, Maryland. I went there for an author talk by Amanda Little. She shared the story of the journey of discovery about energy that formed the basis for her recently published book titled Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells—Our…
Last night I had the pleasure of attending a book talk by Amanda Little, author of Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells – Our Ride to the Renewable Future. It was the last stop on her ten city tour to promote the book. It was fitting that this was the final stop in…
During the past few weeks, there has been a flurry of writing, revising and reviewing among a senior and accomplished group of people who believe that the United States needs all of the benefits that rapidly growing use of nuclear energy can provide. The final product of the effort is a letter to Dr. John…
You can all rest easy now the world has an “endless” supply of oil. I know that resource exists because I read it in this week’s issue of BusinessWeek, which is written for hard-working, Type A people who believe that markets can solve anything. I have been working around that kind of person for much…
A friend shared a link on Twitter to a BBC article and video titled International nuclear bank – helping world peace?. The article discusses the long history of the proposals to establish a fuel bank that can be placed in territory under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency as a means of reassuring…
For as long as the world has understood the power density of nuclear energy, there have been people who have focused on the need to restrict knowledge and access to material to people that they “trust”. There are whole cadres of people who are part of the “nuclear non-proliferation community” and some who have built…
Chairman of the Bahraini parliament Khalifa Al-Dhahrani has indicated that he believes that nuclear energy is an important tool for nations to develop because oil and gas supplies will eventually dry up. Bahrain has first hand knowledge of the risk of oil depletion; it was one of the first countries in the Middle East to…
According to a recent article in The State titled Groups gain ground in nuclear plant fight, two anti-nuclear groups have claimed victory in a recent appeal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of previous decisions by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB). As is often the case in claims by people who adhere to the deceptive practice…
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