Impressions from the ANS Utility Working Conference 2017

With generous support from several Atomic Insights readers, I was able to attend the welcome reception and the first day of the annual Utility Working Conferenc organized by the American Nuclear Society (ANS). This year’s conference title was The Nuclear Option – Clean, Safe, Reliable & Affordable. This event has been a fixture in the…

Energized by young nuclear enthusiasts

Energized by young nuclear enthusiasts

Attending an ANS (American Nuclear Society) Student Conference is one of my favorite ways to reinforce my faith in humanity and to stoke my excitement about the future of nuclear energy. This year’s event, Dispelling Nuclear Myths – hosted by the ANS chapter at the University of Pittsburg – has been a wonderful addition to…

Will be catching up with advanced and small reactor innovators in Atlanta

Nuclear Energy Insider, a UK based trade publication and conference organizer that shares an acronym name with the Nuclear Energy Institute, will be holding its 7th annual early spring event focusing on small and advanced reactors. The Summit includes a face-paced, two day agenda on March 30-31. The venue is the conveniently located Westing Buckhead,…

#AdvancingNuclear took over Twitter yesterday

If you gather enough nuclear nerds and atomic geeks into a single location and include some talented professional communications experts, it’s possible to make a social media splash and capture attention – at least for a short period of time. That is one of the lessons I learned yesterday while attending Third Way’s Advanced Nuclear Summit…

Energizing opportunity to meet with atomic entrepreneurs

The fourth annual Advanced Reactors Technical Summit attracted about 210 people representing perhaps a couple of dozen companies, government agencies, regulatory bodies and even a potential customer or two. For those who could not attend, I have a few quick thoughts to share while waiting for links to the presentations given. The Nuclear Infrastructure Council…

Nuclear Infrastructure Council and Argonne teaming up for a trailblazing nuclear tech summit

Interest in alternative nuclear energy technologies continues to strengthen, despite the challenging financial environment and despite the regulatory hurdles that need to be moved out of the way. Atomic energy innovators continue to be inspired by the technical promise of highly concentrated fuel, tiny waste stream and zero air pollution or CO2 production. The potential…

Will China convert existing coal plants to nuclear using HTR-PM reactors?

It would be a huge benefit to the earth’s atmosphere if China, India, Brazil and the US could reduce direct coal burning while still making use of much of the capital that they have invested in building coal fired power plants. It would make an even larger difference in reducing air pollution in the areas…

Nukes in Las Vegas. ANS Winter Meeting 2016 part 1

The ANS winter meeting for 2016 will officially begin today, but the weekend has been full of committee meetings, hallway gatherings and organized sessions for the Young Members Group and the High Temperature Reactor (HTR) embedded topical discussion. I learned long ago that I needed to arrive at ANS meetings well before the President’s Reception…

Eminent domain and Virginia’s ban on uranium mining

Despite the currently abysmal state of the market, Virginia Uranium Inc. (VUI), owner of the 119-million pound deposit at Coles Hill, continues legal efforts to overturn the ostensibly temporary moratorium on uranium mining in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The most recent step in the process for overturning the moratorium, first established in 1982 pending the…