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Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

New Nuclear

Reactor Coolant Pumps for AP1000 still a problem

August 29, 2015 By Rod Adams 27 Comments

This is a story that I really don’t want to tell, but bad news is like old fish. It doesn’t smell any better as it ages. All eight AP1000 construction projects are at risk “for want of a nail.” In this case the nail is a reactor coolant pump, the largest one in the world, […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, AP1000 saga, New Nuclear

Who said modular construction would save money on first of a kind units?

August 2, 2015 By Rod Adams 42 Comments

On July 27, 2015, the Wall St. Journal published an article written by Rebecca Smith titled Prefab Nuclear Plants Prove Just as Expensive. That piece has been widely shared and discussed on social media with more than 2700 shares on Facebook and more than 150 shares on Twitter as counted from the original article. I […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, AP1000 saga, Business of atomic energy, New Nuclear

Will North Anna 3 be lead ESBWR?

July 1, 2015 By Rod Adams

There is a growing perception that the Nuclear Renaissance in the U.S. is dead, killed off forever by low natural gas prices. Some members of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) are not so sure. At the June 7 President’s Reception for the 2015 ANS annual meeting, there were several intriguing discussions about new projects that […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, New Nuclear

Moving nuclear energy discussions forward

June 27, 2015 By Rod Adams

On Wednesday, June 24 Bloomberg BNA (Bureau of National Affairs) conducted a morning meeting titled A Chain Reaction: The Role of Nuclear Energy in New England’s Energy Mix at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, MA. The timing was fortuitous for me, my wife and I were visiting family in Maine the weekend before the […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Business of atomic energy, Climate change, New Nuclear, Nuclear Communications

Chevron’s John Watson should follow pronuclear words with nuclear energy investments

June 15, 2015 By Rod Adams

During an OPEC meeting in Vienna held in early June 2015, John Watson, the CEO of Chevron, the second largest oil and gas company in the United States, made a comment that deserves more attention and follow up from journalists. The context of the below comment was that Watson was explaining why his company will […]

Filed Under: Economics, Fossil fuel competition, New Nuclear

Stanford climate scientists promote 100% renewable revolution using natural gas money

June 7, 2015 By Rod Adams

We’ve been repeatedly told that 97% of climate scientists agree that CO2 emissions from human activity are a major cause of climate change. Scientists who question that assertion are villified as “climate change deniers” and marginalized as representing a fringe point of view. They’re frequently accused of being paid by fossil fuel interests. Politicians, journalists […]

Filed Under: Fossil fuel competition, Natural Gas, New Nuclear, Smoking Gun

Tale of two Chinas – One surging forward, one retreating

May 26, 2015 By Rod Adams

Two stories caught my attention this morning. One came from the Taipei Times, one from the Beijing Review. The first one focused on a future energy supply prognostication from an American “expert” who has a light educational and professional background in energy technology, manufacturing, engineering, economics and market dynamics. The second one documents recent progress […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Antinuclear activist, Fossil fuel competition, International nuclear, New Nuclear

Participation opportunity – Turkey Point EIS public meeting

April 15, 2015 By Rod Adams

One of the most prolific anti-nuclear activist groups, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), is distributing posts encouraging their followers to oppose FP&L’s plan to build two new reactors at the Turkey Point Power station. SACE is encouraging people to submit negative comments via the public comment process for the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) […]

Filed Under: Antinuclear activist, Atomic politics, Climate change, New Nuclear, Nuclear Communications, Public meetings

Atomic Show #238 – StarCore Nuclear co-founders

April 7, 2015 By Rod Adams

StarCore Nuclear is a Canadian company whose co-founders, David Dabney and David Poole, are experienced engineers and businessmen. They have spent most of the past six years developing a technology and a business model aimed at providing reliable, emission-free electrical power and heat to remote locations. The basis of their technology is a high-temperature helium […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Atomic Entrepreneurs, Business of atomic energy, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, International nuclear, New Nuclear, Podcast, Smaller reactors

SMRs – lots of noise but DOE budget that’s 1% of annual wind tax credit

March 29, 2015 By Rod Adams

I’ve been spending some time watching, rewatching and clipping interesting excerpts from the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee hearings on the FY2016 Department of Energy budget. It’s not everyone’s idea of entertainment, but it’s fascinating to me to watch publicly accessible discussions about how our government makes decisions, sets priorities and spends the money […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Atomic politics, New Nuclear, Politics of Nuclear Energy, Small Nuclear Power Plants, Smaller reactors, Unreliables, Wind energy

NRC issues SER for Westinghouse Small Break LOCA PIRT

March 22, 2015 By Rod Adams

I apologize for the acronym soup in the title. Here is what I really wanted to say, but couldn’t fit into the title field. On February 27, 2015, nearly three years after it was submitted, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a letter reporting that the NRC staff had prepared a final Topical Report Safety […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, New Nuclear

NRC RIC 2015 – Day one observations

March 12, 2015 By Rod Adams

On March 10, 2015, I attended my first ever Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), which is an annual event hosted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I had heard from various associates that everyone who is anyone in the nuclear industry should plan to go to the RIC whenever possible. They were right. First of all, the […]

Filed Under: Atomic politics, Conferences, Natural Gas, New Nuclear, Nuclear regulations

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