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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

Atomic Insights August 1996

In the News: August 1996

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

DoE Ordered to Begin Accepting Waste

(July 24, 1996) – A federal appeals court ordered the Department of Energy to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel no later than January 31, 1998. This decision specifically rejected the DoE’s claim that the requirements of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 did not apply if there was no permanent repository.

The DoE has been collecting fees for the storage of spent nuclear fuel for more than a dozen years. So far the Nuclear Waste Fund has collected more than 12 billion dollars in fees and interest from nuclear plant owners without taking possession of any spent fuel.

Michigan Attorney General Frank J. Kelley, one of sixty claimants in the lawsuit against the DoE, hailed the decision. He said, “From the beginning of the nuclear power age, the federal government has recognized that the storage of nuclear wastes generated from our nation’s nuclear plants is a national problem which can be dealt with only by the federal government.”

Nuclear Power Reduces the Greenhouse Effect

(July 16, 1996) – The British Nuclear Energy Forum made a strong appeal to the head of the British delegation to a United Nation’s conference on global climate change. “If we are serious about combating global warming, we must retain and develop the nuclear energy option and encourage renewable energy sources as a matter of urgency,” said a letter by Roger Hayes, the BNIF director-general.

The United Nation’s conference is generating a significant level of controversy. A scientist linked to a group called the Global Climate Coalition (which includes many coal producers and energy intensive industrial companies) told a news conference in Geneva that a recent report linking global warming to human activity had used only selective evidence. A similar group from Australia and one from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are arguing that there is no solid proof that warming is even occurring.

In opposition to this group are the governments of low lying nations, the United Nations Environmental Program, the World Health Organization and many insurance companies. The WHO has predicted that a warming trend would increase the risk of tropical diseases, while the insurance companies are concerned about their risk exposure in coastal areas if the sea level rises.

A running battle has erupted on the op-ed pages of major daily newspapers. Huge sums of money are potentially at stake if there is a move to restrict the burning of fossil fuels or if sea levels do begin to rise.

Filed Under: Atomic Insights August 1996

Sources for Atomic Energy Insights August 1996 (Power Barges)

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

Sources for Atomic Energy Insights August 1996
(Power Barges)

Simpson, John Nuclear Power from Underseas to Outer Space, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL 1995.

Valenti, Michael Power Plants to Go, Mechanical Engineering, May 1996.

Raytheon and Westinghouse Consortium Awarded 382 Million for Pakistani Power Project, Press Release dated April 22, 1996.

Floating N-Plants: Breaking New Ground in Russia’s Frozen North, Nucnet, a service of the European Nuclear Society, June 11, 1996.

Burlin, Robert B. “U.S. Army Nuclear Power Program: Impact on Tomorrow”, Army Research and Development Newsmagazine. Dec 63-Jan 64.

Filed Under: Army Nuclear Program, Atomic Insights August 1996

First Nuclear Power Barge: Pioneer Barge Built in America

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

The Army Nuclear Power program recognized the potential benefits of putting a nuclear power plant on a water mobile platform in the early 1960s. In January, 1963, construction began on the Sturgis, a World War II vintage Liberty ship hull modified to accept installation of a 10,000 kilowatt pressurized water nuclear steam plant. Designated the […]

Filed Under: Army Nuclear Program, Atomic Insights August 1996, Technical History Stories

New Nuclear Power Barges: Russians Build on Ice Breaker Lead

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

The northern coast of Russia is an area endowed with rich natural resources and vast mineral wealth but burdened with a limited infrastructure. Because of the extremely cold winters, transportation is difficult and infrequent. During the Soviet era, finding workers to exploit the riches was not difficult; they had little choice in the matter. Once […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights August 1996, Small Nuclear Power Plants

Offshore Power Systems: Big Plants for a Big Customer

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

Most people associated with the nuclear industry, and many residents of Florida have some knowledge of the ill-fated Westinghouse/Newport News Offshore Power System project. Begun in 1970, this project was based on two ideas. The first was that a series of identical reactors produced in a factory type setting could be completed in a shorter […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights August 1996, Technical History Stories

Letter from the Editor: Electric Plants for Rapidly Growing Areas

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

Electric power sources are on or near the top of the wish list for many developing nations. Business, social and government leaders recognize that reliable sources of electricity are essential to a modern economy. Without electricity, computers do not compute, mass transit systems cannot function, air conditioners do not enhance productivity, dryers do not dry, […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights August 1996

Power Barges: Tools for Progress

August 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

The power barge market seems to be moving in several different directions depending on the specific needs of the potential customers and the business model of the various suppliers. There are complex, high tech projects that are aiming for higher and higher levels of efficiency and gains in scale economies. These projects are often slated […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights August 1996

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