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August 29, 2010

How Iraq became the first country caught violating the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Richard Rhodes' new book 'The Twilight of the Bombs' begins in Iraq, the first country caught violating the treaty and trying to build an atomic bomb after pledging not to do so.

Rhodes opens with a rather familiar account of the 1990-91 Persian Gulf war, but he then moves to the quiet, but more interesting, story of the weapons inspectors who patrolled the country between that war and the next one, in 2003.

The book's most dramatic passage covers the day in September 1991 when inspectors entered Baghdad's Design Center compound. At first, their search seemed futile. Someone had removed the good stuff from the files. But after four hours, the inspectors stumbled into a basement room that had apparently been missed. And there, in one of the first boxes they opened, was a vivid, damning and thorough six-month interim report on Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program. "The message came over the secure radio: 'we found it.' This was one of the best moments of my nonproliferation life," one of the discoverers recalled. They smuggled the material out with the help of a medical team, perhaps violating the Geneva Conventions. The next day brought more drama: the inspectors were taken hostage, in a parking lot. They were held four days before being released.

Source: Nicholas Thompson (senior editor at The New Yorker), "Nuclear Family" [book review of "THE TWILIGHT OF THE BOMBS: Recent Challenges, New Dangers, and the Prospects for a World Without Nuclear Weapons" by Richard Rhodes, The New York Times, August 29, 2010, p. BR17]

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August 24, 2010

SOURCE: Tennessee Valley Authority

TVA to Idle Nine Coal-Fired Units

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 24 -- The Tennessee Valley Authority, with a vision to be one of the nation's leading providers of low-cost and cleaner energy by 2020, announced Tuesday that it will idle nine coal-fired electric generating units, totaling about 1,000 megawatts, at three of its power plants beginning in fiscal year 2011.

Those units are: Shawnee Unit 10 near Paducah, Ky.; John Sevier Units 1 and 2 near Rogersville, Tenn., and Widows Creek Units 1-6 near Stevenson, Ala.

TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore unveiled a strategy to replace some of TVA's older and less-efficient coal-fired units with other sources of low-carbon and carbon-free power generation at Friday's meeting of the TVA Board of Directors.

"Much of our stakeholder input and other assessments point toward a greater reliance on nuclear power and energy efficiency and less reliance on coal," he said. "Replacing some coal with other, cleaner fuel sources allows a reduction in air emissions including carbon. One of TVA's key goals is to improve air quality."

TVA announced the plans to its employees and the leaders of communities around the affected units on Tuesday. Two units at the Widows Creek plant will be idled in fiscal year 2011, and four other units there will be idled between 2011 and 2015. Shawnee Unit 10 will be idled and evaluated for possible conversion to biomass fuel. Two units at John Sevier will be idled within the next four to five years.

Most TVA power plants have multiple generating units, and some units will continue to operate at all plant sites under Tuesday's announcement. In addition, natural gas-fired generation units are under construction at the John Sevier site. Additional natural gas and nuclear generating units are under construction at other TVA locations.

"We will work to lessen the impact on employees," Kilgore said. "We are looking at a number of ways to create new opportunities and options for most, if not all, employees affected. We do not expect that involuntary staffing reductions would be necessary, but we can make no guarantees. The units will be idled in phases, which will allow many affected employees time to plan and pursue new opportunities.

No employee layoffs are associated with the units being idled in 2011.

Coal-fired units are evaluated on the basis of original designs, economics and efficiency, overall performance, cost to operate and the cost to bring them into compliance with anticipated environmental regulations. Watts Bar Fossil Plant, which was shut down in 1983, was the last TVA coal-fired plant to be retired.

"TVA has a strong commitment to improving air quality and has spent more than $5.3 billion to reduce air emissions," Kilgore said. "Last year, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions for the TVA coal fleet were about 90 percent lower than during their peak years."

The TVA coal fleet consists of 59 units at 11 plants with about 15,000 megawatts of generation. Of that amount, about 8,000 megawatts are equipped with advanced environmental controls and will remain part of TVA's long-term generating capacity. Other units totaling about 6,000 megawatts would require scrubbers or other advanced environmental equipment additions in the future. Those units will be evaluated to determine whether to install controls, idle them or replace them with alternative generation.

"This is a difficult step, but it's the right thing to do," Kilgore said. "We will work with employees and local communities to ease the transition."

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia - an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities and supplies up to 33,700 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA's service territory are below the national average.

For short video clips of the affected plants go to: www.tva.com/news/video.

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August 23, 2010

SOURCE: Exelon Corp.

Starting With Zion Station Decommissioning, Exelon to Make 5-Year, $4.6 Billion Investment in Illinois

CHICAGO, Aug. 23 -- In the next few weeks, Exelon Corp. will undertake the first segment of a massive spending program in Illinois that will create more than 4,200 full-time and "full-time equivalent" positions over the next 5 years in the Illinois cities and counties that house Exelon nuclear facilities.

Beginning in September, Exelon will launch the first of 101 individual projects in a $4.6 billion spending program that includes the decommissioning of the shuttered Zion Station in Lake County, equipment upgrades at six Illinois nuclear plants to produce more carbon-free megawatts and refueling outages that require thousands of temporary workers.

By way of context, the total allocation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Chicago, Cook County and the collar counties is $3.6 billion.

"This is our own economic stimulus program for Illinois," said Exelon Nuclear President and Chief Nuclear Officer Michael Pacilio. "The state is going through tough economic times, and we believe private investment, ultimately, is what will bring us back to prosperity. We want the people of Illinois to know that we're vested in their future."

The first project in line is the decommissioning of the Zion Station, which officially begins in September. The $1 billion, 10-year project will be the largest nuclear plant dismantling ever undertaken in the United States, requiring an average of 200 skilled workers each year, most of them local, and a peak workforce of 400. Zion Station sits on the shore of Lake Michigan about 40 miles north of Chicago.

In a first-of-its kind arrangement approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Exelon expects to transfer the station license early next month to EnergySolutions, a Salt Lake City nuclear services company that will dismantle the plant and remove material and parts to its Utah waste facility. At the completion of the project, responsibility for the site will transfer back to Exelon, and the 200-acre site will be available for other unrestricted commercial uses. Throughout the process, Exelon will retain ownership of the plant's used nuclear fuel, which must remain on the property in a secure facility.

EnergySolutions is an industry leader in the decommissioning of nuclear plants and permanent disposal of nuclear waste, and has clients worldwide. EnergySolutions was formed in 2006 by merging BNG America, Duratek, Envirocare of Utah, and the D&D division of Scientech.

"The Zion plant has been part of our community for years, and we're gratified that it will continue to deliver benefits over the next decade as it is dismantled," said City of Zion Mayor Lane Harrison. "This project will be of immense help to our residents by bringing desperately needed new employment."

Other Exelon projects include:

* Planned investments totaling $1.4 billion in uprates at six Illinois nuclear stations, generating an estimated 50 permanent positions and an additional 280 full-time equivalent jobs. The installation of state-of-the-art equipment and materials will increase continuous generation of carbon-free electricity in Illinois by 420 million watts.
* Execution of additional plant upgrades and 33 nuclear plant refueling operations at Exelon's six Illinois nuclear plants through 2015, at a cost of $2.2 billion (not including the cost of uranium fuel). The 33 refueling outages alone will result in approximately $990 million spent for contractor services including wages for about 3,700 full-time equivalent positions.

"This kind of private investment in infrastructure with an eye to the future is what we need more of in Illinois," said Jerry Roper, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. "The people of Illinois should take note that Illinois business and industry and the workers we depend on are leading the way to new investment and recovery."

A "full-time equivalent" job is the sum of work hours that total 2080 (the normal number of work hours in a year). Multiple part-time or temporary positions can equal one full-time equivalent position.

Additional information about the Zion Station decommissioning can be found at www.exeloncorp.com and www.EnergySolutions.com.

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation's largest electric utilities with more than $17 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry's largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 486,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.

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August 20, 2010

SOURCE: Tennessee Valley Authority

TVA Chief Executive Officer Outlines TVA's Vision and Strategy for Future Operations

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 20 -- The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors on Friday adopted a renewed vision for TVA's future, focusing on cleaner air and greater energy efficiency and eventually replacing some of its older coal-fired generation units with low-carbon or carbon-free sources such as nuclear power.

"TVA's basic mission has not changed, but the times have changed and requirements are changing for the energy industry," CEO Tom Kilgore told board members. "TVA's vision to lead our nation toward a cleaner energy future means relying more on nuclear power, continuing to improve air quality, relying less on coal and sharpening our focus on energy efficiency."

For TVA to continue to achieve its mission in today's economic climate, the corporation must lead with continued focus on key critical issues, including keeping bills low, maintaining power system reliability and strengthening the company's reputation, Kilgore said.

"Much of our stakeholder input and other assessments point toward a greater reliance on nuclear power and energy efficiency and less reliance on coal," Kilgore noted. "Replacing some coal with other, cleaner fuel sources allows a reduction in air emissions, including carbon. One of TVA's key goals is to reduce our carbon intensity."

TVA's vision of providing cleaner energy will be guided by its Integrated Resource Plan, a broad assessment of the utility's options for fulfilling its mission over the next 20 years. A draft of the Integrated Resource Plan is expected to be released for public comment in September, and the plan should be finalized in the spring, Kilgore said.

As part of the move toward greater demand response and energy efficiency, the TVA Board also approved a change in the wholesale rate structure. The new structure, to be implemented in April 2011, will include options for time-of-use rates that more closely reflect the cost of electricity production, which can be significantly higher on hot summer afternoons and cold winter mornings than at other times.

"TVA is implementing this wholesale rate change to encourage energy efficiency and peak demand reduction, giving customers who alter their electricity consumption patterns the opportunity to reduce their bills," said John Trawick, senior vice president, Commercial Operations and Pricing.

Board members also approved TVA's budget for fiscal year 2011, which includes $248 million for work at the Bellefonte nuclear site in North Alabama to maintain the option for future power generation. Next year, the TVA Board will consider whether to complete construction of the nuclear power generating unit there. Construction was halted several years ago, but studies show new generation capacity will be needed by 2020, and nuclear energy provides power generation with no carbon emissions.

The fiscal year 2011 budget, which includes no base rate increase for the fiscal year, also includes $635 million for construction of the Watts Bar 2 nuclear facility in East Tennessee, scheduled for completion in 2013; $314 million for construction of natural gas-fired power generation at the John Sevier plant site near Rogersville, Tenn.; and $351 million for environmental improvements at coal-fired plants, including converting wet ash storage facilities to dry. In addition, the budget contains $135 million for energy efficiency and demand-response programs and $70 million for economic development.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia - an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities and supplies up to 33,700 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA's service territory are below the national average.

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August 19, 2010

Experts to Florida PSC: We Told You So!

SOURCE: Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Knoxville, TN

Prospects for New Nuclear Reactors in State Now Worse Than Ever, Industry Should Not Be Allowed to Waste $200 Million More in Customer Money

Tuesday Marks Start of PSC Hearings on FPL and Progress Requests for Unjustifiable 'Nuclear Cost Recovery' That Would Push Bill For Utility Consumers to Nearly $500 Million For Nuclear Reactors That Are Not Needed... and Very Likely Will Never Be Built

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 19 -- When the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) starts its hearings Tuesday on a request for nearly $200 million in additional advance billing of Florida utility customers for the construction of four proposed new reactors by FPL and Progress Energy, the Commissioners will have in front of them the testimony of Mark Cooper, senior fellow for economic analysis at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, and Arnold Gundersen, chief engineer for Fairewinds Associates, Inc.

Today, Cooper and Gundersen held a news conference to send a very simple message to the PSC: We told you so!

In testimony provided in 2009 and then reiterated in 2010, the two national experts told the Commission that a combination of rapidly deteriorating circumstances - including fast-rising reactor costs, project delays, unresolved AP1000 reactor design issues, falling natural gas prices and reduced demand due to the recession and increased energy efficiency - all made it unlikely the FPL and Progress Energy reactors would ever be constructed. (See the lengthy list below of 2010 setbacks for FPL and Progress Energy.)

Testifying on behalf of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Cooper and Gundersen are both recommending that the PSC reject the nearly $200 million combined hike in utility rates - which could eventually add up to over $40 per month for Progress customers and would be in addition to $269 million in cost recovery from utility consumers already authorized by the PSC in 2009. Now closing in on a potential $500 million in higher utility bills, Florida's "nuclear cost recovery" arrangements for new reactor construction allow for hundreds of millions of dollars to be taken from electricity customers -- even if the reactors in question fail to be constructed and never generate a single kilowatt of power.

Mark Cooper, senior fellow for economic analysis at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, said: "In 2009, we told the Florida PSC that it should deny the FPL and Progress requests for recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars of costs for the proposed nuclear reactors at Turkey Point and in Levy County because they were no longer necessary and would result in billions of dollars of excess costs being needlessly imposed on consumers. A year later, that reality is finally starting to impose itself on the utilities. The proposed Florida reactor delivery dates have been pushed back by half a decade and FPL now goes so far as to say it has not yet decided whether to actually build the reactors. Unfortunately, both utilities have asked to continue charging ratepayers for costs for these reactors that may never be built, insisting that they have to continue to pursue their license applications to keep their place in line at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This just puts Florida utility consumers in the position of paying for FPL and Progress to hold their place in a line that is most likely going to end up going nowhere."

Arnold Gundersen, a nuclear engineer and energy adviser at Fairewinds Associates, Inc., said: "FPL and Progress Energy are relying on the AP1000 reactor design, which is not currently approved and has at least two major unresolved design and safety issues that U.S. regulators are insisting be addressed. That is going to mean even more delay and higher costs. When the selected design for a proposed Florida reactor is not certified as hurricane proof, it is very difficult to see how things are going to get anywhere any time soon. Small wonder then that top executives at three leading U.S. utilities -- including the president of FPL itself -- have acknowledged the uncertainties surrounding attempts at licensing and constructing new nuclear generation. Given the design problems with the reactors alone, the least-cost option would be the immediate cancellation of these reactors, rather than bleeding consumers for what may end up being nothing more than the nuclear equivalent of white elephants."

Stephen Smith, executive director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy: "It is unprecedented that a state PSC is giving this level of early cost recovery for projects that are now over 10 years out before any reasonable chance of completion. We believe that the appropriate action here is for the PSC to suspend this docket and stop granting any additional cost recovery that will further burden ratepayers. These plans can be evaluated in a couple years when and if these proposals are relevant and when the utilities have a better understanding of what their legitimate needs are. By doing this, the PSC will protect Florida's families and businesses while forcing the utilities to rethink their shaky plans. We have consistently argued that there are low-risk and low-cost resource alternatives available to the proposed new reactors in Florida - such as energy efficiency. The energy efficiency savings levels by Florida's largest utilities are appallingly low relative to other states - it's time for more to be done there versus wasting billions on new reactors. "

THE TRENDS AGAINST MORE NUCLEAR POWER IN FLORIDA

In his 2009 and subsequent 2010 testimony, Cooper presented evidence that the fundamental economics of nuclear reactor construction no longer supported the construction of new reactors in Florida, if they ever did.

In particular, Cooper emphasized the dramatic changes in key variables that rendered nuclear reactors uneconomic and unnecessary:

* Declining natural gas costs;
* Declining estimates of carbon prices;
* Declining demand due to the economic slowdown;
* Reduced need for nonrenewable generation due to increased energy efficiency;
* Fast-rising projections of nuclear construction costs; and
* The high degree of uncertainty in the economic environment that new reactors face.

As Cooper explains: "What looked bad for more nuclear in Florida in 2009 looks even worse on every single front now in 2010. All of these factors are still at work and many have continued to develop in a manner that further undermines the long-term feasibility of ever completing these proposed nuclear reactors in Florida. As a result, it is neither reasonable nor prudent to incur additional costs for these proposed reactors."

RECENT SETBACKS FOR FPL AND PROGRESS ENERGY

* January 2010: FPL announces that they'll suspend plans for Turkey Point reactors based on decision of Florida PSC to reduce proposed rate hike from $1.26 billion to $75.5 million.
* January 2010: Progress Energy announces that they'll slow the Levy County process based on the same Florida PSC decision, in which they got none of a $500 million rate hike request.
* January 2010: Fitch puts FPL (Turkey Point reactors) on ratings watch 'Negative' after decision by Florida PSC to not provide FPL's full rate increase request.
* February 2010: Progress Energy extends delay on Levy County reactors to at least 36 months.
* February 2010: Toshiba/Westinghouse indicate that regulatory problems could cause up to 3 years in delay for Florida reactors (Turkey Point and Levy County).
* March 2010: FPL announces delay of Turkey Point reactors past 2018, signals interest in federal loan guarantee bailout.
* April 2010: Moody's downgrades FPL from low to moderate risk over pursuit of Turkey Point reactors.
* May 2010: Cost estimates move from $17.2 billion for the two reactors to $22.5 billion for Levy County reactors.
* May 2010: Fitch downgrades Progress Energy to just above junk bond status.
* May 2010: The timeline for the two Levy County reactors are pushed back again, with the first projected to be online in 2021, the second some 18 months later. The original timeline had the reactors set to come online in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
* June 2010: FPL President Olivera meets with the Sun Sentinel editorial board and admits that FPL may never build these new nuclear reactors due to licensing and economic concerns, cheap natural gas prices, and unresolved design issues as to whether or not the proposed reactors can withstand hurricanes.

ABOUT SACE

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Founded in 1985, SACE is the only regional organization primarily focused on developing clean energy solutions throughout the Southeast.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A streaming audio replay of the news event will be available on the Web at http://www.cleanenergy.org as of 6 p.m. EDT on August 19, 2010.

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August 18, 2010

Declassified Senate Investigation Files Reveal Clandestine Israeli PR Campaign in America

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 -- Declassified files from a Senate investigation into Israeli-funded covert public relations and lobbying activity in the United States were released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on July 23rd, 2010. The subpoenaed documents reveal Israel's clandestine programs for "cultivation of editors," the "stimulation and placement of suitable articles in the major consumer magazines" as well as U.S. reporting about sensitive subjects such as the Dimona nuclear weapons facility.

Documents are now available for download from http://IRmep.org/ila/azc include:

Dimona (excerpt): "The nuclear reactor story inspired comment from many sources; editorial writers, columnists, science writers and cartoonists. Most of the press seemed finally to accept the thesis that the reactor was being built for peaceful purposes and not for bombs." http://www.irmep.org/11-121960AZC.pdf

Content placement and promotion (excerpt): "The Atlantic Monthly in its October issue carried the outstanding Martha Gellhorn piece on the Arab refugees, which made quite an impact around the country. We arranged for the distribution of 10,000 reprints to public opinion molders in all categories... Interested friends are making arrangements with the Atlantic for another reprint of the Gellhorn article to be sent to all 53,000 persons whose names appear in Who's Who in America...Our Committee is now planning articles for the women's magazines for the trade and business publications." http://www.irmep.org/09101961AZC.pdf

Pressure campaigns (excerpt): "It can be said that the press of the nation...has by and large shown sympathy and understanding of Israel's position. There are, of course, exceptions, notably the Scripps-Howard chain where we still need to achieve a 'break-through,' the Pulliam chain (where some progress has been made) and some locally-owned papers." http://www.irmep.org/11-121960AZC.pdf

Magazine Committee achievements (excerpt): "We cannot pinpoint all that has already been accomplished by this Committee except to say that it has been responsible for the writing and placement of articles on Israel in some of America's leading magazines...." http://www.IRmep.org/10301962_AZC.pdf

According to Grant F. Smith, director of IRmep, "It is frightening how easily some in the American news media surrendered to a foreign public relations campaign that spent the 2010 equivalent of $36 million over two years. Time has proven most of the planted content to be misleading, if not dangerous. These historical documents hold many important lessons for Americans who have long needed == but rarely received -- straight reporting on key Middle East issues."

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. It retains 1%-3% of the most important documents of business conducted by the United States Federal government. The Israel Lobby Archive, http://IRmep.org/ila is a unit of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington.

SOURCE: Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy

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August 18, 2010

Heat wave raises river temperature enough to affect nuclear plant

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