San Onofre shutdown latest setback in nuclear power’s downward spiral
Southern California Edison’s announcement this week that it will close its troubled twin-reactor San Onofre nuclear power plant—along with other recent setbacks for atomic energy in the United States—marks a downward spiral for…
Former NRC chairman not confident in San Onofre restart or risk assessment based on probabilities
Former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gregory Jaczko spoke at a meeting in San Diego today about the future of nuclear energy as a member of an expert panel which included former…
Former Chairman of Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Reactors Should Be Phased Out
Dr. Gordon Edwards, a well respected nuclear expert, explains the background of Chairman Jaczko’s decision: Gregory Jaczko, Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission until last year, has arrived at a very basic…
Two years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
This year, on the second anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the author would like to pose the following questions, and invite the reader to do the same. The Fukushima Disaster is…
Thoughts on nuclear power and nuclear weapons
With the second anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster this week, with North Korea having just threatened a “pre-emptive nuclear attack” against the United States and a U.S. senator saying this would…
Redacted version of Mitsubishi root cause analysis of San Onofre replacement steam generators released
This week, a redacted version of a root cause analysis performed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of the San Onfore Unit 2 and Unit 3 replacement steam generators was released publicly for the first…
Severity of damage found at Fukushima Daiichi forcing TEPCO to reanalyze approach to disaster
The reactor containment structures which house the nuclear reactors at Fukushima made by GE, Hitachi, and Toshiba, have so many holes in them that they are preventing workers from making any substantial progress…
NRA says no to Japan’s nuclear reactor restart
This week on Monday, the head of AREVA, a French supplier of nuclear technology and fuel to Japan said that Japan would restart 6 reactors before the end of the year, and that…
Obama’s pick for Secretary of Energy advocates nuclear and fracking
With the nomination of Ernest Moniz to be the next U.S. secretary of Energy, President Barack Obama has selected a man who is not only a booster of nuclear power but a big…
Study published in American Journal may link occupational radiation exposure to brain tumors
A new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology may point out a link between occupational radiation exposure and brain tumors, after results showed disproportionate reports of left-sided brain tumors among interventional…
NHK reporters visit Fukushima Daiichi plant
Reporters from NHK were allowed to walk near the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 reactor building for 10 minutes on Tuesday, which was practically destroyed by an explosion in the first hours of the…
A critique of the reasoning for any proposed San Onofre restart
Born on April 22nd, 1724, Immanuel Kant was one of the most famous philosophers during the “Age of Enlightenment” at the end of the 18th century. In the latter stages of his life…
Japan’s efforts to move past Fukushima Daiichi disaster draws criticism from experts and jeers from public
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been working bullishly to promote new economic and energy policies which are facing harsh scrutiny from the public and experts alike. The Japanese government has said that…
Energy storage systems are focus of demand for future power grids
From the early days of nuclear research and development, experts claimed that nuclear power would be too cheap to meter, but that dream was killed dead after the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl…
AREVA analysis of San Onofre Unit 2 steam generators reveals new twist in restart debate
For the last year, Southern California Edison has been working to resolve the serious problems and deficiencies found in the newly installed replacement steam generators at both Unit 2 and Unit 3. As…
TEPCO workers survey Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 torus room
This week, twenty workers at Fukushima Daiichi worked to investigate the torus room inside of the Unit 1 reactor building. They found that the top of the water is around OP 3700, which…
Washington Governor confirms radioactive waste leaking from underground tanks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation
On Friday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee confirmed that radioactive liquids are leaking from tanks at the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States at Hanford, further heightening concerns experts have shared…
Toshiba develops new decontamination vacuum robot to aid efforts at Fukushima Daiichi
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may bring about a small revival to Japan’s robotics industry, which had long been losing ground with consumers as they worked on developing robots which could carry out…
The State of the Nuclear Union
Today, nuclear power plants operate in 31 of 196 nations, providing only 5.7% of the world’s energy, and prompting world-wide debate about the merits and benefits of the use of nuclear energy. Annual…
San Onofre restart issue growing more contentious and convoluted
This week U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey wrote to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane and alleged that a report by Mitsubishi indicates that Southern California Edison (SCE)…
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