ANS Nuclear Cafe

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SMRs Get Further Push with Western Initiative for Nuclear

July 11, 2013, 2:00PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

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NuScale SMR on trailer; courtesy NuScale Power

In the wake of the Department of Energy's first funding award to Generation mPower for construction of small modular reactor (SMR) plants at the Clinch River Site earlier this year, other groups have begun to form to bolster the position of other SMR technologies-namely, the Westinghouse SMR, the Holtec SMR-160, and the NuScale Power SMR.

Nuclear Power: Fading Away or Powering Up?

July 10, 2013, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

Richard K. Lester, head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was interviewed on National Public Radio's "Here & Now" program on Monday, July 8.  In this 15-minute segment, Lester gives his views on what's happening in nuclear energy now in the United States and worldwide. Are we at the end of nuclear power? Or at the beginning?

Don't blame NRC uncertainty for San Onofre retirement

July 2, 2013, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeRod Adams

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station never threatened public health and safety. Unit 2 could have been restarted as soon as its scheduled outage was completed in February 2012. Unit 3 could have been restarted by mid-March 2012. The total cost of the repairs, including purchased replacement power, should have been less than $50 million and been covered by the manufacturer's warranty.