Recent announcements and news stories about a Russian project to build a floating and essentially portable nuclear power plant have been variously tabbed with the heading "new." The idea of a floating, mobile nuclear plant (which is not self-propelled and not a ship) is indeed not new-the nuclear barge STURGIS, itself a converted Liberty Ship, served as a power source for the Panama Canal for many years, beginning back in 1967. The new Russian plants bring extra excitement because they are classed, properly, in the now-popular small modular reactor plant category, having been based on true seagoing designs. This, of course, hints at the fact that their output will not approach that of any of the large, conventional nuclear plants familiar today.

The New Year's 2013 edition of the weekly Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is posted at The Hiroshima Syndrome.  This week's topics include: suggested nuclear New Year's resolutions for Japan; future prospects for nuclear energy in America; getting along with antinuclear friends and neighbors; a radical nuke that also makes cheap diesel fuel; how the NRC's nuclear decommissioning fund is not a tax subsidy.  For the full reports, see The Hiroshima Syndrome (the internet's top source for Fukushima updates and commentary).

The woman on the moral high ground

The 136th Carnival of Nuclear Bloggers is up right now at Atomic Power Review.  You can click here to see this latest installment of a long running tradition.

The nuclear energy industry is the only large-scale energy producer responsible for managing and storing (and paying for) all the wastes generated by the process [in contrast to, for example... dumping wastes into the atmosphere].

How to avoid information overload on the Internet

The December 2012 issue of ANS's Nuclear Technology journal is available electronically and in hard copy for American Nuclear Society member subscribers and others. Non-subscribers click here to  subscribe to NT and other ANS titles.

ANS Nuclear Cafe is proud to host the 135th edition of the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers.  The Carnival is a rotating weekly feature among nuclear blogs and presents some of the most interesting and pertinent discussions of nuclear energy news and analysis in the blogosphere.

The 800 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity produced by the 104 nuclear reactors in the United States each year -- all while emitting no greenhouse gases -- is by far America's biggest source of green energy.  And this abundant energy source can become even greener by recycling used nuclear fuel.

The December issue of Nuclear News magazine is available in hard copy and electronically for American Nuclear Society members (click 'ANS Members' or 'Subscribers' in left column).

Some long-awaited events related to the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant took place toward the end of 2012, such as the trial of some members of the Shut It Down Affinity Group (known to the media as the "nuclear grannies") who have been arrested many times for blocking Vermont Yankee's gates.  Some unexpected events have occurred as well, such as a Public Service Board ruling and a brand new lawsuit by a long-term intervenor.

This morning, the 134th Carnival of Nuclear Bloggers is up, and is being hosted for the very first time on "Things Worse Than Nuclear Power."  You can find the Carnival post here.

When you get right down to it... to many people, nuclear power can seem rather mysterious. Fortunately, this short video takes viewers inside US nuclear power plants and explains the nuts and bolts of how a nuclear plant operates-as told by the people who actually maintain and operate them.

Plus a few pointers to what's in store for 2013

The 2013 ANS Topical Meeting on Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2013) will be held February 25-28, 2013, at the Albuquerque Marriott in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This past weekend the world quietly marked the 70th anniversary of the initial criticality of CP-1 (Critical Pile 1), the 55th anniversary of the initial criticality of the Shippingport nuclear power plant, and the decommissioning of the USS Enterprise, a 51 year-old nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Those events have put me into a reflective but incredibly optimistic mood.

The 133rd weekly Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is posted at Next Big Future.  Topics include the damaging effects of overplayed and unwarranted *fear* of low-level radiation; rocket science combined with nuclear science; compelling testimony in favor of continued operations of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant; a pictorial look back at the Clinch River Breeder Reactor as small modular reactors are planned to take over the old site; something rotten in Denmark wind power; nuclear power technology advances in Russia and China...

The weekend of December 1-2, 2012, sees three events of note relative to the history of nuclear energy.

A joint Department of Energy and NASA team has demonstrated a simple, robust fission reactor prototype [note: see Comments for more accurate and complete description] intended for development for future space exploration missions. The DUFF (Demonstration Using Flattop Fissions) experiment represents the first demonstration in the United State-since 1965-of a space nuclear reactor system to produce electricity.