From the Washington Post, here is a Bloomberg video interview with Seth Grae, President and CEO of Lightbridge …

“The plants performed exactly as they should … and I know the NRC is now taking a look, particularly at earthquakes and other effects, at making the systems even more robust …”

A good discussion at the ABC15.com on the future of Arizona’s energy policies. Describing the benefits of nuclear energy, Joseph Comfort Professor Joseph Comfort said:

“Fossil fuels provide over 60 percent of the world’s electricity. But they have huge disadvantages, the most obvious one being greenhouse gases (GHG). International agreements and national policies have set goals for overall reductions in GHG rather than incremental increases that correlate with increased energy production.

Nuclear generators emit no GHG. In addition, power companies are finding them to be economically viable. Construction costs are the biggest item, due in part to the safety-conscious regulatory environment in which nuclear operates, but their operation costs are the lowest of any clean energy or baseload power source.

The NRC’s very conservative environment ensures that the US nuclear generators operate at the highest safety level. The record is enviable….

Continued efforts to develop alternative sources of energy must be pursued, but many are expensive and it is unlikely that they will fully meet all of the future global energy demands.

Substantially expanding the roughly 20 percent of our energy that comes from nuclear, which makes up more than 70 percent of our emissions-free energy, remains the best bet to continue meeting our needs

Joseph Comfort, professor of physics at Arizona State University, says substantially expanding the roughly 20 percent of our energy that comes from nuclear, which makes up more than 70 percent of our emissions-free energy, remains the best bet to continue meeting our needs.”

On the other side, Daniel Peter Aiello, president of Arizona Solar Center, Inc. spoke on the benefits of expanding solar energy like its availability, accessibility, scale-ability.

We think there is a place for both new nuclear energy and growth of renewable energy generation, like solar energy in meeting growing energy demands.

Give us your thoughts here or make your voice heard by adding your comments here….

The independent U.S. nuclear regulator has issued its quarterly report on its inspection of construction activities at the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report of inspections that took place from the beginning of April through the end of June concluded that no violations or deviations were identified as a result of these inspections.

The scope of these inspections included ongoing construction activities, engineering processes and oversight of subcontractor activities.

“We are committed to constructing the MOX facility safely and in accordance with regulations of the NRC,” said Kelly Trice, president and chief operating officer of Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, “and the NRC’s report underscores this commitment.”

This dedication to safety and excellence is a key component of the work being done at the MOX Project. Another important accomplishment in safety took place in June when the MOX project surpassed 4 million consecutive work hours without a lost-time accident.

The MOX facility is currently under construction at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. More than 1,800 people are engaged in the design, construction and administration of the MOX project, which is being constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and is scheduled to begin operation in 2016.

The MOX facility will convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium into reactor fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants, supporting the Department’s non-proliferation program to eliminate surplus weapons-grade plutonium in the U.S.

Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, comprised of Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Group and AREVA, works for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration to design, build and operate a facility. For more information, visit www.moxproject.com.

And in case you are curious, the NRC inspection report can be found at: under the document number ML112082293.

Dr. Finis Southworth, CTO of AREVA Inc., is featured in SmartPlanet’s post on America’s Nuclear Future. The article covers many key topics about the future of US nuclear power; here are some excerpts:

SmartPlanet begins by discussing with Southworth the relatively close future, already informed by the issues at Fukushima:

There are a total of 104 nuclear plants in the U.S today, according to NRC data. 61 were recently given another 20 years to operation, and most of the remaining plants should be relicensed with NRC reviews and upgrades, nuclear reactor designer AREVA’s CTO Dr. Finis Southworth said…

The U.S. nuclear industry is steadfast in its position that nuclear power is safe today, and that it will become even safer in the future, also helping to address climate change. AREVA’s Southworth told SmartPlanet that NRC safety procedures could have prevented a Fukushima Daiichi like meltdown in the U.S.

…“The NRC will make sure that the industry in the U.S. learns from every lesson available over past 30 years,” Southworth said.

And then Southworth describes some of the latest features in Gen III nuclear technologies:

Southworth noted that Areva’s newest design, the EPR, or Evolutionary Power Reactor, has more redundant systems than the Fukushima Daiichi facilities had. It meets stringent 1990’s European safety standards, and the company spent 15 years on its design, he said….

“Every vendor including us has been on generation 3+ [reactor designs] since 1990-2005, arriving at a design much more advanced in safety,” Southworth said. The generation III designs incorporate evolutionary upgrades over previous designs, and has new passive safety features….

The article closes offering a glimpse at the next generation of nuclear solutions:

Designs for forth generation reactor designs that will not require active cooling systems to be safe will not be available under the 2030’s, and will take a few more years to build after plans are ready, according to Southworth….

Areva is instead preparing a derivative 4th generation design based on a project called the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). Its NGNP implementation will be know as the HTR reactor. HTR design introduces a new fuel rod technology that unlike pebble fuel, “doesn’t move around,” Southworth said.

More information on the AREVA products Dr. Southworth mentioned can be found here, and here …

AREVA announced today that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found no environmental impacts that would preclude issuing a license to build its Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility near Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The NRC issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement today saying in a statement that “environmental impacts from the facility would be generally small, and recommended issuing the license.”

“With the NRC Final Environmental Impact Statement, AREVA’s Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility continues its steady march forward toward regulatory approval. Based on current progress, we remain confident we can receive license approval for this facility this year,” said Sam Shakir, President and CEO of AREVA Enrichment Services.

Click here to read the NRC release.

Last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its final Safety Evaluation Report for the MOX (mixed oxide) Fuel Fabrication Facility. Currently under construction on the Savannah River Site, the MOX Facility is a Department of Energy program to construct a facility that will convert former nuclear weapons material into nuclear fuel as part of an arms reduction agreement with Russia. This nuclear fuel will be used by commercial reactors and, in doing so, will make the materials unusable for weapons.
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read more…

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public meeting in Boise, Idaho, on Aug. 9 to hear from the public, elected officials and other stakeholders on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility under development near Idaho Falls. The NRC held this meeting in Boise at the behest of a Boise-based antinuclear group in addition to a previously scheduled public forum in Idaho Falls on Aug. 12.

AREVA welcomes these opportunities in Boise, Idaho Falls and elsewhere to allow people to learn more about the Eagle Rock project. We are developing a state-of-the-art uranium enrichment facility using proven, reliable and safe technology to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.

Representatives for several elected officials, including Idaho Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter, members of the Idaho delegation and others expressed their support for the Eagle Rock project at the Boise meeting. Also many members of Idaho’s business community praised the positive economic impact the project would have, including the creation of thousands of jobs. Others expressed concerns about the potential environmental impact of the facility. While views ran the spectrum, this well-run meeting by the NRC offered a good opportunity for stakeholders to learn more about the project.

“AREVA is excited to be a part of Idaho’s business community, and we look forward to continuing our work with the state and the people of southeastern Idaho,” said Bob Poyser, vice president of regional affairs at AREVA. “We plan to build and operate a safe, environmentally sustainable, world class facility that is important to America’s energy security, important to our American utility customers and important to the advancement of Idaho’s continued leadership in nuclear programs.”

Click here for more information on the Eagle Rock project.

AREVA is the industry leader in development and implementation of digital Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) systems for existing nuclear power plants as well as new plants being constructed and licensed. We recognize and appreciate the need for a comprehensive and independent review by the regulator, in each country, where our systems are licensed and deployed. Based on AREVA’s worldwide experience, we are flexible and well-prepared to adapt designs and implement solutions to address particular regulatory concerns.

The press release issued today by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a normal and expected part of the design certification process, and AREVA already has begun addressing the issues raised in the communication. In fact, these issues already have been widely discussed in the media and are old news. We do not expect this issue to have a significant effect on the development of U.S. EPR technology in the United States.

AREVA has already proactively identified design modifications to address many NRC questions, and is conducting work on a priority basis to implement those changes to facilitate timely NRC review in support of the design certification. Initial NRC feedback is positive regarding these proposed changes.

In a very limited set of areas, AREVA has stated its desire to maintain the design for enhanced safety and reliability, but is evaluating recent NRC feedback to determine what additional information could be provided to address NRC questions.

AREVA continues in its commitment to open and transparent communication with NRC and will keep them apprised of our plans and progress, to support a predictable and timely design certification review.

3-D Plan of Eagle Rock Facility

The good news is AREVA’s Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility to be built in Idaho is three months ahead of schedule, and we aren’t slowing down. AREVA is gearing up to launch detailed design, procurement, and construction planning of the facility. Even better, it will create some 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in Idaho through the life of the project.

In addition, we should expect an impact of as much as $5 billion on the local economy, including the capital invested by AREVA during the construction and operation of this state-of-the-art gas centrifuge enrichment plant and the associated economic impacts, according to recent study by the Regional Development Alliance. While AREVA waits for the NRC to complete the review of our application, we will keep moving; opening an office in Idaho Falls and appointing three new executives to the team.

AREVA is trying very hard to bring vital operations for nuclear energy industry to the heart of the U.S., but we cannot do it alone. We hope that the Department of Energy recognizes how necessary the loan guarantee is for this project’s finance needs in the frozen credit market.