Latest

In-service dates for two nuclear units under construction at Plant Vogtle in Georgia have been moved out to December 2017 and December 2018, and the total project cost is now estimated at $6.76 billion—$650 million more than the certified cost—staff from Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) reported this week.  Steven Roetger and GDS Associates consultant […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued two “yellow” findings on June 24 to Arkansas Nuclear One—the 1,823-MW dual-unit nuclear power plant located near Russellville that is operated by Entergy Corp.—in connection with a heavy equipment handling incident at the facility last year. On March 31, 2013, a 525-ton generator stator fell when a temporary lifting […]

A divided Supreme Court on Monday partly reversed a 2012 federal court decision, ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act when it required permitting for stationary sources based on their greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. In a 5–4 ruling, the court’s right-leaning majority concluded that the agency may not […]

After nearly two months of wooing, General Electric (GE) is finally going to get what it wants. On June 21, GE announced that the Alstom Board of Directors had chosen the GE offer to acquire the power and grid businesses over a separate offer proposed by Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. GE said the offer […]

Enabling operator effectiveness by improving alarm management strategy

 Question 1: How big of an issue is alarm management really?The problem is bigger than you think. The Abnormal Situation Management Consortium (ASM) recorded over 1000 incidents last year alone. Alarms not considered a priority during design phase, and thus too many alarms configured. Many plants are running

Are Hollywood portrayals of cyber attacks exaggerating the risks we face?
Since the early 1980s, when Hollywood showed “War Games,” where a teenage gamer brought the world to the edge of nuclear destruction, the entertainment industry has been frightening us about the Internet and the vital systems it supports. In the 2007 “Die Hard” movie, Bruce

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday managed a contentious 13–9 vote to approve President Obama’s nomination of Norman Bay to become head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Before the vote, the committee’s chair, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said the White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had agreed […]

Most issues concerning resource adequacy have arisen in the context of restructured wholesale and retail electric markets, rather than from traditionally regulated electric markets, a new study from the Electric Markets Research Foundation (EMRF) suggests.  The nonprofit EMRF,  established in 2012 by “academics and other experts” to fund studies on electric market issues, notes in […]

Thirty-two projects—most headed by universities—were awarded grants of various amounts totaling $100 million by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs). The projects were selected from more than 200 proposals. Of the projects, 10 were new while the other 22 received renewed funding. Awards ranged from $2 million to $4 […]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Gina McCarthy said on Tuesday that the agency’s proposed carbon emissions rules are specifically designed to support nuclear plants that are struggling with profitability. In Chicago to campaign for support from business leaders, McCarthy said the agency has focused on about 6% of the nation’s nuclear fleet that is in […]