Yesterday the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it will approve a construction and operating license for two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at The Southern Company’s Vogtle generating plant. This will be the first new U.S. nuclear project in more than three decades. It will create around 25,000 direct and indirect jobs. A couple years ago,...
Nuclear regulation
CANDU back in the game: what now?
After months of excruciating uncertainty, the CANDU situation has been resolved somewhat. As everyone predicted, SNC-Lavalin has agreed to purchase the CANDU reactor part of Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. I won’t go into the ins and outs of the deal. I’ll just focus on what needs to happen now. Assuming the deal is indeed...
Meltdowns and rabbits: the Holy Grail, Japan style
A rabbit is a fearsome beast if you’re a carrot. If you’re not a carrot, the rabbit is more likely to be your meal. That is why the Cave of Caerbannog scene near the end of Monty Python’s The Holy Grail is so hilarious. In that scene, the fearless knights are led to the...
Guest post by Donald Jones: “An alternative Long Term Energy Plan for Ontario—an 80/20 nuclear/hydro generation mix by 2045”
When planning Ontario’s future electricity supply mix we have to answer the question, what should we be aiming for 35 to 40 years from now, and how are we going to get there? 35-40 years because that’s when our 10,000 MW of “to be refurbished” nuclear will be decommissioned and new generation would have...
Public opinion and nuclear power: the democratic disconnect
For students of politics, public opinion, and democracy, regulatory hearings on nuclear energy are a rich mother lode of data. Take the CNSC hearing on Bruce Power’s plan to ship 16 used nuclear steam generators across the Atlantic to Sweden for recycling. This was covered in exhaustive detail over three days. If you followed...
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