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San Onofre Nuclear Plant caught falsifying records

An employee at the San Onofre nuclear power plant in San Diego falsified records for five years to show that hourly fire patrols were made, when in fact they were not, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Monday. The finding prompted the NRC to order Southern California Edison (SCE), which is the majority owner of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, to make changes, including developing special safety training. The order requires SCE to expand its ethics training for managers, supervisors, and employees; develop new training to prevent deliberate misconduct; conduct an independent safety culture assessment; and monitor the effectiveness of its corrective actions. According to the NRC’s investigation, a fire protection specialist at the San Onofre nuclear plant provided inaccurate information about hourly fire watch rounds the staffer was supposed to make while working the midnight shift at the plant from April 2001 to December 2006.

Details Here: www.10news.com/news/15047670/detail.html

first published week of:   01/21/2008

Senate climate bill puts natural gas supply at risk

The American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) announced Thursday that a new Wood Mackenzie study shows climate policy legislation to be considered by the Senate as early as next week could force a reduction in natural gas supplies and a significant price increase for consumers. Energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie has provided this independent estimate of the potential risks to the economic development of U.S. natural gas resources. These impacts could result from pending legislation that would require natural gas processors to purchase “cap and trade” program emission allowances for ultimate end-users of natural gas. Wood Mackenzie found that as much as 32 percent of expected natural gas supply in the year 2012, rising to more than 45 percent in 2017, could be put at risk if natural gas exploration and production companies are forced to bear the emission allowance costs of those ultimately burning the gas. Even if 50 percent of the costs are somehow passed to consumers, expected supplies would be reduced by five percent to 14 percent. The Wood Mackenzie analysis warns of “…sharply higher prices in response to any threat to US natural gas supplies.”

Details Here: www.bizjournals.com/dallas/prnewswire/press_releases/national/District_of_Colu mbia/2008/05/29/LATH505

first published week of:   06/02/2008

Senate takes up climate bill

The U.S. Senate ... will take up legislation that calls for cutting carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases by about 70 percent from power plants, refineries, factories, and transportation by mid-century. Both Democrats and Republicans appeared eager to debate global warming and both sides are preparing a string of amendments for later this week – some to make the legislation stronger, others to weaken it. General Electric Co., Alcoa Inc., and Exelon Corp., the country’s biggest operator of nuclear power plants, are expected Monday at a news conference with two chief sponsors of the bill to support the legislation. Many business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have criticized the measure as too costly. The charge against the bill has been lead by those that would be most affected including the oil and coal industries.

Details Here: www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT2008060 2c.html

first published week of:   06/09/2008

Solar power costs to be competitive by 2015 – study

The costs of making electricity with solar power within a decade will reach parity with power made with fossil fuels like natural gas and coal, a study announced on Tuesday by supporters of renewable and solar energy says. “As solar prices decline and the capital and fuel cos” writers of the report, publisher Clean Edge and environmental nonprofit Co-op America, said in a press statement. The statement says solar power can make ten percent of U.S. power generation by 2025. Installed solar power has jumped to 3,000 megawatts in 2008 from 600 MW in 2003, the study said. Among the study’s findings is that the average cost for solar photovoltaic power will drop to eight to 18 cents per kilowatt-hour by 2015 from today’s 15 to 32 cents per KWh, and further to four to eight cents per KWh by 2025

Details Here: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN1738063420080617

first published week of:   06/30/2008

Solving the lightning problem

A decade ago, lightning strikes to Browns Ferry Nuclear plant’s off-gas stack were hampering reliability. “The off-gas stack was originally protected by Franklin rods, but equipment on the stack and around its base (was) routinely damaged during lightning storms,” says a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) manager with oversight of electromagnetic interference and instrumentation. To improve reliability and reduce downtime, Browns Ferry turned to Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc.’s Dissipation Array System (DAS), a charge transfer device that prevents direct strikes by reducing the local electrical field to below lightning-collection potential. “The result has been no known lightning strikes to the off-gas stack in almost ten years,” says the manager. “Following DAS implementation, we found an 80 percent reduction in lightning strikes within 500 meters of the off-gas stack.” Because of the DAS prevention system’s success in protecting the off-gas stack from lightning strikes, Browns Ferry is looking into extending the area of protection to a nearby intake pumping station, which recently sustained motor damage due to lightning.

Details Here: www.engineerlive.com/features/20047/solving-the-lightningproblem.thtml

first published week of:   03/17/2008

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