westinghouse

On a global scale the nuclear industry had its share of pluses and minuses in 2012. Japan’s Fukushima crisis continues to dominate any list of the top ten nuclear energy issues for the year. (See more below on Japan’s mighty mission at Fukushima.) In the United States, while the first new nuclear reactor licenses in three decades were issued to four reactors, the regulatory agency that approved them had a management meltdown.[read more]

Stockholders will receive $46/share, a 72% premiumChicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE:CBI) agreed to acquire The Shaw Group (NYSE:SHAW) for $3.04 billion in cash and stock on July 30. The surprise move extends CB&I’s growth into the U.S. power generation market particularly nuclear energy.CB&I CEO Phillip Asherman told financial wire...[read more]

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Last week I discussed why the Russians might be asking the NRC for a Design Certification of the VVER. I concluded it had little to do with the supposed “gold standard” of certification the NRC provides. In reality the Russians need any independent certification to participate in the international market with smaller countries that lack...[read more]

The Chinese government reinvigorated its civilian nuclear energy program last week with three major actions. First, it announced the release of a long awaited safety plan that will result in the lifting of a moratorium on new nuclear reactor projects.[read more]

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In the late 1880′s Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse waged “the War of Currents” , each battling to demonstrate the merits and advantages of Edison’s Direct Current distribution system and Westinghouse’s preffered Alternating Current distribution system.The quite bizarre antics that followed are the stuff of history now (and some...[read more]

Westinghouse gets support from Missouri for 225 MW reactorThe race to win $452 million in cost shared funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for licensing and technical support to bring a small modular reactor (SMR) to market by 2022 got a new entry April 19. Westinghouse has partnered with Ameren to submit a proposal based on...[read more]

Germany’s decision to close its reactors rejected as unrealistic Since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami hit the six TEPCO reactors at Fukushima Japan, anti-nuclear groups have been on a roll.  Germany’s panic attack which will result in closing 17 reactors accounting for a quarter of its electricity is widely touted as a...[read more]

Nuclear energy, like many other highly technical science and engineering fields, was led in the post World War II era by men. In the decades that followed, many women entered the field. An indication of how much that presence has grown is that the Women in Nuclear (WIN) organization now lists 4,500 members, according to a press...[read more]

New U.S. reactor projects could languish if anti-nuclear groups succeed in pushing ’ Fukushima “Concerns” to stall the AP1000 Certification This is my updated coverage in Fuel Cycle Week for June 23, 2011, V10:N430 published by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC The four nuclear reactors most likely to be built in the U.S...[read more]

Over the past several months, a thought has been at the back of my mind about nuclear safety. I feel is important to enter this issue into the ongoing discussion about Nuclear Power in our country.[read more]

Westinghouse and Holtec offer “passively safe” light water reactor designs Two new small modular reactor designs were announced this week, both using scaled down light water reactor (LWR) designs. The use of conventional reactor technologies well understood by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission may speed up approval for commercial use....[read more]

There is so much excess production capacity for pumps, pipes, and parts that few plan expansion when orders show up This is my updated coverage for Fuel Cycle Week, V11;N454 January 5, 2012 published by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC.  The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted unanimously on Dec. 22 to approve...[read more]

It sometimes surprises me just how long it takes the advertiser supported media to recognize an important story. This morning, my Google News Alert indicated that MSNBC and Bloomberg had both noticed that Westinghouse had transferred 75,000 documents relating to the design and construction of AP1000 nuclear reactor plants to China. One...[read more]

On Monday, May 17, 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek published an article by Jeremy van Loon and Alex Morales titled Fridge-Sized Nuclear Reactors to Tap $135 Billion Power Market. The article focuses on John Deal, CEO of Hyperion and his effort to build sealed units that can operate in remote locations for 5-8 years before needing to have...[read more]

South Africa has run out of money. Will Westinghouse come to the rescue? The plot line for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project looks very much like one right out of an early silent movie. A dastardly villain has tied our heroine to the railroad tracks, and demands a ransom to free her. Time is running out as an oncoming train...[read more]