Nuclear Energy Institute - insightwinter2012

Resources & Stats

Winter 2012

NRC Issues Permits for Georgia Reactors

After nearly four years of in-depth safety evaluations, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a license for Southern Co. to build two reactors at its Plant Vogtle site near Augusta, Ga. It’s the first license for a new commercial nuclear energy facility to be issued in the United States since 1978.

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Nuclear Energy Insight

	India Turns to Thorium As Future Reactor Fuel
	Officials in India are ready to build a large-scale prototype of a reactor fueled by a combination of thorium and low-enriched uranium. India’s Advanced Heavy Water Reactor design would use the country’s abundant thorium supply. The reactor could be operational by the end of the decade.

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	Industry Pursues Flexible, Diverse Safety Upgrades
	A nuclear industry proposal for safety enhancements at U.S. reactors is the quickest path to the greatest benefit from implementing recommendations of a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission task force. The industry proposal would enhance safety and preparedness for extreme natural events.

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	Japan’s Other Nuclear Facilities Weathered a Record Disaster
	The 2011 earthquake and tsunami did not affect most of Japan’s 55 reactors, located at 18 sites, but a number of facilities—including Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Daini plant—experienced temporary power outages and high water.

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	Nuclear Energy Powers Mars Science Lab
	Mars rover Curiosity will be the first of the rovers to run on nuclear energy, allowing it to be larger and capable of a broader range of projects than its solar-powered predecessors. The rover is a large mobile laboratory that will investigate whether conditions on Mars have favored the development of microbial life.

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	One-On-One With Carnegie's George Perkovich
	Director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, George Perkovich discusses the voluntary code of conduct adopted by global companies involved in the export of nuclear technology.

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	The Arizona Strip, Uranium and the Politics of Mining
	Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in January banned new uranium mining claims in the strip, closing off a million acres of uranium-rich land. Members of Arizona and Utah’s congressional delegations say the action will wreak economic havoc on a depressed area, breach an agreement made years ago and do nothing to improve or protect the environment.

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	U.S. Nuclear Export Rules Hurt Global Competitiveness
	Fifty years ago, the United States was the global leader in nuclear technology and services, the first country to harness atoms for peace, and the first to profit from it internationally. Today, U.S. dominance has eroded as suppliers from other countries compete aggressively. So what are the issues? And where is the trade?

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Nuclear Energy Insight

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Resources & Stats

NRC Issues Permits for Georgia Reactors

Nuclear Energy Insight

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