Tag Archives: NRC

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

SCE Submits License Amendment to Support San Onofre Unit 2 Restart

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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SCE Submits License Amendment to Support San Onofre Unit 2 Restart

Action Supports Efforts to Meet Customer Electricity Demand During Hot Summer Months

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Southern California Edison (SCE) has voluntarily submitted a license amendment request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to support safely restarting Unit 2 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in time to address customer electricity demand and grid reliability concerns during the upcoming summer months. SCE took the action Friday, April 5, following public discussion of a draft amendment on Wednesday, April 3, with the staff of the NRC.

The amendment supports SCE‘s plan to initially operate Unit 2 at 70 percent power for five months.

SCE asked the NRC to act on the amendment before the end of May to facilitate commencement of the restart process for Unit 2 by June 1 so that the unit will be available to assist in meeting peak summer electricity demand. Following the initial five-month operating period, SCE would shut down Unit 2 for steam generator tube inspections. Based on inspection data, Unit 2 would resume operation at 70 percent power for an appropriate operating period during the remainder of the 18-24 month fuel cycle while SCE updates its analysis to determine the appropriate long-term power level.

Operating at 70 percent power prevents conditions that caused the tube-to-tube wear in Unit 3 that resulted in the nuclear plant being shut down since January 2012. SCE and three independent companies with expertise in nuclear generation have confirmed it is safe to operate the Unit 2 steam generators. The NRC has been evaluating these analyses, which are based on exhaustive testing and inspections, since October 2012.

SCE will remain focused on safety throughout any plant restart and operating activities, and will take the time necessary to ensure all activities are performed with a full focus on the health and safety of the public and our employees.

The San Onofre nuclear plant is the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region and is a critical asset in meeting California’s clean energy needs. According to a report prepared in 2010 by IHS Global Insight, operating the nuclear plant directly generates economic activity worth on average $2.2 billion per year. The impact grows to $3.3 billion per year if secondary economic effects are considered, which include the supply chain purchases of businesses supported by the nuclear plant and …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

22nd Century Group Announces U.S. Patent Issues for MPO Nicotine Biosynthesis Gene

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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22nd Century Group Announces U.S. Patent Issues for MPO Nicotine Biosynthesis Gene

CLARENCE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– 22nd Century Group, Inc. (OTCBB: XXII), a company that has developed groundbreaking technology for tobacco harm reduction products, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (US PTO) has issued Patent No. 8,410,341 for the N-methylputrescine oxidase (MPO) gene technology. MPO is essential for production of nicotine in the tobacco plant. As previously announced, the US PTO issued a Notice of Allowance on December 24, 2012 for this technology; however, yesterday’s issuance marks the official grant of the patent.

The allowed claims of Patent No. 8,410,341, entitled, NUCLEIC ACID ENCODING N-METHYLPUTRESCINE OXIDASE AND USES THEREOF, cover nucleic acids encoding MPO, methods for producing tobacco plants with either reduced or increased nicotine levels and tobacco plants produced by the foregoing. The US PTO granted Patent No. 8,410,341 on April 2, 2013 to the National Research Council Canada (NRC). 22nd Century is NRC‘s exclusive worldwide licensee of MPO and other technologies.

Patent No. 8,410,341 is the first MPO gene patent issued anywhere in the world. Including the patent term adjustment, this U.S. patent will expire in December 2027. Patent Application PCT/IB2007/003550 is the related international application to U.S. Patent No. 8,410,341. Additional MPO patent applications are pending in the U.S., Canada and China.

The MPO gene encodes a protein involved in a key step of nicotine biosynthesis. Scientists have attempted to clone the MPO gene for decades. MPO expression can be either down-regulated or up-regulated to produce tobacco plant varieties and tobacco products with a wide range of nicotine levels (from very low to high), or altered ratios of nicotine and other nicotinic alkaloids such as anatabine and nornicotine. Dr. Jonathon Page and Enwu Liu of the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute are the inventors of the MPO technology. 22nd Century funded subject patent and research and development expenses at NRC from 2006 to 2008.

The MPO gene technology is one of several 22nd Century patent families representing the company’s second-generation gene technology for modifying the content of nicotine and other nicotinic alkaloids in the tobacco plant. 22nd Century’s vice president of research and development, Dr. Michael Moynihan stated, “We are very pleased that the US PTO has granted the MPO patent. Our second-generation technology has significant advantages over our first generation technology.”

22nd Century’s patent portfolio consists of 15 issued U.S. patents and 9 pending U.S. patent applications. Globally, 22nd Century owns or is the exclusive licensee of 109 issued patents in 78 countries plus an additional …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Science & Technology

NRC panel advises US DOD on green buildings

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New recommendations by a National Research Council (NRC) expert panel on green and sustainable building performance could lead to a revolution in building science by creating the first large building performance database, says panel member Paul Fisette, a nationally recognized sustainable building expert at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

SCE Submits Draft License Amendment for Nuclear Plant Unit 2 Restart

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SCE Submits Draft License Amendment for Nuclear Plant Unit 2 Restart

Amendment Submitted to Meet Customer Electricity Demand During Hot Summer Months

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Southern California Edison (SCE) has voluntarily submitted a draft license amendment request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for discussion. The draft is designed to support safely restarting Unit 2 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to address customer electricity demand and grid reliability concerns during the upcoming summer months. SCE is considering submitting a final amendment request after discussing it with the NRC staff at a public meeting Wednesday in Rockville, Maryland.

The draft license amendment request, if finalized and submitted for NRC approval, would support SCE‘s plan to operate Unit 2 at 70 percent power for five months. Operating at 70 percent power prevents conditions that caused the tube-to-tube wear in Unit 3 that resulted in the nuclear plant being shut down since January 2012. SCE and three independent companies with expertise in nuclear generation have confirmed it is safe to operate the Unit 2 steam generators. The NRC has been evaluating these analyses, which are based on exhaustive testing and inspections, since October 2012.

“Since last fall, SCE has provided the public and the NRC with detailed analyses from global experts that support safe restart of Unit 2,” said Ron Litzinger, SCE president. “We are considering the proposed voluntary amendment as the best path to get Unit 2 safely up and running before the hottest months of the year hit our region.”

SCE would be asking the NRC to act on the amendment before the end of May to facilitate timely restart of Unit 2 to meet peak summer electricity demand. Following the initial five-month operating period, SCE would shut down Unit 2 for steam generator tube inspections. Based on inspection data, Unit 2 would resume operation at 70 percent power for an appropriate operating period during the remainder of the 18-24 month fuel cycle while SCE updates its analysis to determine the appropriate long-term power level.

The San Onofre nuclear plant is the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region and is a critical asset in meeting California’s clean energy needs. According to testimony filed by SCE for its General Rate Case and as part of a report prepared in 2010 by IHS Global Insight, operating the nuclear plant directly generates economic activity worth on average $2.2 billion per year. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

SCE Considers License Amendment for San Onofre Nuclear Plant

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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SCE Considers License Amendment for San Onofre Nuclear Plant

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Southern California Edison (SCE) is considering voluntarily submitting a license amendment request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to support the restart of Unit 2 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The amendment is consistent with SCE‘s plan to operate the unit’s steam generators at 70 percent power as a conservative safety measure.

SCE is requesting a meeting with the NRC to discuss the possible amendment. This meeting, which would be open to the public, would provide an opportunity for SCE to discuss with the NRC the scope and content of a potential amendment to ensure it meets regulatory requirements. The meeting will also help SCE evaluate the nature and timeliness of the NRC process for review and approval of the amendment. Separately, SCE representatives have informed the Atomic Safety Licensing Board, the independent, adjudicatory arm of the NRC, of the company’s consideration of submitting a license amendment.

SCE would like to restart Unit 2 by the summer to meet peak customer demand for electricity. The San Onofre nuclear plant is the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region and is a critical asset for reliability and in meeting California’s clean energy goals.

Last week, SCE submitted a detailed operational assessment requested by the NRC that supports safe operation of Unit 2 at 100 percent power for 11 months to answer a request from the NRC related to the plant’s technical specifications. Approval of that assessment would eliminate the need for the license amendment. However, because the NRC may take substantial time to review this operational assessment, SCE is simultaneously considering the license amendment.

“We want to do every responsible thing we can do to get Unit 2 up and running safely before the summer heat hits our region,” said Ron Litzinger, SCE president. “While the NRC continues to review the technical materials we’ve submitted, we’re considering a request for a license amendment so that we can pursue the best path to safe restart while avoiding unnecessary delays.”

If SCE pursues the amendment, it will submit a “No Significant Hazards Consideration” analysis demonstrating that the license amendment does not involve any significant safety risks. Regardless of whether an amendment or SCE‘s 100 percent power operational assessment is approved, SCE will only operate Unit 2 at 70 percent power for an initial period of five months, following which the unit will be shut down for steam generator tube inspections.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Southern California Edison Submits Operational Assessment Requested by NRC

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Southern California Edison Submits Operational Assessment Requested by NRC

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A new technical evaluation of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Unit 2 demonstrates that the Unit 2 steam generators could be operated safely at 100 percent power and reinforces Southern California Edison’s (SCE) more conservative plan to begin operating Unit 2 at 70 percent power for five months.

SCE submitted the operational assessment of potential Unit 2 steam generator tube wear to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in response to NRC questions. The new evaluation determined Unit 2 could operate at full power for 11 months with full tube integrity. The assessment was performed by Intertek APTECH of Sunnyvale, CA, and supplements Intertek’s earlier assessment of Unit 2 operation at 70 percent power. Intertek performs operational assessments relating to steam generators for many nuclear power plants around the U.S.

“This evaluation confirms the structural integrity of the Unit 2 steam generators at 100 percent power, as requested by the NRC,” said Pete Dietrich, SCE senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. “While we have no intent to restart Unit 2 at full power, this demonstrates the amount of safety margin we have built into our analyses. We welcome this additional safety analysis but remain steadfast in our commitment to restart Unit 2 at only 70 percent power.”

SCE has proposed the reduced power operating level to prevent the conditions that caused premature tube wear in San Onofre Unit 3 and indications of wear in Unit 2.

The San Onofre nuclear plant is the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region and is a critical asset in meeting California’s summer electricity and clean energy needs. Both units at San Onofre are currently safely shut down. Unit 2 remains shut down since it was taken out of service Jan. 9, 2012, for a planned outage. Unit 3 was safely taken offline Jan. 31, 2012, after station operators detected a leak in a steam generator tube.

NRC approval is required before SCE can restart Unit 2. The repair, corrective action and restart plan for Unit 2, along with additional technical information to address questions from the NRC, are available to the public at www.SONGScommunity.com.

More information, including videos that explain how a steam generator works and the role San Onofre plays in providing reliable electricity to the region, is available at www.edison.com/SONGSupdate and at www.SONGScommunity.com. San Onofre is jointly owned by SCE (78.21 percent), San Diego Gas & Electric (20 percent) …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

SCE Had No Knowledge of Safety Problems, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Letter to NRC Confirms

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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SCE Had No Knowledge of Safety Problems, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Letter to NRC Confirms

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A letter from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proves false the latest round of allegations from activists, Southern California Edison (SCE) said Tuesday. It also confirms that SCE believed the San Onofre nuclear plant’s steam generators were safe when installed and that safety measures were not sacrificed for licensing reasons. The letter, posted on the NRC‘s website, accompanied a redacted copy of the MHI Root Cause Evaluation which has been grossly distorted by the national anti-nuclear activist group, Friends of the Earth.

“The anti-nuclear activists have called the MHI report a ‘bombshell’ which couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Pete Dietrich, SCE senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. “In fact, the MHI letter explains that SCE and MHI rejected the proposed design changes referenced in the evaluation because those changes were either unnecessary, didn’t achieve objectives or would have had adverse safety consequences.

“Our decisions were grounded in our commitment to safety. SCE did not, and would never install steam generators that it believed would impact public safety or impair reliability.”

MHI repeatedly reassured SCE that based on their testing, the steam generators met safety requirements and would function for 20 years.

The MHI letter specifically confirms that at the time the replacement steam generators were designed, MHI and SCE believed that the “replacement steam generators had greater margin against U-bend tube vibration and wear than other similar steam generators.” MHI warranted the steam generators for 20 years.

“As with all engineering evaluations, the MHI letter and report describe a technical evaluation process and need to be read in their entirety to understand the conclusions reached,” said Dietrich. “The activists are taking portions of paragraphs and sentences out of context, and using them as the basis of their allegations that SCE knew of design defects when the generators were installed, but failed to make changes to avoid licensing requirements. That is untrue.”

SCE has previously pointed to faulty computer code used by MHI as failing to predict conditions in the steam generators, along with other design defects. The NRC publicly disclosed the computer code flaws three months before MHI completed its evaluation.

SCE followed standard industry best practices in outlining general specifications for the equipment. These specifications requested MHI to design replacement steam generators that were as close as possible to the original steam generators in form, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Politics Pushes Back Against Nuclear Cost Overruns

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By Maxx Chatsko, The Motley Fool

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Politicians who supported the construction of new nuclear reactors in their home states are in meltdown mode. Instead of thermal cooling towers, the only thing soaring over the skylines are budgets. Southern announced at the end of February that it needed $737 million more than originally expected for the construction of its two new reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. The project will now cost $15.15 billion, if, that is, the price tag isn’t revised upwards again.

The cost overruns seem to be the last straw for Georgia and Florida — two states betting big on a nuclear renaissance — as the process for collecting project funds has also come under fire. One infuriated politician wants to penalize Southern for going over budget, but the angry mob is focusing its anger on Progress Energy and Duke Energy . Regulators aren’t taking it easy on the companies and their subsidiaries, either.

You won’t like him when he’s angry
The Florida Public Service Commission aired some dirty laundry from the now merged companies by stating that they collected nearly $819 million from their customers over the past several years for two nuclear projects: expanding the Crystal River facility and building an entirely new plant in Levy County. While there is nothing wrong with collecting funds from ratepayers for such expenditures, neither project has gained regulatory approval. In fact, the Crystal River project was scrapped after the facility was damaged beyond repair during the expansion.

Even worse, the company maintains that the first reactor at Levy won’t be operable until 2024 at the earliest. Yikes. I’ll take a guess and say that none of the funds will be returned to customers if the application for the Levy County reactors fails to impress the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC. Regional politicians are right to be concerned.

Customer relief?
Politicians from both sides of the aisle are proposing bills that would prohibit or significantly limit the amount of funds utilities are allowed to collect pre-construction. The bills also want to ensure that companies don’t profit from nuclear plants that never leave blueprint canisters. Whether companies will be required to pay a fine to the state or give credits to customers remains to be determined.

Do customers reserve the right to be upset? Absolutely. (I don’t even live in Florida and I cringed when I heard about it.) However, I believe basing your opinion of nuclear energy on the high costs of construction alone is a bit unreasonable. I recently explained that position in more detail, showing that the low cost of fuel and maintenance actually makes atomic energy cheaper than other energy sources in the long term. There’s a reason the NRC has pending applications for 28 new reactors to review — four more than the total submissions facing the Department of Energy for LNG export terminals.  

Who else is affected?
Should the proposed bills become law, there is some potential that utilities get spooked …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

Catholic newspaper draws rebuke from bishop

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A Kansas City-based newspaper known for unflinching coverage of the Catholic church scandal was rebuked by the area bishop after calling for his ouster.

The National Catholic Reporter, an independent weekly, called for the removal or resignation of Bishop Robert Finn, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The newspaper’s comments came after Finn was convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse by a priest.

Finn said in a recent editorial in the diocese newspaper that parishioner anger is growing over the NCR‘s challenges to Catholic orthodoxy on various topics.

The battle illustrates tensions between U.S. bishops and groups that call themselves Catholic but that aren’t sanctioned by the church.

NRC editor Dennis Coday says the newspaper serves an important role.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Southern California Edison Comments on MHI Evaluation of San Onofre Nuclear Plant Steam Generators

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Southern California Edison Comments on MHI Evaluation of San Onofre Nuclear Plant Steam Generators

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– An evaluation by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) made public today cites ineffective tube supports, dry steam and high steam flow velocity as causes of excessive wear in the steam generators MHI supplied to Southern California Edison’s (SCE) San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

SCE previously disclosed these same causes based on its own investigation, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) augmented inspection team report last July found that MHI‘s use of faulty computer modeling in the design process caused MHI engineers to inadequately predict the dryness of the steam, measured by void fraction, in the replacement steam generators.

MHI repeatedly reassured SCE of the efficacy of the design. During the design phase of the project, MHI advised SCE that, based on its own review and analysis, the maximum void fraction that MHI expected to occur was acceptable, did not require additional design changes or measures, and that the replacement steam generators would perform as warranted.

“SCE‘s own oversight of MHI‘s design review complied with industry standards and best practices,” said Pete Dietrich, SCE senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. “SCE would never, and did not, install steam generators that it believed would impact public safety or impair reliability.”

In fact, MHI states in its root cause report (page 41), that its analysis of conditions in the steam generator during the design phase (which calculated void fraction and steam flow velocity) concluded that the thermal hydraulic conditions in the San Onofre steam generators were acceptable, and specifically that there was no need to reduce void fraction.1

Additionally, SCE never rejected a proposed design change to address void fraction based on its impact on compliance with 10 CFR 50.59.

“At no time was SCE informed that the maximum void fraction or flow velocities estimated by MHI could contribute to the failure of steam generator tubes,” said Dietrich. “At the time, the design was considered sound.”

SCE is disappointed that MHI decided on its own to redact some information in its evaluation about the flaws in the computer codes. However, the NRC publicly disclosed the computer code flaws three months before MHI completed its evaluation. In addition, the corrective actions and other statements included in the evaluation make it evident that there were problems with the computer modeling that failed to predict conditions that led to the tube-to-tube wear.

SCE has proposed operating Unit …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance