Terrestrial Energy said last week it is working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance a molten salt reactor from the design stage to the blueprint stage.
Molten salt reactors, or MSRs, are advanced breeder reactors that typically use a fluoride salt mixture as the coolant. They run at higher temperatures then water-cooled reactors. Terrestrial teamed with Oak Ridge in part because the lab ran a MSR prototype from 1965 to 1969. Terrestrial said it sees its design being used in modular reactors, from 80 MW to 600 MW. It said it expects to have the blueprints done by late 2016.
More: Nuclear Street
PacifiCorp Energy Fined for Bird Deaths at Wind Farms
The Department of Justice fined PacifiCorp Energy $2.5 million related to a spate of bird deaths at two of the company’s Wyoming wind farms.
The department said 38 golden eagles and 336 other protected birds have died by blade strikes since 2009 at the company’s Seven Mile Hill and Glenrock/Rolling Hills projects in Wyoming. The two projects have 237 turbines.
The government said PacifiCorp failed to make all reasonable efforts to build the projects to avoid the risk of avian deaths, despite guidance from the Fish and Wildlife Service. As part of the settlement, PacifiCorp agreed to develop and implement a plan to prevent further deaths at its Wyoming wind farms.
More: The Denver Post
STB Orders BNSF Railway to Come Up with Emergency Coal Plan
The Surface Transportation Board ordered rail giant BNSF Railway to come up with a plan to keep Midwest power plants supplied with coal this winter. Coal shippers have faced increased competition for rail capacity from crude oil and grain producers.
Citing supply problems at several Midwest power companies, the regulatory agency said its main concern is the railroad’s ability to respond “in the event that unanticipated circumstances cause one or more regionally significant generating stations to reach critical stockpile levels.”
BNSF had resisted releasing its supply plans, but it said Wednesday that it would comply. More than 50% of electricity in the Midwest comes from coal-fired plants. Several generating companies instituted conservation measures leading up to the winter to try stretch their coal supplies.
More: Star Tribune
NRC Taking Comments on Vermont Yankee Closing
Entergy’s plan for decommissioning the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is open for public comment. The plant shut down for good on Dec. 29.
Entergy filed a Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report, which puts the total decommissioning cost at $1.24 billion. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting public comments on the plan until March 23. Comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov, using Docket No. 50-271.
Company Hired to Dismantle Zion Station Running Out of Money, Exelon Says
EnergySolutions, a Utah-based company dismantling Exelon’s closed Zion nuclear generating station, says it is running short of funds to complete the task.
The company told Exelon that the project, paid for with $800 million collected from ratepayers over decades, will run out of money before all the buildings on the site are taken apart. According to the company’s agreement with Exelon, EnergySolutions would cover the projected shortfall. Zion was deactivated in 1998.
The arrangement was the first time the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allowed a plant owner to transfer a reactor’s operating license and liabilities to a third-party company for decommissioning. EnergySolutions owns a radioactive waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah.
More: Chicago Tribune (subscription required)
Initial Filings Made with FERC for New Nexus Pipeline
Nexus Gas Transmission, DTE Energy and Spectra Energy Partners have filed plans with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a 250-mile pipeline to transport natural gas from the Utica Shale formation to northwest Ohio.
The $2 billion Nexus Pipeline would run through 11 counties in Ohio connecting the Utica fields in the east of the state to the northwest. From there it will run into Michigan and connect with an existing pipeline in Ontario. The 42-inch diameter pipeline would deliver 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a day.
More: Akron Beacon Journal
BOEM Being Sued over Refusing to Disclose Extent of Gulf Fracking
The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, alleging that the agency refuses to comply with a public records request concerning the scope of hydraulic fracturing in the Gulf of Mexico.
The group said it has requested permits, documents and emails relating to approved drilling operations, but that the BOEM has refused all requests.
More: Grist
Department of Energy Challenging $54 Million New Mexico Fine
The U.S. Department of Energy is contesting a $54 million fine levied by New Mexico for safety and environmental violations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Federal officials are seeking to have the fine reduced or stricken altogether. The New Mexico Environment Department announced the fines last month. The violations resulted in the pilot plant being closed down.
More: Washington Times