January 19 NEC Energy News
¶ “The Nuclear Fallacy: Why Small Modular Reactors Can’t Compete With Renewable Energy” • Small modular reactors are the nuclear industry’s next big hope, because no government can gain a mandate to build dozens of big reactors any more. But SMRs don’t solve the problems of high cost and waste. They can’t compete with solar and wind. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Nebraska Public Power District Launches Siting Study For SMRs” • Nebraska Public Power District is beginning the process of studying sites that could have the potential to host advanced small modular nuclear reactors. NPPD’s application for funding has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. [American Public Power Association]
¶ “IAEA Sends Staff To All Ukraine Nuclear Plants To Reduce Risk Of Accidents” • The International Atomic Energy Agency is placing teams of experts at all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to reduce the risk of severe accidents as Russia’s war against the country rages on, agency head Rafael Grossi said. The IAEA is affiliated with the UN. [PBS]
¶ “Temperatures On Greenland Haven’t Been This Warm In At Least 1,000 Years, Scientists Report” • After years of research on the Greenland ice sheet, scientists reported in the journal Nature that temperatures there have been the warmest in at least the last 1,000 years, which is the limit for the time they can analyze by examining ice cores. [CNN]
¶ “UK Round 4 Offshore Projects Sign Lease Agreements” • The Crown Estate has signed lease agreements for six UK offshore wind projects around the coastlines of England and Wales, which were tendered under its Round 4 seabed auction. The milestone Agreements for Lease will allow developers to progress work on nearly 8 GW of sites. [reNews]
¶ “New Aircraft Design From NASA And Boeing Could Benefit Passengers In The 2030s” • NASA and Boeing will work together on the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project to build, test and fly an emission-reducing single-aisle aircraft this decade, NASA announced. The first test flight of this experimental aircraft is set to take place in 2028. [CNN]
¶ “US Races Ahead In EV Manufacturing Investments” • The US is poised to attract the most investments globally in EV and battery manufacturing, for the first time surpassing announced investments in China and closing in on Europe. Companies have announced $210 billion of investments in the EV industry, up from just over $50 billion in 2021. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “USDA To Make $300 Million Available For Local Renewable Energy In Nevada” • The USDA will make available $300 million for the state of Nevada to invest in renewable energy for rural areas. The funding will include $250 million from the Inflation Reduction Act. The USDA is now seeking applications for the fiscal year 2023. [KOLO] (All states have funding available.)
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