A solution for nuclear waste from power plants could finally be moving forward after the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly May 10 to authorize continued licensing of Yucca Mountain as well as interim waste storage.
While wind energy may still seem like a relatively new technology, it has matured to the point that consultants expect owners will invest about $2 billion a year to partially repower older turbines and make them more efficient.
The long-delayed Kitimat liquefied natural gas project in British Columbia got a boost in late April when LNG Canada selected Fluor Corp. and partner Yokohama-based JGC Corp. as the EPC contractor for the natural gas export-plant portion of the $40-billion development. Industry analysts expect Fluor’s portion of the award could be as much as $7 billion.
Many previously identified problems continue to plague the complex waste treatment plant being built to immobilize much of the 54 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste stored at the U.S. Energy Dept.’s Hanford site in Washington state, prompting government investigators to recommend stopping work on the $17-billion project, underway since 2002, when those problems recur.
The debate over subsidizing uneconomic nuclear plants continues as New Jersey joins New York in supporting the plants for their “zero emission” benefit, while Energy Secretary Rick Perry has yet to decide whether to offer support to FirstEnergy Solution’s nuclear units.
Bowing to industry’s push, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now proposes changes in Obama-era federal rules for power plant coal-ash disposal enacted in 2015 after several major spills, aiming to let states provide local oversight and enforcement.
