ANS Nuclear Cafe

The ANS Nuclear Cafe is a blog owned and edited by the American Nuclear Society. Information contained on the ANS Nuclear Cafe has been provided by numerous sources. Therefore, the American Nuclear Society assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of information contained herein. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in posted articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Nuclear Society. The views expressed here are those of the individual authors. ANS takes no ownership of their views. The American Nuclear Society assumes no responsibility or liability for any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained on this site.


ANS Annual Meeting 2016 Opening Plenary: We Need Nuclear and Nuclear Needs ANS

June 13, 2016, 4:39PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

ANS President Gene Grecheck speaking at the ANS 2016 Annual Meeting Opening Plenary.

The 2016 American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting kicked off today (Monday, June 13) in New Orleans with a wonderful set of presentations on a wide variety of topics.  ANS President Gene Grecheck opened the session and reminded those assembled that his mantra has been "We need nuclear, and nuclear needs ANS," following up with some of the success stories that ANS has been a part of in the past year:

Nuclear Energy on the Edge

June 3, 2016, 4:29PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

Clinton Power Station, courtesy Exelon Nuclear

Yesterday, June 2, 2016, may have marked a watershed moment in the present day history of nuclear power plants in the United States, when two nuclear plants were selected by their owner for shutdown far in advance of their license expiration dates for economic reasons. The fast-moving pace of plants being shut down under similar economic circumstances (unbalanced energy markets that favor other forms of energy to the detriment of nuclear) signals a broken system that must be changed, now.

Watts Bar Unit 2 Starts Up

May 24, 2016, 7:35PMANS Nuclear Cafe

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, courtesy TVA

On May 26, 2016 at precisely 2:16 a.m., what will probably be the final large unit in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) nuclear fleet - Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 - achieved its initial criticality.  This event opens the final chapter of the extended construction history of this unit, and paves way for another gigawatt of generating capacity (in nameplate rating) to be added to TVA's generating portfolio.

ANS Friday Matinee - April 20, 2016

May 20, 2016, 3:45PMANS Nuclear Cafe

ANS Friday Nuclear Matinee

Our Friday Matinee for today is the latest of the excellent Vogtle Timeline videos produced by Georgia Power to document the construction progress of Vogtle Units 3 and 4.  The series stands as one of the most thorough video documentations of nuclear plant construction ever filmed, and this latest update is every bit as informative as its predecessors.

The Atomic City

May 11, 2016, 3:38PMANS Nuclear Cafe

Piqua Nuclear Power Facility as seen in June 1963.  Press photo in Will Davis' collection.

Piqua Nuclear Power Facility as seen in June 1963. Press photo in Will Davis' collection.

In 1959, a small community in Ohio completed a lobbying effort to bring a modern marvel to town-a nuclear power plant. Piqua, a town of less than 20,000 people, took its place on the broader news map, and set its sights on the stars. The journey would stop short of the citizens' dreams.

Another Japanese Plant Cleared to Restart

May 3, 2016, 9:14PMANS Nuclear Cafe

Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, Japan.   Courtesy Shikoku Electric Power Company.

Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, Japan. Courtesy Shikoku Electric Power Company.

Recently, the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan announced that Shikoku Electric Power Company's Ikata Unit 3 had cleared the new, three-step process required to restart nuclear plants in Japan.  This latest announcement also came with the closely coupled announcement that Shikoku would permanently close and decommission another nuclear unit, more or less in trade.

Wildlife Flourishes 30 Years After Chernobyl

April 26, 2016, 5:51PMANS Nuclear Cafe

Will Davis recently wrote an article on the Cafe: Chernobyl Through the Mist of Decades with a look back, lessons learned,  and life now. But today, April 26, marks the 30 year anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. We encourage everyone to take time to remember Chernobyl, and to review some of the promising information that has been written about the area now, as the world moves forward.

ANS Nuclear Matinee - We Need A Mix

April 22, 2016, 3:05PMANS Nuclear Cafe

Today's video is brought to us by Third Way, and takes a closer look at the energy sources, and why we need to add nuclear into the energy mix.  Wind and solar are just not able to do it alone and needs nuclear to get the level of electricity we need without destroying our environment.  "So, let's play it smart and develop a mix of low-carbon solutions, because we won't get a second chance to stop climate change." Today,  #EarthDay (and everyday), let's remember to bring good things to our planet.