Japan:
¶ Since the parliament is out of session, Prime Minister Noda will appoint commissioners to the new Nuclear Regulatory Commission without parliamentary review. Some people are not pleased. [The Japan Times]
¶ TEPCO and the government are urged to accept help from the international community to deal with the spent fuel pool of Fukushima Daiichi’s Unit 4. The pool is referred to as a “sleeping dragon,” that could restart the catastrophe at any time. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ European carbon emissions have declined in the past year. The causes were a mild winter and increased use of renewable energy. [PublicServiceEurope.com]
¶ The Sizewell B reactor, in Suffolk, England, is being examined for cracks similar to those in the Belgian Doel 3 reactor. While Sizewell B was not manufactured by the same company as Doel 3, it has similarities, notably that it is a pressurized water reactor, the only one in the UK. [East Anglian Daily Times]
¶ A new type of generating plant, intended for coal but flexible enough to burn gas or biofuels, is being touted as an intermediary step to alternative energy in Germany. [Spiegel Online]
US:
¶ The US electric production capacity is negatively affected by the heat and dry weather of the summer. The solution: depend more on sun and wind. [OilPrice.com]
¶ Gas bubbles have been found to be coming up in areas as much as three miles for the sinkhole that appeared in Corne Bayou on August 3. The source of the bubbles is unknown, and they may be unrelated to those at Corne Bayou. Investigations are underway. [Examiner.com]
geoharvey 