Japan:
¶ There have been 33,000 energy projects approved in Japan so far. More are coming. [Revmodo]
¶ The person chosen to head the new Nuclear Regulatory Commission is concerned about political independence and the fact that the commissioners are being put in place without parliamentary approval. [Power Engineering]
¶ The Japanese government is announcing its position on nuclear power officially. The plan will be that all nuclear power plants will be shut down before 2040. Under the plan, nuclear plants would be allowed to operate until they were 40 years old, if they passed rigorous safety checks. The last five reactors would close in 2039. [Financial Times]
World:
¶ The French government sees an appeal of renewable energy as “ecological patriotism.” They plans to increase the number of jobs in the renewables sector from 100,000 to 225,000 by 2020. [EurActiv]
¶ Regulators have found cracks in a second Belgian reactor, Tihange 2. The indications are similar to those that caused the Doel 3 reactor to be shut down. [Reuters]
¶ As hydro power produced less electricity during a dry season in New Zealand, other sources of renewable energy were able to cover the loss, rather than having to increase use of coal and oil. [Global Times]
US:
¶ Responding to Vermont Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller’s request that the NRC provide additional oversight at VY because of a series of problems with performance there, the NRC has said no additional oversight is needed. [Vermont Public Radio]
¶ The first US tidal generator, installed in Eastport, Maine, has gone online. [Morning Sentinel]
¶ The California ISO is getting ready for another summer without power from San Onofre, in case the outage lasts another year or more. [Los Angeles Times]
¶ The Texas Department of Health is seeking help from the National Guard to find a missing radioactive device that is used for fracking. The device belongs to Haliburton. [Bloomberg]
¶ Bill Clinton gave an address at Solar Power International. He told the audience there, “You’re Going To Win This Battle.” [Solar Industry]
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