News From NEA 2006

Some local reporters are taking advantage of the critical mass of nuclear energy professionals in San Francisco for NEA 2006 to put together some stories. Click here for a piece from the city's ABC affiliate, and here for a piece from the San Francisco Chronicle.

For President Bush's video address to NEA 2006, click here, or use the viewer below:



Back at the conference, NEI handed out some industry awards, with the top prize going to a team at Progress Energy. From the NEI press release:

Employees at Progress Energy's Brunswick nuclear power plant have been awarded the nuclear energy industry's B. Ralph Sylvia Best of the Best Award for an increase of record magnitude in the power station's generating capacity. The team won for making the energy facility in southeastern North Carolina one of only three U.S. nuclear power plants to achieve a 20 percent uprate in thermal power over the original operating license.

Accomplished in two phases approved by federal regulators dating back to 1996, the uprate increased the generating capacity of Brunswick's two reactors by a combined 244 megawatts-electric to 1,875 megawatts. The additional capacity is enough to serve the typical electricity needs of 200,000 households.

The Best of the Best Top Industry Practice (TIP) award was presented at the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI) annual conference here. The TIP awards recognize industry employees in 13 categories -- four vendor awards and nine process awards -- for innovation to improve safety, efficiency and nuclear plant performance. The Best of the Best Award honors the late B. Ralph Sylvia, an industry leader who was instrumental in starting the TIP awards in 1993.

Other companies with employees who received awards are: American Electric Power, Arizona Public Service Co., Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Exelon Nuclear, Florida Power & Light, PPL Susquehanna LLC, PSEG Nuclear LLC, Southern Nuclear Operating Co. and Tennessee Valley Authority.

More later.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy