TOKYO, JAPAN – The fifth meeting of the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation (the Bilateral Commission) was held in Tokyo on August 8, 2018. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori led the discussions as co-chairs. The delegations included participants representing a wide range of governmental agencies.… Keep reading →
Tehran has generally responded to pressure by issuing threats, ramping up its nuclear activities, accepting temporary limits, and, when the heat is turned up, launching cyber, military, and terrorist operations. This PolicyWatch is the first in a two-part series on shaping Iran’s potential responses to increased U.S. pressure on its nuclear activities. Read Part 2, which… Keep reading →
The notion that failing coal and nuclear plants need to be propped up by Washington continues to be advanced by some in the administration and, of course, members of the industries that would benefit from bailouts – usually by attacking natural gas and its infrastructure. In recent months we’ve rebutted their claims that the nation’s electricity… Keep reading →
An expert panel assesses sanctions and the future of U.S. Iran strategy in light of the Trump administration’s exit from the nuclear deal. On May 11, Katherine Bauer, Patrick Clawson, and Michael Singh addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Bauer, the Institute’s Blumenstein-Katz Family Fellow, is the former senior policy advisor for Iran… Keep reading →
Now that the nuclear deal is off, Iran’s next steps will be shaped at least in part by the technical capabilities of its enrichment program and related efforts. Amid President Trump’s announced withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran has threatened to expand its nuclear program beyond the restraints mandated in that agreement.… Keep reading →
Riyadh’s continuing closeness to Pakistan could prevent Washington from allowing the export of nuclear technology to the kingdom. Sometime in March, Saudi Arabia is expected to announce favored bidders for multibillion-dollar contracts for two nuclear power projects. The need for nuclear power in the kingdom, which has the world’s largest easily recoverable oil reserves, is… Keep reading →
Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a momentous final decision to close the state’s last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon. This outcome represents the culmination of over a year of effort initiated by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in 2016. When PG&E first brought this to the commission, they called for the… Keep reading →
Welcome to the future of nuclear energy. Within the next 15 years, advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) could change the way we think about reliable, clean and affordable nuclear power. Instead of going big, scientists and engineers went small developing mini reactors that are roughly a third of the size of a typical nuclear power plant. That… Keep reading →
In a January 8 Order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) swiftly dismissed the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed out-of-market compensation scheme for coal and nuclear units. DOE’s proposal would have provided guaranteed profits to coal and nuclear plants, despite the fact that these aging units are losing out to more efficient and affordable… Keep reading →
Last week the Midwest and northeastern United States experienced an historic cold snap that tested our nation’s electric grid. Like last year’s solar eclipse, unprecedented wildfires in California, and extreme flooding after Hurricane Harvey, this year’s “bomb cyclone” has not created a reliability crisis. In fact, it appears based on the evidence thus far that… Keep reading →
