WAM Abu Dhabi, 20th May 2013 (WAM) - The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the country's independent nuclear regulatory body, has invited the public to review and comment on its draft Regulatory Guide on the Certification of Reactor Operators and Senior Reactor Operators at Nuclear Facilities.

WYLFA nuclear power station could generate electricity until the end of 2015 - potentially securing more than 600 jobs for another 15 months.

The Anglesey nuclear plant secured permission in October 2010 to extend the operational life of the two reactors to December 2012.

The following information was released by the Department of Energy, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory:

Enough Northwest wind energy to power about 85,000 homes each month could be stored in porous rocks deep underground for later use, according to a new, comprehensive study. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Bonneville Power Administration identified two unique methods for this energy storage approach and two eastern Washington locations to put them into practice.

Compressed air energy storage plants could help save the region's abundant wind power which is often produced at night when winds are strong and energy demand is low for later, when demand is high and power supplies are more strained. These plants can also switch between energy storage and power generation within minutes, providing flexibility to balance the region's highly variable wind energy generation throughout the day.

From the Caribbean Summit of Political and Business Leaders that took place in the British Virgin Islands last week, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) on Friday announced a new global alliance to expand the use of renewable energy systems at Starwood properties.

The alliance will begin with three properties, including the installation of a 1.3 megawatt (MW) solar array at the Westin St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands where NRG will build, own and operate the project. This array will provide clean, efficient power to the resort helping to reduce local air emissions and the impact of shipping on the fragile Caribbean ecosystem by directly reducing demand for diesel fuel imports.

New Delhi, May 20 -- GE (NYSE: GE) and Greenwich, Conn.,-based Green Waste Energy (GWE) today announced they have signed a frame agreement for GE to supply an undetermined number of ecomagination[1] qualified Jenbacher gas engines to power a series of Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion (AREC) plants that GWE's development subsidiary, Green Waste Energy Development (GWED), plans to build around the world.

NTE Hybrid, the hybrid renewable energy technology joint venture between NTE Energy and Energy Investors Funds (EIF), is pleased to announce the award of its second set of patent claims by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. This patent expands the applicability of NTE Hybrid's groundbreaking hybrid technology to non-combined cycle fossil fuel fired power plants, including coal, oil and natural gas fired facilities. This new patent substantially increases the range of facilities in which NTE Hybrid's technology can be applied.

NTE Energy and EIF formed NTE Hybrid in 2010 with the goal of creating one of the world's lowest cost and most reliable renewable energy technologies. Following the award of its first patent issued on April 24, 2012, NTE Hybrid has continued to develop and improve the efficiency, applicability and versatility of the company's hybrid renewable energy technology to expand its application throughout the power industry.

The Bonneville Power Administration issued the following news release:

Enough Northwest wind energy to power about 85,000 homes each month could be stored in porous rocks deep underground for later use, according to a new, comprehensive study. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Bonneville Power Administration identified two unique methods for this energy storage approach, and two eastern Washington locations to put them into practice.

Compressed air energy storage plants could help save the region's abundant wind power - which is often produced at night when winds are strong and energy demand is low - for later, when demand is high and power supplies are more strained. These plants can also switch between energy storage and power generation within minutes, providing flexibility to balance the region's highly variable wind energy generation throughout the day.

Chinese solar panel manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) will supply panels to the first solar energy field, which is under construction at Sde Boker. As part of the $20 million deal, Suntech will also supply panels to another solar energy field, which is under construction at Kibbutz Hatzerim.

Ministry of Power, The Government of India has issued following news release:

The surplus power from the States can be transferred to a power deficit State through the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) from the source of supply depending upon the available transfer capacity (ATC) between the point of supply and point of drawl. Open Access in transmission (introduced by the Central Government through Electricity Act, 2003), trading mechanism and Power Exchange in accordance with the relevant regulations notified by CERC facilitate this process. National Grid, for evacuation of power from generating sources located in different regions in the country and facilitating transfer of power from surplus to deficit regions, is in place. In addition, licenses have been granted for trading of power. Power exchanges have also been set up for facilitating transfer of power from surplus to deficit States. The surplus power available with the States is also supplied by the States to other needy and desirous States under bilateral arrangements.

The State of California has issued the following news release:

The military services have installed a total of 130 megawatts of solar photovoltaic energy systems at U.S. installations, and have plans to complete 1.1 gigawatts of new photovoltaic capacity by 2017, according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The United States Army, The Government of USA has issued the following news release:

On May 9, 2013, the Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy), in close coordination with the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF), released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure solar energy from a photovoltaic Renewable Energy Generation System (REGS) located on Fort Irwin in California. The government estimates the size of the system at 15 megawatts, subject to final specification by the selected developer. The Solicitation, SP0600-13-R-0412, is posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov.

ENP Newswire - 20 May 2013

Release date- 16052013 - On 23 April 2013 Green Rock Energy Ltd (ASX: GRK and GRKOB) announced that the Company would make an offer to those GRKO option holders whose GRKO options expired on the 31 March 2013, to subscribe for new options.

Agency of Nuclear Projects, The State of Nevada has issued the following news release:

The owner of Vermont’s only nuclear plant sued the state last month, charging that state regulators have delayed approval of a backup emergency diesel generator.

Yankee is under orders from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to install a backup power source by September. The generator is supposed to be available if the plant is disabled and loses electricity from the transmission grid.

By the end of this year, it is likely that renewables will be the country's main source of electricity, providing more power than nuclear, coal or gas. Far from being "alternative energy", renewables is now a major part of our energy mix, and a significant part of Scotland's economy.

Latest figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change showed that in 2011 renewables in Scotland generated more power than coal or gas for the first time ever, and that we are very much nipping at the heels of nuclear power - the largest single source of generation.

April power demand in Bolivia rose 6.5% to 569GWh compared to the year-ago month, according to statistics from the national dispatch committee (CNDC).

Publication No. WO/2013/069785 was published on May 16 by WIPO.

Title of the invention: LIGHT GUIDE BODY, SOLAR CELL MODULE, AND PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENERATION DEVICE

Applicants: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA [JP/JP]; 22-22, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 5458522 (JP)
Inventors: TSUKIO Daisuke; .
UCHIDA Hideki; .
UMEDA Tokiyoshi; .
YUI Hideomi; .
ASAOKA Yasushi;

1.0 Background

Luminant Generation Company, LLC. (Luminant) submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Combined License (COL) Applications for two United States--Advanced Pressurized Water Reactors (US-APWR) in accordance with the requirements of Part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Subpart C, "Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants." These reactors will be identified as Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (CPNPP), Units 3 and 4, and are located at the existing Comanche Peak site in Somervell County, Texas. The NRC docketed the application on December 2, 2008, and is currently performing a review of the application. In addition, the NRC is currently performing a detailed review of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. application for the design certification of the US-APWR.

2.0 Request/Action

The regulations specified in 10 CFR 50.71(e)(3)(iii) require that an applicant for a COL under Subpart C of 10 CFR part 52 shall, during the period from docketing of a COL application, until the Commission makes a finding under 10 CFR 52.103(g) pertaining to facility operation, submit an annual update to the application's Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), which is a part of the application.

International Resource News - 20 May 2013

ContourGlobal, a New York based international power-generation company, has acquired 100 percent of the shares in the company that holds the wind and diesel power generation assets on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, from the company's shareholder administrator.

 ContourGlobal announced today that it has acquired 100% of the shares of the company holding the wind and diesel power generation assets on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire from the administrator of the company's shareholder.  The assets are the sole power generation facilities on the island of Bonaire and integrate renewable and conventional energy production sources to provide reliable power to the island's 16,500 inhabitants.