The construction of a new $10-billion nuclear reactor in Maryland seem to be dead after Constellation Energy told the Dept. of Energy that it is no longer interested in negotiating a federal loan guarantee to support the project. In a letter to DOE, Constellation said it was unable to continue negotiations after it was presented with a “shockingly high estimate” of the fee the company and its joint-venture partner, Electricite de France, would have to pay to obtain the loan—$880 million. “Such a sum would clearly destroy the project’s economics (or the economics of any nuclear project for that matter),
The Dept. of Interior on Oct. 12 lifted a July 12 moratorium on deepwater drilling for offshore operators that can comply with new and existing offshore regulations and demonstrate the availability of adequate blowout containment resources. “The oil and gas industry will be operating under tighter rules, stronger oversight, and in a regulatory environment that will remain dynamic as we continue to build on the reforms we have already implemented,” said Interior Dept. Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday. Deepwater drilling was banned following the April 20 explosion on BP’s Mancondo well that left 11 dead and millions of gallons of
Seeking to keep an endangered $8.7-billion trans-Hudson River rail tunnel plan alive, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has bought the project a little more time. Proposed route was downriver from existing Amtrak tunnel. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie [R] had announced Oct. 7 that he was killing the project. But after meeting with LaHood the following day in Trenton, Christie agreed to a two-week study of unspecified project "options". Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the results of that study will convince Christie to do an about-face and give the plan a green light. Supporters of the Access to
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Oct. 7 killed the $8.7-billion Trans-Hudson River passenger rail tunnel project that was expected to double commuter train capacity between New Jersey and Manhattan. + Image Proposed route was downriver from existing Amtrak tunnel. Christie said he feared cost overruns on the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project could cost the state between $2 billion and $5 billion, despite commitments of $3 billion each from the Federal Transit Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. CHRISTIE “I will not allow taxpayers to fund projects that run over budget
The Associated General Contractors of America and the California Air Resources Board have reached an official agreement to postpone the beginning of compliance of the state’s off-road diesel emission rules until 2014. NICHOLS In a joint announcement, Mary Nichols, CARB chairman, and Michael Kennedy, AGC’s general counsel, agreed that they would continue to work together to resolve the technical details attached with a complex set of regulations that CARB put into motion in 2007. “Stretching out the timelines and reporting requirements will make the path to compliance a lot easier while the construction industry recovers from severe financial hardships,” says
Large dam upgrades in North America are squeezing every megawatt out of the grid as efficiently as possible by converting century-old powerhouses and replacing decades-old turbines. Construction is under way at several sites, from Pennsylvania to British Columbia. Earlier this month, PPL Montana began upgrading its Rainbow Dam, a 36-megawatt dam on the Missouri River, six miles northeast of Great Falls, Mont., where 200 workers are under the direction of Chicago’s Walsh Construction. Photo: Courtesy BC Hydro British Columbian utility will boost generating capacity at W.A.C. Bennett Dam by phasing in five replacement turbine units by 2017. PPL Montana says
King County, Wash., will begin removal of a stuck tunnel-boring machine inside the Brightwater Treatment Plant conveyance system, near Seattle, later this month. Replacement joint-venture contractor Jay Dee/Coluccio will spend $4 million to freeze the ground around the TBM’s cutter head, then cut apart and remove the machine by spring 2011.
Leaders of U.S. airports are calling on the federal government to reauthorize a multiyear Federal Aviation Administration funding program, raise the cap on passenger facility charges and play a smaller role in the construction and management of airport facilities. “We’re extremely disappointed in Congress’s failure to act on FAA reauthorization,” said Hardy Acree, director of airports for the Sacramento City Airport System. Acree is the 2010 chairman of Airports Council International-North America, which held its 19th annual conference in Pittsburgh on Sept. 26-29. Congress last month approved the 14th stopgap measure in lieu of a multi-year FAA reauthorization bill, while
Work resumed on Oct. 5 on $1.7 billion of road and transit work in New Jersey, shut down three days prior by Gov. Christopher Christie (R) after state legislators agreed to approve $1.25 billion in bond financing through next March. Lawmakers had balked because Christie would not commit to the state’s $2.7-billion share of an $8.7-billion Hudson River rail tunnel, a move that could kill the project, called Access to the Region’s Core (ARC). A 30-day project cost review is set to end on Oct. 9. Published reports say Christie is concerned about ARC cost overruns and wants the state’s
Canadian government officials expect to complete negotiations by year-end with potential buyers of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., the national corporation that manages the country’s nuclear-energy research program, including its CANDU reactor technology. Controlling costs and positioning Canada’s nuclear industry to “seize domestic and global opportunities” are factors driving the sale, says a government spokesperson. Officials decline to disclose names of potential purchasers, but Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin confirms it is one of the bidders. A spokeswoman said a successful bid would allow the firm to expand its sector work from refurbishing facilities, but she declined to elaborate. Despite laudatory reviews, AECL