Cost, not waste, is the biggest hurdle for fission

As President Obama opened the door in his State of the Union address for the creation of more nuclear energy plants in the U.S., the President's Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman, Gregory Jaczko, was on hand at EUEC to speak on the safety challenges a new generation of nuclear power may face.

Jaczko noted cost – about $10 billion per reactor – as the biggest obstacle to building more nuclear reactors, and that permitting for the reactors could take four years or more. Waste, while still a major consideration, was not the primary concern.

The NRC is currently reviewing 13 applications from utilities to build 21 new nuclear reactors, Jaczko said.

Activated carbon for mercury

Albemarle, Baton Rouge, La., is showcasing its new mercury reduction technology, with six presentations at the show. Representatives of the company have been speaking on the specifications for mercury sorbents, wood-based powdered activated carbons and how mercury control systems can be harnessed to improve other processes.

According to a 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office (pdf), the use of activated carbon injection technology can reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 80 to 90 percent, at a cost of less than 97 cents per household per month.

Energy companies not ready to monitor GHG

Enviance, Carlsbad, Calif., spent its first few days at the conference culling opinions from industry movers and shakers. The company interviewed 117 random executives on controversial energy topics ranging from readiness, to record carbon emissions, to reactions to President Obama's State of the Union address.

Among its findings, 61 percent of companies surveyed responded that they have no current system in place to record carbon emissions. Less surprising, only 44 percent of respondents said they supported the Obama Administration's guidance by the Securities Exchange Commission to disclose climate change-related risks – 56 percent said it wasn't necessary.

When asked about the impact of the setting a price on carbon via either cap-and-trade or tax, 46 percent of respondents commented that their company will need to dramatically reduce their GHG emissions in response to such an event.

"With the likelihood of new guidance from the SEC on carbon reporting, and with the increased regulatory pressure coming from EPA's GHG reporting rule, we expect to see a dramatic increase in the number of companies seeking to implement auditable GHG measurement and reporting capabilities," said Lawrence Goldenhersh, president and CEO of Enviance. "Today's regulatory pressure makes the implementation of a carbon tracking and management system the first logical step in approaching carbon emissions as a financial issue directly affecting competitiveness."