Japan's nuclear tsunami disaster continues to send ripples through the once relatively placid industry.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans hearings in Congress regarding review of the nation's 104 nuclear plants, and news of efforts to contain radioactivity at Fukushima nuclear plant top every media outlet in the world.
The industry -- along with everybody else -- is decidedly concerned. Even the "buzz blog" of industry-centric world-nuclear.org leads with updates from the disaster and discussion of safety measures.
But operations like International Isotopes Inc. show exactly what it means to be in the nuclear business today. The Idaho Falls, Idaho-based company is in the licensing and design phase of a planned uranium de-conversion and fluorine extraction processing facility located near Hobbs, N.M. Isotopes are used in medical imaging and treatment of disease.
Company officials say construction plans remain in effect. However, International Isotopes, primarily a manufacturer of calibration and measurement equipment used with nuclear imaging cameras, has put the kibosh on planned stock offering.
The news from Japan appeared to add somewhat to the volatility of International Isotope's stock, traded over the counter as INIS. Trading volume increased and the price, which had hovered year-to-date in the 30 cents per share range, into a zigzag, dipped down by half on average.
Steve T. Laflin, International Isotopes' president and CEO, said in a statement that his company "has sufficient cash on hand to continue near term planning and will continue to drive the project forward."
But the message is clear. The nuclear industry and related businesses like Laflin's feel the need to get the word out. Laflin said multiple companies involved in the various aspects of uranium production "have publically expressed their continued optimistic views of the uranium sector."
Threat of full-out nuclear meltdown, plutonium leaking into the ocean and a dead zone in one of Japan's most scenic fishing harbors do not bode well.
The future of nuclear energy, the power that drove Isaac Asimov's future history in books like the "Foundation" series, may be at stake.
Greentechmedia.com tackled the issue with dueling guest posts. One came from energy expert and consultant Amory Lovins who says until its truly unforgiving potential for danger can be resolved, spending should be saved for other renewables. The other is from nuclear engineer Jeff W. Eerkens, author of "The Nuclear Imperative," who says "when oil fields are depleted, only uranium and thorium can affordably sustain all global energy needs."
Expect debate to continue. In the meantime, the upheaval in the nuclear industry and the uncertainty in oil markets continue to provide alternative fuels and technologies with mixed messages. Or is that opportunity?
Mike Nemeth, project manager of the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, spent 24 years working as a newspaperman editing and reporting from Alaska to California. The SJVCEO is a nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life through increased use of clean and alternative energy. The SJVCEO is based in Fresno, Calif. and works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley. For more information, go to http://www.sjvcleanenergy.org.
