There are a number of energy news stories out there that might have a direct or in-direct bearing on low energy nuclear reaction (LENR) and its developments. Unfortunately a lot of these like LENR get ignored by the main stream media for a wide variety of reasons.

Some of the stories that LENR boosters should be taking a look at include:

Demonstrating the work of the spent fuel storage of the Mining and Chemical Plant. Alexandr Kryazhev/RIA Novosti

  • The Russians have developed a successful breeder reactor. A breeder or fast neutron reactor is a closed loop fission reactor that burns depleted uranium fuel. The Russian nuclear monopoly Rosatom is testing the BN-800 breeder reactor at  Zarechny near Yekaterinburg. The BN-800 is capable generating 880 megawatts of electricity. It can burn nuclear waste or Uranium-238 a more abundant kind of uranium than that we use in our reactors, that could increase the world’s nuclear fuel supply 50 times. This is impressive and bothersome considering the fact that Bill Clinton shut down the US breeder reactor project in the 1990s. It’s never been restarted. Like LENR, breeder reactors are a good technology hobbled by short-sighted politicians.

Fracking or drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania.

  • New research indicates that natural gas could be as big a generator of greenhouse gases as coal. A US Department of Energy report from May stated that exports of liquid natural gas (LNG) to China would not reduce greenhouse gases. Among other things the report found that leaks of methane from natural gas tanks, wells and pipelines could become a major new source of greenhouse emissions and a significant contributor to global warming.

 

  • A number of factors could soon reduce the world’s oil supplies. These include the escalating war between the United States and the ISIS terrorist organization which could destroy Middle Eastern oil fields. The sanctions against Russia, Exxon-Mobil (XOM) has been forced to shut down drilling operations in the Russian Arctic after striking oil, and Ebola. Seeking Alpha contributor Khuldune Shahid noted that the Ebola outbreak could halt oil drilling and explorations in a number of West African countries including Liberia and Nigeria. Exxon-Mobil’s operations in Liberia have already been disrupted and some off-shore drilling rig crews are now cut off from the mainland. Presumably they’ll have to be rescued by the United States Navy.

 

It looks like the energy situation is far more unsettled and disrupted than we’ve been told. The need for effective cheaper energy sources and more research into LENR is greater than ever.