Tuesday, November 22, 2011
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Friday, April 15, 2011
Nuclear Energy may still have a future
The future for nuclear energy in the U.S. appeared to be at a rebirth, but the damage at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan following the tsunami and earthquake has the rest of the world, including the U.S., debating the safety of nuclear power.
What happened in Japan is likely to "lead to increased oversight and scrutiny of similarly designed plants in the U.S., as well as lead to more public skepticism on the safety of nuclear plants,” said Howard A. Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
Prior to the incident in Japan, new projects in progress in the U.S. after a drought of about three decades and numerous applications currently under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) gave the appearance that nuclear power might be gaining in popularity.
Moves by some Midwest legislatures made future nuclear projects more attractive in this region, as well.
Illinois last year lifted a ban on construction of new nuclear plants while Minnesota legislators recently voted to do the same.
In Indiana, the State Senate recently passed a bill that contains incentives for clean energy, including nuclear energy. The Hoosier state currently has no nuclear power plants.
Last year, Iowa passed a measure encouraging utilities to conduct studies into the possible expansion of nuclear energy in the state. MidAmerican Energy Co. has been exploring possible sites, according to Dean Crist, vice president of regulation for the utility, and likely will proceed with Small Modular Reactors because of the lower cost and the ability to add capacity as needed.
Looking ahead, Crist said preliminary plans for a site would likely be filed with the Iowa Utilities Board in the fall or winter. If the board approves those, the next step is the NRC’s licensing procedure and the first unit could be online by 2020, Crist said.
Currently, the Iowa legislature is considering another measure that would allow regulated utilities to begin charging customers for the cost of nuclear power facilities while they are still under construction.
In Ohio, Duke Energy works with its Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance to see if a Piketon, Ohio site is viable for a new nuclear plant. Company spokesman Tom Williams said the old brownfield site is still being explored.
While MidAmerican and Duke Energy consider new projects, other companies currently operating nuclear reactors in the region have no immediate plans for new building projects.
Chicago-based Exelon, which has the largest nuclear portfolio in the U.S. has no plans to build new plants, said Marshall Murphy, director of nuclear communications. The company is, however, focusing on continued upgrades for six Illinois nuclear stations.
American Electric Power, which operates the Cook Nuclear Plant in Michigan, has no immediate plans for additional nuclear plants, said company spokeswoman Tammy Ridout.
“We would look at options going forward and know we will need a mix to meet future demand, but have no current plans for a new nuclear plant,” Ridout said. “Our Cook plant is a great asset to us with the zero emissions it creates, and it’s positive for our fleet.”
And Xcel Energy, which operates two nuclear power plants in Minnesota has not plans for new plants at this time.
In the midst of the debate, some groups have called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend nuclear plant relicensing. That has not happened.
Efforts were already under way to streamline the licensing process for new nuclear reactors. The NRC’s new Combined Operating License handles both the construction and operating licenses at the same time, instead of licensing a plant for construction and later licensing it for operation. The new process will allow for a quicker turn around time for companies to begin earning money on the large investment.
“This allows for a single NRC review that means less uncertainty and better efficiency,” said Scott Burnell, public affairs officer for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The application sets out tests, analysis and a list of items that must be completed to show the reactor was constructed according to NRC requirements with verifiable proof.
The process allows an owner to achieve a much higher level of regulatory certainty for potential projects, according to Brian Johnson, vice president domestic markets, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
“The NRC has structured the licensing process so that an owner will have a fully approved design for construction and operation before construction actually begins,” Johnson explained. “This is critical to reducing any financial risk to building new nuclear plants.”
The commission is conducting reviews of its first applicants under this process.
A new plant near Waynesboro, Ga., is undergoing the COL process, but received an early site permit to do basic site prep. It also is a recipient of a loan guarantee for construction from the Department of Energy.
The COL process is estimated to take 3.5 to 5 years, and the 5-year mark is close to what is being seen, Burnell said.
The NRC process will eventually certify nuclear plant designs ahead of time, so companies could choose which design would work best for each project and time would be spent on site approval and operating licensure, instead of including design review as is currently the case.
Small Modular Reactors, like the ones MidAmerican Energy is considering, also will likely impact the industry. Although the NRC does not yet license the small units, they are gaining attention. These may be 1/10 of the size of a standard nuclear reactor and produce 100 MW or less of power, rather than the 1,000 MW large reactors produce, said William Martin, professor in the department of nuclear energy and radiological sciences at the University of Michigan.
The smaller size allows for smaller companies to consider nuclear energy because the cost would be reduced, Martin explained. In addition, SMRs are built in factories and delivered to a site, cutting construction time and offering more quality control, he said.
The NRC expects to see the first license applications for SMRs next year. Learner said the incident in Japan could also lead to more attention on SMRs.
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