Monday, January 23, 2012

Nuclear plant idea merits study

What will happen in the U.S. Senate race in North Dakota this year is anybody’s guess. But here’s something that ought to happen for sure: Regardless of who wins in November, Senate candidate Duane Sand’s ideas about nuclear energy deserve a closer look.

A much closer look, in fact, up to and including formal studies at the federal and state level. Sand may not be the best politician the state has ever produced. But he knows his nuclear power and has the background to speak with authority on that subject.

So, when he suggests that North Dakota could benefit from a nuclear power plant in the Red River Valley, North Dakota should listen. Sand’s is an intriguing idea that’s worth checking out.

A Naval Academy graduate, Sand spent years on active duty as an officer on U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. Since leaving active duty, he has risen through the officer ranks as a Navy reservist, with extended reserve/active duty tours that have taken him to the Pentagon, Iraq and Navy bases around the world.

Couple that with a civilian career that has included stints as an inspector for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and you’ve got a knowledgeable advocate for nuclear energy.

For a few reasons, Sand believes the Red River Valley is ideally suited for a nuclear power plant.

The first reason is America’s need for nuclear energy. Today, nuclear power generates about 20 percent of America’s electricity, but it does so in older power plants — and most of them will reach the end of their usable lives in the next few decades, Sand says.

How will America replace the plant’s generating capacity? That’s the key question, and the answer isn’t at all clear.

But if that answer winds up including replacement nuclear power plants, then the country surely will look for geologically stable sites that are neither tsunami- nor earthquake-prone. And the Red River Valley fills both bills.

Nuclear plants also need a source of cooling water. But the Red River is subject to droughts as well as floods. Is it reliable enough to support a nuclear plant?

Yes, Sand answered when asked that question during a recent meeting with the Herald editorial board.

Nuclear power plants use water from many sources, including manmade reservoirs. The water in the reservoir can be used over and over again, making the system close to self-contained. Using these and other technical fixes, a valley power plant would impose only modest costs on the environment, and — like the existing nuclear power plant in Monticello, Minn. — eventually would be an accepted and noncontroversial part of the industrial landscape.

Meanwhile, the region would enjoy a reliable source of good jobs and solid revenue for many decades to come.

Is Sand right? That’s what the state and federal governments should find out. Plenty of questions remain about nuclear energy and its prospects nationwide. But as those questions are answered, let’s find out whether a valley nuclear power plant could be part of the mix.


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