One key ingredient is missing from the Department of Energy's approach to small modular reactors -- a sense of urgency.
Right now, DOE is considering a proposal to award $450 million to support engineering, design certification and licensing for one or two small modular reactor designs over five years.
The plan is to match federal dollars with private money and have the new reactors operating commercially by 2022.
It's an intriguing plan. Private-public partnerships have proved to be a good way to leverage resources, especially in the early stages of a new technology, when a heavy investment in research and design is required.
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Showing posts with label Columbia Generating Station. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columbia Generating Station. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
US nuclear output falls after Indian Point 2 in New York shuts
By Colin McClelland BLOOMBERG NEWS
U.S. nuclear-power production fell for the first time this week after Entergy Corp.’s Indian Point Unit 2 in New York shut down and output slowed at FirstEnergy Corp.’s Perry reactor and Energy Northwest’s Columbia plant.
Generation declined 547 megawatts, or 0.6 percent, from yesterday to 85,342 megawatts, or 84 percent of capacity, according to filings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and data compiled by Bloomberg. Output was 1.7 percent below a year ago with 9 of 104 reactors shut.
Entergy’s Indian Point 2 reactor was at 1 percent of capacity today, according to the NRC. The unit automatically halted yesterday, and crews were investigating the main electrical generator as the “probable” cause, Jerry Nappi, a spokesman based at the plant, said then in an e-mailed statement. Nappi didn’t immediately reply to a call and e-mail seeking comment today.
The 1,020-megawatt unit on the Hudson River 27 miles (43 kilometers) north of New York City was at full power before it shut down at about 6 a.m. local time, he said yesterday. The 1,025-megawatt Unit 3 is operating at full capacity.
FirstEnergy lowered output from the 1,261-megawatt Perry nuclear reactor in Ohio to 60 percent of capacity from 100 percent to perform fuel integrity testing, quarterly turbine valve testing and a control rod pattern adjustment to improve reactor core performance, Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman at FirstEnergy based in Akron, Ohio, said in an e-mail today.
“The plant is expected to return to 100 percent power this weekend following the work,” Young said. The reactor is located on Lake Erie about 35 miles northeast of Cleveland.
Columbia Salmon
Energy Northwest reduced production by the 1,190-megawatt Columbia reactor, 10 miles north of Richland, Washington, to 85 percent of capacity from 100 percent. The unit periodically reduces output at the request of the Bonneville Power Administration because of high water levels on the Columbia River, according to John Dobken, a spokesman based at the plant.
Hydroelectric plant operators on the river try to avoid spilling water over their dams because that can increase nitrogen levels in the water and harm salmon, Dobken said. Instead, operators run the water through their power-generating turbines, which means less output is needed from the nuclear plant to meet demand, Dobken said.
Saint Lucie
NextEra Energy Inc. increased power from the 839-megawatt Saint Lucie 1 reactor in Florida to 48 percent of capacity from 3 percent. The unit shut June 3 after running at full output the day before.
Victoria Ingalls and Doug Andrews, company spokesmen at the plant 45 miles north of Palm Beach, said yesterday they were consulting with management before commenting.
Dominion Resources Inc. boosted output by the 799-megawatt Surry 1 reactor in Virginia to 30 percent of capacity from 1 percent. The unit shut May 7 until yesterday for refueling, Rick Zuercher, a company spokesman based near Richmond, said by e- mail at the time. The twin Unit 2 at the plant 17 miles northwest of Newport News is operating at full capacity.
Constellation Nuclear Energy Group LLC increased generation at the 1,140-megawatt Nine Mile Point 2 reactor in New York to 19 percent of capacity from 3 percent. The unit shut for refueling and maintenance from April 9 to June 5.
The 621-megawatt Unit 1 is at full power at the site 6 miles northeast of Oswego. Constellation Nuclear Energy is a joint venture of Constellation Energy Group Inc. and Electricite de France SA.
Susquehanna Boost
PPL Corp. raised power at 1,149-megawatt Susquehanna 1 reactor in Pennsylvania to 18 percent of capacity from 4 percent. The unit started June 5 after cracked turbine blades were found during a refueling and maintenance stoppage that began March 31, according to Joe Scopelliti, a company spokesman at the site.
The flaw, found on turbine blades for both units last year, prompted PPL to shut the 1,140-megawatt Susquehanna 2 on May 31 to inspect its turbine for similar wear, Scopelliti said. An engineering review hasn’t determined the cause of the cracking at the plant 50 miles northwest of Allentown, he said.
The Tennessee Valley Authority boosted the Browns Ferry 3 reactor in Alabama to 75 percent of capacity from 68 percent. The unit shut May 30 to June 3 after an electrical fault, according to the NRC.
Browns Ferry
Browns Ferry 1, which has a capacity of 1,065 megawatts, and Unit 2, with a capacity of 1,104, are at full power at the plant 84 miles north of Birmingham near the Tennessee line.
Progress Energy Inc. started the 900-megawatt Harris reactor in North Carolina after a refueling and maintenance halt that began April 20. The unit is at 6 percent of capacity.
Duke Energy Corp. is operating the 846-megawatt Oconee 3 reactor in South Carolina at 3 percent of capacity after planned refueling and maintenance that began April 13. The work included the replacement of an analogue reactor protection system with a digital version, Sandra Magee, a spokeswoman based at the plant, said then in a telephone interview.
Oconee 1 and 2, which also have capacities of 846 megawatts, are running at full power at the site about 30 miles west of Greenville.
Entergy’s Grand Gulf plant in Mississippi is operating at 1 percent of capacity. The 1,297-megawatt unit, located 25 miles southwest of Vicksburg, shut Feb. 19 for refueling and a fire was extinguished April 11 in the A main condenser.
Reactor maintenance shutdowns, usually undertaken in the U.S. spring or fall when energy use is lowest, can increase consumption of natural gas and coal to generate electricity. The average refueling down time was 43 days in 2011, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.
LINK
U.S. nuclear-power production fell for the first time this week after Entergy Corp.’s Indian Point Unit 2 in New York shut down and output slowed at FirstEnergy Corp.’s Perry reactor and Energy Northwest’s Columbia plant.
Generation declined 547 megawatts, or 0.6 percent, from yesterday to 85,342 megawatts, or 84 percent of capacity, according to filings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and data compiled by Bloomberg. Output was 1.7 percent below a year ago with 9 of 104 reactors shut.
Entergy’s Indian Point 2 reactor was at 1 percent of capacity today, according to the NRC. The unit automatically halted yesterday, and crews were investigating the main electrical generator as the “probable” cause, Jerry Nappi, a spokesman based at the plant, said then in an e-mailed statement. Nappi didn’t immediately reply to a call and e-mail seeking comment today.
The 1,020-megawatt unit on the Hudson River 27 miles (43 kilometers) north of New York City was at full power before it shut down at about 6 a.m. local time, he said yesterday. The 1,025-megawatt Unit 3 is operating at full capacity.
FirstEnergy lowered output from the 1,261-megawatt Perry nuclear reactor in Ohio to 60 percent of capacity from 100 percent to perform fuel integrity testing, quarterly turbine valve testing and a control rod pattern adjustment to improve reactor core performance, Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman at FirstEnergy based in Akron, Ohio, said in an e-mail today.
“The plant is expected to return to 100 percent power this weekend following the work,” Young said. The reactor is located on Lake Erie about 35 miles northeast of Cleveland.
Columbia Salmon
Energy Northwest reduced production by the 1,190-megawatt Columbia reactor, 10 miles north of Richland, Washington, to 85 percent of capacity from 100 percent. The unit periodically reduces output at the request of the Bonneville Power Administration because of high water levels on the Columbia River, according to John Dobken, a spokesman based at the plant.
Hydroelectric plant operators on the river try to avoid spilling water over their dams because that can increase nitrogen levels in the water and harm salmon, Dobken said. Instead, operators run the water through their power-generating turbines, which means less output is needed from the nuclear plant to meet demand, Dobken said.
Saint Lucie
NextEra Energy Inc. increased power from the 839-megawatt Saint Lucie 1 reactor in Florida to 48 percent of capacity from 3 percent. The unit shut June 3 after running at full output the day before.
Victoria Ingalls and Doug Andrews, company spokesmen at the plant 45 miles north of Palm Beach, said yesterday they were consulting with management before commenting.
Dominion Resources Inc. boosted output by the 799-megawatt Surry 1 reactor in Virginia to 30 percent of capacity from 1 percent. The unit shut May 7 until yesterday for refueling, Rick Zuercher, a company spokesman based near Richmond, said by e- mail at the time. The twin Unit 2 at the plant 17 miles northwest of Newport News is operating at full capacity.
Constellation Nuclear Energy Group LLC increased generation at the 1,140-megawatt Nine Mile Point 2 reactor in New York to 19 percent of capacity from 3 percent. The unit shut for refueling and maintenance from April 9 to June 5.
The 621-megawatt Unit 1 is at full power at the site 6 miles northeast of Oswego. Constellation Nuclear Energy is a joint venture of Constellation Energy Group Inc. and Electricite de France SA.
Susquehanna Boost
PPL Corp. raised power at 1,149-megawatt Susquehanna 1 reactor in Pennsylvania to 18 percent of capacity from 4 percent. The unit started June 5 after cracked turbine blades were found during a refueling and maintenance stoppage that began March 31, according to Joe Scopelliti, a company spokesman at the site.
The flaw, found on turbine blades for both units last year, prompted PPL to shut the 1,140-megawatt Susquehanna 2 on May 31 to inspect its turbine for similar wear, Scopelliti said. An engineering review hasn’t determined the cause of the cracking at the plant 50 miles northwest of Allentown, he said.
The Tennessee Valley Authority boosted the Browns Ferry 3 reactor in Alabama to 75 percent of capacity from 68 percent. The unit shut May 30 to June 3 after an electrical fault, according to the NRC.
Browns Ferry
Browns Ferry 1, which has a capacity of 1,065 megawatts, and Unit 2, with a capacity of 1,104, are at full power at the plant 84 miles north of Birmingham near the Tennessee line.
Progress Energy Inc. started the 900-megawatt Harris reactor in North Carolina after a refueling and maintenance halt that began April 20. The unit is at 6 percent of capacity.
Duke Energy Corp. is operating the 846-megawatt Oconee 3 reactor in South Carolina at 3 percent of capacity after planned refueling and maintenance that began April 13. The work included the replacement of an analogue reactor protection system with a digital version, Sandra Magee, a spokeswoman based at the plant, said then in a telephone interview.
Oconee 1 and 2, which also have capacities of 846 megawatts, are running at full power at the site about 30 miles west of Greenville.
Entergy’s Grand Gulf plant in Mississippi is operating at 1 percent of capacity. The 1,297-megawatt unit, located 25 miles southwest of Vicksburg, shut Feb. 19 for refueling and a fire was extinguished April 11 in the A main condenser.
Reactor maintenance shutdowns, usually undertaken in the U.S. spring or fall when energy use is lowest, can increase consumption of natural gas and coal to generate electricity. The average refueling down time was 43 days in 2011, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.
LINK
Monday, May 21, 2012
Energy Northwest: Richland nuclear plant increases power production
Posted: 12:00am on May 21, 2012; Modified: 9:21am on May 21, 2012
Energy Northwest's nuclear power plant near Richland is generating an average of an additional 22 megawatts of power as a result of improvements made during last year's lengthy outage.
"Cost of power varies with the market, but regardless of market cost, 22 megawatts of increased public power output will have a substantial positive impact -- potentially $6 million per year -- on regional cost-of-power," said Brent Ridge, Energy Northwest vice president and chief financial and risk officer, in a statement.For comparison, 22 megawatts represents 80 percent of the electric generation potential from Energy Northwest's Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project near Mount Rainier.
The Columbia Generating Station now averages about 1,170 megawatts of electrical generation, which is nearly 10 percent of the power generated in Washington.
The improved efficiency comes from replacement of the plant's main generator rotor and condenser plus maintenance conducted during the refueling outage that's scheduled every two years.
The outage did not go as planned, with it stretching from an anticipated 80 days to about 175 days as work to replace the condenser was more time consuming than expected.
The contractor on the project, Babcock and Wilcox, sued Energy Northwest, saying that it failed to reveal information about the project when it bid. Energy Northwest, which also complained about B&W's performance, has agreed to settle the lawsuit for about $18 million.
B&W had a $33 million contract for the work, which was part of a $113 million proposed budget for the project.
The condenser, which was more than 25 years old, turned steam generated by boiling water in the nuclear reactor back into water for re-use.
Despite the difficulties of the condenser replacement, Energy Northwest is seeing the benefits now.
Not only is power production improved, but the new condenser improves reliability of the plant, which was the primary driver of the project, said Brad Sawatzke, the plant's chief nuclear officer.
The region depends on the Columbia Generating Station to provide a consistent baseload of power, particularly in the seasons when hydropower and wind generation are not at their peaks.
The new condenser also prepares the plant for an extended operating license. The plant was granted its first operating license in 1983 and Energy Northwest expects to hear this week that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will approve a 20-year license extension that would allow the plant to operate through 2043.
The increased power production is due not just to the new condenser but also other maintenance done during last year's outage.
Maintenance was conducted on more than 350 steam-related valves and work was done to improve efficiency on two of the plant's six cooling towers, in addition to a wide range of other maintenance and improvement projects.
"A lot of work was done to ensure the plant continues to operate reliably, and averaging 22 extra megawatts of generation is a huge bonus," said Mark Reddemann, Energy Northwest chief executive, in a statement. "It bolsters Columbia's already impressive low cost-of-power record, which ultimately benefits Northwest ratepayers."
LINK
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Wash. nuclear plant to receive license renewal
RICHLAND, Wash. —
The only commercial nuclear power plant in the Northwest is hosting an event Thursday to mark the extension of the plant's operating license.
Plant operator Energy Northwest says it has been told informally by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the Columbia Generating Station's license will be extended for an additional 20 years.
According to the Tri-City Herald (http://bit.ly/K17ET8), Energy Northwest says official approval of the license renewal is expected next week. The agency says Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to attend Thursday's event.
The plant located near Richland, Wash., provides about 3 percent of the region's power, roughly enough electricity for 1 million homes. A license renewal will allow the plant to operate until 2043.
LINK
The only commercial nuclear power plant in the Northwest is hosting an event Thursday to mark the extension of the plant's operating license.
Plant operator Energy Northwest says it has been told informally by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the Columbia Generating Station's license will be extended for an additional 20 years.
According to the Tri-City Herald (http://bit.ly/K17ET8), Energy Northwest says official approval of the license renewal is expected next week. The agency says Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to attend Thursday's event.
The plant located near Richland, Wash., provides about 3 percent of the region's power, roughly enough electricity for 1 million homes. A license renewal will allow the plant to operate until 2043.
LINK
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Energy Northwest's nuclear fuel buy deal is set
A long robotic arm reaches down through 70-feet of water to move a spent nuclear fuel bundle inside the open core of the reactor at Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station during a shutdown for refueling and maintenance. The Energy Northwest Executive Board decided Thursday to spend $711 million to buy fuel for the plant near Richland. TRI-CITY HERALD FILE
Depleted uranium stored by DOE will be transferred to Energy Northwest and will be enriched for use at its Richland nuclear power plant by the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The Paducah plant was at risk of shutting down this month for lack of business.
Energy Northwest will pay U.S. Enrichment Corp. $706 million to enrich the fuel and pay $5 million to DOE for handling costs, under terms approved last week by its executive board to finalize negotiations. Energy Northwest also will have financing costs for the deal.
It will offset costs by selling some of the fuel to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has seven nuclear power plants, for $731 million. The authority lacked the borrowing capacity to make the fuel purchase outright.
Energy Northwest does not need the fuel until 2020, but believes purchasing the fuel at below market rates now will save ratepayers money for electricity produced at the Columbia Generating Station.
"This will provide a substantial benefit to Columbia and Northwest ratepayers," said Mark Reddemann, chief executive of Energy Northwest, in a statement. "It will give us a stable fuel supply through 2028 and at a lower cost."
In the near term the financial structure of the deal is expected to decrease costs $20 million from 2014 to 2017, according to Energy Northwest. Millions of dollars more are expected to be saved long term, although the Bonneville Power Administration, which markets the power produced, has cautioned the deal is not without risk.
The planned program to enrich depleted uranium, rather than mined uranium, is similar to a pilot project at Energy Northwest in 2005 that reduced fuel costs by $100 million, according to Energy Northwest.
"After much hard work, the Energy Department, in cooperation with the other organizations, has identified a creative path forward to utilize a portion of our depleted uranium inventory in a way that brings together the public and private sector to advance America's national security interests at a reduced cost to taxpayers," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a statement.
LINK
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Energy Northwest - Columbia Generating Station one step closer to license renewal
Mar 1, 2012
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 1 issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) for the proposed renewal of the operating license for the 1,150 MW Columbia Generating Station and concluded that there are no open items that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation.
The report documents the results of the NRC staff’s review of the license renewal application and site audits of the plant’s aging management programs to address the safety of plant operations during the period of extended operation. The NRC said the results show that the applicant has identified actions that have been or will be taken to manage the effects of aging in the appropriate safety systems, structures and components of the plant and that their functions will be maintained during the period of extended operation.
The NRC staff is in the process of reviewing the environmental part of the Columbia plant’s license renewal application. That review must be completed before a final decision is made on the renewal.
Energy Northwest submitted an application to the NRC in January 2010, to extend the plant licenses by 20 years for each unit. The plant, operated by Energy Northwest, is about 160 miles southeast of Seattle. The current 40-year operating license for Columbia is due to expire on Dec. 20, 2023.
(NRC) on March 1 issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) for the proposed renewal of the operating license for the 1,150 MW Columbia Generating Station and concluded that there are no open items that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation.
The report documents the results of the NRC staff’s review of the license renewal application and site audits of the plant’s aging management programs to address the safety of plant operations during the period of extended operation. The NRC said the results show that the applicant has identified actions that have been or will be taken to manage the effects of aging in the appropriate safety systems, structures and components of the plant and that their functions will be maintained during the period of extended operation.
The NRC staff is in the process of reviewing the environmental part of the Columbia plant’s license renewal application. That review must be completed before a final decision is made on the renewal.
Energy Northwest submitted an application to the NRC in January 2010, to extend the plant licenses by 20 years for each unit. The plant, operated by Energy Northwest, is about 160 miles southeast of Seattle. The current 40-year operating license for Columbia is due to expire on Dec. 20, 2023.
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