MD on track for 1.6 GW Reactor

[MKSheppard]

Link

Article published Apr 19, 2008
Maryland on track for nuke reactor


April 19, 2008

By Tom LoBianco - Maryland is leading a race to build the first U.S. nuclear reactor in more than 30 years as the result of a deal by Gov. Martin O'Malley that would bring millions of dollars in federal tax credits to Constellation Energy.

"We're definitely going to get a third reactor," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. "It was a major aspect of the agreement between the state and Constellation that was always in the backs of the minds of myself and the governor and others in Calvert County."

The deal was part of legislation passed with little fanfare at the close this month of the 2008 General Assembly.

Critics say Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, and the Democrat-controlled Assembly hastily agreed to the deal because Constellation wants to build the reactor in New York.

"The O'Malley administration explicitly approves [the deal] without affording those citizens who may want to object due process of law or even a right to be heard," said Delegate Susan L.M. Aumann, Baltimore County Republican.

Constellation Energy, which owns the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant in Lusby, is one of only five companies nationwide that have completed applications for new nuclear reactors in 30 years.

While the new reactor would almost double the generating capacity at Calvert Cliffs and provide cheaper electricity for Marylanders, it also would improve Constellation's opportunity to get back more than $100 million in federal tax credits each year.

The company has since 1977 operated two nuclear reactors at Calvert Cliffs, which generate more than 1,700 megawatts of electricity. The proposed third reactor is expected to generate at least 1,600 megawatts.

The National Energy Policy Act, signed by President Bush in 2005, offers a tax credit of 1.8 cents per kilowatt/hour for the next six nuclear reactors built in the U.S. It also guarantees 80 percent of loans needed to build new nuclear reactors.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects 22 applications for 33 new reactors to be filed in the coming years, with Constellation at the front.

"They are among the first few utilities that are in a position to make it through the licensing process," agency spokesman Scott Burnell said.

The legislation in Maryland approved a settlement between the state and Constellation that grants $2 billion in rebates to ratepayers and eases the company's ability to finance construction of the third reactor by stripping public oversight provisions in the state's energy laws.

"Maryland laws regarding investment in companies owning regulated utilities are more restrictive than in many states and updating these statutes was a key priority," Constellation said.

The interest in nuclear energy largely ended in the late 1970s and mid-1980s after a series a mishaps forced companies to close reactors.

However, the debate over global warming — which surfaced in the 2008 presidential campaigns — has in part renewed interest in nuclear energy.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards criticized Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton on the campaign trail for not taking an clear, hard stance against nuclear energy.

Mr. Obama, Illinois Democrat, supports expanding nuclear-energy production, but not until the public has more access to the information and nuclear fuel and waste can be more secured, according to his Web site.

Mrs. Clinton, New York Democrat and the other remaining Democratic Party candidate, opposes additional subsidies for nuclear energy plants and would like to strengthen Nuclear Regulatory Commission powers. She also would support renewable energy development over nuclear energy, according to her Web site.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate, supports advancements in nuclear energy to reduce carbon emissions and the country's dependence on foreign energy supplies.

Constellation said Thursday it is waiting to secure a federal loan guarantee before moving forward but would like to break ground as early as December.

Company executives last month presented a rough timeline in which the reactor would be completed by mid-2015.

"Constellation is very well positioned to build, if not the first, one of the first nuclear plants built in the United States," spokeswoman Maureen Brown said.

Most mainstream environmental groups oppose nuclear energy, particularly as a solution to concerns about climate change, despite efforts to convince people otherwise, said Jon Block of the Union for Concern Scientists, a nonpartisan think tank in the District.

"There are so many other approaches that are more cost effective, especially in the short term," he said Thursday. He cited such alternatives as wind or solar power and residents being more energy efficient.

However, there is no consensus.

Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace, joined former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman in 2006 to co-chairman the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition — a group backed by the nuclear industry that supports increased nuclear energy to curb pollution.

Supporters say the need for new energy coupled with a demand for clean energy has made nuclear energy a logical choice.

"What that boils down to is you need to build a new large baseload," said Mitch Singer, spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, which lobbies on behalf of nuclear energy companies. "By process of deductive reasoning ... nuclear seems to fit that bill."

The issue also has put Mr. O'Malley at odds with Maryland-based environmental groups, including Environment Maryland and Maryland PIRG, which largely support his environmental-friendly agenda.

Johanna Neumann, state director for Maryland PIRG, called Constellation's plan "a step in the wrong direction."

The proposed reactor also has divided residents in Southern Maryland.

"This is coming a lot sooner than we think," said Sam Young, president of Calvert Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, which plans to develop 16 acres across from the power plant.

Denise Newton, 42, of St. Leonard's, one town north of the plant, said she is concerned about her four children and a possible link between increased cases of autism near nuclear reactors. "It's scary," she said. "It's very, very scary."

Mr. Young and other supporters say the new reactor is necessary to sustain development and provide cheaper energy to the state, despite safety concerns. "I think it's a part of life and a part of living," he said.

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So lets recap:

Hillary: Opposes Nuclear subsidies; wants to make it even harder to get nukes, and prefers "renewable energy" over the atom.

Obama: Supports expanding it - but not until yucca mountain is open, which is what I'm reading into his statement; a nice way to try to have it both ways.

McCain: Supports expansion to reduce foreign energy dependence and reduce environmental pollution.

[Adrian Laguna]

What kind of reactor is it going to be? I hear most American commercial reactors are actually kind of shitty compared to other models.

[phongn]

What kind of reactor is it going to be? I hear most American commercial reactors are actually kind of shitty compared to other models.

A few seconds of Googling would've told you the answer. It's an Areva EPR.

[Pu-239]

Obama actually opposes Yucca Mountain
http://obama.senate.gov/press/071031-obama_time_to_e/

[Admiral Valdemar]

Finally. Some progress. Though the spot price of uranium is predicted to explode over the next few years if a lot of proposed nuke plans go ahead (one figure was $20k/lb for the good stuff if you factor energy content comparable to oil).

[phongn]

Finally. Some progress. Though the spot price of uranium is predicted to explode over the next few years if a lot of proposed nuke plans go ahead (one figure was $20k/lb for the good stuff if you factor energy content comparable to oil).

Time to start reprocessing then

[Hawkwings]

First you have to lift the ban on reprocessing nuclear material.

[Stormin]

First you have to lift the ban on reprocessing nuclear material.

Is the selling of reprosessable material legal under that ban? I'm sure that there's some country trustworthy enough that would be willing to reprocess the stuff for their own use, it's just stupid burying usable stuff.

[Ma Deuce]

First you have to lift the ban on reprocessing nuclear material.

It's already been lifted, since the time of Reagan in fact. The problem is, even after all this time Congress is still unwilling to provide the funds to actually restart reprocessing, for a variety of political reasons.

[MKSheppard]

Obama actually opposes Yucca Mountain

Heh. Where the fuck does he expect us to come up with another nuclear waste depository? Michigan?

[Illuminatus Primus]

Obama actually opposes Yucca Mountain
http://obama.senate.gov/press/071031-obama_time_to_e/

Whatever. He needed Nevada. The amount of money he is earmarking for nuclear and that he seems pretty bottom-line for it sets me for him over McCain in energy policy. I mean for Christ's sake, he wants a gas tax holiday. So we can what - increase consumption? And yet another reason to drop Clinton; what an idiot.

However, the only reason nuclear needs so many subsidies is all the bullshit weights we've hung around its neck. If we had common sense policies, strongarmed in Yucca and other facilities, jump-started reprocessing, and I don't know, made CO2-emitting plants pay for the environmental costs of dumping their waste while we let them write it off and put nukes in the pillory over it, then we'd probably have them compete very favorably.

Shovel investment into fusion and fission research, particularly thorium cycle reactors and seawater and other alternative uranium sources. Let's restart breeder programs and fund 5th generation reactors.

Vote nukes. Vote for the IP-Shep Frozen Hell Party. Vote 2008.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Finally. Some progress. Though the spot price of uranium is predicted to explode over the next few years if a lot of proposed nuke plans go ahead (one figure was $20k/lb for the good stuff if you factor energy content comparable to oil).

Well, everyone knows where to buy their shares.

[Pu-239]

Anybody know of any progress regarding pebblebed reactors? One of the drawbacks Al Gore claimed regarding nukes is that he claimed they only come in large sizes, and IIRC, pebble bed reactors could be easily built in small modules with more modules added when expansion was needed.

Or was Gore's comment bullshit, since reactors like the Toshiba 4S are fairly "small"

And interesting, good find on the earmarks. I figured that something was pro-nuclear w/ the exelon "scandal" but that's not really concrete as pro-nuke earmarks.

[montypython]

Someone needs to find a way to kickstart reprocessing, at the very least we wouldn't have as many rolling blackouts and brownouts of the last couple of years.

[Kanastrous]

http://www.wired.com/science/discoverie ... 3/11/61088

Seems like the South Africans might lead the way toward commercialization.

[Lonestar]

Anybody know of any progress regarding pebblebed reactors? One of the drawbacks Al Gore claimed regarding nukes is that he claimed they only come in large sizes, and IIRC, pebble bed reactors could be easily built in small modules with more modules added when expansion was needed.

Or was Gore's comment bullshit, since reactors like the Toshiba 4S are fairly "small"

And interesting, good find on the earmarks. I figured that something was pro-nuclear w/ the exelon "scandal" but that's not really concrete as pro-nuke earmarks.

Thing about Al Gore is, he's the same SCIENTIFIC GENIUS(tm) who slashed fusion funding and forced NASA to go with the modular design for the ISS(NASA originally wanted a one-shot Skylab-type space station) int he name of international cooperation.

Frankly, I don't know why people view Al Gore as particularly scientific literate(well, I guess I do; because to most Americans he is scientifically literate, but it's easy to be a higher number than zero)

[The Duchess of Zeon]

You know, I'll probably go to the University of Maryland if I go on to graduate studies after getting my BS--they have an excellent nuclear engineering programme there, with a non-thesis-track ME in Nuclear Engineering available, and it would set me up pretty close to what may be the first new powerplant in the country. Time to get cracking..

[Tanasinn]

Obama actually opposes Yucca Mountain

Heh. Where the fuck does he expect us to come up with another nuclear waste depository? Michigan?

Unless dumping nuclear waste in Detroit will magically make it a good city not run by criminals, then we don't want it.

[CmdrWilkens]

You know, I'll probably go to the University of Maryland if I go on to graduate studies after getting my BS--they have an excellent nuclear engineering programme there, with a non-thesis-track ME in Nuclear Engineering available, and it would set me up pretty close to what may be the first new powerplant in the country. Time to get cracking..

That and getting to train on an actual functioning, admittedly subcritical, reactor can't help but be a good thing. Not sure how many other programs have one but I'd rather imagine the fact that Maryland has an actual plant on campus can't help but be a big draw. Honestly the better this looks the more I want to get back and finish up my ENAE degree that I left after one year (well by credits I was in my second year).

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Oh, WSU has one, too--it's a full research reactor, too. Chemistry 490-- Reactor Operations, is the course at WSU, and combined with two courses on reactor design, two for-credit special topic courses, and some radiochemistry courses, makes up the Nuclear Engineering emphasis at WSU. I'll have that on my BS in mechanical, and then go on to an actual nuclear engineering degree at the Masters' level. That's the plan, anyway.