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Nuclear Renaissance? Contemporary Geography of the U.S

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Nuclear Renaissance? Contemporary Geography of the U.S NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE? CONTEMPORARY GEOGRAPHY OF THE U.S. NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY Lisa Maria Marshall A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Geography in the UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill 2017 Approved by: Scott Kirsch John Pickles Gabriela Valdivia © 2017 Lisa Maria Marshall ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Lisa Maria Marshall: Nuclear Renaissance? Contemporary Geography of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry (Under the direction of Scott Kirsch) The U.S. nuclear energy industry is engaged in practices and policies to invigorate the material and discursive nuclear landscape. The year 2000 marked the beginning of a contemporary resurgence with operating license renewals for Calvert Cliffs and Oconee nuclear power plants. These actions were closely followed by legislations that underwrote research and development of an improved fuel cycle (the 2003 Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative) and new nuclear construction (the 2005 Energy Policy Act). Industrializing nations such as China moved into a rapid development phase dominated by U.S. based technologies (two EPR Areva and four Westinghouse AP 1000 designs). Domestic construction of four Westinghouse AP 1000 reactors commenced in 2012 at the Vogtle, GA and VC Summer, SC sites. Correspondingly, counter- arguments have impacted the production of nuclear space – proliferation concerns, nuclear waste management (the 2008 halt to the Yucca Mountain National Repository) along with past and recent nuclear accidents at Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) as well as nation states phasing out of nuclear (Germany and Italy). The last decade and a half has reintroduced the question of U.S. nuclear energy industry’s expansion, survival or exit. Thus in my thesis, I examine – 1. What is the geography of the contemporary U.S. nuclear energy industry? 2. What work does this industry do in the world, and how is this work reflected in current geographies of nuclear energy, real and imagined? iii 3. How is the industry (re)producing space for future significance? Has it been successful and why? Is the nuclear renaissance in the U.S. alive? Is the industry expanding, surviving, and/or on the way out? Through a mapping project of the nuclear industrial enterprise – operating or under construction power plants, engineering firms, national laboratories, the regulatory agency, colleges, and professional organizations – this thesis will produce an original mapping of companies in the U.S. and their presence in key global markets. Then through a discursive analysis of governmental and industrial literature, my analysis examines how the U.S. nuclear industry has positioned itself in an appeal for efficient and effective energy systems and in arguments for national security/international influence and environmental protectionism. In depth interviews, representing various facets of industry and oppositional voices, provide an illustrative look into key current nuclear energy perspectives. The U.S. nuclear industry is at a crossroads and the influence of government, managerial and public views will define its path moving forward. This thesis assesses some of the variables and intersections involved in the story-thus-far. ix To my mentors, Winifred Sarjeant (maternal grandmother), Grace Marshall (mother), Pamela Neblett (maternal aunt), Dr. Rosina Wiltshire, Dr. Jill Vickers, Dr. John Bedward (spouse), Dr. Mohamed Bourham (faculty mentor) & Dr. Scott Kirsch (faculty adviser), I couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you for your support along the way. ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Scott Kirsch of the Department of Geography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Your guidance and encouragement throughout this process was invaluable. I would also like to acknowledge Drs. Gabriela Valdivia and John Pickles of the Department of Geography at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as thesis committee members. Your guidance was invaluable. Finally, I must express my gratitude to my professional mentor, Dr. Mohamed Bourham, and to my spouse, Dr. John Curtin Bedward, for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you. vi PREFACE To my maternal grandmother, Winifred Sarjeant, for whom education was paramount, she sacrificed much to give her children and grandchildren what she did not receive. My mother, Grace Marshall, and then upon her passing in my teenage years, my maternal aunt, Pamela Neblett, served as needed beacons. Academic guardians, Rosina Wiltshire and Jill Vickers, saw something in me that they encouraged and nurtured. To my husband, John Bedward, and professional mentor, Mohamed Bourham, I want to thank you for keeping me going. And to my faculty adviser, Scott Kirsch, you provided the ultimate environment to foster graduate work and your patience was very much appreciated. I would like to sincerely thank you all for your guidance on this life journey. I would like to give a special thank you to my Geography family at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Your encouragement did not go unnoticed. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………. xi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: U.S. NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY ................................................................ 1 1.1 – Claims About Nuclear ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 – Geography of (Nuclear) Energy ............................................................................................. 4 1.3 – Interrogating the Contemporary U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry............................................. 9 1.4 – Research Methods and Questions......................................................................................... 12 1.5 – Chapters’ Roadmap .............................................................................................................. 20 ENDNOTES ................................................................................................................................. 22 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 23 CHAPTER TWO – CURRENT GEOGRAPHY OF THE U.S. NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY ................................................................................................................. 28 2.1 – Chapter Introduction ............................................................................................................ 28 2.2 – Physical Landscape of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry ................................................... 29 2.3 – Major U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry Stakeholders .............................................................. 35 2.4 – Legislative Writing and the U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry ................................................. 58 2.5 – General Electric-Hitachi and the Southern Appeal………………………………………...61 viii 2.6 – Nuclear Waste Management in the U.S. ......................................................................... 73 ENDNOTES ................................................................................................................................. 88 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 92 CHAPTER THREE – THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR .............................................................. 100 3.1 – Chapter Introduction .......................................................................................................... 100 3.2 - Organizational Messaging .................................................................................................. 110 3.3 – CASEnergy ........................................................................................................................ 111 3.4 – The American Nuclear Society (ANS) .............................................................................. 113 3.5 – Georgia Power and Light – AP 100 at Vogtle Power Plant ............................................... 115 3.6 – Nuclear Energy Institute .................................................................................................... 125 ENDNOTES ............................................................................................................................... 131 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 133 CHAPTER FOUR – U.S. NUCLEAR ENERGY AT A CROSSROADS ................................. 137 4.1 – Chapter Introduction ..................................................................................................... 137 4.2 – Why is Nuclear Energy Important? .............................................................................. 137 4.3 – Challenges to the Nuclear Energy Enterprise .................................................................... 144 4.4 – Chapter Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 162 ENDNOTES ..............................................................................................................................
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