Making the Nuclear Renaissance Real: What Will It Take?
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Meetings ANS/ ENS INTERNATIONAL MEETING Making the nuclear renaissance real: What will it take? N THE FOUR years since the 2003 ANS/ ENS International Meeting, the Meeting session coverage: I nuclear power community in the United States has gone from an almost exclusive concern with the present—improving plant N Workforce development for new and performance, making use of power uprates and license renewal, trying out immediate existing reactors decommissioning of closed reactors—to a forward-looking “nuclear renaissance,” with perhaps 30 reactor license applications N Lessons learned from the old on the way and actual reactor orders seem- ing imminent. construction era as the new one begins At the 2007 ANS/ ENS International Meeting, held November 11–15, 2007, in N Washington, D.C., the broader perspective Fuel cycle options within GNEP offered by the involvement of the European Nuclear Society helped point out that the N Meeting the higher demand for fresh fuel prospect of new reactors is not so radical. David Bonser, of British Nuclear Fuels plc, N the ENS honorary cochair, reminded atten- Developments in nuclear imaging dees at the opening plenary session that power reactor construction in Asia never stopped. had considered selling off its nuclear busi - tribution, and in the sufficiency of person - The theme of the meeting was “Making ness—Immelt’s predecessor, Jack Welch, nel. He added that he sees opportunities for the Renaissance Real,” an acknowledgment had not been a nuclear power enthusiast. efficiency improve- of the widespread belief that nuclear power Speaking for himself, Immelt said that he ment in gas turbines, is about to expand in the United States, and wanted GE to be seen as a stable partner for and also in wind en- also of the fact that none of the activity to the nuclear industry, supporting the installed ergy. On the nuclear date has led to a firm commitment to build base of boiling water reactors and commer- side, Immelt said that new reactors. The speakers at the plenary cializing the advanced Economic Simplified it was his decision session addressed what have become, in Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design, that GE would not recent years, familiar topics related to which he said has been designated the 52nd bid for the Olkiluoto whether the renaissance can happen and product in GE’s “ecomagination” line. -3 project in Finland, what needs to be done to ensure it. Looking ahead at the energy picture in now under construc- The first speaker was Jeffrey R. Immelt, general, he said he foresees a 2300-GWe in - tion, which is based chair and chief executive officer of General crease in electricity supply worldwide in the Immelt on Areva’s first Eu- Electric, who said that he never thought he’d next 20 years. He also sees weaknesses in ropean Pressurized water Reactor (EPR). be speaking to this audience. In 2001, GE infrastructure, such as transmission and dis - Continued January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 37 On whether there would be a renaissance, Presenting a European perspective was Energy Partnership (GNEP), which would Immelt said he didn’t know. He stated his Adolfo Garcia Rodriguez, CEO of Empre- use burner reactors to transmute some belief that it would depend on whether fos- sarios Agrupdaos of Spain and a member of waste and reduce the total volume. sil-fired generation would be taxed on the Euratom’s panel on Generation IV reactor On the cost of new nuclear, Claussen cited basis of its carbon dioxide emissions, and designs. He described a widely varied set a projection by the Keystone Center that it he noted that his overall approach at GE is of nuclear situations, with Finland and would be about $80 to $100 per megawatt. based on an assumption that there will France building EPRs, Romania bringing Coal is around $48/ MW without carbon cap- eventually be laws or restrictions on CO2 ef- Cernavoda-2 on line, Bulgaria buying reac- ture, but would be about $80 to $90/ MW fluent. He said that nuclear power’s tors from Russia, the United Kingdom ac- with capture. She said that nuclear advocates prospects are already good, but would be- tively preparing for new-build proposals, must focus on the advantage available from come much better if carbon taxation goes and Germany not acting to end the previous climate policy, cap-and-trade, and other into effect. government’s nuclear phaseout. He noted comparative cost issues. that even in coun- tries where new re- Future impacts actor construction is John H. Sununu pulled no punches in his Because wind and solar not planned, the talk during the honorary cochairs’ special electricity providers session titled “Government Policy’s Impact power are intermittent and are looking to invest on Nuclear’s Future: What Every Voter there is no proof that carbon in new reactors else- Needs to Know.” While nuclear power is where. on the verge of a renaissance, Sununu said, sequestration is feasible, the Despite the extent he is concerned that the industry “may blow to which the Euro- it again” by not understanding what it takes facts favor nuclear, despite pean Union has ad- to craft government policy. vanced (such as the Sununu, the former governor of New the opposition of some establishment of the Hampshire and chief of staff for the first common currency, President Bush, explained that the existing environmentalists. the euro), Garcia fleet of nuclear plants in the United States Rodriguez noted the was built by a dedicated group of people lack of Europe-wide that understood the technical aspects of the Sen. Thomas Carper (D., Del.) began his nuclear regulations, which in his view process, but not the economic and political talk with what may be his standard opener weakens efforts to standardize new nuclear issues involved. “Energy is a political issue, for any audience: a humorous explanation power, as with the joint European utility re- as all important issues are,” he said, “be- that he is the only U.S. senator who is not quirements document. As for how new con- cause that is just the way it is.” running for president. “I’m running for vice struction will be financed, he said he be- Sununu is now president of JHS Associ- president,” he said. Turning to the subject lieves the only way it will happen is if “risk ates and a partner in Trinity International for this specific audience, he said that he be- is shared by the main players,”—meaning Partners, a private financial firm. He also lieves that loan guarantees for nuclear power that a reactor vendor would have to hold a cohosted CNN’s nightly “Crossfire” on ca- projects, authorized in the Energy Policy stake in a new plant, rather than getting paid ble television from March 1992 until Feb- Act of 2005, will ultimately be funded by entirely in cash. ruary 1998. Congress at $25 billion in total Treasury Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Sununu related his experiences in help- obligation. (At this writing, Congress had Center on Global Climate Change, indi- ing to bring the Seabrook nuclear plant on - not yet finished work on loan guarantees or cated that the use of the term “renaissance” line in 1990 when he was governor of New on the fiscal year was appropriate, because the first renais- Hampshire, where the plant is located. The 2008 federal budget sance was based on reason, fact, and knowl- construction permit for the plant was related to them.) edge, all of which are on the side of nuclear granted in 1976, and construction was com - Carper said that power now in response to global warming. pleted in 1986, but one of his friends in She said that there is a need to reduce local opposition de- the Senate, who is a worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 60 layed its opening for presidential candi- to 80 percent by 2050. Power generation years. While safety date, surprised him and heating produce 42 percent of the CO2 was thought to be the recently by saying generated by modern society, and for nu- main issue keeping that the United States clear power to provide one of the “wedges” the plant from oper- should return to nu- of carbon-free energy needed to meet the ating, Sununu said Carper clear power. This is need, there would have to be 700 GWe of that the real issue the view of most of the candidates in both new nuclear power—about twice the was the cost of elec- parties, and also on both sides of the aisle world’s current installed nuclear capacity. tricity to be produced in Congress. Carper said that the biggest Because wind and solar power are inter- Sununu by the plant. He impediment to new nuclear in the minds of mittent and there is no proof that carbon se- pleaded with the plant’s then-owner, Pub- officialdom is waste management. Follow- questration is feasible, Claussen said, the lic Service Company of New Hampshire, to ing on a point Immelt had raised, Carper facts favor nuclear, despite the opposition make a statement guaranteeing that electric- said that he expected to see legislation to set of some environmentalists. She said that in- ity rates would hold to a slight capped in- up a “cap-and-trade” scheme that would terim storage of spent fuel should be dis- crease when Seabrook went on line. The limit fossil-fired generation, creating the cussed, because even if the high-level waste utility, however, would make no such con- impetus to build more reactors. Returning repository at Yucca Mountain is built and cession.