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. Sununu said he is convinced that to humor in his conclusion, Carper quoted opened, decades will pass before spent fuel the company’s stance caused the four-year Thomas Edison, who said that opportunity is shipped there. She also noted that the Na- delay in the plant’s construction and licens- is often missed because it arrives wearing tional Academy of Sciences is opposed to ing schedule and the ultimate bankruptcy of overalls and looks like work. the Bush administration’s Glo bal Nuclear the company.

38 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008 MEETINGS

The lesson learned from the Seabrook ex- are confused. “If we, the informed, are di- time, starting in the late 1990s, he led an ef- perience, he said, is that the industry should vided on issues, we leave it to the unin- fort at Entergy to buy undervalued nuclear be trumpeting a message about economics formed to make the decision, and that’s plants, and he was known for saying the stars to the general public. “We have to tell the what we’re doing again,” he said, with ref- were beginning to align for a nuclear come- voter, in clear terms, how much nuclear erence to the mistakes made during the con- back. Today, he said, “the stars are aligned.” power has saved them over the last 20 struction of the existing fleet. Hintz added that the government will play years,” he said, “and we have to quantify it.” Carbon is another important issue on an important role in making the renaissance which the industry real. “We recognize the need for public poli- must offer a unified cies that make the playing field more level “We have to tell the voter, in front, and yet all the for nuclear technologies,” he said. “As indi- major players seem viduals, we must be involved in the politi- clear terms, how much to have a different cal process and demand that our elected of- take on it. Sununu ficials focus on many of the energy policy nuclear power has saved scanned the audi- issues that are critical to our country’s fu- ence before saying, ture.” them over the last 20 years, “If there are plenty Hintz’s cochair for the session, David of utilities repre- Bonser, observed that while the industry and we have to quantify it.” sented here, I guar- has to influence government to look favor- antee you there are ably on preferred policy, in the United 40 different policies States there is only one federal government Once Seabrook came on line, it became on giving credits for carbon, carbon reduc- that needs to be convinced. In Europe, by the anchor of energy supply in New En - tion, carbon nonemission tax credits, and contrast, there are 27 governments that are gland. Today in New England, which has a carbon tax cap and trade.” This mixed bag members of the European Union. good history of using nuclear power, the means that the industry will get a carbon “Governments need courage because message should focus on how much the policy driven by someone other than itself. these are difficult and contentious issues,” technology has saved—and is saving—the “Once again,” he said, “our friends in the said Bonser, director of human resources region, which once used imported oil as the administration and our friends on the Hill for BNFL Group and president of ENS. primary alternative. “That’s easy arithmetic are saying, ‘What do you really want?’” “Bold actions are required, and bold actions to do when you have $100 barrels of oil,” Sununu stressed that the problem with require courage. These are actions that will Sununu said. “But don’t expect the voter to being splintered on issues is that opponents result in changes in voters’ lives, and these do the calculation. Don’t expect the politi- don’t have to fight cians to do your homework. Don’t expect very hard to support them to carry your message.” He advised their own positions. nuclear utilities to send pronuclear mes- “All they have to do “I know of no important sages in the same envelopes in which elec- is say, ‘No.’ That’s a industry in the world as tric bills are mailed. Unfortunately, he said, very simple, unified the utilities have been afraid to do that. position,” he said. schizophrenically divided While the positive message on econom- An issue on which ics should be at the forefront, Sununu the industry should on the details of policy as added, other issues that should be talked come together im- about are the historical safety of the plants mediately is that of the nuclear industry.” and nuclear’s place in the global warming making recommen- environment. These issues are the simple dations to fill the ones, however: “Now we come to the hard two vacancies on the Nuclear Regulatory actions will challenge some deeply held and part.... I know of no important industry in Commission created when Commissioner legitimate public concerns—whether it’s the world as schizophrenically divided on Edward McGaffigan died and Commis- the safe treatment of nuclear waste, the the details of policy as the nuclear indus- sioner Jeffrey Merrifield’s term expired. threat of terrorism, or the continued safe op- try,” Sununu said. But the industry hasn’t offered up a slate of eration of nuclear plants.” The first “hard” issue regards the Depart- recommended candidates, and that inaction Bonser emphasized, as Sununu had, that ment of Energy’s proposed high-level made Sununu proclaim, “Shame on us!” “nuclear power is and always has been a po- waste repository at Yucca Mountain, in Sununu wrapped up his talk by making a litical business. We need, as an industry, to Nevada. Sununu wondered if the industry’s final plea to promote the renaissance in a give good, reasoned information to our pol- policy is that new plants can’t be built un- manner of solidarity. “We screwed it up last icymakers,” he said, because “government til the repository project gets moved for- time,” he said. “Let’s not screw it up this policy is central to the renaissance.” ward more aggressively, or whether the time.” idea of a repository needs to be put aside for A very bright future good, or whether surface storage for spent Aligning stars, acting boldly Another speaker during the session was fuel is the way to go for the next 100 years ANS President Donald Hintz, the ses- Under Secretary of Energy Clarence “Bud” and the issue of Yucca Mountain can be sion’s cochair, who had addressed the au- Albright, who oversees the DOE’s energy dealt with later. He declared he is unclear dience prior to Sununu’s speech, also com- and environmental programs, including its on the industry’s take on Yucca Mountain mented afterward, saying—tongue in portfolio of applied energy research and de- “because the industry [itself] doesn’t know cheek—that it is hard to get Sununu to give velopment activities, nuclear waste man- what the industry policy is.” a firm opinion on anything. That comment agement efforts, and environmental cleanup Sununu said that each time he has talked drew a chuckle from the audience. of the nuclear weapons complex. with the leader of a utility or a vendor com- Hintz, in his opening remarks, recalled the Albright said that there is no silver bul- pany in the industry, a different version of optimism he had felt during the years when let for solving energy problems in the the waste disposal policy is offered up. The many people thought the industry might not United States, but that “there is a huge and result is that nuclear’s lawmaking friends survive in a deregulated environment. At the very bright future in the nuclear industry if

January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 39 we work together.” venient truth. “It’s time to pay the piper,” atively slowly and wrap up over time. The The DOE, he said, is working hard on the Myers said. Because the nation has deferred basic inputs to project development, such GNEP program, which seeks to develop investment in new, more efficient, and as the supply of craft labor, construction cleaner nuclear and management expertise, and the supply of coal-fired baseload major components, will tend to ensure that. plants and in trans- Myers explained that discussions at NEI About $1 trillion will need to mission infrastruc- have centered on a first-build scenario that ture, the “electric will happen in waves. The first wave will be spent between now and power industry is consist of five or six new reactors coming 2020 for new generating pushing a mountain on line around 2015, built to cost and sched- of deferred capital ule and with no regulatory or licensing capacity, new transmission, investment in front mishaps. The second wave of new plants of it,” he said. “How will then go into commercial operation with new distribution, demand much? More than clear evidence of an infrastructure—the the entire book value workforce, fuel, and supply chain—that is features, and environmental of the existing sys - expanding to meet what is clearly sustained tem.” About $1 tril- and sustainable demand. control technology on the lion will need to be The final truth is that things will get spent between now worse before they get better. In many parts existing capacity. and 2020 for new of the United States, reserve margins have generating capacity, been driven dangerously close to the mini- new transmission, mum levels necessary for reliable service. worldwide consensus on enabling the ex- new distribution, demand features, and en- Even if lawmakers provide the policy sup- panded use of nuclear power to meet grow- vironmental control technology on the ex- port necessary to ensure that capital flows ing electricity demand. “We believe that isting capacity, he said. Not included, he to rebuilding the electric infrastructure, it is working with other nations around the added, is the potential cost of carbon con- already too late to catch up. The lights world will ensure the renaissance of nuclear trols. won’t go out, Myers said, but more gas- power,” he said. “It will ensure that the nu- The third inconvenient truth is that tack- fired generation will be built and the capac- clear materials that are necessary to fuel ling this problem will require innovative ap- ity factors of modern combined-cycle these plants are used for peaceful purposes proaches to financing, combining all the fi- plants will be increased to about 40 percent and are used to generate electricity and not nancing capabilities and tools available to (up from the 35–40 percent range). to generate trouble.” the private sector, the federal government, Myers said that the nation can limit eco- Albright also asked that members of the and state governments. “The loan guaran- nomic damage “if we start now, if we put industry come to the DOE with ideas on tee program authorized by the 2005 Energy in place the institutions, policies, and tools how to advance the renaissance. Policy Act was a step in the right direction,” necessary to support investment in a new he said. electric infrastructure. Unless we take steps Inconvenient truths Meeting the energy investment crisis will now to rebuild this nation’s energy infra- The session’s final speaker, Richard My- require the abandonment of many of the structure, we are at risk of leaving an econ- ers, played off Al Gore’s movie about global “institutional prejudices that color Ameri- omy that is weaker, less resilient, and more warming by offering a series of “inconve- can politics and policy,” he said. This—the vulnerable to the unforeseen and unforesee- nient truths” about the future of power gen- fourth inconvenient truth—consists of a able shocks to which all nations are sub- eration in the United States. Myers is vice new financing model, the domestic equiva- ject,” he said. president of policy development at the Nu- lent of an export-im- clear Energy Institute (NEI). port bank, which The first inconvenient truth is that the should be developed coal-fired plants in so that it is equipped “What every voter needs to the United States are with the tools neces- largely old plants. sary to ensure that know is the truth. What every They are less effi- capital flows to crit- cient and dirtier than ical infrastructure politician and policymaker newer models be- development in the needs to know is the truth, cause of a lack of en- electric sector. The vironmental control nation already uses no matter how inconvenient technology, and they loan guarantee pro- are too expensive to grams to support that truth may be.” retrofit. To fill the en- shipbuilding, steel Myers ergy void, the nation making, rural elec- in the past 15 years has built gas-fired plants trification, affordable housing, construction In closing, Myers returned to the theme because they represented the lowest invest- of critical transportation infrastructure, and of the session. “What every voter needs to ment risk. But gas-fired power plants expose for many other purposes, he said. know is the truth. What every politician consumers to extreme volatility in electric- Another truth is that realistic expecta- and policymaker needs to know is the truth, ity prices. While coal-fired and nuclear tions must be created about the nuclear re- no matter how inconvenient that truth may plants represent 70 percent of the nation’s naissance. “Underpromising and overdeliv- be.” electricity supply and provide the greatest ering is better than overpromising and forward price stability, very few coal-fired underdelivering. Believe me, we will get Closing the fuel cycle plants and no nuclear plants have been built only one shot at this,” he said, echoing Su- Researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab- in recent years. nunu’s message. Myers said that the build- oratory (ORNL) have been busy evaluating This situation leads to the second incon- ing of new plants will and should start rel- the reuse of reprocessed uranium (RU) in

40 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008 MEETINGS various reactor designs to see if it could be would be reactor neutronics, RU disposal, CANFLEX is a name derived from employed within the context of the DOE’s RU conversion to fluoride, natural uranium CANDU FLEXible fueling. Atomic En ergy Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. Cur- production, enrichment tails disposal, and of Canada Limited (AECL) and the Korea rent GNEP plans call for reprocessing spent separative work units (SWU). Only these Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) fuel so that the amount of high-level waste changed steps were evaluated during his developed the CANFLEX fuel bundle for to be stored in a geologic repository can be analysis. use in the CANDU reactor. The CANFLEX minimized. GNEP also aims to recover plu- Trowbridge said he ran numerous RU- bundle is made up of 43 fuel pins of two dif- tonium for use in mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. reuse scenarios, varying the age of the ferent sizes that increase fuel performance As currently devised, however, GNEP spent fuel (three years, five years, and 50 by reducing the power rating of the hottest would dispose of reprocessed uranium, years, the last representing fuel in the cur- pins in the bundle, for the same total bundle something that might not be necessary if it rent U.S. inventory); the original fuel en- power output. The design also incorporates could be reused in light-water reactors, said richment (3 percent and 4.5 percent); fuel special geometry modifications that en- Lee Trowbridge, a senior staff member in burnup (33 or 55 gigawatt-days/metric ton hance the heat transfer between the fuel and the Nuclear Science and Technology Divi- uranium [tU]); and number of consecutive surrounding coolant. The bundle is about sion at ORNL. reactor passes. 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter, 0.5 m (20 in.) During a session titled “Closing the Fuel In all of the RU-reuse scenarios, he said, long, and weighs about 20 kg (44 lb), and Cycle,” Trowbridge explained that he had RU displaces a large quantity of natural it replaces CANDU’s 37-pin standard bun- feed (about 3000 dle. tU), which he said During his analysis, Ellis performed re- As currently devised, GNEP dominates the cost actor neutronics calculations to determine differences of the the additional U-235 would dispose of reprocessed scenarios. SWU required to offset the needs were gener- initial U-236 content uranium, something that ally slightly higher in the fuel. He also for the reuse scenar- assessed the effects might not be necessary if it ios (80–400 t-SWU) of U-236 (and U- due to the need to 234) on the initial re- could be reused in light- compensate for the activity and dis- presence of ura- charge burnup for a water reactors. nium-236, but en- range of concentra- richment tails gener- tions. ation was always Ellis To offset the effect developed a model of the U.S. nuclear fuel less (140–270 tU). Also, the reuse scenarios of the U-236 in the RU-derived fuel assem- cycle as it would be operated under various avoided disposal of RU (about 2800 tU). blies and to achieve the same exit burnup scenarios—one scenario for GNEP’s cur- The cost differences of the scenarios as if there were none of it in the fuel, he de- rent plan to dispose of RU, and other as- were determined using two price sets, he termined that additional U-235 (amounting sorted scenarios for reusing RU. “We treat said. The “high” case used recent record to approximately 5 percent of the U-236 in detail only those steps in the fuel cycle prices for UF6 ($233/ kgU), conversion concentration) would need to be added. that would differ between these alternate ($12/kgU), and SWU ($140/kg-SWU). The “This is only one-fifth of the required in- strategies,” he said. Ultimately, he added, “average” case used earlier prices that crease in U-235 fuel enrichment when com- the general conclusion is that “RU reuse ap - Trowbridge said were more representative pared with that required for pressurized wa- pears economically preferable to disposal.” of historical median costs—UF6 ($50/ kgU), ter reactors,” he said. He added that it has Trowbridge’s model would include nat - conversion ($7/kgU), and SWU ($116/kg- been reported in RUFIC (Recovered Ura- ural uranium production, conversion, en - SWU). nium Fuel In CANDU) project literature richment, fuel fabrication, fuel burnup in Working only with these costs, he said, that the reactivity effects due to ±50 percent reactors, spent fuel cooling, reprocessing, the RU-reuse scenarios were always less ex- variations in the concentration levels of U- recycle of plutonium pensive than the no-reuse scenarios (by 234 and U-236 would be negligible to the into MOX fuel, dis - $600 million–$700 million/ yr for the “high” operation of the Wolsong CANDU 6 reac- posal of reprocessed scenario, and $80 million–$130 million/yr tors in South Korea. (The RUFIC project is uranium, and dis- for the “average” scenario). Costs for tails a joint international collaboration between posal of fission prod- or RU disposal are probably significant, he AECL, KAERI, and British Nuclear Fuels ucts and cladding. noted, but are very uncertain, and were not plc to assess the use of recycled uranium in (Another paper in the included in his calculations. “Whatever they CANDU reactors.) ORNL series was may prove to be, they would further favor Ellis concluded that for PWR analyses, presented during a the RU-reuse case,” he said. while the burnup penalty caused by the different session by Providing similar analysis, but for concentration of U-236 in recycled ura- Guillermo “Bill” Del CANDU heavy-water reactors, was Ronald nium needs to be offset by additional U- Trowbridge Cul, a senior re- Ellis, a senior R&D scientist in ORNL’s 235 enrichment in the amount of about search and development staff member in Nuclear Science and Technology Division. 25–30 percent of the weight percentage of ORNL’s Nuclear Science and Technology Ellis selected CANDU’s new CANFLEX the U-236, the effect in a CANDU reactor Division. He summarized beneficial fuel re- advanced fuel bundles to perform analyses is much smaller. He added that because the processing alternatives, including complete for assessing RU with respect to the avail - U-235 content in recycled uranium gener- actinide recycling and the recycle of able reactivity and the expected fuel dis- ally exceeds that in natural uranium, cladding.) charge burnup levels. The presence of CANDU offers the advantageous option of If the model were altered to reuse RU U-236 in the RU-derived fuel shortens the uranium recycling without reenrichment. rather than discard it, most steps would not fuel lifetime, he said, but a means of com- “The exit burnup of CANDU RU-derived change significantly in character or magni- pensating for this effect, if necessary, is to fuel is considerably larger than that for the tude, he said. The ones that would change enrich the fuel to a higher U-235 assay. natural uranium–fueled scenario, despite

January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 41 the presence of U-234 and U-236,” he pany has a tremendous reserve base in ex- position of the starting material, and the de- said. cess of 500 million pounds, which, roughly gree to which it is enriched. speaking, is enough uranium to fuel the en- ConverDyn is a uranium conversion The front end tire United States for about a decade or so,” company owned jointly by Honeywell In- Much attention is focused on closing the Dobchuk said. ternational and General Atomics. Conver - back end of the fuel cycle. But a panel ses- Cameco also operates a conversion facil- Dyn operates a plant sion titled “What About the Front End?” ity at Blind River and fuel services facili- in Illinois where turned the spotlight onto the suppliers, con- ties (conversion and fuel fabrication) at Port U3O8 is converted to verters, enrichers, and regulators involved Hope, both located in Ontario, Canada. The UF6. “It’s a gas at el- with front end activities. Blind River facility refines uranium con- evated temperatures;

ANS past President Harold McFarlane, centrates into uranium trioxide (UO3), it’s a solid at ambi- deputy associate laboratory director for nu- which is an intermediate product in the ura- ent temperatures,” clear programs at Idaho National Labora- nium conversion process. The Port Hope fa- Graham said. tory, who cochaired the session, noted that cilities chemically change the form of the Other major con- the industry trade papers write more about UO3 to either uranium hexafluoride (UF6) verters in the West, uranium mining and enrichment services or uranium dioxide (UO2). Port Hope has he said, are Cameco, than any other topic. “So, I think [the topic] the licensed capacity to produce 18 percent Graham Areva (in France), really is the front end of the nuclear renais- of the world’s annual requirements of UF6 and Springfields (in the United Kingdom). sance,” he said. used in making fuel for light-water reactors, Graham said that ConverDyn and its com- Dobchuk said. petitors are studying their conversion facil- Dobchuk laid out ities to figure out how to expand them to The industry trade papers the process for tak- handle the coming nuclear renaissance. ing a uranium mine “Presuming the U3O8 people produce all the write more about uranium active. It could take uranium they say they are, we will have to five to seven years have facilities in place to convert it and send mining and enrichment from the discovery it out for enrichment,” he said. “Likewise, of a uranium deposit the enrichment people will have to plan services than any other topic. to the confirmation ahead, too.” of its resources, and ConverDyn’s new conversion plant will another 10 years to be in Europe, and will potentially be oper- Stephen Turner, chief scientist for Ter - secure an operating license and build a min- ational by 2013, he said. ranearPMC and the session’s organizer and ing facility. A mine operates for 10 to 30 Gary Fox, executive vice president of cochair, explained that the 10 panelists years, depending on its size and the grade uranium services and products for Areva, were representatives of companies or agen - of the ore. said that uranium conversion is the step in cies involved with the three components of Don Falconer, vice president of corporate the fuel cycle that is often overlooked or ig- the front end: mining and conversion activ - development for Aurora Energy Resources, nored. Areva is involved in all phases of the ities, enrichment services, and regulation. said that Aurora has been investigating the nuclear fuel cycle and in the reactor side of While uranium production has decreased Michelin and the Jacques Lake uranium de- business as well. from the high levels of the 1970s and 1980s, posits, located in Labrador, Canada, in an Fox said that there has been little invest- when more than 150 effort to mine the area. The initiative is ment in conversion activities over the past

million lb U3O8 were called the Michelin Project, he said. 20 years. Last summer, however, Areva produced annually, The combined deposits of the project launched a €610 million (about $898 mil- demand has skyrock- contain a measured resource of 5.34 million lion) project to replace the Malvési and

eted. Demand now lb U3O8, an indicated exceeds supply by resource of 52.54 more than 50 million million lb U O , and 3 8 ConverDyn and its lb U3O8 per year, and an inferred resource the cost per pound of 38.03 million lb competitors are studying has gone from less U3O8. In the Miche- than $25/lb earlier in lin Project, “Aurora their conversion facilities to Turner the decade to the cur- has created, we feel, rent level of over $90/ lb. Still, the session’s a new uranium dis- figure out how to expand speakers generally were confident that nu- trict that is signifi- clear power plants would not have to shut cant,” he said. them to handle the coming down because of a lack of fuel, based on If Aurora does current capacity, secondary supply, and proceed with mining nuclear renaissance. uranium yet to be mined. the Michelin Proj- ect, a mill will be Mining and conversion activities built at the site to process the ore into ura- Pierrelatte conversion facilities in southern James Dobchuk, vice president of mar- nium concentrate. The company’s goal, France. A new conversion plant, Comur- keting for Cameco Corporation, led off as Falconer said, is to bring the project into op- hex 2, will be located near the company’s the first speaker for the mining and conver- eration by 2013. new Georges-Besse II enrichment produc- sion activities block. Cameco, a Canadian James Graham, president and chief exec - tion site, which itself is currently under con- company, is the largest uranium producer utive officer of ConverDyn, drew a chuck- struction. Work on building Comurhex 2 in the world, responsible for unearthing le with the title of his presentation, “Be- will start in 2009, with first production about 20 percent of the world’s uranium tween You and SWU—Where We Are.” A planned for 2012. supplies from its mines in Canada, the SWU (pronounced swoo), is a function of Fox also mentioned Areva’s plan to United States, and Kazakhstan. “The com- the amount of uranium processed, the com- build a new uranium enrichment plant in

42 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008 MEETINGS the United States. The NRC has been noti- used at the $1.5-billion National Enrich- Orr said that 12 engineers and scientists fied of the plan, and site selection and the ment Facility (NEF), which is currently be- who came from Australia and are still part of preparation of an NRC license application ing built by Louisiana Energy Services the Silex organization have come to work on are under way. He said the new enrichment (LES), in New Mexico. the GE-Hitachi project in Wilmington, N.C. Since September 2006, Schnoebelen Regulatory matters said, LES has grown Leading off the regulatory part of the ses - The means of bridging the from an organiza- sion was Joseph Giitter, deputy director of tion of 12 individu- special projects for the NRC. Giitter re- supply-demand gap include als to one that has viewed the agency’s recent activities in moving material out of more than 171 full- connection with enrichment plants: USEC’s time employees. American Centrifuge inventory, substituting “It’s interesting and plant, near Piketon, may be a good indi- Ohio, was issued a li- enrichment for uranium, cator for nuclear cense on April 13, power plants that 2007, and is under running shorter fuel cycles, LES, in spite of its construction; LES’s somewhat remote NEF, near Eunice, and recycling spent fuel. location, has been N.M., was issued a fairly successful in license on June 23, attracting a very 2006, and is under plant, which would employ Urenco’s gas well-qualified staff from across the country construction; GE-Hi- centrifuge technology, would have a capac- and in Europe,” he said. The goal is to have Giitter tachi submitted a li- ity of about 3 million SWU. 200 workers start training for NEF opera- cense amendment for the Silex test loop on tions by the second quarter of 2008. June 29, 2007, and the company plans to Enrichment services Schnoebelen said that global enrichment submit an application for a full-scale facil- Introducing the enrichment services part capacity is currently growing, along with ity in 2008; and Areva is expected to submit of the session was John Donelson, vice the significant investments in capacity. The a license application for a facility in mid- president of marketing and sales for USEC transition to a largely centrifuge-based en- 2008. Inc. The company was once part of the De - richment process “will be a beautiful plat- Regarding GE-Hitachi’s application, partment of Energy but was privatized form,” he said, on which to base the tech- Giitter said the NRC was currently review- about 10 years ago. USEC operates the Pa- nology’s incremental growth and “to fuel a ing the Silex test loop, the purpose of which ducah Gaseous Dif- nuclear renaissance.” is to provide a pilot test of the laser enrich- fusion Plant, which The final presentation on enrichment ser- ment process. “This is a similar approach currently is the only vices was provided by Tammy Orr, presi- to the one that USEC took with the lead cas- uranium enrichment dent and CEO of GE Hitachi Global Laser cade facility, whereby they’re not actually plant in the United Enrichment. The company is a wholly enriching uranium but pulling samples to States. owned subsidiary of GE-Hitachi Nuclear verify the efficacy of the process,” he said. Donelson said that Energy, which is 60 percent owned by GE The NRC is also doing the licensing re- the U.S. enrichment (the former GE Nuclear) and 40 percent by view for the Department of Energy’s industry for years has Hitachi Nuclear. planned mixed-oxide fuel facility in South been in a protracted GE-Hitachi plans to build an enrichment Carolina, he said. decline, and imports plant in the United States that will use the Suzanne Phelps, senior project manager Donelson account for 88 per- Silex process, which is a laser isotope sep- of fuel supply for NEI, said that it believes cent of the enriched uranium used in the aration technology that was developed in that uranium supply can be expanded to United States. That should change by Australia. In late 2006, GE entered into an meet demand. “The market is tight now due 2011–2013, however, when new enrich- agreement with Silex Systems, Ltd., that to inactivity in the uranium mining business ment plants will use gas centrifuge technol- gave GE the exclusive rights to develop and from the early 1990s to the 2000s,” she ogy instead of the more energy-intensive commercialize the laser enrichment process said. The means for bridging the supply-de- gaseous diffusion method. In the United for uranium. Now GE-Hitachi owns those mand gap, she continued, include moving States, USEC and Urenco have started con- exclusive rights. material out of inventory, substituting en- struction on new enrichment plants, and Orr said the laser enrichment process richment for uranium, running shorter fuel

Areva and General Electric are considering uses cylinders of natural UF6 gas that are cycles, and recycling spent fuel. new facilities as well. met with a laser that selectively excites the In 2005, she said, the International Donelson said that USEC’s American U-235 atom. A mechanical separation Atomic Energy Agency did a uranium Centrifuge plant, planned for Piketon, Ohio, process then separates out an enriched study that determined that the supply should will feature “low-cost production, higher stream of UF6 from a depleted stream of be adequate to last until 2050. After 2050, efficiency, and modular expansion capabil- UF6. “That’s it in a nutshell,” she said. she said, additional sources will have to be ity.” The company has been testing a lead GE-Hitachi is currently developing an identified, reprocessing and recycling will cascade—a series of centrifuge machines— NRC license application for a commercial be in place, and fast reactors will be in op- as a demonstration of the technology. facility. “We anticipate submitting the ap- eration, reducing the demand for new pro- Kirk Schnoebelen, president and CEO of plication in 2008, along with an environ- duction. Urenco, explained that Urenco provides mental report,” she said. Initial operation of The session’s final speaker was Jeff about one-third of the enriched uranium de- the plant is targeted for about 2012. “From Combs, president of Ux Consulting, a com - mand for the U.S. fleet. The company op- that point forward, we will ramp up to ei- pany probably best known as the publisher erates enrichment facilities in Germany, the ther 3.5 or 6 million SWU,” she said regard- of nuclear fuel market prices and uranium Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Ure- ing the plant’s capacity level, which will be prices. Uranium is now about $93/lb, but n co’s gas centrifuge technology will be decided in the 2009 time period. Combs noted that in 2004, uranium prices

January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 43 were near $14.50/ lb. signs of possible future problems. There taining people. She said that Dominion “I think because is a much higher attrition for new hires, also wants each site to develop partner- the price was so low, she noted, both experienced and young ships with community colleges and high people thought ura- people, as well as a shrinking labor pool. schools to reach out to students early on, nium supplies were Furthermore, some locations are becom- get them excited about nuclear, and con- plentiful,” he said. ing extremely difficult to staff. Having vince parents that it is a good career op- “As a consequence, purchased the Kewaunee plant in Wiscon- tion. there wasn’t much sin, Dominion is now having trouble find- exploration or invest- ing people willing to spend their winters Recruiting worldwide ment in production, there. For Bernie Copsey, manager of new and there wasn’t This “new reality” requires a coordinated plants engineering at Areva NP, the work- Combs much forward con- fleet-wide workforce planning strategy, force issue is one of those “wake-up-in-the- tracting being done by the utilities.” Stiles said. Dominion had been using an av- middle-of-the-night-with-a-cold-sweat” erage retirement and attrition formula for problems. Over the next eight years, he Workforce development defining needs, which, she said, was not said, Areva needs to add 2000–3000 peo- With the nuclear renaissance moving nearly accurate enough for planning pur- ple worldwide in order to support the nu- from hope to reality, one of the main con- poses. A better planning process is now be- clear renaissance. cerns is having the workforce in place—in ing used that allows a manager to add his or The good news, he said, is that the old terms of numbers and expertise—to deliver. her knowledge about specific people. Stiles talent, many of whom are eligible to retire The problem has, in fact, been well defined said, however, that she wants a more robust today, are willing to stay on longer and to over the past few years. This panel session, forecasting tool that incorporates attrition even come back from retirement because “Status of Workforce Development for the probabilities of different disciplines and of their passion to build something. But, Renaissance,” was led by Ken Ferguson populations. he noted, that can only last for so long. and was made up of representatives from Another problem being encountered is Copsey said that he has had success in hir- utilities, vendors, manufacturers, and oth- that of knowing what the ideal staffing lev- ing experienced people with a non-nuclear ers, who described what their organizations els should be. She defined three different background. It takes good interviewing are doing to attract and retain the people levels of staffing: a minimum staffing level, skills, he said, to identify the people with they need. which provides safe operation of the plant the right competencies who can be trained Lisa Stiles, who was on loan to NEI’s today, but does not provide support for con- and mentored in the areas where they are Government Affairs Division from 2005 to tinuous improvement; an optimum staffing lacking—notably, the nuclear safety cul- 2007, is now the project leader of strategic level, which will also support improve- ture. staffing and knowledge management in the ments and changing standards; and a mar- Since starting in his current job, Copsey nuclear business unit of Dominion Re- gin staffing level, which provides safe said, about one-third of his hires have come sources, where she is responsible for the de- operation, supports improvements, and pre- from universities, a proportion he thinks velopment and overall execution of a work- pares for the future. The idea of “margin will probably go up to one-half. These peo- force planning strategy. Stiles remarked staffing,” she said, is not yet Dominion pol- ple have to be brought up to speed very that her career has allowed her to focus on icy, but she is working to convince the quickly, he said, and this requires an un- the critical issues facing a resurgence of nu- board of its suitability. derstanding of generational differences. clear energy. From her past interest in waste Planning, she said, also requires the iden- Copsey pointed to four generational groups: management and public outreach, she said, tification of critical positions, which she de- “matures, baby boomers, Generation X, and fined as those that millennials,” each with a different take on are difficult to fill, what turns them on to come to work every require considerable day. Each, he said, has their own way of Planning requires the time to become pro- working and priorities. The millennials are ficient, or serve as a used to multitasking—they can instant mes- identification of critical feeder group to other sage, talk on cell phones, e-mail, and play critical positions. video games all at the same time—and they positions, defined as those Examples she gave work in the same way. This is not a prob- that are difficult to fill, were radiation pro- lem, he said, but for matures, communicat- tection chemistry ing with them can be difficult. About one- require considerable time to technicians and su- third of the millennials he hires are women, pervisors, senior in- and another third were not born in this become proficient, or serve structors, and qual- country. “That is not how it was 30 years ity inspectors. ago,” Copsey said, and so both the mentors as a feeder group to other On the recruiting and the mentees have to be trained how to side, Stiles said that communicate. critical positions. Dominion is now Areva works with local colleges and expanding its suc- universities to support and develop engi- cessful university neering courses, provide internships, and she is now “passionate about infrastruc- partnership process, which began target- undertake other activities, Copsey said. He ture—both physical and knowledge- and ing nuclear engineers for the nuclear also noted that the ANS Student Confer- skill-based.” analysis and fuel department, corporate- ence is a good place to recruit. Five years Dominion “has been a victim of its own wide. Furthermore, she said, instead of a ago, he said, about 100 people attended the success,” she said. Its nonretirement attri- shotgun approach, the strategy is now to conference; in 2008, Texas A&M expects tion is extremely low—about 1.8 percent. focus on a few universities, with an em- about 500. Areva also supports the North Its workforce is committed, and people phasis on the quality of their nuclear engi- American Young Generation in Nuclear are delaying retirement. Workers come to neering programs and other factors, such (NA-YGN), noting that the attrition rate Dominion, she said, but there are warning as location, which can be important in re- for people involved in NA-YGN is very

44 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008 MEETINGS low. The company holds “brown-bag” Barlow explained that the OA’s staff zero. He said that he doubted that any orga- seminars for this group covering a variety would be expected to have experience and nization could afford that sort of staff of subjects that are presented by key peo- expertise through the complete nuclear turnover and succeed, and so Parsons ple, including Tom Christopher, president project life cycle. This would include the started a number of initiatives to address and chief executive officer of Areva NP. technical side of reactor design, engineer- these issues. Young recruits who are involved in men- ing, licensing and regulatory management, While attracting new graduates and early toring and rotational programs and join construction, and, in the future, fuel recy- career professionals is the current focus of NA-YGN will see where their career is go- cling and waste optimization and disposi- the company, Wilkinson said, retaining ing and are less likely to leave, Copsey tion. The staff, he said, would also have to them is another priority. To develop and said. have proven skills in areas such as project motivate its people, Parsons has instituted a The success of the nuclear renaissance, development, stakeholder relations, project number of in-house programs in areas such Copsey concluded, hinges on the ability of cost and schedule control, risk manage- as project management, project controls, the vendors to develop their workforce. ment, supplier management, and opera- engineering, quality management, construc- Managers must be creative in recruiting, tions, to name just a few. tion management, and operations. For ex- mentoring, leadership development, and “So where is this experience and exper- ample, a model of excellence for project training. And since the vendors are doing tise to be found?” Barlow asked. When the management is the foundation for an in- things “worldwide,” the workforce must previous round of nuclear power plant con- house training and certification process. also be worldwide, he added. struction ended, he said, much of the talent This model was developed by methodically migrated to the Department of Energy nu- interviewing a number of the company’s A new perspective clear complex, where it continues to work most successful project managers to deter- Mark Barlow, director of operations for today. The talent, he said, was initially fo- mine their common attributes and compe- Washington Safety Management Solutions, cused on complex projects such as the K Re- tencies. A Parsons-specific guidebook was a subsidiary of Washington Group Interna- actor restart, the New Production Reactor prepared from this effort for use in a certi- tional, gave another perspective on work- Program, and nuclear material reprocessing fication process. Candidates are required to force development for the nuclear renais- and production facilities. With the end of the pass online quizzes on the guidebook and sance. For Barlow, the “war for talent” is cold war, the focus not new. When he started his career with shifted to compli- Westinghouse, the company was hiring cated environmental hundreds of engineers across all disciplines, management proj- Successful organizations will many right out of college. Barlow believes ects involving waste attract and retain new talent that talented individuals will come when the processing and treat- business becomes attractive and is viewed ment, Barlow said. by offering accelerated as an exciting opportunity—unlike during He noted that the the late 1970s and large management career opportunities for the 1980s. Success- and operations con- ful organizations, he tractors used by the personal growth and a said, will attract and DOE could satisfy retain new talent by his concept of chance to make a significant offering accelerated owner’s agents be- career opportunities cause they already contribution. for personal growth deal with projects of and a chance to make great scope, take on a significant contri- huge responsibilities for the DOE, and are take a comprehensive written exam that bution. used to performance-based financial incen- takes some eight hours to complete. The ex- Barlow Barlow put for- tives. ams are assessed by project managers ward a proposal for dealing with an expand- To move forward, Barlow concluded, the worldwide and graded by an in-house group ing construction program, suggesting the industry must address the structural factors of experts. replacement of the traditional owner-sup- that hampered it in the past. The dynamics This process has made a difference to the plier transactional structure that is used for have changed, he said, and new approaches business, Wilkinson said. Company metrics construction projects with what he calls such as the new alliance model he proposes show that the number of projects with neg- life-cycle alliances. This would involve two must be employed. ative performance has been dramatically re- interrelated aspects: a change in perspective duced, he said, adding that more recently, and a change in roles. The first, he said, Employee retention Parsons also started a collaborative Web- would demand that investors, suppliers, and Rick Wilkinson, vice president and cor- based degree course in project management regulators move away from just being par- porate manager of operations systems in with a national university. ticipants with their own individual objec- Parsons’ Infrastructure and Technology The discipline of project control is an- tives to being team members with long- Group, said that the other area Parsons is struggling to fill, range, mutually beneficial objectives. The workforce crisis hit Wilkinson said. The company recently de- second aspect would involve the creation of Parsons “like a ton of veloped an in-house training and certifica- the owner’s agent (OA). The OA would not bricks” some 18 tion process, also using a company-specific be simply a services contractor, Barlow months earlier, when best practices guidebook. It is a multiyear said, but a technology-savvy management the company realized program, he noted, with mentoring and field advisor and “trusted partner” whose goals that in the prior six training, and rotational assignments in cost and objectives would be shared by the months, it had hired estimating, planning and scheduling, and owner. An OA could be expected to provide about 10 percent of cost engineering. the owner continuity, efficiency, and an un- its total domestic Outside the company, Parsons is work- derstanding of the plant’s situation through- workforce—with a ing with schools at all levels, Wilkinson out the project. Wilkinson net gain of about said, starting with the public education sys-

January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 45 tem, which, he noted, is having a tough time To plan for its future workforce, B&W lays and cost overruns of the 1970s and keeping kids in school, let alone getting has identified key critical skills through the 1980s as it did with establishing new tech- them interested in math and science. The analysis of retirements and retention niques that are geared specifically to new company is involved in local education trends, and is also developing a succession reactor designs, construction methods, and foundations that support public education planning program, Rossi said. It is also regulation. in ways that the school board cannot fund, supporting the development of new skills Consultant Brian Grimes hearkened back he said, and he described some successes in for its current employees “to ensure we to a 1984 report to Congress by the NRC, developing math and science in the school take care of the talent we already have,” which listed factors system. she added. in the success or fail- Parsons also partners with community For recruitment purposes, Rossi said, ure of reactor con- colleges through internships and scholar- B&W uses state-wide career and employ- struction as seen at ships and has developed relationships with ment resources to promote job opportuni- that time. These fac- universities, notably those near the com- ties, keeps area schools informed of its tors included prior pany sites and projects or that have com- needs, partners in education programs, and experience by own- pany, management, or alumni relation- is involved in engineering mentoring pro- ers and vendors; the ships, Wilkinson explained. The company grams and career fairs. It supports educa- degree of design uses its projects for field trips, offers senior tion programs at the community and uni- completion before engineers as guest lecturers, and provides versity levels through scholarships and the start of construc- intern projects and assignments. Parsons education foundations, training grants for Grimes tion; regulatory sta- has also been asked to consult on curricu- nuclear technicians, and internships. B&W bility; licensee control of the projects; man- lum development. is enhancing its college recruiting program agement commitment to quality; the role of while also developing company-sponsored financial incentives; practices for proce- The nuclear base—a unique national asset programs for engineers and technicians dures and records (now referred to as con- The session’s final speaker was Megan with select engi- Rossi, senior legislative analyst with Bab- neering schools and cock & Wilcox, the largest nuclear manu- community col- facturer in the United States. After serving leges. Failure is possible, and on the USS George Washington as a reac- On Rossi’s list of success requires planning and tor controls division officer from 2003– things for the indus- 2007, she left the Navy in 2007 to join try to do is to work involvement, and because B&W. Rossi said that she sees the work- with national labor force challenge as a great opportunity for organizations to in- risk cannot be passed on to national jobs and economic growth, for the crease the visibility development of the next generation of en- of the demand for someone else, it must be ergy technology, for reducing carbon emis- skilled trades. She sions, and for repatriating the nuclear indus- said that studies managed. try and gaining true energy independence. now show a steep Her question, she said, is how the industry downward trend of can come together to attract and develop the high school students taking trade- or in- figuration control); and the NRC’s ap- workforce needed to take the nation into the dustry-related vocational or technical proach to quality issues. next nuclear age. courses. She also stressed the need to fight Grimes noted that configuration control Rossi called the handful of companies the stigma associated with blue-collar had been a factor in the cancellation of the that stayed in the nuclear market after the manufacturing jobs. The stigma is still Zimmer plant in Ohio, on which construc- downturn and now make up the country’s there and it is strong, Rossi said. “We need tion was essentially complete. When the nuclear base a unique national asset. They to change that image.” There are great op- time came to show that the plant had been manage the nation’s nuclear weapons and portunities for employment and for earn- built properly, the records were in such dis- labs complex, provide heavy nuclear com- ings, she said, and the industry needs to array that this was not possible. Grimes ponents to the U.S. government, and oper- communicate that, particularly to teachers noted that more recently the industry has ate and maintain the U.S. fleet of nuclear and guidance counselors. She also called had success with major projects, suggest- reactors, she said. The success or failure of for reaching out to women and minority ing that new reactor construction would not this industrial base is a matter of national groups. repeat the mistakes of the past. He cited the security and independence, she added, and As for government, she was somewhat replacement of large components (i.e., it is now necessary to invest in it and nur- critical of its “singular focus” on building steam generators and vessel heads), conver- ture it. new nuclear reactors. Incentives should also sion to digital instrumentation and controls, To accurately define workforce require- go to support the industrial base needed for power uprates and their related plant mod- ments, Rossi said, a clear goal for nuclear these efforts. Tax credits to help finance ifications, and the Browns Ferry-1 restart as power is needed. She suggested an am - worker training and technician programs, signs that the industry can now manage ma- bitious target of meeting 30 percent of not just for utilities but the entire nuclear in- jor projects effectively. the nation’s electric power by 2030. dustry, would be an easy and effective way Charles Hess, chief nuclear engineer at She noted, though, that given the world to stimulate workforce growth and expand Burns and Roe, did not disagree with situation, just maintaining the status the pool of skilled labor. Grimes, but he pointed out changes in the quo—which would mean building six nuclear scene since the first construction era 1000-MWe plants a year starting in New construction quality that pose problems. Most notable is that 2013—would not be good enough. To in- Inevitably, thinking about new reactor most nuclear utilities once had considerable crease that to 30 percent, the number construction recalls experiences from the engineering experience on the payroll, and would nearly double she said, and added earlier generation. The session on new con- some went so far as to handle their own ar- that right now, the industry could proba- struction quality and inspection dealt as chitect-engineering. No U.S. utility today bly produce only one or two a year. much with ways to avoid repeating the de- could fill that role, and most utility engineer-

46 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008 MEETINGS ing staffs are so small that the companies years, and noted that cate crystals used in detection from 20 mm will be “outsourcing the risks” on the proj- the agency is trying to 30 mm—provided a sensitivity improve- ect. Current engineering staffs are working to set priorities based ment of only about 40 percent. on combined construction and operating li- on when COL is- Claude Nahmias, of the University of cense (COL) applications, but not on qual- suance is expected to Tennessee, reported on the combination of ity assurance for construction. This is espe- take place. It is nec- PET (which detects metabolism, including cially an issue at the beginning of a project, essary for the NRC that of cancer cells) and CT (which reveals he said, with new reactor designs that must to work within the structure, helping to specify the location of undergo first-of-a-kind engineering. limits of its available an image return) in the management of pa- Hess recommended early planning, risk- budget, he added. tients with cancer. He noted that in some based project management, an integrated In a brief presenta- cases, the combination of techniques has management team, a firm financial basis, a Quinn tion, Smith showed a shown little or no improvement over PET technology choice that matches corporate schedule for North Anna-3, but it did not alone, with mediastinal and cervical lymph goals, fixed-price contracts, leadership of include a date for signing an engineering, node detection lacking good sensitivity. project management by the owner, exten- procurement, and construction contract that Nahmias said that improvement in the sen- sive training, stakeholder involvement, and would formally commit Dominion to build- sitivity and specificity of PET is more likely development of what he called “active in- ing the reactor. Asked during the panel dis- to result from new, improved biomarkers tervenor mitigation plans.” In sum, he said cussion what that date would be, Smith said than from advances in PET/ CT instrumen- that failure is possible, and success requires that it would have to be no later than mid- tation. planning and involvement, and because risk 2009 in order to remain on schedule for re- cannot be passed on to someone else, it actor startup in 2015. Status of small power reactors must be managed. The session on the status of small power After the two paper presentations, Nuclear-based imaging reactors included, as expected, an update Grimes and Hess were joined in a panel dis- At the session on nuclear-based imaging on the efforts of the 800 inhabitants of cussion by Glenn Tracy, director of con- techniques in biology and medicine, Keith Galena, Alaska, to host a Toshiba-designed struction inspection and operational pro- Rogers, of Cranfield University in the 10-MWe 4S reactor to supply heat and grams in the NRC’s Office of New United Kingdom, briefly traced the history electricity. The 4S reactor is a liquid Reactors; Marvin Smith, of Dominion’s of X-ray use, pointing out that early on sodium-cooled “battery”-type reactor that North Anna-3 project; James Carter, of there was a divergence into radiography, has been under development since the late Navigant Consulting; Russ Bell, of the Nu- which depends on direct beam absorption 1980s. clear Energy Institute; and Raul Baron, of and the removal of scatter from the image, Session chair Christopher Lapp, of Lapp TVA Nuclear. Tracy also presented mate- and diffraction, which depends on just the Consulting Services, reported that the rial provided by Petteri Tiippana, of the opposite. Now, about a century later, the Galena team held its first pre-application Finnish nuclear regulatory agency STUK. separate tracks may be brought together talks with the Nuclear Regulatory Commis- The gist of this presentation was that the again for work on the new technique of co- sion on October 23. Unfortunately, because construction problems encountered thus far herent scatter. the team must be back in Washington in a at Olkiluoto-3 illustrate what can happen While radiogra- when previous warnings are ignored. phy has given rise to Grimes, who also chaired the session, computerized to- Replacing 24 percent of noted during the panel discussion that he mography (CT), dif- had hoped to include a representative from fraction has led to the gasoline used in the the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations the development of (INPO), but that organization had indicated small-angle X-ray United States with ethanol that it was not yet ready to make a presen- scatter (SAXS) de- tation on this subject. Bell noted that INPO rived from synchro- would have a significant is leading a lessons-learned activity within tron radiation. SAXS the industry on training and accreditation is one example of positive impact on the U.S. for construction inspection. the molecular-spe- A session attendee asked the panel who cific imaging that is energy situation. owns the schedule on a new reactor project. possible with syn- Smith said that everyone involved does, and chrotron radiation. added that Dominion has invited other ex- Rogers noted, however, that in general the few weeks, Lapp said, Marvin Yoder, the pected ESBWR licensees to work on North techniques that may become possible are Galena city manager who is in charge of the Anna-3 if it is the reference COL applica- not now in clinical practice, and may not be 4S project, could not come to this meeting. tion for that reactor model. (Two weeks any time soon. Other Galena team members were there, later, North Anna-3 did indeed become the B. W. Jakoby, whose affiliations include however, to give an update on the October R-COL for the ESBWR when its applica- Siemens Molecular Imaging, compared the meeting. tion was submitted to the NRC.) Another architectures of positron emission tomog- Before the panel discussion began, Lapp question from the floor concerned progress raphy (PET) scanners that employ three brought up one of the heavily promoted al- on official documentation to cover limited and four scanning rings. (Siemens is a ternatives to imported oil—bio-fuels, and work authorizations for new reactors. Tracy manufacturer of PET scanners.) In tests in particular ethanol—to replace gasoline. replied that the documentation has not been with “phantoms” (artificial constructs with He said that there is a possible role for small completed. shapes or densities similar to human body reactors in the production of ethanol. Al- From the audience, Ted Quinn asked parts), Jakoby said that scanning sensitiv- though there are a number of drawbacks to how the NRC is preparing its staff to carry ity was increased by about 80 percent with ethanol, he said, its potential can be seen in out construction inspection. Tracy said that the addition of a fourth ring. The other op- Brazil, where 24 percent of the fuel used is there is a program whereby individuals can tion for increasing sensitivity—increasing ethanol (the rest being gasoline). Lapp be qualified as inspectors in about two the thick ness of the lutetium oxyorthosili- pointed out that replacing 24 percent of the

January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 47 gasoline used in the United States with NRC was already later in the licensing process that the differ- ethanol would have a significant positive looking at several ences show. A design that is certified, he impact on the U.S. energy situation. small reactors, such said, is the subject of a rulemaking proce- In the United States, he said, about 18 as the Iris design, the dure and once granted cannot be chal- percent of domestic corn production goes pebble bed modular lenged, unlike a design approval. And so, toward ethanol production. Since this is al- reactor design, and from the standpoint ready having an impact on the foodstuff Hyperion, a new re- of someone who ap- market, Lapp said, it is clear that something actor whose develop- plies for a COL, it is other than corn will be needed, and switch- ers (including one far better to have a grass is seen as the most likely replacement. who was on the certified design. Switchgrass, which would yield a more ef- panel) have asked for Toshiba, he said, ficient net energy product than corn does, Welter a pre-application re- is now planning to view. Welter also seek design approv - mentioned that the al, although this does regulatory process not preclude apply- Switchgrass, which would allowed various ing for certification yield a more efficient net routes for obtaining Travieso-Diaz later. Travieso-Diaz a reactor license, did not elaborate on why Toshiba made this energy product than corn which is one of the decision, but he did say that the approval things usually dis- route is simpler and less expensive. does, needs little water and cussed at pre-appli- Toshiba plans to undertake further gen- cation meetings. For eral meetings with the NRC to see if there can be grown all over the example, he said, the is anything that might be a major obstacle to recent meeting on progress, and will then submit technical re- Great Plains. the Toshiba design ports on the design before actually apply- included a discus- ing for design approval. Travieso-Diaz said sion on the relative that the initial series of meetings will be like needs little water and can be grown all over merits of design certification versus design the one in October, aimed at familiarizing the Great Plains. approval. the staff with the design. These meetings Most ethanol production plants, Lapp Two members of the Galena team were are expected to take place over the next few said, rely on natural gas, which does not also on the panel: Matias Travieso-Diaz, of months if the NRC agrees. The submission make it a very “green” process. Using the the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw of a formal application is planned for early waste heat from large nuclear power reac- Pittman, which advises on regulatory and 2009. Toshiba would expect to obtain de- tors is certainly possible: Ethanol has been licensing matters, and Philip Moor, of sign approval by the end of 2011, and if all produced at the Bruce plant in Ontario for Burns and Roe. The two are the principal goes well, a COL application will be sub- several years. He noted, however, that authors of seven white papers commis- mitted in 2012. while there are a number of nuclear plants sioned by Galena that cover the most im- Burns and Roe’s Moor recapped the in the corn-growing regions, the cost of un- portant aspects of the project. Galena story, starting with the town’s initial dertaking the necessary modifications to ex- Galena is a community in the middle of meetings with Toshiba in 2003. In 2004, the isting nuclear plants would not generally be Alaska whose only source of power is Department of Energy undertook a study, economical. As for switchgrass, the use of diesel generation, which is becoming pro- “Galena Electric Power—A Situational process steam from large reactors would hibitively expensive. A review of other op- Analysis,” that looked at energy alternatives. not be viable in the Great Plains because of tions, including nuclear, led them to The results of that study, he said, were piv- a lack of large transmission systems or large Toshiba’s battery-type 4S reactor, which otal to Galena, concluding that a small nu- water supplies. Small grid-independent re- can operate for some 30 years on a single clear plant was a real possibility. The city actors could be deployed there much more core. easily, he said. These reactors could also Travieso-Diaz ex- provide electricity for rural systems and dis- plained that Toshiba trict heating in the colder climates of the up- had been planning to If the meeting had been held per Great Plains. meet with the NRC in 2005 as first planned, the The lack of ethanol stations is another for quite some time, problem, Lapp noted, a result of gasoline but for various rea- NRC would have had more pipelines’ not being able to transport sons it did not hap- ethanol. Most states have few ethanol sta- pen until last Octo- resources available to look tions, with the lowest density of them in the ber. This was unfor- Northeast. Minnesota has about 50. In tunate, he said, be- at the 4S design. 2005, Lapp, wondering if it would be pos- cause if the meeting sible to drive across the country on ethanol, had been held in converted his 1957 Cadillac to use ethanol. 2005 as first planned, the NRC would have council then passed a resolution to pursue this He drove from Washington, D.C., to the had more resources available to look at the option, and in 2005, Galena held an initial ANS Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif., 4S design. Now it is in competition with a meeting with the NRC, clearly stating that it and back to Washington on ethanol. His number of major licensing reviews. wanted to host a nuclear facility. In 2006, conclusion about ethanol, however, was Travieso-Diaz explained that Toshiba Galena received a grant from the state of that it could be only part of the picture, be- has two possible routes to license a reactor: Alaska to prepare a set of seven white papers cause “you still don’t want cars sitting in going for design certification, or for design setting out the technology and examining the traffic, burning up ethanol.” approval. He added that the way NRC staff implications of siting a 4S reactor in Galena. Kent Welter, acting chief of the NRC’s review the technical merits of a design is The white papers, which are available to the code development branch, noted that the much the same in both cases, and that it is public, cover the following topics: general

48 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008 MEETINGS overview, nuclear liability, emergency plan- ing infrastructure, and produce little waste. Welter added that having been involved ning, physical security, decommissioning, A likely candidate technology was in planning and budgeting for the review of containment, and seismic isolation. sought, and the result was the Los Alamos a variety of reactors, there is no single dol- Moor said that one of the things that solution, which Deal described as a battery lar figure. The cost of licensing will depend makes the 4S special is that it has reached based on nuclear science. on many factors, he said, such as the tech- a level of maturity that puts it at the front of Hyperion, Deal said, is not expensive. A nology and the size of the reactor, adding the pack of new reactor designs. Among the complete reactor, including siting, would that he does not think that the NRC will reactor’s distinguishing features, he noted, cost about $20 million and would generate need to change its rules in order to license are modular construction, a 30-year core electricity at about 4.5 cents per kWh. He small reactors. life (which is longer than most others), in- said that he has the customers and the herent safety features, underground siting, money to develop the product. Releases to groundwater During the ques- Starting in late 2005, first at Braidwood tion-and-answer ses- and then at other nuclear power plants, it One of the things that makes sion, the panel was was learned that tritium-bearing water was asked to address a less under control than had been previously the 4S special is that it has critical issue for believed. So far there have been no signifi- small reactors: the cant consequences, but the fact that contam - reached a level of maturity huge cost of licens- inated water has been migrating in quanti- ing a nuclear plant ties and concentrations greater than that puts it at the front of the and providing staff, previously believed has driven licensees notably security per- and regulators to look more closely at the pack of new reactor designs. sonnel. subject, and this panel session, “New Con- Travieso-Diaz re - struction Quality and Inspection,” provided plied that the cost of a discussion on the latest developments. no need for fuel storage outside the reactor, the first unit may be high, but that this would The panel was chaired by Thomas and proliferation resistance. be offset by selling in quantity. An impor- Nicholson, a project manager in the NRC’s Galena is also looking at possible finan- tant thing to remember, he said, was that be- Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. He cial strategies and is actively seeking a third cause the reactors would be identical, the cited the agency’s task force on tritium and party, such as a major nuclear operator, to cost of licensing subsequent units would be other releases, which in September 2006 be owner-operator of the facility. He added, very low. He also noted that the NRC should concluded that public health has not been however, that the city is ready to fill that take into account some of the important affected but the potential exists for un- role itself. If there were a third party in- safety features of the volved, Galena would provide a purchasing 4S, and that it should agreement to anchor the project. not require the same John Deal, of Purple Mountain Ventures, level of security or Starting in late 2005, first presented a new small-reactor concept the elaborate emer- at Braidwood and then at called Hyperion, developed at Los Alamos gency response plan National Laboratory. Hyperion, he said, of a conventional other nuclear power plants, uses a uranium hydride fuel with hydrogen large reactor. Nor acting as moderator, is self-regulating, and should it need a large it was learned that tritium- has no moving parts. Sealed at the factory, number of licensed the reactor would not be opened until its re- operating staff, he bearing water was less under turn to the factory to be refueled, approxi- added. If the NRC mately every five years. Deal said that he ultimately does not control than had been prefers to call it a “chemical” rather than a accept those basic “nuclear” battery. The design capacity is principles, the Hype- previously believed. between 60 and 70 MW thermal, with pro- rion, and any other duction at 20–27 MW electrical. small reactor, is dead Purple Mountain Ventures was spun out in the water, Travieso-Diaz said. He also planned, unmonitored releases beyond of Los Alamos a few years ago after legis- mentioned that for the 4S, Toshiba has al- plant boundaries and into inhabited regions. lation was passed that allowed DOE lab op- ready undertaken a substantial amount of the He noted that some leaking components are erators to license their technologies. Deal work that will be needed for licensing a re- not subject to surveillance, and that there is explained that he and his associates realized actor, and has shouldered a lot of the cost as now an NEI initiative to encourage volun- that nuclear may soon be “out of the closet” well. tary reporting of on-site leakage in excess and looked into the marketing possibilities Moor noted that staffing requirements for of the Environmental Protection Agency for small reactors. the 4S should be less than 30 people, includ- standard for public drinking water. Also, he Deal said that rather than developing a ing security, taking shift work into account. said, there is no NRC requirement for small-reactor concept first, the group started Deal answered from a slightly different groundwater monitoring on a plant site. by looking for likely commercial applica- perspective. Having been around govern- While the main focus of attention from the tions, identifying the supply of heat and ment and the DOE for many years, he said, public has been on tritium, Nicholson said it power for oil and gas exploration and de- he does not think that the NRC is going to is not the only radionuclide that could figure salination, as well as for the military and re- change its regulations, and so it might be in releases that are partly or completely un- mote communities. What people wanted, necessary to spend $100 million for the first monitored. There could also be strontium- they found, was a reliable, relatively inex- license. He added that he expects to sell 90, cesium-137, cobalt-60, nickel-63, and pensive source of heat with minimal com- thousands of the Hyperion reactors. In ad- others, all of which would have migration plexity and a reliance on fairly simple con- dition, he said, oil and gas companies could paths different from that of tritium. One re- cepts. It also had to be portable, safe, and save billions using them at an oil field, sponse by licensees has been the addition of proliferation-resistant, be able to use exist- rather than conventional fossil fuels. extra monitoring wells, but Nicholson

January 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 49 MEETINGS warned that these wells might themselves ($10 million of that will be used for ground- The NRC has been observing a landscape become release pathways, allowing contam- water monitoring). Van Noordennen said of new reactor possibilities that changes so inants to reach the water table. that lessons learned from the decommis- frequently that Joseph Colaccino, chief of the In a presentation making a case for an ob- sioning that could apply to new plants are EPR projects branch in the agency’s Office servational method for conceptual site mod- to consider including raceways in spent fuel of New Reactors, declined to provide a com- eling development, Matthew Barnevik, of pool construction to allow access in case re- prehensive update because it might have al- GZA GeoEnvironmental, showed that the in- pairs are required later, and to put under- ready been outdated. Looking ahead to the stallation of a crane in the spent fuel storage ground piping in duct banks, concrete license application for Calvert Cliffs yard at Indian Point required excavating 30 trenches, or encased pipe. -3 (part of which was submitted last summer) feet down alongside the Unit 2 spent fuel During the panel discussion, a question and the design certification application for from the audience the U.S. EPR, he said that this parallel ap- addressed a point proach was “a challenge” because of the pos- A clearer view of the state of raised by Nicholson: sibility of rework on one needing to be re- Should a well be flected in the other. Among the recent a site, in terms of contaminant monitored while it is developments that may make new reactors being dug in order to possible, he cited the revision of the standard releases, may be available determine whether review plan. He also noted that some partic- the well itself might ipants in the nuclear debate are bothered that after the end of a plant’s oper - cause migration? the NRC seems to interpret its mission as Scott said that at the “enabling” the licensing of new reactors. ation, rather than during it. decommissioning of The organization that has probably come Yankee (in Rowe, the closest to declaring outright that it in- Mass.), strata were tends to build new reactors is STP Nuclear pool wall. The digging exposed a shrinkage isolated while a well was being drilled. Operating Company, now with merchant crack in the pool wall and moisture indicat- Some techniques allow for taking a contin- electricity provider NRG Energy as its ing leakage. Later drilling on the site led to uous sample along the direction of drilling. largest single owner. Greg Gibson, NRG’s the detection of the fission product strontium Then at each change in material, the drilling manager of regulatory affairs, summarized in the groundwater. The mapping of water is stopped and the hole is pressure-grouted. the company’s approach to licensing, in flows at the site showed the effects of grade- Barnevik commented that this works in soil, particular its adoption of the Advanced level modifications during construction, and but not in bedrock. Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), a reactor so, Barnevik said, it is necessary to consider design that has been used in plants that have construction impacts on groundwater move- The applications arrive actually been built and operated. He noted ment, a subject that is not always included in The ANS Operations and Power Divi- that South Texas-3 and -4 would be the a site’s final safety analysis report. sion’s New Construction Working Group world’s 12th and 13th ABWRs, adding that David Scott, of Radiation Safety and Con- has been meeting regularly at the past sev- these would differ somewhat from the orig- trol Services, expanded on Nicholson’s list eral national meetings, holding what inal standard design, mainly in the area of of radionuclides by giving his own ordered amounts to a technical session open to all instrumentation and controls. The digital ranking of the most important ones in re- interested parties rather than a committee technology that is now available was not leases—actual and potential—from nuclear meeting. The session is essentially an up- when the ABWR went through the design facilities. He ranked tritium fourth, behind date on the status of new reactor projects certification process. Sr-90, Cs-137, and Co-60. The rest of his top and developments that might influence The license appli- 10, in order, are Cs-134, iodine-129, Ni-63, whether reactor orders and construction cation for the two re- carbon-14, plutonium-238, and americium- will actually take place. actors was submitted 241. He noted that tritium and gamma-emit- Tom Miller, of the DOE, expressed the in September, but ters migrate differently, in that tritium can be raised expectations that exist even within NRG is apparently bound in the unsaturated zone, and then the agency. The DOE’s Nuclear Power not going to leave the emerge whenever the water rises. 2010 cost-sharing program was seen as am- rest of the project A clearer view of the state of a site, in bitious in 2004, with its project to demon- dormant while pur- terms of contaminant releases, may be strate the licensing process by recruiting suing the license. available after the end of a plant’s opera- partners to apply for real licenses, without Gibson said that he tion, rather than during it. Gerry van Noor- orders actually being placed (or even firmly Gibson expects to place the dennen, now with UniStar Nuclear, was planned) for reactor hardware. In late 2007, order for the nuclear steam supply systems with Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Miller said, “licensing demonstration’s not and other major components during 2008, Company during the decommissioning of going to cut it.” perhaps as early as January. Asked if the Haddam Neck. He said that all plant build- NP2010 would be a nominal success if procurement of large forgings through ings are now gone except those related to the licenses are issued, Miller said, but in Toshiba, rather than GE-Hitachi, meant that the storage of spent fuel. The state govern- the environment that has since developed, the two vendors would bid competitively ment has given its approval for unrestricted without real financing and decisions to for the order, Gibson said no. He said that use of the site, and NRC approval is pend- build, NP2010 would not be a real success. Toshiba had gained the lead on winning the ing. Water monitoring will continue for an- Asked what ANS members could do, Miller order, and that GE-Hitachi was currently other four years. said they should lobby Congress, not just negotiating for a part of the contract. (Gib- Van Noordennen said that the refueling for NP2010, but for nuclear deployment son said that GE-Hitachi was negotiating water storage tank had leaked, and two re- overall, stressing climate change and en- with Toshiba; in an interview the following pairs made during the plant’s operating ergy security. He also noted the need for day, GE-Hitachi President and CEO An- years had not been completely effective. growth in the skilled workforce, and asked drew White said that his company was ne- Because Sr-90 is known to be migrating to- rhetorically how many parents would en- gotiating with NRG, not with Toshiba.)—E. ward the Connecticut River, $75 million courage their children to make their careers Michael Blake, Dick Kovan, and Rick will be spent to remediate soil and bedrock in craft labor. Michal

50 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2008