United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Official Hearing Exhibit NYS00131E Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. In the Matter of: (Indian Point Nuclear Generating Units 2 and 3) Submitted: December 14, 2011 u.... ~p..p. REG(J~)- ASLBP #: 07-858-03-LR-BD01 Docket #: 05000247 | 05000286 ~ 0 Exhibit #: NYS00131E-00-BD01 Identified: 10/15/2012 ~ ~ I./l I ' ~ Admitted: 10/15/2012 Withdrawn: ~ ~ !~~1-:~ 0-:" Rejected: Stricken: " ,- .* ..... Other: ALTERNATIVES to LICENSE RENEWAL the sites likely would be new. Wildlife (16 km) of the earth's crust. These habitat would be lost for terrestrial and resources exist in the form of hot vapor free-flowing aquatic biota, and additional (steam) or liquid (hydrothermal), habitat would be created for some aquatic geopressurized brines, or hot dry rock. species. Associated with the loss of land Hydrothermal is the only resource used by would be some erosion, sedimentation, current commercial technology. EIA dust, equipment exhaust, debris from land estimates that about 1.5 million quads per clearing, probable loss of cultural artifacts, year of geothermal resources exist in the and aesthetic impacts from land clearing United States; however, only about 22,800 and excavating. The construction work quads are accessible and, of these, only force would be fairly large, and approximately 250 quads per year can be socioeconomic impacts likely would be economically developed today substantial, especially if the dam were (DOE/EIA-0561). In 1990, geothermal constructed in a remote area where resources contributed 0.32 quad of primary inmigrating workers would burden local energy in the western United States. The public services. net geothermal generating capacity in the United States is projected to grow from 15 Operating impacts from hydroelectric dams billion kWh in 1990 to about 60 billion are associated predominantly with land and kWh in 2010. In comparison, one water resources. Land that once was lived 1000-MW(e) nuclear plant operating at on, farmed, ranched, forested, hunted, or 60 percent capacity generates 5.26 billion mined would be submerged under water kWh annually (DOE/EIA-0561). indefinitely. The original land uses would Geothermal has a high capacity factor of be replaced by electricity generation and approximately 90 percent and can be used recreation and, perhaps, residential and to provide reliable, baseload power. A business developments that take advantage geothermal electricity generating facility of the lake environment. Changes in water consists of a conversion well that brings the temperature, currents, and amount of geothermal resources to the surface, the sedimentation would produce a different conversion system that produces useful aquatic environment above and below the energy from the resource, and the injection dam. Alterations to terrestrial and aquatic well that recycles cooled brine back to the habitats could change the risks to underground reservoir threatened and endangered species. (SERI!fP-260-3674). Although the hydroelectric dam would create no air quality or solid waste impacts As shown in Figure 8.4, geothermal plants during operation and could serve as a may be located in the western United protector of property and lives in States, Alaska, and Hawaii where preventing floods, lake recreation would hydrothermal reservoirs are prevalent. The likely bring with it a number of drownings discrepancy between the vast amount of and cause water pollution during the resource projected to be available (1.5 facility's operation. million quads per year) and projected usage is due primarily to technological 8.3.5 Geothermal problems. Although geothermal plants offer alternative baseload capacity to Potentially recoverable geothermal conventional fossil fuel and nuclear plants, resources are located in the upper 10 miles widespread application of geothermal 8-25 NUREG-1437. Vol. 1 OAGI0001365_00593 z C ::0 tIl ~::c 9...... z .j>.. ~ ~ ;-I <: <: tIl ?2- CIl ...... ..., 0 t"'" ......n ztIl CIl tIl ::0 tIl Z tIl 8 ~ ... .'""~- . .• _I' .. \ ..<. ~:'~:'i;' ',,', .. '":':,,.' @ Temperature above 194°F @ Temperature below 194°F © Geopressured resources o » G) FIgure 8.4 U.S. known and potential geothermal energy resources. Source: Adapted from o DOE/EIA-0562. o o --" 0) (J) (J1 o o (J1 CD .j::>. ALTERNATIVES TO LICENSE RENEWAL energy is constrained by the geographic in constructing the geothermal facility. availability of the resource and the Some of the land originally cleared for maturity of the technology. The maximum construction of the geothermal facilities size of geothermal power plants, in their could probably be returned to previous present state of development, is about uses, since it would not all have 110 MW(e) per unit. Geothermal plants, geothermal facilities located on it. Much however, could be sited as modular units acreage would still be lost for the life of that would allow for larger generating the plant, however, and this loss could be capacities. complicated by subsidence caused by withdrawal of the geothermal fluid. Loss of Construction impacts of a geothermal habitat, impacts to threatened and facility would result primarily from endangered species, and visual impacts disturbance of land to support the large could be mitigated partially by returning number of geothermal wells and the power much of the land to, or even leaving it in, plant needed to produce electricity its original condition. Surface water and equivalent to that from a 1000-MW(e) groundwater quality could be impacted plant. Excluding new transmission adversely if waste fluids from wells escaped corridors, which would add to most into the ground water or surface streams impacts, an estimated 2800 ha (7000 acres) or ponds. In addition various toxic gases would be needed even though the such as ammonia, methane, and hydrogen generating facility or facilities would only sulfide and trace amounts of arsenic, borax, occupy around 25 ha (60 acres). This mercury, radon, and benzene would be amount of acreage having appropriate released to the atmosphere. Noise impacts geothermal resources would require a could be a problem for residents living on greenfield site or sites, which would imply the edge of a geothermal site. altering current land uses of farming, Socioeconomic impacts should be positive ranching, forest, or natural habitat. with substantial tax revenues and a Clearing this land would damage or destroy considerable number of jobs accruing to much of the existing habitat for wildlife, as local taxing jurisdictions from a geothermal well as pose potential adverse plant. consequences for cultural resources. Aesthetic impacts would include extensive 8.3.6 Wood Waste vegetation removal and earth moving. Soil erosion and stream sedimentation likely The 2.4 quads per year of waste wood would result in some degree from the early energy consumed in the United States clearing operations. Fugitive dust and generally is apportioned among the exhaust fumes from heavy equipment following sectors: industrial heat and would reduce air quality temporarily. The power-1.6 quads (66 percent), residential moderate-sized work force would create space heating-O.8 quads (33 percent), and some community impacts, particularly if electric utilities-O.01 quads (1 percent). affected communities were small and had Industrial wood energy is used in a variety little service infrastructure to accommodate of process heat and cogeneration workers who might move into a rural applications. Nearly half of that wood environment to build the plant. Operating energy is used in boilers, a little over impacts would involve those resources most 40 percent in cogeneration (steam and closely associated with the land disturbed electricity), and the remainder as process 8-27 NUREG·1437, Vol. 1 OAGI0001 :iRFi nnFiQ';; ALTERNATIVES TO LICENSE RENEWAL heat. Much of the electricity produced by and pulp/paper industries, and there is the industrial sector is sold to utilities. limited availability for energy uses. These nonutility generators, along with independent power producers, generated Nearly all of the wood-energy-using about 31 billion kWh in 1990 from 6 electricity generation facilities in the GW(e) of installed wood- and wood-waste­ United States use steam turbine conversion fired capacity. By 2010, installed capacity is technology. The technology is relatively expected to increase to over 8 G W (e) and simple to operate and it can accept a wide net generation to nearly 60 billion kWh variety of biomass fuels. However, at the (DOEIEIA-0561). scale appropriate for biomass, the technology is expensive and inefficient. Wood waste is a sub-category of biomass Therefore, the technology is relegated to energy. The category can include residues applications where there is a readily from forest clearcut and thinning available supply of low-, zero-, or negative­ operations, non-commercial tree species, cost delivered feedstocks. harvests of forests for energy purposes, and wastes from forest product milling The low efficiency of wood-fired power operations. The costs of these fuels are plants, relative to modern coal-fired plants, highly variable and very site-specific. Costs is due in part to the use of more moderate can be very low if the fuels are collected as steam conditions. Biomass steam-turbine part of commercial timber harvest plants use lower pressures and operations or as residues from milling temperatures because of the strong scale­ operations. Costs are higher if the biomass dependence of the unit capital cost (dollars