Nuclear energy, 2011: ?The year of Fukushima?

Nuclear energy, 2011: ?The year of Fukushima?

December 31st, 2011, 12:00 am ? ? posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

The tragedy at Japan?s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant dashed hopes for a nuclear renaissance.

In America, there has been bitter conflict at the highest levels of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- the folks charged with keeping disaster at bay.

In California, signatures are being gathered for an initiative that would?effectively?shut down the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon plants.

The city of San Clemente is seeking partners in its quest to get decades? worth of spent nuclear fuel out of its back yard.

But the federal government has approved a new reactor design for American plants, and industry officials feel the future is bright.

We?re going to bring you views of the future of nuclear power, both from the nuclear industry?s standpoint (Saturday), and from the standpoint of those opposed to nuclear power (Sunday).

?For the nuclear energy industry, 2011 will be remembered as the year of Fukushima,? says the year-end review from the?Nuclear Energy Institute,?an industry trade group. ?The combination of a powerful earthquake and a massive tsunami that overwhelmed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility was a significant event for our industry. Although a similar event in the United States is highly unlikely, the experience raised questions about the safety of U.S. nuclear energy facilities in the face of extreme events. It also caused some countries to rethink their energy strategies. The industry is compiling lessons learned from Japan that will have a lasting impact on our industry?s approach to safety worldwide. But while some nuclear energy critics predicted that Fukushima would signal a pivotal shift away from nuclear energy, it has not happened. Here is a snapshot of the situation in Japan and the state of America?s industry as we look toward 2012.?

Despite European nations backing away from nuclear power, the global outlook for nuclear energy remains strong, the NEI says:?There are?63 new nuclear plants under construction?in 14 countries, and 152 new reactors on order or planned.

The International Energy Agency?s?World Energy Outlook?projects a 70 percent increase in nuclear energy generation by 2035, led by China, Korea and India; and warns that decreased use of nuclear energy would raise the cost of electricity globally and virtually foil any attempt to contain carbon dioxide emissions.

Here?s the rest of the wrap-up from the NEI:

Fukushima Daiichi

• Reactors 1-4 have been stabilized with all four in a cold shutdown condition (i.e., reactor coolant system below boiling point and no longer releasing significant amounts of radiation). Reactors 5 and 6, which were not significantly damaged, have been in cold shutdown mode since March 20. Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to decommission reactors 1-4 and will provide compensation to those affected.
• Eighty thousand people who were relocated or evacuated have been unable to return to their homes. Radiological testing indicates that the radiation dose to people near the power station has been relatively low. Of the nearly 200,000 people who were checked for radioactive contamination, 102 were found to exceed the screening level. After decontamination, none exceeded the screening level.

U.S. Response to the Fukushima Accident

• In the weeks immediately following the accident, U.S. nuclear energy facilities verified their readiness?via site inspections, procedural reviews and training programs?to safely respond to extreme events, regardless of their cause.
• U.S. industry also established The Way Forward framework to coordinate and integrate response activities industrywide. The executive-level committee, which includes representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, senior electric utility executives and reactor vendors, is overseeing ongoing activities to apply lessons learned from Japan.
• Based on separate analyses of the events in Japan, the U.S. nuclear energy industry and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified near-term priorities for U.S. facilities that are generally aligned. Key actions include an enhanced ability to cope with an extended loss of AC power at the site and improved monitoring of water levels in used fuel pools. The industry has proposed to the NRC a flexible and diverse strategy to implement key recommendations that is designed to achieve a greater safety benefit quicker.

Other U.S. Developments

• U.S. nuclear energy facilities responded well to a number of natural challenges, including the Aug. 23 earthquake centered only miles from the North Anna power station, Hurricane Irene, record flooding in Nebraska and tornadoes in the Southeast.
• The NRC approved operating license renewal applications for 10 reactors after reviews that ranged from 22 months to more than five years. The 10 reactors have a combined electric generating capacity of 6,700 megawatts.
• Electric generating capacity uprates at four reactors were approved by the NRC. The uprates will increase the industry?s electric generating capacity by 208 megawatts. Uprates providing an additional 1,145 megawatts of electric capacity?the equivalent of a new reactor?have been approved by the NRC over the past five years.
• The industry made steady progress toward the construction of new nuclear energy facilities. NRC approval of Westinghouse?s application for certification of its advanced-design AP 1000 reactor is expected within weeks. Similarly, the NRC is expected to finalize by early 2012 its review of construction and operating licenses for two sites in Georgia and South Carolina where electric utilities are preparing to build four AP 1000 reactors that will commence operations later this decade. The final safety evaluation reports for the Plant Vogtle expansion in Georgia and the V.C. Summer expansion in South Carolina were issued by the NRC in August.
• The NRC in October issued a license to AREVA Enrichment Services LLC to build and operate a gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in eastern Idaho. Approval followed a 34-month review.
• The Tennessee Valley Authority made continued progress on construction of the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor in eastern Tennessee, where 3,500 workers are on site. Project completion is expected in 2013.
• The Blue Ribbon Commission on America?s Nuclear Future in July released its draft report of recommendations on future management of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Key recommendations include: establishment of one or more consolidated interim storage facilities for used nuclear fuel; development of a permanent underground repository for commercial used fuel and high-level radioactive waste from U.S. defense programs; creation of a new management organization that will assume the U.S. Department of Energy?s role in managing this material; and legislation providing full access to Nuclear Waste Fund revenues of more than $800 million per year.
• Capping several years of development that included pilot projects at four plant sites, the industry in October began implementing at all sites an initiative designed to help sustain operational focus on safety by standardizing a program to assess and implement practices that foster an enduring safety culture. The industry?s chief nuclear officers approved implementation of the safety culture initiative in December 2010.

The Global Outlook for Nuclear Energy

• There are 63 new nuclear plants under construction in 14 countries, and 152 new reactors on order or planned.
• NEI in December commented on the U.S. Department of Energy?s Part 810 regulation governing the export of nuclear energy technology. Modification of the regulation to provide U.S. suppliers greater access to the expanding global marketplace, estimated at $500 billion to 740 billion over the next 10 years, is an industry priority.

Remember, we?ll bring you the view from the other side of the issue on Sunday.

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Source: http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/12/31/nuclear-energy-2011-the-year-of-fukushima/145739/

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