nuclear-news

Ameren, Westinghouse hanging out for money for those dud mini nuclear reactors

a bigger question is whether small-scale nuclear can compete economically, particularly in a world of relatively inexpensive natural gas.

Ameren, Westinghouse still waiting for decision on nuclear grant MENAFN – –     Nov 02, 2012–-It was six months ago that Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse officials joined Gov. Jay Nixon on the lawn of the governor’s mansion to announce plans to pursue a first-of-its-kind mini nuclear reactor that would be built next to the utility’s Callaway plant.

The effort had bipartisan political support. Other Missouri electricity suppliers were on board, as well as the state’s university system. Everything seemed in place — almost.

The whole plan hinged on getting at least a share of a 452 million federal grant to advance commercialization of next-generation nuclear technology.

Today, a month after the Department of Energy was supposed to announce who would share the federal money, Ameren and Westinghouse are still waiting. And with the presidential election just days away, heightened scrutiny of energy technology subsidies, a growing budget deficit and a potential change in administrations are looming.

An Energy Department spokeswoman said applications are still under review. She didn’t say when a decision would be made. The companies have reason to be anxious. The government has laid out an ambitious timetable for those who share the award. The winning teams are
expected to have the next-generation reactors running by 2022, leaving a decade to design, license and build a new breed of nuclear plant.

“The team is kind of counting on that (grant) right now,” Joe Zwetolitz, president of Westinghouse Americas, said Tuesday at a conference for potential suppliers at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis. “It’s really necessary to help spur development.”

President Barack Obama announced the availability of grant funding for
so-called small nuclear reactors in March during a stop in Columbus,
Ohio, as part of his all-of-the-above energy strategy. Two projects
will share the 452 million over a five-year span.

The small-scale reactors, generally less than a third the size of today’s plants, have been touted by the nuclear industry as carbon-free sources of around-the-clock electric generation that offer safety benefits and would be easier for utilities to finance and deploy……

The Ameren-Westinghouse team is one of four that applied for the federal grant in May. Other competing ventures include established names, such as Babcock & Wilcox Co., as well as NuScale Power LLC and Holtec International Inc., both relative newcomers.

Nick Cunningham, a policy analyst for the American Security Project, a
nonprofit research group, believes the upcoming election may have
temporarily derailed an announcement, but he believes it will come
eventually since both candidates are on record as supporting advances
of nuclear power……
Perhaps a bigger question is whether small-scale nuclear can compete economically, particularly in a world of relatively inexpensive natural gas.

While Westinghouse executives say it’s still early to say exactly what
the 225 megawatt reactors will cost, they expect them to run about 1
billion. That’s competitive on a dollars per kilowatt-hour basis with
larger nuclear plants. But it would be tough to justify today, given
that natural gas prices are below 4 per thousand cubic feet.

“As gas prices go up and get to the 6-7 range, then this starts to
look very attractive,” said John Goosen, Westinghouse’s vice president
of innovation and SMR development……
http://www.menafn.com/menafn/199d90d4-7cd8-4f92-bf4a-88d5db4e41ed/Ameren-Westinghouse-still-waiting-for-decision-on-nuclear-grant?src=main

November 3, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA