2016 May 30 « nuclear-news

Florida consumers still being slugged unfairly for Turkey Point delayed nuclear expansion

Consumers deserve ‘pause’ in FPL’s nuclear plant recovery costs, Miami Herald, 29 May 16

FPL’s plans to expand its nuclear energy plant at Turkey Point are on hold for four years

However, the utility’s plan to still charge customers for “recovery costs” has caused a stir

FPL should also pause charging its Florida customers — it’s only fair

Given a string of setbacks regarding FPL’s plans to expand the nuclear energy plant at Turkey Point, the recent disclosure that it plans to delay construction for up to four years is a victory for common sense and for critics who worry about the project’s impact on safety and the environment.

What doesn’t make sense is the utility’s desire to charge consumers for costs related to the project, particularly when the delay raises the prospect that it may not go forward at all.

FPL says the recovery costs will decrease during the delay, but remain necessary as part of the licensing procedure and the need to learn from other nuclear energy projects around the country that have also experienced unforeseen delays.

The company wants to charge customers $22 million in 2017 — on top of $281 million it has already recovered for planning and licensing costs — even though the utility said in anApril 27 filing with the state’s Public Service Commission that it wants to maintain its “current state” without going forward on the construction phase until 2020.

On top of that, the utility also wants the PSC to waive the requirement that it file a feasibility report that essentially states that the project it applied for nearly a decade ago is still viable.

That drew a volley of challenges from consumers groups, the Office of Public Counsel (which represents the public in rate cases) and others. A brief filed by the city of Miami said feasibility studies are required to assure the public that such projects are prudent. “If a project is no longer feasible or practical, then the costs incurred are not prudent,” wrote city of Miami attorney Victoria Mendez.

FPL’s decision followed several developments that cast doubt on the wisdom of the proposed expansion. Among them:

▪ Reports dating back to 2014 that water in the canals designed to cool reactors were running too high, requiring waivers from nuclear regulators to operate the canals at higher-than-normal temperatures. If the existing nuclear plant is causing problems, wouldn’t an expansion make matters worse?

▪ In February, A Tallahassee judge ordered state environmental regulators and FPL to clean up the utility’s cooling canals at Turkey Point after blaming the system for polluting South Florida’s groundwater.

▪ In March, this newspaper reported that a study released by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez found that a tracer element of nuclear power plant spillages had been detected in Biscayne Bay at levels up to 215 times higher than normal in ocean water……..http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article80438112.html

May 30, 2016 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

‘Nuclear energy has no sustainable, democratic future in Japan’,

‘Nuclear energy has no sustainable, democratic future in Japan’, DW, 29 May 16 Despite the majority of Japanese opposing a restart of the nation’s nuclear reactors, the government continues to press for a full resumption of nuclear power. Energy expert Tetsunari Iida tells DW the reasons behind it. “…….Tokyo plans to increase nuclear power as a share of the country’s energy profile to between 20 and 22 percent by 2030.

However, public opposition to nuclear energy remains steadfast, as the disaster continues to loom in the Japanese psyche and many harbor safety concerns in the earthquake-prone country.

Kansai Electric Power Co. announced on January 28 plans to restart the nation’s third nuclear reactor, after it cleared new post-Fukushima safety regulations.

In a DW interview, sustainable energy policy expert Tetsunari Iida says the nuclear lobby in Japan has not only economic interests, but also a strong conviction in the conservative energy policy concept, which gives nuclear power a major role in the energy policy mix.

DW: Why has the government decided to restart some of the reactors despite protests from the population?

Tetsunari Iida: There is a strong belief among certain sections in Japan that nuclear power is one of the most important components of the energy mix. This is an old-fashioned and conservative energy policy concept shared by those at the center of Japan’s energy policy circle, such as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the country’s industry association Keidanren.

For them, the resumption of nuclear power generation is of utmost importance. That is why Japan’s government has been strongly urged to restart the nuclear reactors.

Is the conservative government of PM Abe not taking the concerns of the population seriously?

No, I do not believe PM Abe takes the concerns of the population seriously. I am of the view that Abe still believes nuclear energy is safe, cheap and stable, even after the Fukushima disaster.

According to nuclear energy opponents, many Japanese are afraid of the potential consequences of restarting the nuclear reactors, and demand a change in energy policy. So why isn’t there much more public resistance to the government’s plans?

The majority of people in Japan have been against the Abe government’s plans to restart the nuclear reactors. This opposition, however, is not necessarily having an impact on the people’s political affiliations and their voting tendencies……….

Of course, renewable energy is really helpful to achieve energy independence. But the benefits are not solely limited to securing energy independence, as renewables also help to mitigate climate change, create jobs and boost economic growth.

Speaking in ecological and economic terms, which renewable energy sources are best suited for an industrialized nation such as Japan?

From resource potential point of view, wind and solar power are the best suited for Japan…….

Japan can afford to completely give up nuclear power. In fact, sticking to nuclear represents an old-fashioned economy, whereas renewable energy is a symbol of a new industrial revolution……. http://www.dw.com/en/nuclear-energy-has-no-sustainable-democratic-future-in-japan/a-19011468

May 30, 2016 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Consumers keep footing the bill for nuclear project

Post and Courier, BY TERESA ARNOLD May 29 2016 Did you know that South Carolina law allows utility companies to charge consumers more for cost overruns on big projects like building a nuclear power plant?

It sounds shocking, but the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) just published a report showing that SCE&G’s V.C. Summer project has cost $1.5 billion more than originally estimated.

And guess who is footing the bill? South Carolina consumers, many of whom live on modest incomes and cannot afford these additional costs.

AARP South Carolina continues to raise concerns about the cost overruns that have resulted during the current SCE&G capital improvement projects. The most serious questions we raised about the state regulations that allow SCE&G to charge consumers for cost overruns remain unanswered.

AARP South Carolina asked the Office of Regulatory Services to answer the following questions:

1) Is there less incentive for a utility like SCE&G, operating under current state law, to prevent “risk shifting,” since the monetary risk or cost overruns are being borne by consumers, rather than the traditional method that expects the utility to bear that risk? The analysis ORS commissioned does not answer this question.

2) ORS has acknowledged that the current state law governing utility capital improvements, in this case — V.C. Summer nuclear plants — prevents refunds or rebates to the consumer, if a project goes bad. But are there any actions that ORS could take under the law to ensure that cost overruns are not borne by captive consumers? Or does state law prevent ORS from taking action to protect consumers from cost overruns?

3) Is there any other provision in current law that would allow SCE&G to provide voluntary rebates or future rate increase offsets to consumers?……….http://www.postandcourier.com/20160529/160529294/consumers-keep-footing-the-bill-for-nuclear-project

May 30, 2016 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, politics, USA | Leave a comment

Wind power and solar replacing diesel on Galapagos

Wind turbines on Galapagos replace millions of liters of diesel since 2007, meet 30 percent of energy needs World’s top utilities hand over project keys, chart path for Ecuador’s famously biodiverse archipelago to meet 70 percent of fast-rising energy needs with renewables, Eureka Alert, 29 May 16.

GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE ELECTRICITY PARTNERSHIP A global renewable energy project on the Galapagos Islands — one of Earth’s most fragile and important ecological treasures — has helped avoid many tanker loads worth of risky diesel fuel imports since 2007, reduced the archipelago’s greenhouse gas emissions and preserved critically endangered species.

Now, after eight successful years, the project’s new operators are pursuing an ambitious expansion that would multiply the benefits of renewable energy for this remote, precious archipelago with a growing appetite for electricity.

A performance summary and recommendations for the expansion are contained in a new report by the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP), a not-for-profit association of 11 of the world’s foremost electricity firms, which led and financed the $10 million project.

The project’s three 51-metre-tall wind turbines and two sets of solar panels have supplied, on average, 30% of the electricity consumed on San Cristóbal, the archipelago’s second-largest island in size and population, since it went into operation in October 2007.

During that time, it has displaced 8.7 million litres (2.3 million gallons) of diesel fuel and avoided 21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, the GSEP report states. The achievements have led to awards from Power Engineering Magazine, World Energy Forum, and Energy Globe.

The proposed expansion could boost the renewable energy share to 70 per cent, en route to a hoped-for elimination of fossil fuels, the report states. It could also be a template for energy development elsewhere in the Galapagos chain — where renewable sources now account for 20% of electricity production — and elsewhere around the world……..http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-05/tca-wto052016.php

May 30, 2016 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, OCEANIA | Leave a comment

Indian company exits nuclear project, switches to wind energy

Nalco pulls out of JV with NPCIL for nuclear power plant in Gujarat Business Standard, Dillip Satapathy | Bhubaneswar May 30, 2016 Aluminium major Nalco has decided to drop its plan to foray into nuclear energy generation. The company had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) in 2012 to set up two units of Kakrapara Atomic Power Station in Gujarat with capacities of 700 Mw each. The cost of the project was estimated at Rs 12,000 crore…….

We have decided to pull out of the JV with NPCILfollowing change in technology of the project. Initially, it was decided to build the plant with indigenous technology. But later, it was decided to use foreign technology. The foreign technology will not only be more expensive, the gestation period of the project will also be more and we are not in a mood to wait that long with so much of investment exposure,” said Nalco Chairman and Managing Director Tapan Kumar Chand……..

Notwithstanding its unsuccessful bid to foray into nuclear energy, Nalco has identified renewable energy as its next focus area. “We have set up wind mills in Andhra Pradesh (50.4 Mw) and Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (47.6 Mw). We plan to set up more wind power mills in Rajasthan and Maharashtra (50 Mw each) and a 20 Mw solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh. We are also in the processing of installing a 14-Mw wind power mill at Damanjodi,” said Chand. http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/nalco-pulls-out-of-jv-with-npcil-for-nuclear-power-plant-in-gujarat-116052900518_1.html

May 30, 2016 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, India | Leave a comment

Police: Lost Couple Cuts Chain to Enter Nuclear Plant Property

The Blaze, May. 29, 2016 Carly Hoilman — A couple who got lost in Pennsylvania while driving to New York entered the property of a nuclear plant by cutting a chain at a gate, apparently in a quest to get back on the right road, authorities said.

The Chesapeake, Virginia, couple were driving from Baltimore on Friday night when they got onto an access road at the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, owned by Exelon. The driver told police he didn’t see two “no trespassing” signs when he cut the chain on the gate, the York Daily Record reported…….

Police initially said, after consulting with security staff, that the man and woman appeared to have made it to “a highly security sensitive area where radioactive material is transferred from the main power plant. If the couple had gone inside a nearby outbuilding, the plant would have been placed on lockdown and there was a “possibility of lethal force being used,” authorities said in court documents…….

But Merkel said Saturday that the couple hadn’t made it to any areas where radioactive materials are transferred or stored and didn’t make it past security officers who constantly monitor all sides of the plant. She said the couple was “very cooperative” and waited until police arrived……..http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/29/police-lost-couple-cuts-chain-to-enter-nuclear-plant-property/

May 30, 2016 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | 1 Comment

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