Bellefonte Nuclear Station, Units 3 and 4

[Rennhack]

Short Story: NO Unit 3 & 4 at this time.
In August 2009, the Tennessee Valley Authority, faced with "falling electric sales and rising costs from cleaning up a massive coal ash spill in Tennessee", trimmed plans for the potential four-unit Bellefonte nuclear plant to one reactor. In August 2010 the Board will make a final review and decision as to how many (if any) reactors will be built on this site.


Single Nuclear Unit at the Bellefonte Plant Site

On May 12, 2010, TVA issued a final supplemental environmental impact statement (final SEIS) of its proposal to operate a single nuclear generating unit at the Bellefonte plant site (Bellefonte site) in Hollywood, Alabama. In the final SEIS, TVA staff identifies Alternative B, completion and operation of a single 1,260-megawatt (MW) Babcock and Wilcox (B&W)-designed nuclear unit at the Bellefonte site, as the preferred alternative. Bellefonte Unit 1 is identified as the preferred unit to complete. In support of the preferred alternative, the transmission system also would be upgraded.

The TVA Board of Directors is expected to make the decision on the proposed nuclear unit at its August 20, 2010, meeting. In making a decision, the Board will consider the information contained in this final SEIS. In addition, the TVA Board will take into account a detailed scoping, estimating, and planning study, which will help establish certainty around the cost estimate and overall schedule, as well as a project risk assessment, which will identify multiple levels of risk and recommend mitigation actions for certain key risks associated with a decision to proceed with either unit. Finally, TVA is conducting a financial analysis to evaluate the impact of completing or constructing a single unit at Bellefonte on rates and revenue requirements and on TVA debt. The results of these studies will serve fully to inform TVA's decision about locating a nuclear generating unit at the Bellefonte site. TVA will issue the Record of Decision after the Board decision.

Completing Bellefonte Unit 1 would meet a substantial portion of TVA's future generating needs and provide a low carbon-emitting power source at a significantly lower cost per installed kilowatt than other generation options. Operation of a nuclear unit at the Bellefonte site would supply reliable, low-cost power, afford increased operating flexibility, and provide additional fuel cost stability to reduce risk from volatile fuel prices.

TVA has identified the need for 7,500 MW in capacity from 2010 to 2020 in the medium-load power forecast. Necessary reductions in emissions from TVA coal-fired units have resulted in plans to add emissions controls and consideration of the long-term lay-ups (i.e., mothballing) of 1,000 to 2,000 MW of existing coal generating capacity. Consequently, the generation from existing TVA resources is projected to decrease in the future. TVA anticipates using a mix of resources including energy efficiency and demand response programs, renewable resources, natural gas-fired generation, and nuclear generation to provide the additional future needs.


Background
The Bellefonte site is located in northeast Alabama on 1,600 acres adjacent to Guntersville Reservoir at Tennessee River Mile 392, near the town of Hollywood and the city of Scottsboro. Construction permits for two 1,200-MW pressurized water reactors (Units 1 and 2) were issued in 1974. TVA halted construction in 1988 in response to decreased power demand. The plant was maintained in deferred status until 2005 when TVA canceled Units 1 and 2 to facilitate consideration of other uses of the site. In 2007, as part of the NuStart Energy Development Consortium's effort to demonstrate the feasibility of processing a combined license application (COLA), TVA submitted a COLA to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the siting of two AP1000 advanced pressurized water reactors (Units 3 and 4). However, no decision has been made by TVA on whether to propose to construct and operate Units 3 and 4.

In August 2008, in response to changes in power generation economics since 2005 and other considerations, TVA requested reinstatement of the construction permits for Units 1 and 2 to give TVA the opportunity to evaluate the engineering and economic feasibility of completing those units. Both units are now being maintained and preserved in construction-deferred status.

No decision to build any new generating capacity at the Bellefonte site has been made at this time. TVA prepared the final SEIS to inform decision makers and the public about the potential environmental impacts that would result from a decision to complete and operate a single B&W unit (Alternative B) or construct and operate a new Westinghouse AP1000 unit (Alternative C). The final SEIS also evaluated the potential environmental effects of the No Action Alternative. A number of other alternatives were considered, but not assessed in detail. The potential effects of refurbishing, reenergizing, and upgrading several existing 161-kilovolt (kV) and 500-kV transmission lines and switchyards needed for single-unit operation were also evaluated.

In June 2009, TVA began work on an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a comprehensive study of alternatives for meeting future electrical energy needs of the Tennessee Valley over the next 20 years. This effort will replace Energy Vision 2020, an IRP completed in 1995 that included an analysis of completing one or two nuclear units at the Bellefonte site. Information about the new IRP is available here.

Bringing a nuclear unit online requires a long lead time. Completing the SEIS for a single unit at the Bellefonte site while simultaneously developing the new IRP will help preserve this as a resource option and better ensure that a new generating unit can be built in time to meet the projected demand for base load energy.


Source: http://www.tva.gov/environment/reports/blnp/index.htm
Source: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/bellefonte.html
Source: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-TVA_reconsiders_Bellefonte_plans-1008095.html

[Rennhack]

05/01/09

NuStart Energy Development is working with Southern Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority to take the next step toward demonstrating the nation's new process for licensing a nuclear power plant and bringing advanced nuclear technologies to market.

NuStart member utilities, including Southern Company and TVA, and the design-centered working group focused on Westinghouse's AP1000 standardized reactor design are consulting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a process for transferring the reference combined construction and operating license application (COLA) from TVA's Bellefonte nuclear site to Southern Nuclear's Vogtle Electric Generating Plant. The effort is designed to align industry and regulatory resources with a license application that has specific near-term construction plans.

The reference application contains standard licensing, engineering, technical, quality, and safety information that future applicants can use to develop their own applications much more efficiently. This process allows the NRC to conduct a one-time review for standard material and then apply that review to future applications. The TVA and Southern Nuclear applications reference the NRC design certification of Westinghouse's AP1000 standardized design. The change in reference application means that all future COL applications for AP1000 technology in the U.S. will reference documentation approved by the NRC from the Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 application.

TVA and NuStart have completed the standard design work contained in the reference COLA that was submitted for the Bellefonte Nuclear site in October, 2007, and that information has been provided to the NRC for scheduled review.

"In order to maintain this momentum, NuStart member utilities recognize that it is appropriate to align the resources for future review to an application with specific near-term construction plans, such as Southern Company's Plant Vogtle" said NuStart Energy Development President Marilyn Kray.

"This transfer of the AP1000 reference plant is a very positive sign for the industry. The NuStart program was originally envisioned to be a 'demonstration' of the licensing process, but has evolved into one of the critical success factors necessary to support the actual deployment of a new nuclear plant in the US," added Kray.

The AP1000 utilities will continue to work through NuStart to maintain the high level of cooperation experienced to date. This cooperation has exemplified the NRC's concept of a design centered review approach, led to efficiency in the process, and upheld the industry commitment to plant standardization.

"We've made tremendous progress since submitting the application for Bellefonte, providing the standard content required in the 11-part COLA and responding to more than 95 percent of approximately 600 requests for additional information from the NRC within the committed timeframe," said TVA's Vice President of Nuclear Generation Development Jack Bailey who serves as TVA's representative to NuStart.

"Designating an application with near-term construction plans certainly advances the industry's efforts through NuStart to demonstrate an effective licensing process. Aligning resources to support near-term construction creates a valuable base of experience we can use going forward in the standardization of new plant construction and bringing new technology to market," he said.

Southern Nuclear Company, on behalf of the Plant Vogtle co-owners, has submitted a COL application for its Plant Vogtle site that references the standard design in the Bellefonte application.

"Southern Company is pleased that the Vogtle site has been selected by NuStart, because this change recognizes our leadership role in the development of the AP1000 licensing process," said Southern Nuclear Executive Vice President Buzz Miller, who serves as Southern Company's representative to NuStart. "Nuclear energy is an important part of our diverse fuel mix, and we look forward to licensing new units at Plant Vogtle in order to provide clean, safe, reliable and economical energy for our customers in Georgia."

Southern Nuclear anticipates earning regulatory approval of its Early Site Permit (ESP) for two additional units at Plant Vogtle later this year. Southern Nuclear expects to receive its combined license in 2011 and have new units on line in the 2016 to 2017 time frame.

Georgia Power, the majority owner of Plant Vogtle, has received certification for the new units from the Georgia Public Service Commission, and as a result, non-safety related construction activities have begun at the plant site. Southern Nuclear plans to begin safety-related construction once it receives appropriate approvals from the NRC.

Providing more than 60 percent of the electricity generated by nuclear power in the United States, the member utilities of NuStart Energy Development actively pursue diverse portfolios of generation options to meet their customers' power needs safely, reliably, efficiently, and responsibly with respect for the environment. The member utilities of NuStart Energy Development support any power company's work to further new generation options.

Members of NuStart Energy consortium are:

DTE Energy, Detroit, MI, Duke Energy, Charlotte, NC, EDF International North America, Washington, D.C., Entergy Nuclear, Jackson, MS, Exelon Generation, Philadelphia, PA, Florida Power & Light Company, Juno Beach, FL, Progress Energy, Raleigh, NC, South Carolina Electric & Gas, Columbia, SC, Southern Company, Atlanta, GA, Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Wilmington, NC, Westinghouse Electric Co., Pittsburgh, PA

Source: http://www.nustartenergy.com/DisplayArticle.aspx?ID=20090501-01