Bellefonte

[Nuclear NASCAR]

Is this the same Bill Campbell who was formerly with Entergy a few years back?   

And at Callaway years ago?

[Fermi2]

Yes it's the same guy, and from my dealings with him he's a pretty sharp and open minded individual.

Mike

[Laundry Man]

Another dose saving initiative at Fermi was replacing the condenser tubes.
LM

[Fermi2]

The titanium tubes at Fermi were not a dose saving initiative. They were installed to get rid of Admiralty Brass tubes to prevent fuel failure due to CILC. The dose savings were just a by product of changing out the tubes.

Mike

[ISFSI]

Also helped to reduce peak fuel centerline temperatures for the same thermal power output...that's where the real payoff was realized.   

[Fermi2]

AKA reduced CILC.

[Roll Tide]

NEVER say NEVER AGAIN!

NRC AUTHORIZES REINSTATEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
FOR BELLEFONTE NUCLEAR REACTORS 1 AND 2

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized the reinstatement of the construction permits for Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) unfinished Unit 1 and 2 reactors at the Bellefonte site near Scottsboro, Ala.

In 2006, having decided not to complete construction of the reactors, TVA requested that NRC withdraw the construction permits for the two Bellefonte units. However, in August 2008 TVA, citing changing power-generating economics, stated that completing the Bellefonte reactors may now be viable and requested that the NRC reinstate the permits. If the Bellefonte construction permits had remained in place, they would not have expired until 2011 and 2014, respectively.

TVA also requested that the permits be reinstated with the reactors classified in the "deferred" status – a category indicating a plant's structures, equipment and records have been well maintained in a mothballed condition. The Commission denied that portion of the request. "The Commission Policy Statement on Deferred Plants is clear and demanding with respect to the condition of the facilities and the quality of plant records. The Bellefonte reactors simply do not meet that threshold right now," said NRC Chairman Dale Klein.

The Commission chose instead to reinstate the permits with the reactors classified in the "terminated" status – a designation which recognizes that the structures, equipment and records have not been continuously maintained. This will require TVA to re-establish physical conditions and records quality of units 1 and 2 before the units could transition to a "deferred" status. This two-step approach provides assurance to the public that the NRC will thoroughly scrutinize the plant and that any issues identified will be addressed before TVA can move forward.

  The reinstatement of a withdrawn construction permit is unique. The Commission, after considering the technical, regulatory, and legal aspects of TVA's request, concluded that there is sufficient reason to reinstate the construction permits and that a more conservative sequential
approach will ensure the safety of doing so. "We will start them out one step at a time so we can ensure the safety of these unfinished plants," Klein said. "They will not be placed in a 'deferred' status until we are completely satisfied." 

The agency granted construction permits for Bellefonte's two pressurized water reactors in 1974. By 1988, when TVA deferred completion of the plant, Unit 1 was approximately 88 percent complete, and Unit 2 was approximately 58 percent complete. There is no nuclear fuel on the site. The Bellefonte site is located on approximately 1,600 acres adjacent to the Tennessee River in northern Alabama.

NRC New Release No. 09-035   
February 19, 2009

[Ordinary Joe]

go, no-go decision on 1&2 in just a few months...

[JohnLBecker]

 :)ASLB TO WEBSTREAM MARCH 1 PREHEARING CONFERENCE
IN ROCKVILLE, MD., ON BELLEFONTE CONSTRUCTION PERMITS

   The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) will hold a prehearing conference March 1 in Rockville, Md., regarding a challenge to the NRC's reinstatement of construction permits for the incomplete Bellefonte reactors in Alabama.

   Anyone wishing to view the conference over the Internet may do so at this link:
http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=66071.

   The board will conduct oral arguments with the petitioners challenging the reinstatement (the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and its Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team chapter, as well as the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy), the applicant (Tennessee Valley Authority), and the NRC staff. The arguments will include how the Atomic Energy Act's "good cause" standard applies in this case, along with the admissibility of the petitioners' proposed contentions.


Things are looking up

[Roll Tide]

From TVA's extension request for BLN-1 Construction Permit:

Consistent with TVA's stated objective to use its existing facilities to the greatest extent
possible to meet future electrical power demands, TVA has determined that it is prudent
to consider adding the partially completed BLN units to its mix of base-load generating
options. Reinstatement of the BLN Units 1 and 2 Construction Permits has allowed TVA
and the NRC to establish key regulatory assumptions for the possible completion of the
plant (Reference 4) and for TVA to begin work on a more detailed regulatory framework
and plant licensing basis for consideration by.NRC. On August 20, 2010, TVA's Board
of Directors approved a budget allocation in support of continued engineering, design,
and regulatory-basis development, as well as the procurement of long-lead components
such as steam generators for BLN Unit 1 in order to preserve the option of timely
completion. This will help ensure that Unit 1 continues to be a viable alternative for
meeting base-load power needs in the 2018-2020 timeframe. The TVA Board has
reserved its ability to determine whether to proceed with construction and completion of
Bellefonte Unit 1, beyond the scope of the above budget allocation, following completion
of TVA's Integrated Resource Planning process, which is scheduled for the spring of
2011.

May 2018 is spelled out as the target commercial operation date, if that option is chosen. See you there!

[Ordinary Joe]

Anyone watching this? CEO says something about august right?

[wingnut]

A decision on Bellefonte got moved from April to August. Its a go or no go moment. There are TVA staffers out there now. Training for Browns Ferry is done at Bellefonte using their rather large facility. Given the construction of Watts Bar 2 I would not be suprised if its a go. Might be time to invest in Hollywood (AL)

[rumrunner]

To clarify, the Central In-Processing Center is not part of Bellefonte and is not the Bellefonte training center, although it is just a stone's throw away from the plant.  The CIP is used for all TVA nuclear in-processing, not just Browns Ferry, and presently it is just GET, medical, and plant access.  When the 2nd floor is finished they will be doing craft quals too. 

I opened the CIP last fall and worked there from January this year up until May. 

[tr]

As the recent ANS conference the TVA CEO?/CNO? said that their strategy was to have one in construction (Watts Bar 2), one in planning (Bellefonte), and one in development (Clinch River B&W small modular reactor) at any given time.

[rumrunner]

According to what I was told last week, TVA CEO Tom Kilgore plans to formally request TVA Board approval to complete one unit at Bellefonte.  He will do this at the board's next meeting in August.  Granted that TVA Board meetings are mostly scripted shows for the public and no surprises are allowed, hence it is already a foregone conclusion that Bellefonte is soon to get busy.

[rumrunner]

Also - TVA posted a VPA (vacant position announcement) last week for 'one or more' RP technicians for BLN.  According to the Scottsboro brain trust this is to support radiography at BLN initially.

[Roll Tide]

If you have worked at TVA in the past decade, you know this:
Q: Where is the safest place to be?
A: On schedule

If you love BLN, you know this:
Q: Where is the worst place to be?
A: Behind WBN!!!