TVA site eyed for next generation nuke

TVA site eyed for next generation nuke

BY DAVE FLESSNER

STAFF WRITER

HOLLYWOOD, Ala. — Three decades after construction began here on the last of America's previous generation of nuclear power plants, the Tennessee Valley Authority is studying a new option to finish the incomplete Bellefonte facility.

The Department of Energy announced Monday a it will help pay for a study of an advanced boiling water reactor design at Bellefonte. The $4.25 million study could determine whether TVA ever will generate electricity from nuclear power at the twin-reactor complex here.

"We need to be a player in developing more nuclear power and this facility, if not perfect for it, certainly provides a great platform to move forward," U.S. Sen.

Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said during a tour of Bellefonte on Monday. "This study could be a catalyst to jump-start a new generation of nuclear power in America — a generation that could begin at the Bellefonte site."

Sen. Sessions praised the current TVA board, which he said is more willing to support nuclear power than the utility's previous boards. Work on the twin-reactor Bellefonte plant was halted after 14 years of construction in 1988 when TVA determined that it wouldn't need the extra power Bellefonte could generate.

The original plant has been mothballed since, and TVA officials concede it would be difficult to finish the plant as originally designed in the 1970s. Only 28 employees now work to maintain the idled facility, but hundreds of jobs could be created if the plant were finished and placed into operation.

The new General Electric plant design proposed at Bellefonte is patterned after similar plants built or under construction in Japan and Taiwan. Proponents claim the newer design would be less expensive to build and more reliable to operate than the original Babcock and Wilcox pressurized water reactor design.

TVA Chairman Glenn McCullough said activating the Bellefonte plant with a new design would help America's energy independence as well as create jobs and electricity in the Tennessee Valley.

But unlike TVA's costly nuclear construction program in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the utility is taking a cautious and deliberative approach to adding nuclear power today, Mr. McCullough said. TVA doesn't project it will need extra power until at least 2014 beyond its current plant capacity and the restart of its Browns Ferry Unit 1 reactor in 2007.

Before any construction begins, TVA will have a preapproved plan and a detailed method to build the plant to avoid any cost overruns, utility officials said.

"We have proven that nuclear can be a safe, reliable and low-cost source of energy," Mr. McCullough said.

But after a generation without any new nuclear plants being built, the industry is looking for government regulatory and financial assistance before starting plant construction again.

In an appearance here Monday, Deputy Secretary of Energy Kyle McSlarrow said the nuclear industry needs help from the government to streamline construction and licensing permits and to assist in the development of new technologies.

"Once we get the first few of the new designs built, the costs will come down and everyone will benefit," Mr. McSlarrow said.

The Department of Energy approved the TVA proposal before any others, Mr. McSlarrow said, "because it was the most digestible chunk of money early on." But the energy agency also is studying whether to support other designs being developed by a consortium led by Dominion Power Co. and another "Nustart consortium" formed by nine utilities and related companies.

If the TVA study proves that the advanced boiling water reactor design is reliable and cost-effective, TVA Vice President Jack Bailey said, the agency will try to line up partners to begin the licensing process for the new design at Bellefonte as soon as spring 2005. Construction could begin as soon as 2009 or 2010, he said.

Anti-nuclear activists object to government subsidies for nuclear power, which they claim contributes to radioactive waste and terrorism threats.

"Nuclear power is an outdated technology that generates toxic wastes for centuries and should not be pursued any longer," Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said earlier this year.

But neighbors to the Bellefonte plant are eager to see the dormant plant activated.

Jackson County Commissioner Glenda Hodges said most area residents want to see Bellefonte operated as a nuclear plant. "People are frustrated that Bellefonte was never finished, and they'd like to see it produce some kind of energy," she said. "We're going to need it."

Mr. Bailey said TVA also continues to study a variety of future energy options, including building new coal gasification plants, finishing the incomplete Watts Bar Unit 2 or buying more power from independent power producers and other utilities in the Southeast.

"It all depends upon government policies and incentiv~s." he said. "We're trying to keep all of our options alive."

E-mail Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com