The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted to approve the design for the Westinghouse AP1000 1,100 MW nuclear reactor for use in the U.S. The action sets the stage for construction of two of these reactors at Southern's Vogtle site in George and two more at Scana's V.C. Summer station on South Carolina.
Applications for combined construction and operating licenses are pending before the NRC. Both utilities have expressed the hope the regulatory agency will issue them in the first quarter of 2012.
This is as reported on Dan Yurman's Idaho Samizidat blog.
What does it all mean?? We demand to know, nes pas?
Energy Sect'y Chu notes:
Chu calls reactor design approval ‘important milestone’
By Ben Geman - 12/22/11 04:17 PM ET
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is happy that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Westinghouse’s AP1000 nuclear reactor design, which is slated for use at an Energy Department-backed nuclear power plant in Georgia.
Chu’s praise for the design approval underscores Obama administration support for new nuclear power plants, a position at odds with some environmental groups.
“The Administration and the Energy Department are committed to restarting America’s nuclear industry — creating thousands of jobs in the years ahead and powering our nation’s homes and businesses with domestic, low-carbon energy,” Chu said in a statement Thursday.
“Today’s decision certifying the AP1000 reactor design marks an important milestone towards constructing the first U.S. nuclear reactors in three decades,” he said.
Power giant Southern Co. is using the AP100 for a planned two-reactor expansion of a plant in Georgia, a project that won preliminary approval to receive an $8.3 billion Energy Department loan guarantee in 2010.
Several other companies are also planning to use the design as the industry pushes to build new plants.
While voting no before and trying to delay approval, NRC Chairman Jaczko, apparently sensing defeat, decided to actually vote FOR IT! Will wonders never cease. As there was basis, other than ideological, to oppose this design, he caved to the scienfitic and engineering consensus. However, in a breathless rant, Rep. Markey, who had his facts wrong on the vote, wrote:
From The Hill:
Markey Blasts Latest Safety-Related Vote to Override NRC Chairman Jaczko and Allow Acceleration of AP 1000 Nuclear Reactor Construction
Days before Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Congressman wrote to Commission about critical safety issues with reactor design identified by senior NRC staff member
WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to approve the final rule for the Westinghouse AP1000 design and which also granted a rule change requested by Southern Company to allow construction to begin before the NRC staff have incorporated and published all reactor design changes adopted by the Commission today. One of NRC’s longest-serving staff warned in NRC documents that the reactor’s containment could shatter “like a glass cup” due to flaws in the design of the shield building if impacted by an earthquake or commercial aircraft. In the publicly released votes on the matter, Chairman Greg Jaczko disapproved the proposal to allow the acceleration of reactor construction, Commissioner George Apostolakis voted to approve it, and Commissioner William Magwood’s vote did not refer to it. In the final vote, Chairman Jaczko was overridden by his colleagues.
“Today, the NRC has presented its holiday gifts to the nuclear industry,” said Rep. Markey, top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Instead of doing all they should to protect nuclear reactors against seismically-induced ground acceleration, these Commissioners voted to approve the acceleration of reactor construction. While they continue to slow walk the implementation of recommendations of the NRC professional staff’s Near-Term Task Force on Fukushima, they have fast-tracked construction of a reactor whose shield building could ‘shatter like a glass cup’ if impacted by an earthquake or other natural or man-made impact.”
In August, Rep. Markey sent a letter urging the rejection of the proposed acceleration of construction that the NRC today approved. Under current regulations, construction, including safety-relate d construction of systems and structures that need to function during an accident, can only begin upon final approval by the NRC of a reactor design. The rule change approved today allows Southern Company to begin safety-related reactor construction at Vogtle before NRC staff incorporates the changes - which could include safety-related changes - in the final rule to the reactor design that the NRC also approved today.
He was wrong as every NRC question and suggestion was returned with requested revisions to the initial design approved by the Company and implemented.
What does it all mean? Dan Yurman notes in the same blog quoted from above:
The NRC's approval is a global "gold standard" and may open markets for the reactor in other countries. Westinghouse is building four AP1000s in China and is in negotiations to build more of them there. The firm has executed technology transfer agreements with China which is planning to shift from its older GEN II domestic designs to GEN III through adaptation of the AP1000's passive safety features.
Earlier this month the U.K. Nuclear Safety Agency issued an interim approval of the reactor under its generic design assessment. Westinghouse has said it will complete the expensive process when a customer places an order for a unit in the U.K. Multiple sites have been approved by the government for construction of new reactors and several of of them led by French, German, and Spanish utilities are likely to select the AP1000.
The key here is China and the UK who are either actually building (China, under budget and on schedule) bunches and bunches of AP1000 with their own design, the CAP1000 they have approved about 2 dozen MORE. The British now can build a dozen or so, competing with the approved ERP design.
A "Renaissance"? No...at least not in the US. But a wink and a nod for it in the U.S. and certainly it can open up a flood gate overseas.