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| Tuesday, February 9, 2010 |
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First steps taken on COL for Bellefonte
Published September 13, 2007
The first step in a process for TVA to obtain a Combined Operating License for two nuclear reactors at the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant near Hollywood was taken Tuesday night at the Tom Bevill Lyceum on the campus of Northeast Alabama Community College when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission held its first "public outreach meeting" on the proposal.
The licensing process, according to NRC staff, is "complicated and thorough." It begins long before an application for a COL is received and is expected to take approximately 44 months to complete.
TVA, as part of the NuStart consortium, will present its application to the NRC in October, according to Jack Bailey, Vice President, Nuclear Generation Development with the agency. The utility's proposal will be to install two Westinghouse AP 1000 reactors at Bellefonte.
"We're not ruling out partners," Bailey said Tuesday. "We will get into the licensing and see that it's going well."
NuStart is a partnership between several utility companies and reactor manufacturers. It has been completing the process leading to the filing of the application under a streamlined NRC process designed to speed up the approval process to help meet the growing demand for electricity. The application will be among the first received by the NRC under the new guidelines.
NuStart was formed with help from the federal government to submit one of the earliest applications to test the review process.
If a COL is granted, TVA, as the licensee, would then decide whether to build the plant.
Bailey, who attended the meeting, said completion of a conventional reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Tennessee is the utilities top priority.
He stated that future expected power demand will play a role in determining if TVA will seek a partner to build the proposed Bellefonte reactors.
"We're estimating it will cost $2.5 to $3.5 billion to build a reactor," Bailey said.
The approximately 250 people who attended Tuesday's meeting were greeted by NRC Meeting Facilitator Chip Cameron who said the purpose of the meeting was for NRC staff "to provide clear information about the NRC (application and review) process. We are going to be back in the future all through this process."
The NRC is an independent regulatory agency. Its mission is "to protect the public health and safety, promote the common defense and security, and protect the environment." It is made up of five commissioners and is staffed by hundreds of technical and regulatory experts.
The application review process includes simultaneous reviews of safety and environmental concerns. Public meetings and hearings are scheduled at various times with the next likely to come in February when local citizens can voice their concerns on potential environmental and safety impacts of the project.
"The whole thing is a three to four year process," the NRC's Tom Bergman said in outlining the application review process. "If we issue (COL) it will be a safe design that will protect the public."
The process has "a bigger impact on you (local citizens) than anyone else," Bergman, who is Deputy Director Licensing Operations Division of New Reactor Licensing, said.
A question and answer session followed the initial hour-long presentation by NRC staff members. Several people spoke in favor of the proposal including former Scottsboro Mayor Ron Bailey on behalf of the Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.
Bailey, who is a member of the Chamber Executive Board of Directors and chairman of its business development committee, said, "we are here in support of this proposal. We want you to know we are in full support of this process."
That feeling was echoed by Shelia Shepard, vice president of the Jackson County Economic Development Agency who said the local organization, Alabama Development Office and Gov. Bob Riley fully support the proposal.
"I support Nustart's and TVA's efforts to obtain a license," U.S. Congressman Bud Cramer said in a prepared statement. The proposed nuclear facility at Bellefonte would not only help our region meet its growing power needs, but allow for greater economic development opportunities."
TVA's Bailey agreed with Cramer. He said a new nuclear facility would help bring component manufacturers and others to the area.
The AP 1000 has been pre-certified by the NRC. While none of the reactors are currently in operation four are scheduled to be constructed and begin operation in China in the near future. The reactor is an upgrade to the AP 600, which has also been certified by the NRC.
"AP stands for advance passive. There are not a lot of active components," Rich Laura, Senior Reactor Systems Engineer said. "The design relies on gravity and natural circulation. It is more simple and straightforward."
The NRC reviews safety documentation, compliance with regulations, design features, quality assurance issues and, if a COL is granted, follow the process through construction to verify the plant will be built as designed. The agency's relationship continues during the operation phase with regular inspections by on-site NRC inspectors.
"We want you to use our process," said the NRC's Billy Cleaves. "The process is safety focused."
Cleaves, who is a Senior Safety Project Manager, explained the many opportunities available to the public for obtaining information on the project. He described the review as "open and transparent," and noted it was designed to allow for public participation every step of the way.
A systematic approach is used to develop the environmental impact study. It includes a comprehensive analysis of terrestrial and aquatic ecology, atmospheric science, water quality and socioeconomic factors and the impacts each may have on the quality of the human environment.
"We're looking for comments. We're looking for input from the public," Andrew Kugler, Project Manager for environmental review said.
Kugler's team will interview local, state and federal agencies that deal with the health and welfare of the public, wildlife and other experts during the review process. The public will be involved as an EIS (Environmental Impact Study) draft is developed, after it is complete and before and after the final EIS is submitted.
Bergman stated the NRC estimates it will have "100,000 staff hours" involved in the project before making a recommendation on the license application.
TVA stopped construction on twin reactors at Bellefonte in the late 1980's after spending $4 billion on the facility. Its construction authorization expired in 2005. The utility could use some of the facilities left behind from that ill-fated venture, including twin cooling towers and office space, to reduce the cost of building the two proposed reactors.
"I am proud that North Alabama is among the first communities in the country to take this important step towards new nuclear power production," Cramer said.
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