Grabbing the Headlines

New build. Small reactors. Life extension. These are topics that continued to grab headlines throughout 2010 surrounding the nuclear power industry.

In the U.S. alone, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received 13 applications to license 22 new reactors. And with the Southern Co.-led consortium receiving the first conditional loan guarantee from the federal government, new build seemed to be moving forward in the U.S. But as utilities and vendors both wait, the Department of Energy has yet to hand out another loan guarantee to any others seeking to build the first new nuclear reactor in the U.S. It seemed that DOE was on the verge until Constellation Energy backed out on plans to build a new reactor in Maryland.

At the NUCLEAR POWER International conference this year new build will be one of the topics discussed during the three-days of sessions in Orlando, Fla.

“The main drivers for nuclear expansion, both globally and in North America, have not changed,” said Deva Chari, Westinghouse senior vice president of nuclear power plants, during the November Nuclear Power Executive Roundtable discussion in Power Engineering magazine. “The global need for energy, and particularly for electricity, will continue to grow, environmental issues and greenhouse gas emissions will continue to be a concern, and countries and regions will continue to be concerned about the security of their energy supplies.”

New reactor designs that are generating interest in commercial power circles throughout the world will be discussed in a session headed by four industry experts.

“There are some applications where a small reactor may make sense assuming there is some significant change in regulatory framework that can be made,” said Areva Senior Vice President of U.S. new build operations Mark Marano, whom also participated in the Nuclear Power Executive Roundtable discussion. “But the main challenge for the small modular reactor technology will be their ability to be competitive in this regulatory environment.’

Outside of new build and new reactor designs, nuclear power plant operators and the NRC work together to achieve license renewals for nuclear facilities. Currently, the NRC has approved license renewals for 57 of the 104 operating reactors in the U.S. Another conference session will discuss the everyday challenges that operators face in terms of safely operating and maintaining the aging nuclear fleet while preparing for life extension projects of nuclear reactors. And when completing those projects, Entergy Nuclear CEO and Chief Nuclear Officer John Herron said predictability and stability are key to both the license renewal process and the new nuclear licensing.

“For anybody to want to go and invest in nuclear, and bet your company on the size of an investment that may be the market cap of the company, you have to have regulatory predictability and stability,” he said. “I would tell you that we have a long way to go in that area.”

This year has been active for the nuclear power industry and with the possibility of more funding from the DOE for nuclear power, 2011 shows no signs of slowing down. At NUCLEAR POWER International attendees will get to discuss some of the new activities and challenges that face the nuclear power industry. And according to Herron, “with respect to clean, baseload energy, nuclear is the only way to go.”

I look forward to meeting you in Orlando!