NEI: Keystone Center Report Affirms Nuclear Energy's Competitiveness in Carbon-Constrained World

June 28, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

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Capping a year-long evaluation of nuclear energy, The Keystone Center issued a report concluding that U.S. nuclear power plants are safer; climate change policies will improve nuclear energy's economics; and options are available to safely manage used fuel.

The report, Nuclear Power Joint Fact-Finding, was undertaken to provide an "assessment" of nuclear energy amid growing discussion of the technology's role in the U.S. energy future, said the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).

According to NEI, 104 nuclear power plants operating in 31 states provide electricity to one of every five U.S. homes and businesses. Nuclear energy supplies more than 70% of the electricity that comes from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases (GHG) or other pollutants into the atmosphere.

Following a five-year refurbishment, the Brown Ferry Unit 1 reactor in northern Alabama returned to commercial operation last month, and 16 companies and consortia have announced their intent to file new nuclear plant license applications for as many as 30 new reactors with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission beginning this fall, said NEI.

Paul Genoa, the NEI's director of policy development and a participant in the Keystone discussions, said the report's experts identified areas of agreement in many, though not all, areas.

Specific Report Findings 

The fact-finding group was comprised of 29 individuals, including representatives from environmental groups, state regulators, electric utility industry and consumer advocates. According to NEI, the group agreed on issues detailed in the report that included:

Safety: The participants reviewed many factors, including improvements in plant equipment and human performance, organizational and risk insights gained through experience, the implications of aging materials, and components and institutional changes in safety oversight. They found that "increased centralization among utilities and plant operators has improved the 'safety culture' at nuclear power plants," and that new reactors are likely to be advanced light-water reactors.

Climate Change: A number of different approaches have been debated or proposed, including an economy-wide cap and trade program for GHG emissions, a sector-specific cap and trade approach and a carbon tax. The specific provisions of U.S. climate policy will affect exactly how much of an advantage nuclear power receives.

Most importantly, the more stringent the policy (the greater the reductions required or the higher the tax), the greater the relative advantage bestowed on low-GHG generation sources like nuclear energy, said the report.

Used Nuclear Fuel Management: The group also agreed on issues surrounding the ultimate disposal of used nuclear fuel. They agreed that:

• Ultimate disposal of the byproducts from nuclear fuel should take place in a deep underground geologic repository.
• Desirable geologic repository characteristics are well understood.
• Suitable geological environments for disposal exist throughout the world, including locations in the U.S.

Furthermore, the group voiced its belief that until the federal government's geologic repository is licensed for operation, older used nuclear fuel "can be stored safely and securely" on nuclear plant sites in either spent fuel pools or steel and concrete containers for extended periods of time.

They also agreed that centralized interim storage is a reasonable alternative for managing used fuel from decommissioned plant sites and "could become cost-effective for operating reactors in the future," said NEI.

According to NEI, the group, recognizing that used fuel must be transported from the plant sites to centralized interim storage facilities and/or a geologic repository, looked at the safety and security of used fuel transportation and found: "There is wide agreement among the group participants that transport of spent fuel and other high-level radioactive waste is highly regulated, and that it has been safely shipped in the past."

The group also noted that although transport security requires continued vigilance, "security requirements during transport have been enhanced in response to 9/11."

"Clearly, any used fuel repository licensed in the United States must withstand critical public scrutiny and this process will take time," Genoa said. "For me, as a participant, the most important result from the Keystone process is the recognition that we have the time to ensure this process is done right and that we have safe and secure interim options to manage used fuel."

Source: Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).