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NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2016
Utility...
carried out along the way, incorporating
details from the latest equipment designs.
In February 2015, the NRA gave its
final permission for Kansai to make the
required safety upgrades at the units prior
to their restart.
Contact:
World Nuclear News
,
website:
Darlington
Refurbishment
Ontario Power Generation
(OPG)
is ready to deliver on the Government’s
decision to invest in refurbishing the first
of four units at the Darlington Nuclear
Generating Station. The Province has
also approved plans to pursue continued
operation of the Pickering Nuclear
Generating Station to 2024.
The $12.8 billion investment will
generate$14.9billionineconomicbenefits
to Ontario, which include thousands of
construction jobs at Darlington and at
some 60 Ontario companies supplying
components for the job. This investment
will also preserve about 3,000 jobs as it
provides 30-plus years of clean, reliable,
base load power, at a cost lower than
other alternatives considered. The budget
is about $1.2 billion less than originally
projected by OPG, and all four units are
scheduled for completion by 2026.
The refurbishment project will be
subject to strict oversight to ensure safety,
reliable supply and value for customers.
OPG has also implemented a robust
risk management strategy to ensure that
contractors are held accountable.
Contact: OPG, telephone: (416)
592-4008.
Industry
Committee on Reactor
Safeguards
The
Nuclear
Regulatory
Commission’s
Advisory Committee on
Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) has elected
Dennis Bley as Chairman, Michael
Corradini as Vice-Chairman and Peter
Riccardella as Member-at-Large.
The ACRS, a group of experienced
technical
experts,
advises
the
Commission, independently from the
NRC staff, on safety issues related to the
licensing and operation of nuclear power
plants as well as issues of health physics
and radiation protection.
Contact: Maureen Conley, NRC,
telephone: (301) 415-8200.
White House Summit
The
NuclearRegulatoryCommission
,
participating in theWhite House Summit on
Nuclear Energy, highlighted its independent
role in technically evaluating reactor
designs to ensure public health and safety.
The NRC also committed to providing the
Department of Energy’s (DOE) Gateway for
Accelerating Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN)
program with up-to-date information.
“The NRC is familiar with the
innovative approaches to nuclear power
plants,” said NRC Chairman Stephen
Burns. “We look forward to reviewing
evidence to support the safety case
for these designs’ fuels, operation and
emergency systems. We also look forward
to working with DOE to ensure today’s
innovators are well-versed in the path
towards earning regulatory approval.”
As part of the summit,the NRC,
consistent with its role as an independent
safety and security regulator, committed
to providing DOE with accurate, current
information on the NRC’s regulations
and licensing processes. DOE’s GAIN
program will help prospective advanced
nuclear technology applicants understand
and navigate the regulatory process for
licensing new reactor technology.
The NRC also committed to
partnering with DOE to hold the Second
Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors
Workshop in spring 2016, building on
the successful first workshop held in
September, 2015.
The second workshop will explore
options for increased efficiency, fromboth
a technical and regulatory perspective, in
the safe development and deployment of
innovative reactor technologies.
Workshop topics could include
examining both near-term and longer-
term opportunities to test, demonstrate
and construct prototype advanced
reactors, and evaluating the most
appropriate licensing processes.
Contact: Scott Burnell, NRC,
telephone: (301) 415-8200.
Advanced Reactor
Development
The
U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) made two announcements on
November 6, 2015 at the White House
Summit on Nuclear Energy that will
bolster our nation’s commitment to
nuclear power as a clean energy solution
for combating climate change. One
of the efforts by DOE will accelerate
the development of advanced designs
for nuclear reactors through the Office
of Nuclear Energy’s Gateway for
Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear
(GAIN). Additionally, DOE’s Loan
Programs Office will issue a supplement
to the agency’s existing Advanced
Nuclear Energy Projects loan guarantee
solicitation that clarifies eligible project
costs.
In close coordination with DOE’s
office of Technology Transitions and the
Clean Energy Impact Investment Center,
GAIN will serve as the access point for
the nuclear industry and entrepreneurs
to benefit from the broad range of
capabilities—people, facilities, materials,
data, and land—across the DOE complex
and its National Labs. This new effort
will build on DOE’s efforts to provide
America’s nuclear power industry with
access to the technical, regulatory, and
financial support needed to move new or
advanced nuclear reactor designs toward
commercialization.
Additionally, DOE is supplementing
its existing Advanced Nuclear Energy
Projects Solicitation that makes up
to $12.5 billion in loan guarantees
available for eligible projects that can
include construction of advanced nuclear
reactors, small modular reactors, uprates
and upgrades at existing facilities, and
front-end nuclear facilities. The new
supplement clarifies that project costs for
an eligible project that are incurred as part
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) licensing process, such as design
certification, construction permit, and
combined construction and operating
license (COL), could be eligible costs that
may be financed with a loan guaranteed
by DOE.
Contact: DOE, telephone: (202)
586-4940.
