energy law 6 – nuclear power
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Energy Law 6 – Nuclear Power. Fall 2013 Oct 08, 2013 Alan Palmiter Brian Bowman. Topic roadmap. 1.Nuclear power in energy mix Compared to other sources (inc renewables ) History of nuclear power 2.How nuclear power is produced Uranium mining / processing Uranium as fuel source - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Energy Law
6 – Nuclear Power
Fall 2014Oct 07, 2014
Alan Palmiter
Not for distribution- for study purposes only
Topic roadmap
1. Nuclear power in energy mix– Compared to other sources (inc renewables)– History of nuclear power
2. How nuclear power is produced– Uranium mining / processing– Uranium as fuel source– Spent nuclear fuel
3. Regulation of nuclear power– NRC permitting– State role– Storage of nuclear waste
4. Future of nuclear power– Streamlined licensing– Using nuclear wastge– Nuclear fusion
1. Nuclear power in energy mix
6
Energy Flow, 2011 (Quadrillion Btu) Energy Flow, 2013 (Quadrillion Btu)
6
http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/pecss_diagram.cfm
Energy Sources Uses
Source: Andra Goodman & Michael Walker, E3 Ventures, Benchmarking Air Emissions
Nuclear power in electricity mix
Source: EIA, Nuclear Power – Short-term Outlook for Electricity
Source: EIA, Monthly Energy Review Table 7.2a (March 2012)
Source: World Nuclear Ass’n, “Nuclear Power in World” (2012)
2. Nuclear power production / waste storage
Source: Pennsylvania State University Radiation Science and Engineering Center
SourceChemCases, Nuclear Chemistry – Uranium Production
Click for 3:05 video
Source: World Nuclear Ass’n, “Basics”
FACTOID
A single uranium fuel pellet contains about as much energy as • 500 cubic meters of natural gas• 1 ton of coal• 150 gallons of gasoline
Source: National Energy Institute, “Nuclear Statistics”
Source: Nevada Div Env Protec
Click for 2:10 video
Click for 2:14 video
Click for 2:44 video
1. True or false? It is not at all relevant that Homer Simpson, the most famous nuclear facility operator, is now 60 years old.
2. Which is false – a. As of 2013, there are 104
commercial nuclear reactors in the United States at 65 nuclear power plants
b. Since 1990, the share of the US electricity supply provided by nuclear power generation has averaged about 20%
c. France generates more electricity from nuclear power than the United States
3. Which is false --a. About one third of a reactor core
is changed out every 12 to 24 months
b. More than 50% of the uranium loaded into a reactor is consumed in nuclear reactions
c. As of 2002, over 165,000 spent fuel assemblies were stored in about 70 interim storage pools throughout the United States.
4. True or false? South Carolina is one of the top five states for nuclear generation of electricity, ahead of North Carolina. EIA, “Nuclear Use”
Pop QuizNuclear Power - Production
Answers: 1-T (aging workforce) / 2-B (1996) / 3-B (4%/ 4-T
Pros and cons – nuclear power
Pros: Reduce greenhouse gas
emissions Cheaper to operate
(perhaps lowest production costs)
Stable generation source (very high load capacity)
Not subject to variable fuel costs
Cons: High health and
environmental risk: TMI, Chernobyl, Fukushima
Cost-overruns: “cheap dreams, costly realities” + taxpayer subsidy [UCS]
High levels of water “heat pollution”
No solution for nuclear waste: on-site, national storage facility
3. Nuclear power regulationMining• Office of Surface Mining, DOI• Individual states • NRC (leach recovery)
Processing• NRC (milling + processing)• Agreement states
Power production• NRC permit• State PUC
Nuclear waste disposal• NRC permit• DOE – national waste site
Nuclear fi
ssion th
eorized (1
938)
Atomic Energy A
ct (1954)
Three Mile Isl
and accident (1
979)
Fuku
shima disa
ster
(2
011)
Energy Policy Act
(2005)
Chernobyl disa
ster (1
986)
Eisenhower “A
toms for P
eace” speech (1
953)
1940 20001980 20201960
First a
tomic bombs (1
945)
Nuclear p
ower plant b
oom (1965-75)
Iraq nucle
ar weapons p
rogram (1991)
First U
S nuclear g
enerating plant (1957)
International Atomic E
nergy Agency (IA
EA) (1956)
Nuclear N
on-Proliferation Tr
eaty (1968)
Price-Anderso
n Act (1957)
NRC – Part 52 (2
008)
PG&E v. Sta
te Energy Resource
s Comm’n (U
S 1983)
Nuclear W
aste Policy
Act (1982)
DOE blocks Yu
cca M
tn (2010)
Nuclear power regulationTimeline
NRC licensing
Construction permit
Operating license
Judicial review
Comb. op. license
Early site permit
Design certification
Part 50 Part 52
1. True or false? The nuclear power industry is insured against the costs of nuclear accidents under a government-mandated insurance scheme, up to $375 million per plant and $12.6 billion overall.
2. Which is false– a. State regulation of nuclear
power radiological safety is preempted by AEA
b. State tort law (punitive $ and IIED) is not preempted by AEA
c. States may reject DOE siting decisions concerning nuclear waste storage sites
3. As of 2013, which is false --a. The NRC has one pending
applications for a new nuclear reactor
b. The NRC has 28 pending applications for new nuclear reactors
c. The next generation of nuclear reactors is expected to come online in 2016-17
4. True or false? High-level radioactive waste is stored in water pools and dry casks, under NRC regulations.
Pop QuizNuclear Power - Regulation
Answers: 1-T / 2-C / 3-A (last approved ‘96) / 4-T
Click for 7:12 video
Click for 4:02 video[reprocessing]
Click for 2:14 video
Energy federalism
Nuclear power Federal State
Production NRC licensing State utility rules
Mining DOI (Office of Surface Mining)NRC (underground recovery) States
Disposal NRC (high and low level)EPA - Yucca Mountain (NIMBY) State (siting decision)
Reprocessing Currently bannedDOE (Blue Ribbon Panel) None
Class Hypo
The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is considering legislation to subsidize nuclear energy.
What kind of nuclear energy should be subsidized? Outline the congressional testimony for your group.
Group 1: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Group 2: Union of Concerned Scientists
Group 3: TerraPower, Inc.
Nuclear power subsidies:
• Price-Anderson Act of 1957 (federal insurance for accidents)
• Publicly-owned utilities (low-cost financing)
• Energy Policy Act of 2005 (federal loan guarantees)
• Depletion allowance for uranium mining
See UCS, “Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable Without Subsidies” (2011)
The end