Nuclear Flashcards
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How did nuclear energy start? (5)
- There was high hope in nuclear – use fission to turn turbines to create energy
- The phrase “turning of swords into plowshares” symbolized the transformation of atomic power into a source of energy in American society
- Thought we were going to have so much energy that it would be too cheap to meter
What is the status of nuclear energy generation in the US? (4)
- Generators were built en masse starting the 50s after Atomic Energy Act empowered AEC to license civilian NPPs
- Now, only Vogtle Unit 3 built in 2023
- Most reactors will need to be relicensed or phased out in the next two decades
- Currently, only 18-20% of generation comes from nuclear
What led to US nuclear projects to be abandoned en masse? (4)
- Cost overruns in the 70s
- Most plants were significantly delayed, incomplete, or abandoned
- Utility commissions began to distrust energy companies
- After 1990, almost no new nuclear power plants were built until Vogtle in Georgia (2016)
What else contributed to the decline of nuclear generation in the US? (4)
- Three mile island (79) - no death; partial meltdown
- Chernobyl (86) - meltdown, but completely different/inept design and operation
- Fukushima (2011) - no deaths acc’d to Japan; not that bad
- Brief interlude during GWB years (tax credits)
What are the biggest challenges to nuclear generation? (3)
- Cheap natural gas
- Fear around safety and health effects
- Cost overruns & delays + craft labor
What is the nuclear licensing process? (5)
Throughout the fuel cycle
1. Uranium mining
2. NPP licensing
3. Atomic incident liability regimes (Price-Anderson Act)
4. Low-level nuclear waste disposal
5. High-level nuclear waste disposal
Explain the Part 50 process (2)
2-step process
1. Construction permit - requires full proceeding + interested parties + EIS
2. NPP operating license - same requirements
What are the criticisms of the Part 50 process?
Gave opponents two occassions to litigate on the same issues (EIS, material issues of law or fact)
Explain the Part 52 process (3)
- Combined Construction & Operation License (COL) - full public hearing + EIS
- (optional) Design Certification process - N&C rulemaking + only EA (re: all the safety mechanisms not adopted and why)
- one-time cert for the design
- Locals ignorant to litigate on the issue
- (optional) Early Site Permit (ESP) - “Is this a safe place to build a NPP” + litigants only have one chance to challenge location + EIS
Explain the Part 53 process
May provide regulatory structure for advanced nuclear program (small nuclear reactors, thorium)
What are the state-based incentives for nuclear? (2)
- Utilities have turned off the plants bc of cost overruns, especially in competition with cheap wind mills
- State legislatures began subsidizing the nuclear power plant industry if they care about clean energy
What happened in Blue Ridge? (3)
- Part 52 process requires EIS for COL & ESP and EA for design certificate
- NRC did not act A&C & is entitled to deference in declining to order a supplemental EIS or EA based on an an allegedly “new or significant information,” because that decision requires a high level of technical expertise
- NRC determined that task force report on Fukushima alone was not a “new and significant information”
What are SMR and ARs and how do they differ from traditional reactors? (2)
- AR - non-light water reactor (non-LWR) designs; passive safety features, different fuels or coolants; some use fusion
- SMR - type of AR that is smaller (300MW capacity) with modular construction & economies of scale
Should be much cheaper to construct & permit
