POWER April 2012 - 44

NUCLEAR POWER
Happy Days for Nuclear Power?
The first license to construct a new nuclear power plant in the U.S. in 34 years
was granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Feb. 9. Has the
elusive nuclear renaissance finally begun?
By Kennedy Maize
T
here was justification in early February
for the U.S. nuclear industry to
be humming the famous Depressionera
song " Happy Days Are Here Again. "
Feb. 9, 2012, in Washington's Maryland
suburbs was a bright but chilly day following
a quick blast of cold Canadian air
and a dusting of snow that stuck on lawns
and fields but not roads. At noon, the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
voted 4-1 to approve a combined construction
and operating license for Southern
Co.'s two new units at its existing Vogtle
nuclear station in Georgia (Figures 1 and
2). It marked the first new construction
license for a nuclear plant since Jan. 27,
1978, when Carolina Power & Light won a
construction license for its Shearon Harris
Unit 1 in central North Carolina.
That February moment was sweet. The
industry's long nuclear nightmare appeared
to be over. The long-depleted project
pipeline was getting an injection. The
NRC was expected to soon approve a license
for another new two-unit project, in
South Carolina.
Industry Insiders Meet
Across a busy Rockville Pike from the
NRC at a swanky Marriott hotel, Platts
was holding its 8th Annual Nuclear Energy
conference Feb. 9 to 10. Despite the NRC
action, there was a slightly bittersweet
aftertaste that colored the Platts gabfest.
The version of the Happy Days song that
seemed most appropriate for the nuclear
business that day was Barbra Streisand's
slow-tempo, ironic, and somewhat somber
1960s version, not the ebullient 1929
original that became the theme song for
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's successful
campaign for president in 1932. Depressing
the nuclear buoyancy was the nightmare
of Fukushima.
The NRC vote, a pro-forma affirmation
of action the NRC had already discussed
and taken informally, came in the context
of the catastrophe in Japan just 11 months
earlier. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko
made the connection clear both in his keynote
address at the Platts conference and at
the commission meeting where he dissent44
1.
Long time coming. The NRC granted a combined construction and operating license
for Southern Co.'s Vogtle Units 3 and 4 on Feb. 9, 2012. The construction site for the new Units
3 and 4 is shown with Units 1 and 2 visible in the background. Courtesy: Southern Co.
2. Reactor construction under way. Southern Co. received an Early Site Permit and
Limited Work Authorization (LWA) from the NRC in August 2009. The LWA allowed safety-related
construction at the site prior to receiving the combined construction and operating license.
Shown is the assembly of the Unit 3 containment vessel lower ring. The photo was taken Jan.
30, 2012. Courtesy: Southern Co.
ed on the Vogtle license. Jaczko told Platts
event attendees that the U.S. atomic power
industry is at a crossroads, where it can
fully understand and embrace the meaning
www.powermag.com
of the Fukushima disaster and move forward,
or it can give only lip service to the
lessons learned and go on with business as
usual. Down one path, he said, is a vital,
POWER | April 2012

http://www.powermag.com

POWER April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER April 2012