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PSC Staffers Criticize Georgia Power | Georgia Public Broadcasting
The proposed construction of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro could likely have cost overruns and possibly face delays, according to testimony released by the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Testimony from monitors of proposed new reactors at Vogtle criticizes Georgia Power. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
The group monitoring the progress of the new reactors is also being denied access to crucial information about the process, and Georgia Power is not revising economic evaluations based on a variety of factors that include a reduced demand for electricity and cheaper alternatives to nuclear energy, the document says.
NRC chairman says Vogtle design needs safety changes | ajc.com
Thirty years after the nation's worst nuclear power plant accident, the partial meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island, nuclear is back in the news.
Polls show increased public support, and advocates tout its relatively clean, homegrown power potential. Georgia is at the forefront of the industry's hopes, with Southern Co.'s Plant Vogtle near Augusta scheduled to put the first of two planned new reactors into service in 2016.
Associated Press: Green groups appeal Ga. nuclear plant expansion
Environmental groups are asking the federal courts to block to plans to build two nuclear reactors at an east Georgia power plant.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy said Thursday it is asking a federal judge to review an early-site permit granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow some construction at Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Vogtle facility.
The groups hinge a part of the appeal on contentious legislation that passed this year allowing the utility to charge ratepayers ahead of time for the costs of building the two new reactors.
The east Georgia project is scheduled to be completed in 2017. It could be the first new nuclear project to break ground in the country in three decades.
Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Co.
Georgia nuke site challenged | Jacksonville.com
The question of a controversial law's constitutionality could halt new nuclear reactors in Georgia, such as the proposed Plant Vogtle.
A group opposed to reactors on environmental grounds is using a legal challenge to the financing mechanism granted to Georgia Power during the last legislative session as a way to prevent what it considers to be an ecological mistake. Senate Bill 31 violates the state and federal constitutions on several points, argue lawyers for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
The group, which is based in Tennessee but has members and offices in Georgia, has often spoken out against nuclear power and in favor of solar and wind power. Sara Barczak, of the group's Savannah office, relied on environmental arguments in December when she testified against the plant before the Public Service Commission.
"Downstream communities should be concerned about project water consumption at the proposed Vogtle site because consumptive water loss, especially during low river flows, can pose significant negative impacts to water quality and aquatic resources," she said.
New Plant Vogtle parts could require dredging 090309 - The Augusta Chronicle
Neither the Army Corps of Engineers nor Southern Nuclear wants to pay for dredging portions of the Savannah River to allow barges to move new reactor parts to Plant Vogtle.
"They had talked before about wanting the corps to maintain the channel with federal money, and we informed them we didn't have any," said Bill Bailey, the chief of the corps' Savannah Planning Unit.
As part of the plan to add two new reactors to Plant Vogtle, located 110 river miles from the coast, the plant's parent company is exploring the use of barges to haul large components upstream.
FR: NRC ESP for Vogtle
Notice of Issuance of Early Site Permit and Limited Work Authorization for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant ESP Site
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Issuance of Early Site Permit and Limited Work Authorization.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: [[Page 44880]] I. Introduction Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.106, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is providing notice of the issuance of Early Site Permit (ESP) ESP-004 to Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC), Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia, an incorporated municipality in the State of Georgia acting by and through its Board of Water, Light and Sinking Fund Commissioners, for approval of a site located in Burke County, Georgia, 26 miles southeast of Augusta, Georgia for two nuclear power reactors; this action is separate from the filing of an application for a construction permit or combined license for such a facility. The NRC has found that the application for an early site permit (ESP), and accompanying limited work authorization (LWA), filed by Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC), on behalf of itself and the other four entities named above, complies with the applicable requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission. All required notifications to other agencies or bodies have been duly made. There is reasonable assurance that the permit holders will comply with the regulations in 10 CFR Chapter I and the health and safety of the public will not be endangered. There is reasonable assurance that the site is in conformity with the provisions of the Act and the Commission's regulations. SNC is technically qualified to engage in the activities authorized. Issuance of the ESP will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public. Issuance of the LWA will provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection to public health and safety a
NRC: News Release - 2009-141 - NRC Issues Early Site Permit, Work Authorization for Vogtle Site in Georgia
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of New Reactors has issued an Early Site Permit (ESP) and Limited Work Authorization (LWA) to Southern Nuclear Operating Company for the Vogtle ESP site near Augusta, Ga. The ESP, valid for up to 20 years, is the fourth such permit the NRC has approved.
Successful completion of the ESP process resolves many site-related safety and environmental issues, and determines the site is suitable for possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. The LWA allows a narrow set of construction activities at the site. Southern Nuclear filed its ESP application Aug. 15, 2006, and filed its LWA request on Aug. 16, 2007, seeking permission for construction activities limited to placement of engineered backfill, retaining walls, lean concrete, mudmats, and a waterproof membrane.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Early Site Permit for New Nuclear Reactors | Georgia Public Broadcasting
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued an early site permit for two new nuclear reactors to be built in Georgia.
The permit means the NRC has determined that the site is suitable for construction and operation of the reactors at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. A limited work authorization will allow workers to begin preliminary preparations at the site.
Federal permit clears way for nuclear plants at Vogtle | ajc.com
Southern Nuclear has secured a necessary federal permit to allow it to build two new nuclear reactors at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle facility in Waynesboro, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday.
The permit, called an early-site permit, means federal regulators have reviewed safety and environmental issues related to building two additional reactors at the site. It also lets Georgia Power do some preliminary construction work.
The permit is good for 20 years.
Southern files to build 2 reactors | ajc.com
Southern Co., the biggest U.S. power producer, is seeking permission from the federal government to build two additional nuclear reactors and almost double output at its Vogtle site in Georgia.
The company is proposing to add two 1,150-megawatt reactors to the two-unit site about 20 miles south of Augusta. Atlanta-based Southern's application was the first of two submitted Monday to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. South Carolina-based SCANA Corp. said it also filed an application.
"We expect demand for electricity in the Southeast, specifically in Georgia, to increase significantly by 2015 and beyond," Barnie Beasley, president of Southern's nuclear unit, said in a statement. "Nuclear power is a safe, reliable, cost-effective power source that has a low impact on the environment."
NRC renews Southern Ga. Vogtle reactors licenses | Reuters
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday renewed the operating licenses for Southern Co's Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia for an additional 20 years.
The new licenses for Units 1 and 2 will expire on Jan. 16, 2047, and Feb. 9, 2049. Southern submitted the application for the new licenses in June 2007.
The Vogtle units represent the 53rd and 54th reactor licenses renewed by the NRC. Twelve other applications are under review.
Vogtle could be 'reference site' 050409 - The Augusta Chronicle
Southern Co.'s Plant Vogtle in Burke County has moved into position to become the demonstration site for the federal licensing process required of all nuclear power plants with the new Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.
Previously, the Tennessee Valley Authority's Bellefonte site was to be what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission refers to as the "reference site," from which other companies applying for "combined operating license" permits could duplicate documentation already approved by the NRC.
Bellefonte not picked for nuclear pilot project - al.com
NuStart Energy Development has picked a Georgia nuclear plant over the Bellefonte site near Scottsboro as its pilot project for a new generation of reactors.
But the Tennessee Valley Authority said it will continue pursuing federal approval to build and operate Units 3 and 4 at the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant.
TVA said Thursday that NuStart "is transferring the reference designation" to build two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors from Bellefonte to Southern Co.'s Plant Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Ga.
"The change," it said, "is designed to align industry and regulatory resources with a license application that has specific, near-term construction plans."
Atlanta-based Southern, parent of Alabama Power, anticipates getting a license to build and run the two new reactors in 2011 and having them online by 2016. TVA is looking at getting a license for Bellefonte in 2012 and having its two units ready by 2018. The Nuclear Regulatory Association must approve all new reactors.
Fulton group sues over nuclear early-pay bill | ajc.com
Two months after it roared through the state Legislature, a bill requiring Georgia Power customers to pay early for new nuclear reactors is still awaiting Gov. Sonny Perdue’s signature.
The governor’s office has indicated that he intends to sign it.
Recent headlines:
* New Georgia medical school faces hurdle
* Sugar factory says whistleblower faked explosion warning
* 'Zero' chance of a comeback for Cathy Cox
• Metro and state news
Meanwhile, though, the bill has become the target of a lawsuit by the Fulton County Taxpayers’ Foundation, the same group that sued over the Beltline.
NRC Panel Requires Waste Storage Plan for New Reactors | Environmental Protection
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s three-judge panel told Georgia utilities in early March that their application to build more nuclear reactors at Southern Company's Plant Vogtle was incomplete. The application failed to consider how radioactive nuclear waste would be managed if a storage site remains unavailable when the new reactors begin operation. The plant is located along the Savannah River near Augusta, Ga.
According to a March 10 press release from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), the panel said a long-term storage plan must be developed before the federal agency can issue a permit to build the proposed nuclear reactors.
Impact of reactors is challenged - The Augusta Chronicle
Environmental groups contended Monday that federal regulators produced flawed conclusions and an incomplete evaluation of Southern Nuclear Operating Co.'s application for permits to expand nuclear Plant Vogtle.
"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has an obligation to assess environmental impacts," said Terri Porter, speaking for five groups that jointly challenged an environmental impact statement for the proposed reactor project in Burke County.
Specifically, they contend that Southern Nuclear and NRC staff did not fully explore the impact of two new reactors on the ecology of the Savannah River and did not fully investigate a plan to dredge the river channel to allow barges to deliver reactor components.
Georgia Power gets nod to build more nuclear reactors | ajc.com
The Georgia Public Service Commission approved Tuesday two additional nuclear reactors for Georgia Power.
The decision means the utility can begin expanding its Vogtle nuclear plant two years from now, as long as it gets all other needed permits.
Customers will also begin paying for the $6.4 billion project then, thanks to a bill the Legislature passed last month. Customers must begin paying financing costs six years before the reactors are done.
The Legislature saved the PSC from making a decision on those early charges.
Blast's ties to cancer unclear - The Augusta Chronicle
Did an atomic test 56 years ago this Tuesday bring on the cancer that later took the life of his father, Augusta Chronicle Editor Louis Harris, who witnessed the event?
"I personally always thought that could be a connection," he said of the Nevada nuclear blast near Yucca Flats that Mr. Harris witnessed on St. Patrick's Day 1953 and wrote about in The Chronicle .
He's not the first to ask.
The health hazards of those nuclear tests have been questioned for decades -- particularly when it comes to the high cancer rate for the cast of a 1956 John Wayne movie suspected of being touched by leftover fallout.
Regulators to vote on nuclear reactors | ajc.com
State utility regulators vote Tuesday on whether to give Georgia Power the go-ahead on two new reactors at the company’s Vogtle nuclear plant.
The company plans to begin constructing the reactors in 2011 if it gets approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission and other federal and state agencies.
The company reached an agreement with the PSC’s public interest staff on all but two issues related to those reactors.
The first is how to implement an early funding mechanism approved by the Legislature late last month.
The second is an incentive mechanism, which would tie a small part of the utility’s profits to its ability to bring the $6.4 billion project in close to budget.
NRC - NRC Issues Final Safety Evaluation Report for Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal Application
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) for the proposed renewal of the operating licenses for the Vogtle Electrical Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2. The report concludes that there are no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal because the applicant has effectively demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging during extended operations and it would not pose an undue risk to the health and safety of workers or the public.
Vogtle Units 1 and 2 are pressurized-water reactors located about 26 miles southeast of Augusta, Ga. Vogtle’s operator, Southern Nuclear Operating Co., submitted the license renewal application June 29, 2007. The current operating licenses expire Jan. 16, 2027, for Unit 1 and Feb. 9, 2029, for Unit 2. Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. Therefore, the operating license would be extended until Jan. 16, 2047, for Unit 1 and Feb. 9, 2049 for Unit 2.
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