A Senate committee posed pointed questions about the safety of the increasing number of decommissioned nuclear plants and stockpiles of used fuel, drawing attention to the lack of a permanent storage site.
The hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week called in a panel of experts to examine the issue. Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) questioned whether enough has been done to secure stockpiles being stored in pools and dry casks. She noted that in recent months, utility officials have announced the planned retirement of five more reactors.
“The reactors may be shut down,” Boxer said, “but the risks of an accident or attack have not gone away.”
Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials and utility industry leaders have consistently said they are satisfied with current storage and security arrangements. Senate leaders introduced a bill to jump-start the search process for a new site, but the measure didn’t gather House support. Some legislators are calling for a resumption of development and eventual operation of the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada.
More: The New York Times
Norris: Negative Prices Not Nukes’ Big Problem
Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner John Norris said he has concluded that negative pricing is having a very small impact on the viability of the nuclear fleet and that the issue should not be part of the debate over an extension of the production tax credit used by wind developers. (See Who’s To Blame For Negative Prices?)
“I have concluded that the argument regarding the impact of negative pricing on nuclear viability is a distraction and not productive to the larger conversation regarding how to ensure that the existing nuclear fleet is maintained,” he said in a statement at last week’s commission meeting. “Transmission development is the better, and more proactive, solution to negative pricing rather than forcing that issue into the debate on the merits of the production tax credit (PTC).
“I believe the larger issue is not negative pricing but rather the additional supply of new, low-cost energy in recent years from both wind and low-cost gas that has contributed to lower energy prices and reduced revenues for the nuclear units,” he added.
More: FERC
Dominion Gains Crucial FERC Finding for LNG Export Plant
Dominion Resources’ attempts to gain support for its proposed liquefied natural gas export facility at Cove Point, Md., got a big boost last week when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that the controversial project represents no environmental or safety risks.
The FERC review gave the go-ahead for further project development provided some conditions are met. The company wants to build a $3.8 billion facility that would give the existing import terminal the ability to export up to 5.75 metric tons of LNG annually.
The terminal is on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay at Cove Point in Calvert County, Md. The plan is the target of opposition from environmentalists and local citizen groups.
More: The Baltimore Sun