N.Y. nuclear power plant

By PAUL POST, The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS — No nuclear plants have been approved in the U.S. since the March 1979 accident at Three Mile Island brought the industry to a screeching halt.

However, changing political and market conditions could lead to approval of 17 applications now pending before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including one in New York.

President Barack Obama this week announced $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees to restart America’s nuclear energy program. The money might be used to build two reactors near Augusta, Ga., although several other sites are under consideration.

“It’s very difficult to pick out a lead horse in this race,” NRC spokesman Scott Burnell said. “We’re just getting into the backstretch. There’s still a lot of review work to be done.”

At present, nuclear power accounts for 20 percent of the U.S. energy portfolio. French and American companies are pursuing a joint venture to build a new 1,500-megawatt plant adjacent to the two Nine Mile Point facilities near Oswego.

There are 56 nuclear plants under construction around the globe, with 21 in China alone and a handful in both South Korea and India. France and Japan also have strong nuclear programs.

Joe Kuehn of Saratoga Springs spent his entire career in the field and oversaw radiological cleanup efforts at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. He said the time might be ripe for a nuclear rebirth, primarily because of improved technology. Also, President Obama, after losing out on health care, needs a positive initiative that might appeal to people on both sides of the political aisle.

“It ought to be pretty easy to do regulatory-wise,” Kuehn said. “Once we get one started, others will come on board. I certainly hope so. I think this will make everybody happy, even the right.”

However, Obama’s plan has already sparked criticism from one party — the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group dedicated to advancing solar power. “Solar energy is faster, easier, safer and cheaper than nuclear power, with less potential environmental danger,” Executive Director Gail Markels said. “It is the better solution.”

She cited national studies that say the solar industry creates at least three times as many jobs compared to nuclear for every megawatt installed. Solar energy installations can be located where the green jobs they create are needed most, as opposed to a large nuclear plant in a single location, she said.

There are currently 104 operating nuclear plants in the U.S. The last construction permit was issued in 1978 for a plant in North Carolina that came on line in 1987. The last new plant to start up was in Tennessee in 1996. Its construction permit was issued much earlier, but the project was slowed by numerous delays.

“We’re still a couple of years out from any licensing decisions,” Burnell said.

However, 13 of the 17 applications submitted to the NRC are under review and numerous approvals could be forthcoming as the decade unfolds. New incentives in the Energy Act of 2005 have spurred much of the renewed interest in nuclear.

One of the main issues confronting the industry is the lack of a national disposal site for spent fuel. There’s a facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev., that still has to be approved. At present, nuclear waste is being stored on-site in holding pools.

Kuehn said he’s confident a new round of plants will be constructed before long.

“All the lessons learned from Three Mile Island have been incorporated into new designs,” he said. “It’s going to be based on economics and public attitudes.”