Thursday, April 20, 2017

What's nuclear energy caucus looking to achieve?

Most discussions of energy in Pennsylvania today start with natural gas.  For much of the past decade, drilling in the Marcellus Shale regions of the state has made Pennsylvania one of the nation's leading energy producers.  During his campaign for president, Donald Trump promised to bring coal back and many are still clamoring for expansion and more use of renewable energy in the state.
What doesn't get mentioned often is nuclear energy.  Which is surprising since about 35% of Pennsylvania's electricity comes from nuclear.

NRC to Hold Open House in Middletown to Discuss 2016 Performance of Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No: I-17-012 April 13, 2017
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331

NRC to Hold Open House in Middletown to Discuss 2016 Performance of Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will be available to discuss the 2016 safety performance of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, operated by Exelon Generation Co., during an open house on April 20 in Middletown, Pa.

The open house will run from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Londonderry Township Municipal Building, 783 S. Geyers Church Road. NRC staff responsible for inspections of the plant, including the site- based resident inspectors, will be on hand to discuss the plant’s performance and the NRC’s oversight of the facility.

Overall, Three Mile Island Unit 1 operated safely during 2016. As of the end of last year, the plant had no inspection findings or performance indicators outside the normal band. As a result, it is currently under the NRC’s baseline level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the agency gauges plant performance through the use of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators, which are statistical measurements of plant performance that can trigger additional oversight if exceeded. Any inspection findings or performance indicators that are greater than green (very low safety significance) trigger increased NRC oversight.

Day-to-day inspections are performed by two resident inspectors assigned to the plant. Reviews are also carried out at the site by specialist inspectors assigned to the agency’s Region I office in King of Prussia, Pa.


Reserved EnergyPath scholarships for PERC Members!


Dear Colleague:
In cooperation with the Sustainable Energy Fund, PERC is pleased to offer 25 reserved scholarships to EnergyPath 2017. This is a unique Members-Only opportunity for PERC Faculty, Staff and Students to attend this four day event on July 24th to 27th in a group from your school for a fraction of the value.

EnergyPath consists of 3 days of hands-on "Energy Camps" followed by a one day conference. More about the event can be found here... (You must first log in to PERC's website (do so at the upper right of any page) in order to access this page.)
Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium