Help Stop Nuclear Expansion!

Dear Eric,  Nuclear power is being falsely presented as a solution to the climate crisis, but the truth is that it creates far more problems than the ones it fails to solve. Nuclear energy is not only dangerous and costly, but it also leaves behind radioactive waste that will haunt generations to come. And yet, governments and corporations across the globe are pushing for a massive expansion of nuclear power plants–risking our safety and the environment. At NIRS, we know that real solutions to climate change lie in clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar—not in outdated, hazardous, and wasteful nuclear technology. That's why we are on the frontlines, fighting alongside you, to stop this dangerous nuclear expansion in the U.S. and around the world. Here’s what’s at stake: Billions in Taxpayer Dollars are being funneled into pro-nuclear policies and projects, while affordable and safe renewable energy solutions are being neglected thanks to huge amounts of pro-nuclear lobbying on the Hill. Communities at Risk: The construction of nuclear reactors puts countless communities—often low-income and marginalized populations—in danger of radiation leaks, accidents, and long-term health impacts. Nuclear Waste: New reactors will produce more toxic, radioactive waste, which STILL has no safe, long-term storage solution and threatens ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. We cannot allow this dangerous industry to grow unchecked. That’s why we are working tirelessly to expose the true costs of nuclear power and advocate for real climate solutions. But we need your support. Your donation will help us: Challenge and halt new nuclear projects across the US. Mobilize communities and policymakers to support renewable energy alternatives. Provide education and resources to inform the public about the dangers of nuclear energy and the benefits of sustainable, safe power. Push for stronger regulations and hold the nuclear industry accountable for its environmental and health impacts. Fight back against the pro-nuke lobbyists flooding politicians’ time and opinions with dangerous and deceitful rhetoric about a so-called “nuclear renaissance.” Will you stand with us? Your contribution today will make a critical difference in our fight to stop nuclear expansion and champion a future powered by clean, renewable energy. Donate Now to help us build a nuclear-free, sustainable future for generations to come. Together, we can stop the nuclear industry's dangerous expansion and create a world where clean, renewable energy is the norm. Thank you for standing with us in this fight    DONATE HERE TO MAKE YOUR DONATION MATCH! Join the fight and follow us on social media! P.S. Your donation is tax-deductible and will directly support our efforts to promote Energy Democracy, a renewable energy grid future, and workers' rights in the energy sector. Please consider giving today! In solidarity,   The NIRS Team  Diane D’Arrigo  Denise Jakobsberg  Tim Judson  Ann McCann

NRC Restores Expiration Dates for Renewed Turkey Point Licenses

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release

No: 24-072 September 17, 2024

CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC Restores Expiration Dates for Renewed Turkey Point Licenses

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has restored the expiration dates of Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Units 3 and 4’s subsequent renewed licenses to July 19, 2052, and April 10, 2053, respectively.

The NRC’s action follows completion of a supplemental environmental review to comply with a 2022 Order from the Commission. Several environmental groups requested a hearing on this environmental review. After consideration of these hearing requests, the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board terminated this adjudicatory proceeding in August, concluding that no contested matters remained before it for resolution. The Board’s decision can be appealed to the Commission through late September. NRC regulations direct the staff to take licensing actions even if an appeal is pending. The Commission retains the ability to act on any appeal and, as needed, direct additional staff action on the licenses.

The Turkey Point units are pressurized-water reactors located in Homestead, Florida, about 25 miles south of Miami. Information about the Turkey Point subsequent license renewal review is available on the NRC website. Eight U.S. commercial nuclear power reactors, including Turkey Point, have received subsequent renewed licenses (authorizing operations from 60 to 80 years). Seven applications for subsequent license renewal are currently under review.

24-072.pdf

World Now Has Five Times More PV Than Nuclear Power

World Now Has Five Times More PV Than Nuclear Power:

PV-Magazine, by Emiliano Bellini, September 19, 2024

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/09/19/world-now-has-five-times-more-pv-than-nuclear-power

According to the “World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024,” the world had 408 operational reactors producing 367-GW in the middle of the year, which is significantly less than installed capacity predictions for solar by the end of the year and five time less the world’s cumulative PV capacity. There were around 1.6-TW of PV at the end of 2023 and possibly around 1.9-TW by the end of June, given recent projections from BloombergNEF and Bernreuter Researchers, which foresee 5920GW and 660-GW, respectively, this year.

A Three Mile Island nuclear reactor could restart under a new deal with Microsoft

https://www.inquirer.com/business/energy/three-mile-island-microsoft-constellation-proposal-20240920.html?utm_source=social&utm_campaign=gift_link&utm_medium=referral

A Three Mile Island nuclear reactor could restart under a new deal with Microsoft

Constellation Energy Corp. says it has signed a 20-year agreement with Microsoft under which the technology company will purchase power from Three Mile Island Unit 1.

Reactor operators Brian Bowers (left) and Bryan Bricking, in the control room of Three Mile Island reactor in 2017. TMI reactor 2 is still shut down after the partial nuclear meltdown accident in 1979. Reactor 1, this unit was shut down in 2019.Clem Murray / Staff Photographer

by Andrew Seidman
Updated Sept. 20, 2024, 12:51 p.m. ET |  Published Sept. 20, 2024, 7:00 a.m. ET

Five years after a nuclear reactor at the Three Mile Island plant in central Pennsylvania closed amid financial troubles, its owner wants to bring it back online.

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Corp. said Friday that it has signed a 20-year agreement with Microsoft under which the technology company will purchase power from Three Mile Island Unit 1. That reactor is located at an independent facility from Unit 2, which closed in 1979 after experiencing a partial meltdown.

Constellation said it would spend $1.6 billion to restart Unit 1 — and won’t seek “a penny in grant money” from the state or federal governments — which the company said “operated at industry-leading levels of safety and reliability for decades.” Federal regulators would need to approve a restart, though it already has support from Gov. Josh Shapiro. The company said it expects the reactor to come online by 2028.

“I think policymakers have recognized that a strategy that is dependent just on wind, solar, batteries isn’t going to fully get us there and meet the needs of the system from a reliability standpoint,” Joe Dominguez, Constellation’s president and CEO, said in an interview.

The Three Mile Island power plant complex in Middletown, Pa. Unit 2, on the left, infamously shut down in 1979 after an accident. Unit 1, on the right, was shut down in 2019.Clem Murray / Staff Photographer

For Microsoft, buying energy from the renewed plant, dubbed the Crane Clean Energy Center, will “help match the power its data centers in PJM use with carbon-free energy,” according to a news release. Valley Forge-based PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization, operates the electric grid in 13 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The plan to reopen Three Mile Island is likely to face some opposition from groups critical of the nuclear industry. “We will challenge this proposal at every venue that is available for us,” said Eric Epstein, a former chairman of Three Mile Island Alert, a nonprofit that says it promotes “safe-energy alternatives to nuclear power.”

“This is another chapter in a nightmare that won’t end,” he said.

Exelon Generation pulled the plug on 837-megawatt Unit 1 in 2019 after state lawmakers declined to support legislation that would have directed hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies from Pennsylvania electric customers to the state’s nuclear industry. Exelon at the time said it couldn’t compete in markets dominated by low-cost natural gas. Constellation’s predecessor company split from Exelon in 2022.

Dominguez said multiple factors have contributed to a changing landscape for the nuclear industry since the Three Mile Island reactor closed five years ago. In addition to reliability questions with regard to wind and solar, he pointed to incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the pandemic. “We saw this effort … to bring in and onshore a lot of critical supply,” he said.

Constellation said in a regulatory filing Friday that its investment would be eligible for federal nuclear production and clean energy tax credits.

A study commissioned by the Pennsylvania State Building & Construction Trades Council — which supports the restart and represents more than 115 local unions — estimated that the project would create 3,400 jobs, including 600 direct jobs at the plant in Londonderry Township, south of Harrisburg.

The study projected that over 20 years, the Crane Clean Energy Center — named after the late Exelon CEO Chris Crane — would generate $3.6 billion in state and federal tax revenues and reduce carbon emissions by an average of 3 million metric tons per year, “offsetting about 10% of Pennsylvania’s passenger vehicle emissions.”

Thomas Webler, senior research fellow at the Social and Environmental Research Institute, challenged the projected offset of auto emissions in Pennsylvania because the restart won’t be powering electric vehicle chargers. Pennsylvania emitted 258 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, according to state data.

Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, said in a statement that the facility “will safely utilize existing infrastructure to sustain and expand nuclear power in the commonwealth while creating thousands of energy jobs and strengthening Pennsylvania’s legacy as a national energy leader.”

Pennsylvania has five nuclear power plants, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Constellation, which is publicly traded, owns Limerick Generating Station in Montgomery County and Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in York County.

Restarting Unit 1 would require approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and permits from state and local agencies, according to Constellation. The company said it also plans to seek a license renewal “that will extend plant operations to at least 2054.”

Dominguez, the CEO, said the plant remains in “pretty good condition,” though the company needed to replace the main transformer. Other tasks include ordering key components, hiring staff, and connecting the plant to PJM, he said.

Asked about potential safety concerns, Dominguez said TMI “will always be remembered by some people as the industry’s point of greatest failure in the United States.”

“But for those of us who worked and have worked in the industry for decades, Three Mile Island represents something very different,” he said. “It represents the place where we learned hard lessons and the birthplace of the resolve, the new processes, new equipment, new designs through construction activities that ultimately transformed the industry.”

Epstein, the antinuclear power activist, said the focus at the site should be on cleanup.

Ninety-nine percent of TMI 2 reactor’s fuel has been moved to Idaho since the 1979 accident. But officials say removing the last 1% of fuel is challenging. “First things first, remove the waste from the island, and clean up TMI 2,” Epstein said.

France's EDF investigates second automatic shutdown at Flamanville 3 reactor

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/frances-edf-investigates-second-automatic-shutdown-flamanville-3-reactor-2024-09-17/

France's EDF investigates second automatic shutdown at Flamanville 3 reactor

By Alban Kacher and Benjamin Mallet

September 17, 20249:08 PM GMT+8Updated 3 days ago

A general view of the three reactors making up the Flamanville nuclear power plant with the third-generation European Pressurised Water nuclear reactor (EPR) in the background in Flamanville, France, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Sept 17 (Reuters) - French state-owned energy group EDF said on Tuesday its teams were shutting down the new Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to carry out technical checks after the plant triggered an automatic halt for the second time this month.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Flamanville's new-generation EPR reactor is the first nuclear unit to be connected to the French grid since the Civaux 2 nuclear reactor in 1999. It is expected to produce about 1.6 gigawatts (GW) per hour, making it France's largest reactor.

KEY QUOTE

"The start-up of an EPR is a long and complex process, involving the commissioning of equipment for the first time. Other automatic shutdowns and contingencies are likely to be activated until the reactor reaches full power," an EDF spokesperson said in a statement.

CONTEXT

After 12 years of delays and setbacks, EDF started divergence operations - the first nuclear fission that allows electricity production to begin - on the Flamanville 3 nuclear plant about two weeks ago.

The reactor stopped automatically on Sept. 4, only a day after it entered production, due to human error during post-divergence tests.

The French power utility said on Sept. 7 it resumed activity and testing at the plant, in order to prepare for the connection procedure planned for late autumn.

WHAT’S NEXT

After identifying the technical details of the issue, EDF teams will carry out some more checks and adjustments before resuming start-up operations, the EDF spokesperson said.

[decomm_wkg] US nuclear repository is among the federally owned spots identified for renewable energy projects

BY  SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

Updated 7:57 PM EDT, September 17, 2024

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday that it is teaming up with yet another energy company as part of a mission to transform portions of government-owned property once used for the nation’s nuclear weapons program into prime real estate for renewable energy endeavors.

The federal agency will be negotiating a lease agreement with Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources Development for nearly 3 square miles (7.8 square kilometers) of land surrounding the nation’s only underground repository for nuclear waste.

The project at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico is the latest to be announced by the Energy Department, which has identified more than 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) of government land that can be used for constructing solar arrays and battery storage systems that can supply utilities with emissions-free electricity.

Andrew Mayock with the White House Council on Environmental Quality on Tuesday echoed a statement made earlier this year when the first negotiations were announced. He said federal agencies are using their scale and purchasing power to support the growth of the clean energy industry.
“We will spur new clean electricity production, which is good for our climate, our economy, and our national security,” he said. 

At the nuclear repository in New Mexico, federal officials say there is potential to install at least 150 megawatts of solar and another 100 megawatts of storage.

While the amount of energy generated by NextEra at the WIPP site would be more than enough to meet the needs of the repository, none would feed directly into government operations there. Officials said the energy from the solar array would be sold to Xcel Energy by NextEra and put into the utility’s distribution system.

Xcel serves customers in parts of New Mexico and Texas, as well as other states.

Officials said there is no estimate of when ground could be broken, saying engineering and planning work would be needed once a lease is signed and regulatory approvals would be required.

The largest of the so called cleanup-to-clean-energy projects is slated for the Hanford Site, where Hecate Energy LLC has plans to deliver a gigawatt-scale system that would span thousands of acres on the southeastern edge of the property. It could be several years before that project comes online.

Other lease agreements already are being negotiated for projects stretching from the Hanford Site in Washington state, where the U.S. produced plutonium, to national laboratories and other sites in Idaho, Nevada and South Carolina.

Three Mile Island poll

Top Line Survey Results
PA Statewide Voter Attitude Survey
Interviews Conducted March 11 - March 14, 2024
Sample Size: 501 Registered Voters

Toplines-PAStatwide-BlueSkinSolutions-March2024.pdf

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Unit 1 – Authorized Alternative To Requirements Of The American Society Of Mechanical Engineers Boiler And Pressure Vessel Code (EPID L 2024 LLR 0028)

SUBJECT:  Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Unit 1 – Authorized Alternative To Requirements Of The American Society Of Mechanical Engineers Boiler And Pressure Vessel Code (EPID L 2024 LLR 0028)

ADAMS Accession No. ML24233A219

ADAMS Hyperlink: https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML24233A219

Using Web-based ADAMS, select “Advanced Search”

Under “Property,” select “Accession Number”

Under “Value,” enter the Accession Number

Click Search

(9/11/24)

NRC Begins Special Inspection at South Texas Project Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release

No: IV-24-014 September 9, 2024

Contact: Victor Dricks, 817-200-1128

NRC Begins Special Inspection at South Texas Project Nuclear Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special inspection at the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in response to two recent events there. The first occurred May 12 when a transformer that supplies offsite power to the station shut down unexpectedly, causing an unplanned shutdown of Unit 2. The second event occurred July 24 when a fire in an electrical switchyard at the site caused an unplanned shutdown of Unit 1.

During each event, there were unexpected safety equipment issues that the NRC will review. “While these events didn’t present a threat to public health and safety, we want to conduct a thorough review of the circumstances that led to these unplanned shutdowns,” said Region IV Administrator John Monninger. “We will review the company’s actions in response to these events and determine whether appropriate steps are being taken to address equipment issues.”

During both events, NRC resident inspectors, permanently stationed at the plant, independently monitored plant conditions, reviewed the company’s initial corrective actions, and monitored the plant’s restart several days later.

An inspection report will be issued about 45 days after the inspection is completed and will be available on the NRC website.

24-014-iv.pdf

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 - Reissued Integrated Inspection Report 05000277/2024002 and 05000278/2024002

PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 – REISSUED
INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT 05000277/2024002 AND 05000278/2024002

ADAMS Accession No. ML24227A549

Peach Bottom IR 2024002 REISSUED.pdf

NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts for Hermes 2 Test Reactor Facility Construction Permit Application

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release

No: 24-068 September 3, 2024

CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts for Hermes 2 Test Reactor Facility Construction Permit Application

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published its final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for Kairos Power’s application for construction permits to build the dual unit Hermes 2 test reactor project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Concurrently, the agency issued exemptions for Hermes 2 from NRC regulations that require an environmental impact statement to support construction permits for test facilities. The site was previously evaluated with an environmental impact statement for the Hermes 1 test reactor, which the staff believed was sufficient to support the exemption. The environmental assessment considered potential impacts of aspects unique to the Hermes 2 project.

The staff will provide the Hermes 2 environmental assessment and its safety evaluation of the project to the Commission for the final phase of the licensing process. The Commission will determine if the staff’s review supports the findings necessary to issue the permits and vote on whether to authorize their issuance.

The proposed Hermes 2 project would be two fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactors. Kairos Power submitted its application for construction permits in July 2023. The company will need to submit a separate application for Hermes 2 operating licenses in the future.

24-068.pdf