Skip to main content

TVA to Rely Heavily on Nuclear for New Generating Capacity

A Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board member leading a committee charged with oversight for power plant operations told the Huntsville Times that the utility
will have to expand...capacity by 50 percent to meet demand over the next 20 years.
A big contribution to TVA's generating capacity will come with the restart of Browns Ferry Unit 1 which is scheduled for April or May. That unit will supply 1200 MW to the grid--enough to supply about 650,000 homes. TVA has done a tremendous job with this project. The fact that the restart will be completed on-time and on-budget bodes well for new nuclear construction in the U.S.

In addition, TVA is looking at starting Watts Barr Unit 2 within about four years. That plant was never completed because of a reduction in the predicted growth of demand.

Regarding TVA's energy portfolio, the article states
[Thrailkill said] the utility's future focus for power generation will likely be on "nuclear and clean coal," but also predicted tighter environmental regulations will be applied to its power plants, including greenhouse gas emissions.

[He] said there is also likely to be future regulations requiring more power generation through renewable sources of power, which he predicted will raise TVA's costs.
Kudos to TVA for keeping open all of its energy options and preparing for a future that will likely include regulations to significantly reduce emissions.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Activists' Claims Distort Facts about Advanced Reactor Design

Below is from our rapid response team . Yesterday, regional anti-nuclear organizations asked federal nuclear energy regulators to launch an investigation into what it claims are “newly identified flaws” in Westinghouse’s advanced reactor design, the AP1000. During a teleconference releasing a report on the subject, participants urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend license reviews of proposed AP1000 reactors. In its news release, even the groups making these allegations provide conflicting information on its findings. In one instance, the groups cite “dozens of corrosion holes” at reactor vessels and in another says that eight holes have been documented. In all cases, there is another containment mechanism that would provide a barrier to radiation release. Below, we examine why these claims are unwarranted and why the AP1000 design certification process should continue as designated by the NRC. Myth: In the AP1000 reactor design, the gap between the shield bu...

Wednesday Update

From NEI’s Japan micro-site: NRC, Industry Concur on Many Post-Fukushima Actions Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues • There is a “great deal of alignment” between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the industry on initial steps to take at America’s nuclear energy facilities in response to the nuclear accident in Japan, Charles Pardee, the chief operating officer of Exelon Generation Co., said at an agency briefing today. The briefing gave stakeholders an opportunity to discuss staff recommendations for near-term actions the agency may take at U.S. facilities. PowerPoint slides from the meeting are on the NRC website. • The International Atomic Energy Agency board has approved a plan that calls for inspectors to evaluate reactor safety at nuclear energy facilities every three years. Governments may opt out of having their country’s facilities inspected. Also approved were plans to maintain a rapid response team of experts ready to assist facility operators recoverin...

Nuclear Utility Moves Up in Credit Ratings, Bank is "Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy"

Some positive signs that nuclear utilities can continue to receive positive ratings even while they finance new nuclear plants for the first time in decades: Wells Fargo upgrades SCANA to Outperform from Market Perform Wells analyst says, "YTD, SCG shares have underperformed the Regulated Electrics (total return +2% vs. +9%). Shares trade at 11.3X our 10E EPS, a modest discount to the peer group median of 11.8X. We view the valuation as attractive given a comparatively constructive regulatory environment and potential for above-average long-term EPS growth prospects ... Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy. SCG plans to participate in the development of two regulated nuclear units at a cost of $6.3B, raising legitimate concerns regarding financing and construction. We have carefully considered the risks and are comfortable with SCG’s strategy based on a highly constructive political & regulatory environment, manageable financing needs stretched out over 10 years, strong partners...