NEI Nuclear Notes

On Wednesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a hearing on the combined construction and operating license (COL) for DTE Energy’s proposed Fermi 3 reactor. This is notable for at least two reasons. It is the first license application that uses GE Hitachi’s ESBWR reactor design as its basis(the ones under construction at Vogtle and Summer are Westinghouse AP1000s.). This design was itself approved last September . And since there was a patiently waiting queue of COL applicants using this same design, it is now moving. ESBWR stands for Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor. Assuming all goes well on Wednesday, does this guarantee a new reactor in Michigan? Well, guarantee might be a bit strong. To be judicious, let’s say for now that it opens the door to a new reactor – or should we say reactors. DTE Energy will be followed in the queue by Dominion (for Virginia’s North Anna), NextEra (Florida’s Turkey Point) and South Texas Project. Any or all of these companies...

One of the issues in getting the nuclear renaissance rolling – but one that is particularly responsive to capitalist imperatives – is the manufacturing of pieces that make up a plant. After all, it’s been a long time since an American nuclear plant has been built and a lot of the action moved overseas - to France and Japan, in particular. But it’s not as though America doesn’t have a work force with considerable skill at this type of work – hmm! where might that be? Michigan needs to get on the nuclear power train because it's getting ready to leave the station -- and take the jobs with it. No, this isn't a call to green-light yet another nuke plant here. It's a reminder that the Big Mitten still has the ability to make things. Climate-change politics and surging demand for electricity around the world are powering a nuclear renaissance, and states like Michigan -- deep in engineering expertise, surplus industrial capacity and an established transportation infra...

Earlier today, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) gave a speech at the Detroit Economic Club entitled, " Strengthening Our Economy & Protecting Our Environment: An Update from Capitol Hill ". The Wall Street Journal reports: At a Detroit Economic Club luncheon, Mr. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he is determined to craft an economy-wide "cap-and-trade" policy to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and that it is time to ask whether the federal mileage regime, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, "does, will or can do the job it was meant to address." Instead of focusing on CAFE, Mr. Dingell in his prepared remarks proposed crafting legislation that spreads the emissions-regulation burden "evenly and equally," among several industries, including oil companies and electric utilities. Standing by on a transcript from Rep. Dingell's office. Meanwhile, back in Washington ... Earlier...

Earlier today, DTE Energy President and CEO Tony Earley delivered a speech on the future of nuclear energy at the Detroit Economic Club. In that speech, Early revealed that the company is pursuing plans for a possible new nuclear power plant at the company's Fermi site in Monroe, Michigan : When I addressed this group in 2002, my comments about nuclear energy were brief and pretty discouraging. I predicted that while most nuclear power plants would have their licenses renewed, no new nuclear power plants would be built in the U.S. to accommodate growing demand. Today I’m here to tell you that I was dead wrong. Despite the condition of our economy, within the next decade, Michigan—and the rest of our country, for that matter— will need more electricity … a lot more, and pollution-free nuclear power has to be an important part of the mix. Today I am pleased to announce that DTE Energy has started work on preparing a license application for a new nuclear plant at our existing F...

Just off the wire : On Monday, February 12, 2007, the Detroit Economic Club (DEC) is pleased to host Anthony Earley, Jr., chairman & CEO, DTE Energy. The meeting will be held at noon at The Masonic in Detroit, MI. Within the decade, Michigan - and the rest of the nation - will need more electricity. It is no longer a question of whether there will be new nuclear plants in our future. The conversation has shifted to how many, where and when. Seven in ten Americans now favor the use of nuclear energy to produce electricity. What's changed and why? What can derail this source of clean power? In his speech, titled, "The Nuclear Renaissance: Is It Real?" Anthony Earley, Jr. will share his perspectives and talk about the challenges and opportunities facing the nuclear energy industry. The idea to get industry executives speaking to more audiences outside the nuclear industry actually originated with NEI. Kudos to my colleagues who helped set this up.