Tag Archives: Nuclear

Water and Economy –Bill W. Sharp, Vice Chair, Putnam Development Authority @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Bill W. Sharp, Vice Chair of the Putnam Development Authority noted Georgia Power had water permits and asked three things at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013:

  1. Currently Georgia Power has a permit to use water from Lake Sinclair. We would ask to use this permit for the for the economic development of Putnam County.
  2. We would ask you to encourage Georgia Power to assist in bringing new industry to our area through their vast network of economic development.
  3. …commit to maintain the current full level of Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee in order to continue the developments around the lake.

Chairman Eaton said the PSC was in a difficult position. Sharp said he understood business and praised Georgia Power yet again, but:

From our standpoint we’d like them to help us get on with life and make life better in Putnam County by helping us find this development. Let’s go out and create some new ideas. And they can do that. And we’d like you to encourage them with your power and your prowess.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →

Putnam County Manager wants solar to replace coal @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Putnam County sent a delegation to the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013. You’ve already seen Rep. Rusty Kidd; next up was the Putnam County manager.

County Manager Paul Van Haute said $175,000 in SPLOST money from Putnam County

Paul Van Haute, Putnam County Manager Unfortunately we had budgeted $275,000, so we’re about $100,000 a year short based on our estimates. That is directly attributable to the loss of coal sales from Plant Branch. Also on top of that we’re losing about $950,000 to $980,000 of property tax. That is about one seventh of our property tax receipts. This is a very big impact to the community.

About then he was interrupted by Chairman Chuck Eaton, who asked: Continue reading →

Videos of GA PSC on Georgia Power coal plant closings @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Videos of the morning part of the 18 June 2013 Georgia Public Service Commission Administrative Session, which was mostly about two Georgia Power dockets on closing coal plants and future energy, plus a telecommunications rules docket.

GA PSC: Doug Everrett (1: south Georgia), Tim Echols (2: east Georgia), Chairman Chuck Eaton (3: metro Atlanta), Stan Wise (5 north Georgia), Bubba McDonald (4: west Georgia)

First they had a lengthy devotional on Joseph sold into slavery to the Egyptians (Georgia Power probably didn’t like being referred to in that manner). There was a sign posted outside the door: do not enter; devotional in progress.

Chairman Eaton finally started the meeting with Continue reading →

Rep. Rusty Kidd urged GA PSC to ask GA Power for solar to replace coal Plant Branch @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

First public witness about the GA Power 2013 IRP at the the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013. GA Rep. Rusty Kidd district 145, who argued for more solar power.

Rep. Rusty Kidd and GA PSC

Rep. Kidd noted coal Blant Branch closing Rep. Rusty Kidd and Press would have substantial economic effect on Putnam County. He said one of his friends was selling his house on Lake Sinclair because he knew Putnam County taxes would be going up. Rep. Kidd urged the Commission to have Georgia Power use the land of Plant Branch for solar energy. He also noted that the more coal plants that closed, the more natural gas would have a monopoly, and then he expected the price of natural gas to go up. So he concluded by urging GA PSC to have Georgia Power put solar power on the Plant Branch property in the near future.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

GA PSC to require twice as much solar from Georgia Power? @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Commissioner McDonald wants twice as much solar power from Georgia Power, Georgia Power execs testify before GA PSC while Commissioner Stan Wise asked questions leading to Georgia Power maybe saying that would cost more, yesterday at the Georgia Public Service Commission in Atlanta. Doubling from 271 megawatts planned to more than 500 MW would be good; at least that’s a start on catching up to New Jersey’s already-installed 1,000 MW.

Jacksonville.com reported today, Georgia Power tells regulators adding solar generation will cost consumers more: PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald wants Georgia Power to double solar generation, Continue reading →

NRC to change foreign ownership so NRG and Toshiba can fire up South Texas Nuclear Project?

Not just EDF and Calvert Cliffs that would be enabled by the current NRC rule-changing comment period. In April NRC denied a license to NRG and Toshiba Corp. (aka Nuclear Innovation North America, or NINA) for two new reactors at the South Texas Project nuclear facility outside Bay City; the same facility where STNP 2 http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2013/01/fire-in-texas-nuclear-reactor.html had a fire in January. The reason for denial was the same as for EDF and Calvert Cliffs: Continue reading →

NRC to change nuke foreign ownership so EDF can fire up Calvert Cliffs?

The NRC “upheld” license denial for the Calvert Cliffs nuke with its fingers crossed, the very same day directing staff to look into changing the requirement by which it just ruled. A requirement against majority ownership by a foreign firm, in this case Électricité de France (EDF), whose flagship Cattenom reactor caught on fire a week ago with smoke seen from miles away; two people died at Cattenom in February. You can comment on NRC’s proposed changes to let EDF fire up Calvert Cliffs online or in person June 19th in Maryland.

The same day the NRC upheld denial of a license, 11 March 2013, the same Commission

“directed the staff to provide a fresh assessment on issues relating to FOCD including recommendations on any proposed modifications to guidance or practice on FOCD that may be warranted.”

And the issue with Calvert Cliffs was that very same “foreign ownership, control, or domination (FOCD) of commercial nuclear power plants.”

This explains why Continue reading →

Solar power in Japan to equal 7 nukes by end of this year

A Japanese feed-in tariff apparently provoked an explosion of solar power, making Japan head up towards China and Germany in installed solar power. Where is the U.S.? Where is Georgia, with much more sun than Japan? Maybe there is something more to learn from Fukushima after all, SO CEO Tom Fanning.

Michael Fitzpatrick wrote for Fortune 13 June 2013, Japan: The world’s new star in solar power; China and Germany have new competition at the top,


PV cell production and shipment (GWp) in Japan: Total (orange), Export (green), and Domestic (blue)
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According to a report by energy analyst IHS on Japan’s energy mix, Japan’s solar installations jumped by “a stunning 270% (in gigawatts) in the first quarter of 2013.” That means by the end of 2013 there will be enough new solar panels equal to the capacity of seven nuclear reactors. Such massive growth will allow Japan to surpass Germany and become the world’s largest photovoltaics (PV) market in terms of revenue this year.

How did this happen? Continue reading →

More new nukes to stop: Vogtle, Summer, and 15 more

Although TVA’s Bellefonte nuke will never come up, others are still being built, including TVA’s own Watts Bar, plus 19 more.

Document-forging Doosan-supplied Vogtle 2 and 3 in Georgia and Summer 2 and 3 in South Carolina are the only four actually already issued combined licences (COL) to build and operate.

But 15 other proposed new reactors are “Under Review”, and all the ones in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are within 500 miles of here: Continue reading →

TVA Bellefonte nuke won’t be built

Economics stopped another reactor, this time in Alabama, less than a week after San Onofre. But more are still in the works.

Brian Wingfield wrote for Bloomberg Businessweek yesterday, TVA Shelves Work at Alabama Nuclear Plant Amid Industry Struggle,

“Over the past few months, TVA has been looking across the company, including at our nuclear construction projects, to determine the work that is most important to perform,” Mike Skaggs, the TVA senior vice president for nuclear construction, said in the statement. “Hard decisions are necessary.”

The U.S. nuclear industry is wrestling with competition from a glut of natural gas, which has lowered its price and made the fuel more attractive for electric utilities. At the same time, U.S. regulators are writing safety rules following a triple meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant in 2011.

The fracking backlash is building against natural gas. And guess what’s even cheaper? Continue reading →