Nuclear Reactors Near Augusta Get License Renewals

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses for two nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, near Augusta.

The renewal is good until the year 2047 for one of the existing reactors and 2049 for the other.

Plant Vogtle, meanwhile, has received widespread attention -- and controversy -- as it also seeks to build two more reactors. Georgia Power, a majority owner of Plant Vogtle, and Southern Nuclear Operating Company, which operates the plant, have been seeking approval to build the additional reactors. The state public service commission says the reactors would meet an increasing demand for electricity in Georgia. Environmental groups, meanwhile, have argued that the demand is not big enough to justify the reactors.

The state public service commission has given the okay for the proposed new reactors, but the NRC is still reviewing the proposal. Construction of the reactors would be among the first in the U.S. in decades.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, oppose the proposed new reactors.

For more information about the existing reactors and the license renewals, click here.

Official: Lease Close for Savannah River Site

The Savannah River Site (Courtesy)


Officials report progress on leasing 2,500 acres within Savannah River Site that could be marketed as an energy park or a possible site for a commercial nuclear power plant.

Rick Toole, who heads the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization, says his group and the U.S. Department of Energy are in the final stages of the deal. But he says they cannot divulge its location until the lease is signed, possibly by this summer.

Once the lease is completed, Toole believes SRS will become much more attractive as a potential site for energy projects.


Photo of the Savannah River Site, taken from the International Space Station. The annotations are from the Wikipedia page.

The nonprofit reuse organization was formed 15 years ago to find ways to bring new jobs to SRS as its nuclear weapons mission and employment numbers dropped.

Information from: The Augusta Chronicle.

(AP)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of this and related stories about Savannah.

Nuclear power plant seeks two new reactors near Augusta

A proposal to build two new nuclear reactors near Augusta is generating controversy.

The public is invited to speak about the proposal at a hearing tonight.

Southern Nuclear Operating Company wants to build two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle Electricity Plant near Waynesboro.

Both supporters and opponents of of the plan will speak at a public hearing tonight before the federal Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in Augusta.

Proponents say that nuclear energy is cheaper and is cleaner than other forms of energy, such as coal.

But opponents fear the reactors will use too much water from the Savannah River.

They also fear the risk of a nuclear accident.

Plant Vogtle already has two nuclear reactors.

Company officials say the new reactors would generate electricity for about 558,000 average homes in Georgia.

They hope to have the reactors online by 2017.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel on Perimeter Parkway in Augusta. A presentation regarding a permit for the reactors will begin at 5 p.m.

Drought could affect nuclear power issues

The state's on-going drought isn't yet affecting the state's nuclear power plants, but anti-nuclear groups say, the plants are worsening drought conditions.

Nuclear power plants use enormous amounts of water to cool their reactors. So far, a Southern Company official says, the company's nuclear plants are only preparing for what to do if water levels drop too low.

Sara Barczak of the antinuclear Southern Alliance for Clean Energy says the drought should remind policy-makers of the trade-offs of expanding nuclear power. "When we turn our light switch on, we're not just using electricity, we're using water," Barczak says. "I think this crisis is going to raise this issue more."

Power has become an issue in the tri-state water war. Alabama Governor Bob Riley spoke Thursday in front of a nuclear plant that he said could be shut down if water levels drop any lower.

GA Power gets the go-ahead with a hurdle

The Public Service Commission's approval yesterday of Georgia Power's long-range energy plan comes with a big stipulation -- the company must consider energy sources other than nuclear power.

Georgia Power wants to expand the nuclear energy facility Plant Vogtle near Augusta, but Public Service Commission Chair Bobby Baker says the company must accept bids from other energy companies. "That will allow us to check the marketplace to see what options are available and at what prices," said Baker.

Energy alternatives include coal and natural gas. Other energy sources such as wind power or bio-mass are not considered cost-effective.

Georgia Power will submit its own bid for nuclear energy, and an independent evaluator will determine the most viable option.