Energy Jobs at EnergyNorthwest.com

Plagued by Grim Challenges, Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Lags Behind Schedule, Says Oversight Consultant

December 6, 2018

The two-unit Vogtle expansion in Georgia faces major challenges that are poised to derail its schedule and ramp up costs—and the project is already behind schedule, a consulting firm tasked with construction oversight of the project told regulators.

In revealing testimony filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission’s (PSC’s) public interest advocacy staff on November 30, Donald Grace, vice president of engineering for Cost Plus Technology—Nuclear Construction Oversight (CPT), noted that the total construction cost—which includes all owner-shared costs but excludes financing costs—to complete the two Vogtle units by the scheduled November 2021/2022 timeframe is $ 17.1 billion. Only about 60% of the project is complete, he said.

Meanwhile, the project faces several potentially debilitating challenges that could cause delays and drive up costs. Foremost among them are labor shortages. While Georgia Power noted about 7,000 workers were onsite as of December 4, according to Grace, “Obtaining sufficient numbers of qualified craft labor pipe fitters and electricians are necessary to support the planned installation rate for bulk piping and electrical commodities.”…

Developer Sues TVA Over Cancellation of Bellefonte Deal

December 4, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

The real estate developer who has tried for more than two years to buy the assets of the canceled Bellefonte nuclear power plant project in Alabama has sued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) after TVA last week pulled out of the deal to sell the plant.

Attorneys for Franklin Haney, whose Nuclear Development LLC (NDLLC) group submitted a winning $ 111 million offer for the plant’s assets at auction in November 2016, filed a lawsuit November 30 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in Huntsville, charging TVA with breach of contract.

TVA said the sale could not be finalized because the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has not approved a transfer of the project’s construction permits from TVA to Bellefonte. Haney is asking for more than $ 60 million in damages if NDLLC’s purchase does not close.

“The Atomic Energy Act requires that the ownership of a nuclear facility be under the licensing of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and that (license transfer) is required for us to complete the purchase agreement,” TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said in a statement Friday, the day the sale was supposed to close.…

Power Plant Control Loop Tuning and Optimization [PODCAST]

December 2, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

Optimizing power plant control systems can be challenging, but new tools are available to simplify and improve the process. On this episode of The POWER Podcast, Executive Editor Aaron Larson spoke with Jon Towslee, digital engagement leader for ABB Inc.’s Industrial Automation Power Generation & Water business.

Towslee explained how ABB Ability is focused on improving customers’ businesses by optimizing assets and operator effectiveness, and enhancing top-to-bottom performance. Solutions like the company’s loop performance monitor can be used to identify such things as transmitters that are providing bad data, noisy signal lines, and actuators that aren’t working correctly. Once maintenance crews have all equipment functioning properly, technicians can evaluate process control schemes to ensure they are responding appropriately, which then permits loops to be tuned for optimal performance.

The loop performance monitor evaluates control loops on 17 different parameters. Once individual loops are optimized, higher-level adjustments can be made. Ultimately, the tools allow plant operators to expand boundaries and operate plants more closely to maximum safe operating limits.…

In Energy Policy Pivot, France Will Shutter 14 Nuclear Reactors

November 30, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

France will shut down 14 of its 58 nuclear reactors by 2035 as well its remaining four coal power plants by 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron said November 27 in a lengthy speech that sought to clarify the country’s future energy direction.

According to the World Nuclear Association, France’s nuclear power share has steadily expanded since 1974, just after the first oil shock. However, France has pondered reducing nuclear’s share of its total generating mix from about 75% since 2012, when former President François Hollande ran on an election pledge to cut the nuclear share to 50% by 2025.

In 2014, the the lower house of France’s parliament passed the so-called “Energy Transition for Green Growth” bill, which set a nuclear cap at 63.2 GWe, which meant reducing nuclear’s share to 50% by 2025. In 2015, the Senate amended the bill to remove the 63.2-GW nuclear cap, but that same year, the National Assembly approved a new bill reinstating the cap.…

Voters Back Nuclear Power, Phaseout by 2025 Nixed

November 28, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

In a referendum held alongside local elections, the Taiwanese electorate voted overwhelmingly to abolish a stipulation in the country’s Electricity Act that called for all nuclear energy-based power-generating facilities to completely cease operations by 2025.

Many experts considered it a surprising victory for pro-nuclear activists. In January 2016, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party garnered widespread support in elections, running on a platform that included the elimination of nuclear power by 2025. After the election, leaders quickly passed an amendment codifying the nuclear phaseout.

However, a blackout on August 15, 2017, apparently helped change many people’s views on nuclear power. The outage occurred when a contractor accidentally interrupted the gas supply to the 4,384-MW Tatan power station, Taiwan’s largest gas-fired plant. The interruption caused all six units at the site to shut down, and 6.6 million households and businesses across the island lost power for more than five hours. At the time, three of Taiwan’s six then-operational nuclear reactors were offline for maintenance.…

Strikes, Outages, Slash French Output by 2.2 GW

November 22, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

A series of strikes at French nuclear plants owned by power giant EDF have caused fluctuating electricity supplies, prompting concerns as the country prepares for a prolonged cold snap.

Workers are reportedly protesting wage negotiations and a possible plan by the French government to restructure EDF. The energy branch of French trade union CGT on November 12 scheduled strikes at the state-owned utility on November 13 and November 29, Reuters reported.

Their impact has so far been tremendous. On November 13, strikes slashed power output by about 6 GW, Reuters reported. On November 20, strikes that began on Monday at the Penly 2 reactor reduced output by 900 MW, while other strikes at the 900-MW Cruas 4 slashed that plant’s output by 735 MW. The action was due to end at 2 p.m. local time.

French grid operator RTE on Tuesday also reported that a strike prompted reduction of hydropower generation by 370 MW. S&P Global Platts reported that strikes and outages in total reduced generation capacity by a total 2.2 GW on November 20.…