New Reactors

Bill Borchardt

Director, Office of New Reactors

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Nuclear Energy Worldwide

• There are currently 435 commercial nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries

• Nuclear power provides over 16% of the world's electricity and 34% in the European Union.

• 30 more power reactors are under construction, while over 60 are firmly planned

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Conditions of the mid-1980s did not favor nuclear construction

• Energy efficiency improvements• Economic restructuring• Significant drop in electricity demand• Excess generating capacity• Oil (traded fossil energy) price collapse• Electricity market liberalization & privatization• Regulatory interventions after TMI• High Interest rates• Chernobyl

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Conditions of today are distinctly different from the mid-1980s

• Strong energy demand growth• Fossil fuels no longer cheap• Energy supply security concerns• Attractive life cycle costs of nuclear power• Pollution control and climate change• Excellent operating experience• Renewables and efficiency improvements:

Low hanging fruit already harvested

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Human Development Index

Niger

Ice landCanadaUSFrance

Russia

HungaryMexico

Turkey

Egypt

India

Pakistan

Nigeria

Mozam biqu

Norw aySw eden

Finland

Australia

Germ any

Japan

Bulgaria

Argentina

ChinaPhilippines

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0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000kWh/capita

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Energy Policy Act of 2005

• Authorizes federal risk insurance for the next 6 nuclear plants for delays associated with NRC reviews ($500 M for first 2 plants, $250 M for next 4 plants)

• Nuclear energy production tax credits for the first 6,000 megawatts of electricity from new advanced reactors

• Authorizes $3 billion in nuclear research and development to support NGNP and NP2010

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National Programs

• NP2010(Nuclear Power 2010): A joint government/industry cost-shared effort to demonstrate key regulatory processes associated with siting and building new nuclear power plants

• NGNP (Next Generation Nuclear Plant): A demonstration reactor at Idaho National Laboratory that will serve as a test for advanced reactor technologies and for cogeneration of hydrogen by nuclear energy.

• GNEP (Global Nuclear Energy Partnership): A program to develop new proliferation-resistant recycling technologies in order to produce more energy, reduce waste, and minimize proliferation concerns.

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NRC Mission

NRC Mission Statement To regulate the nation's civilian use of byproduct, source, and

special nuclear materials to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety, to promote the common defense and security, and to protect the environment.

Office of New Reactors The Office of New Reactors serves the public interest by

enabling the safe, secure, and environmentally responsible use of nuclear power in meeting the nation's future energy needs

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Resurgence of Nuclear Power

• 29 new plants at 20 sites proposed by the industry

• Five different plant designs proposed– AP1000– Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor– Evolutionary Power Reactor– Advanced Boiling Water Reactor– Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor

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New Reactor Licensing Applications

201320122011201020092008200720062005

Design Cert

AP1000 Program Review

EPR Program Review

ABWR Program Review

2014

Duke – Lee Station (SC)

HearingProgress Energy - Harris (NC) Hearing

TVA – Bellefonte (AL) Hearing

HearingSouth Carolina E&G-Summer

Vogtle ESP

Southern – Vogtle (GA) HearingHearing

* Schedules depicted for future activities represent nominal assumed review durations based on submittal time frames in letters of intent from prospective applicants. Actual schedules will be determined when applications are docketed.

NRG Energy – South Texas Project Hearing

Amarillo Power Hearing

Design CertificationUniStar-Calvert Cliffs (MD) Hearing

UniStar-Nine Mile Pt (NY) Hearing

An estimated schedule by Fiscal Year

8/13/07

ESBWR Program ReviewDesign Certification

Dominion - North Anna (VA) Hearing

Entergy – Grand Gulf (MS) HearingEntergy – River Bend (LA) Hearing

Grand Gulf ESP

North Anna ESP Hearing

Hearing

DC – Mitsubishi USAPWR

TXU Power –Comanche Peak (TX) COL Hearing

USAPWR Program Review

Progress Energy–Levy County (FL) Hearing

Legend:

Post SER/EIS Hearing (other hearing activities occur during ESP/COL safety and environmental reviews)

Design Certification

Early Site Permit

Combined License

Hearing

AmerenUE - Callaway Hearing

FPL - Site and Vendor TBD Hearing

Exelon - Site and Vendor TBD HearingDTE – Fermi - Vender TBD Hearing

Unspecified

PPL - Susquehanna Hearing

Clinton ESP Hearing

AEH – Bruneau, ID Hearing

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Potential New Reactor Applicants

ESBWRESBWRDominionEntergyNuStart

US ABWRUS ABWRNRG Energy

AP1000AP1000Duke

NuStartProgress Energy

S.C. Electric & GasSouthern Co.

EPREPRAmarillo Power

Ameren UEPPL Generation

UNISTAR

US APWRUS APWRTXU Power

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Part 52 Licensing Process

• Provide a more predictable licensing process• Resolve safety and environmental issues before

authorizing construction• Provide for timely & meaningful public

participation• Encourage standardization of nuclear plant

designs• Reduce financial risk to nuclear plant licensees

December 13, 2005

Early Site PermitOr

Equivalent Siting Information*

Early Site PermitOr

Equivalent Siting Information*

Standard Design CertificationOr

Equivalent Design information*

Standard Design CertificationOr

Equivalent Design information*

CombinedLicense Review,

Hearing, andDecision*

CombinedLicense Review,

Hearing, andDecision*

VerificationOf

Regulations with ITAAC

VerificationOf

Regulations with ITAAC

Reactor Operation

Decision

Reactor Operation

Decision

OptionalPre-ApplicationReview

*A combined license application canreference an early site permit, a standard design certification, both, orneither. If an early site permit and/or a standard design certification is not referenced, the applicant must provide an equivalent level of information inthe combined license application.

Part 52 Licensing ProcessPre-Construction

Post-Construction

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Early Site Permits (ESPs)10 CFR Part 52, Subpart A

• An ESP is a license (“partial construction permit”)• Review scope

– Site safety– Environmental– Emergency preparedness

• Mandatory hearing• Permit good for 10-20 years• Allows applicant to “bank” a site• Two ESPs issued (Clinton and Grand Gulf), 2 under

review (North Anna and Vogtle)

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Standard Design Certifications

• Allows an applicant to obtain pre-approval of a standard nuclear plant design through rulemaking

• Reduces licensing uncertainty by resolving design issues early in the licensing process

• Facilitates standardization

• Higher degree of regulatory finality

• Certification good for 15 years

• 4 designs approved: (C-E System 80+; GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR); Westinghouse AP600; Westinghouse AP1000),

• 1 design under review (General Electric ESBWR),

• 2 designs in pre-application activities (Areva EPR and the Mitsubishi US APWR).

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Combined Licenses10 CFR Part 52, Subpart C

• Combined License (COL) = a combined construction permit and operating license with conditions

• A COL is the fundamental licensing process in Part 52 for reducing the financial risks for electric companies building nuclear power plants

• COL can reference ESP, DCR, both, or neither• Must meet technical standards in Parts 50, 100,

etc.• 40 year duration

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New Construction

• Nuclear plants will be built more rapidly than their predecessors

• Detailed engineering will be essentially complete by start of construction

• Modular construction techniques will be used• Fabrication of components may begin before

COL issuance• Components and modules will be fabricated in

other countries

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Security for New Reactors

• Commission Policy Statement modified to encourage applicants to consider security early in the design

• Staff to perform aircraft impact assessments on new designs

• Part 52 to be revised to require applicants to perform aircraft impact assessments

• Sharing insights with other countries

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Digital Instrumentation & Controls

• Key Technical Issues: – Cyber security– diversity and defense-in-depth– highly integrated control rooms - human factors– highly integrated control rooms -

communications– risk-informed digital I&C

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Multinational Design Evaluation Program

• Stage 1 – Trilateral agreement to share information and reviews on EPR design– Finland, France, and U.S.

• Stage 2 – 10 countries participating– Exploring opportunities for convergence of

safety goals and regulatory practices

• Stage 3 – implementation stage

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Challenges for New Construction

• Ability of the grid to support new construction

• Large component manufacturing

• Workforce / staffing

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ABWR

• Design Certification

- May 1997• 1350 MWe

evolutionary design• Vessel mounted

internal recirc pumps• Fine motion control

rod drives• Digital I&C• 3 full train ECCS

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1 Reactor Pressure Vessel 18 HPCF Pump2 Reactor Internal Pumps 19 RCIC Steam Turbine and Pump3 Fine Motion Control Rod Drives 20 Diesel Generator4 Main Steam Isolation Valves 21 Standby Gas Treatment Filter and Fans5 Safety / Relief Valves 22 Spent Fuel Storage Pool6 SRV Quenchers 23 Refueling Platform7 Lower Drywell Equipment Platform 24 Shield Blocks8 Horizontal Vents 25 Steam Dryer and Separator9 Suppression Pool Storage Pool10 Lower Drywell Flooder 26 Bridge Crane11 Reinforced Concrete Containment 27 Main Steam Lines

Vessel 28 Feedwater Lines12 Lower Drywell Equipment Hatch 29 Main Control Room13 Wetwell Personnel Lock 30 Turbine-Generator14 Hydraulic Control Units 31 Moisture Separator Reheater15 Control Rod Drive Hydraulic 32 Combustion Turbine-Generator

System Pumps 33 Air Compressor and Dryers16 RHR Heat Exchanger 34 Switchyard17 RHR Pump

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System 80+

• Design Certification

- May 1997• 1350 MWe

evolutionary design• Complete plant design

based on System 80 NSSS and Cherokee/Perkins BOP

• Advanced Control Room• Severe accident

prevention and mitigation

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AP600

• Design Certification

– December 1999• 600 MWe advanced reactor

design• Digital I&C• Passive Safety Systems

– Passive safety injection

– Passive residual heat removal

– External reactor vessel cooling

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AP1000• 1117 MWe• Passive containment cooling

system with steel containment vessel and natural circulation air flow

• Gravity drain core makeup tanks and refueling water storage tanks

• Natural circulation heat exchangers connected to RCS

• Design Certification Rule - December 2005

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ESBWR

• “Economic and Simplified BWR”

• 1390 MWe GE reactor based on Simplified BWR and Advanced BWR

• Natural circulation• Passive safety

systems• Design Certification

Application submitted and staff review underway

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EPR• 1600 MWe evolutionary design

• Four 100% capacity engineered safety feature trains

• Double-walled containment

• Corium spreading area for severe accident mitigation

• Pre-application review beginning

• Design certification application planned for late CY 2007