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In McDavid’s Future? NRC Approves New Nuclear Power Plant Design
December 23, 2011
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a new reactor design Thursday, paving the way for Southern Company — the parent company of Gulf Power — to build the nation’s first new nuclear power plant in more than 30 years.
The NRC certified the use of a Westinghouse reactor design known as the AP1000 for 15 years, after a lengthy review that included looking at safety issues. The design approved can be built at any suitable location in the United States.
The design could potentially be used for a nuclear plant in North Escambia . Gulf Power is in the process of purchasing about 4,000 acres near McDavid for a power plant that company officials say might be a nuclear plant.
Westinghouse said Thursday that a construction site for an AP1000 nuclear plant would generate about 3,000 jobs.
The AP1000 design meets NRC requirements, including those that require the design to withstand the impact of an aircraft crash on its shield building, a steel reinforced concrete structure approximately 3 feet thick that protects the steel containment vessel which houses the reactor.
The company said both the shield building and the containment vessel play significant roles in the passive safety systems of the AP1000 design, which allow it to safely shut down with no, or minimal, operator action and no AC power. The innovative passive safety design was recognized by the NRC as providing significant added capability that allows the plant to safely cope with an event like the Japanese earthquake and subsequent nuclear meltdown.
Officials said Thursday that it would likely be another decade before the first AP1000 would begin producing electricity.
Pictured top: An artist rendering of an AP1000 nuclear plant. Pictured inset: The reactor design. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
54 Responses to “In McDavid’s Future? NRC Approves New Nuclear Power Plant Design”
TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE HERE THAT TOO LOOSELY USE THE WORDS “WE” TO REFER TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, NOT WANTING ALL THESE GREAT JOBS TO HAPPEN….YEAH, YOU’RE DEFINETLY THE MINORITY HERE. SO DO US ALL A FAVOR AND STOP CASTING YOUR OPINIONS AS THOUGH YOU’VE BEEN NOMINATED TO SPEAK FOR NORTH ESCAMBIA COUNTY. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN. IT WILL INCREASE REVENUE AND PROPERTY VALUES WILL SKY ROCKET. SO IF YOU DONT LIKE IT THEN JUST SELL YOU HOUSE FOR MORE THAN TWICE WHAT IT IS CURRENTLY WORTH AND LEAVE!!! BY THE WAY JUST UNDER 4000 ACRES HAVE ALREADY BEEN BOUGHT AND VERY GENEROUSLY PAID FOR I MIGHT ADD. I KNOW BECAUSE I HAVE FAMILY WHO SOLD THIER PLACE AND MADE A MINT.
As a resident of Pensacola, I am thankful we are getting a new place of industry for hard working, blue collar people like myself. More good jobs for more good people, cheaper power bill once its operational, clean energy, and a step in the right direction for our local economy. Bulid it big and build it soon!
I dont want it!!! but does that matter? I am sooo disappointed that this is happening to our area. I agree with most of you on here and have the same question “What about the water issue?”All of our creeks are drying up!
This facility would be a huge asset for McDavid. That source of power would be a long ways from my Father’s one cylinder 12 volt Putt Putt generator located in a small building in the back yard. You could almost count the rotation from the sound of the engine. Was asid to be the first elector generator in McDavid. About 1928.
We’ve managed the transition from two rut dirt roads to a four lane hard surfaced highway. We can also manage this improvements of the power generators.
REGARDING:
“It takes a lot of water to cool this plant and make it work and to keep it safe.”
According to http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/cooling_power_plants_inf121.html a nuclear power plant would need approximately 830 gallons per megawatt-hour of energy produced. Assume a one gigawatt (1,000,000,000 watts) power plant running at capacity and you have 830,000 gallons per hour or 30.8 cubic feet per second. Lowest recorded flow rate in the past week was about 900 cubic feet per second ( http://waterdata.usgs.gov/fl/nwis/uv?format=gif&period=7&site_no=02375500 ), so cooling demand should be about 3.4%.
Currently it’s up near 5,000 cubic feet per second so that’d be about 0.6% of current flow rate. The lowest flow ever recorded was in October 2001 at 555 cubic per second ( http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2010/pdfs/02375500.2010.PDF ), that would be 5.6% of total flow.
- A smaller plant would have lower demand.
- Lower power demand times of the day or year would have lower water demand.
- Other cooling designs would have lower water demand.
This is true whether the power plant were nuclear, coal, natural gas or even solar-thermal (lots of mirrors heating a focal point with sunlight).
What they’d actually build is yet to be determined. I’m just talking in generalities.
There would be lots of public hearings with lots of screaming and shouting ere anything happened.
David considering water and noise
It takes alot of water to cool this plant and make it work and to keep it safe. Word is they are going to pump it from the river, the last time I looked it was almost dried up and has been for several years. If they draw very much water it will have to be renamed to escambia creek, No big company should be able to move into our community with out public meetings or govt approval they are buying the land first and then trying to get this approved. Progress is not always what it seems.
REGARDING:
“The land which hasn’t been purchased can be gotten through eminent domain; the powers that be can take your property. “
Eminent domain hasn’t come into play other than in the minds of those looking for an excuse to oppose. Nor does it apply.
Just admit you’re scared of radioactive materials, ignore the fact a coal fired power plant puts them out and a nuclear plant doesn’t.
“Yes they do, yes they do! Look at Japan! Look at Chernobyl.”
Chernobyl used a graphite moderator system. Graphite doesn’t melt but DOES burn. They drained the cooling water and were surprised to see it caught fire. (Whodathunk?) The fire spread radioactive material over a large area. (Wildlife are doing well in that area.)
Nuclear power plants in the USA were designed to melt down if they lost coolant and mix with neutron absorbing material to kill the reaction. The one in Japan used that design and lost coolant (also known as water) when an earthquake took the reactors off line and the tsunami drowned the backup electrical generators. Notice tsunamis would have to wipe out the entire county to reach the heights proposed here so we wouldn’t care either way, already being dead and all.
Even with power loss, this new design is set up to continue to provide coolant to the reactor so even if you lucked out and got the earthquake and tsunamis you‘re wanting, it still wouldn’t melt down. (Not that we’re on a major fault line.)
David considering failure modes
Well you are mean one Mr. Grinches (Gulf Power, Bp, andConecuh Woods)! We all want high paying skilled jobs, however not at the cost of our lives or environment. Our area one the biologically diverse on the planet, and most of us do not want to endanger it. What will happen when the big one hits–hurricane the size of Ivan, Katrina, Frederick, or Camille?? And earthquakes can happen in area too. The land which hasn’t been purchased can be gotten through eminant domain; the powers that be can take your property. What will this do to tourism in our area and at the Casino?? Oh look at the lovely view to south of the Nuke!
We must make a concerted effort to stop it, just like the folks in Conecuh Co. have with the landfill situation. Oh that affects Escambia Co AL and FL too–same watershed!!
REGARDING:
“earth’s center is molten because heat is the result of pressure. It’s not nuclear down there. (the center is iron, a stable element – not radioactive.) ”
The actual center is solid, not molten. It is surrounded by liquid. (This is based on his seismic waves are transmitted through the earth.)
Pressure by itself does not generate any thermal energy. I can’t just squeeze a bar of iron and make it melt. (only Superman can do that)
The core of the earth isn’t made of one hundred percent pure elemental iron. There are many radioactive isotopes throughout the planet. As they decay, they give off small bits of energy. The energy mounts up enough to melt iron because it can’t quickly escape from thousands of miles underground. This also powers plate tectonics.
David contemplating heat transfer,
Potassium-40, and other isotopes
@R
They don’t.
But I wasn’t aware that cars and planes have safety systems in place that will shut sown the car and safely pull it off the road and alert the proper response teams if you speed or drive drunk, or some other activity that is wreckless. American designed nuclear safety systems and the inherent designs of our nuke plants have these “features”. Not to mention that it is, by far easier and involves a much less thorough background check to get a drivers license or a pilot license. I would venture to say that a lot of reactor operators are former navy nukes, and therefore have, atleast in the past, held a secret or top secret security clearance. How many automobile drivers do you believe could be trusted with that sort of information that the clearance involves? As a percentage, I would guess, not above 10%. The people that operate these plants also have to undergo extensive background checks to ensure thier viability as an operator.
1 incident on American soil since its inception, versus thousands and thousands of life ending disasters caused every day; the vast majority caused by someone’s irresponsibility. I say that I trust nuclear power 100x’s more than I trust another driver.
@ ExNukem
I wasn’t aware that a vehicle could cause a nuclear meltdown.
EMD – No, does not matter.
MICHAEL WEAVER – What about all those “shovel ready” projects?
Molino ANON – Can you say imminent domain?
Cheryl – Amen!
@R
So, I’m guessing you do not fly or drive a car? Because as a percentage, those activities are far more hazardous than nuclear power.
@nukeMechanic
I was class 0004.
Best thing that could happen to this area! All for it, and yes, I’m in North Escambia.
Me: a Navy Nuclear Machinist, Class 9402
@Walnut Hill Roy: earth’s center is molten because heat is the result of pressure. It’s not nuclear down there. (the center is iron, a stable element – not radioactive.) sorry, you nerd-sniped me there, had to adjust your aim a bit. no worries!
Grew up in Walnut Hill… in fact, I’m trying to go after my masters in physics…
i think my master’s thesis will be on how to translate quantum physics theory into
plain English, so everyone will know what they’re getting into.
I’ll either make a mint, or die broke… because of the NIMBY’s….
(N)ot (I)n (M)y (B)ack(Y)arders —> NIMBY’s
or maybe i could just work at the plant after they build it.
i’m stopping here, getting close to a tl:dr. (too long; didn’t read.)
KEEP THIS AWAY..too many dangers with nuclear power and save me all your statistics about how safe it is. One major disaster with a nuke plant = total devistation and they have to put the spent rods somewhere.
@letmespeak13
What are you saying? Do you really think that other people in the country or even your community should be FORCED to pay for supposed improvements you desire to make to your house? Let’s boil it down: you believe I should provide you money against my will because of your wants? That’s is called robbery and should be answered with violent action. After all, I pay for subsidies and government financial aid with my tax dollars. That money should go to people who need it, not people that should be sitting in “occupy wall street” gathering whining about how the world ain’t fair and the 1% owes you something. We owe you nothing.
Submarine electrician: I was an EM on an SSBN. What gradualting class were you? Also, the former head of Naval Nuclear Reactors (NR) is now the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commision (NRC). The navy had never had a recordable release of fissionable material. Pretty good track record.
I am a nuclear Electricians Mate on board a fast attack submarine that’s from Bratt. Nuclear power is single handedly the safest method of power production. Don’t let big name events like “Three Mile Island” and “Chernobyl” and Japans recent mishap scare you. They aren’t even possible with our countrys designs and configurations. Nuclear power is reliable and produces numerous, good quality jobs with literally no effect on the surrounding environment. Many worry about radiation and contamination, but coal fired power plants actually emit more radiation than nuclear ones! If a nuclear reactor is safe enough to place on a submarine that is WAY below the surface of the water, then I assure you, it’s safe enough for Escambia county. Nuclear power plants are exactly what our country needs.
First BP and now nuclear – yuck!!!! What I would like to see are solar panels, wind turbines, etc. There are so many green ways to make power. Give me some financial aid and I would cover my roof with solar panels.
REGARDING:
“Thomas Digmon ”
Think you mean Thomas Neal
David remembering a good man
This would be great for this area. I have worked at Browns Ferry, Farley and many more. This would be the best thing that happen to our area. The plants are very safe. The back ground checks go back over 20 years. It is a safe place to work. Take a ride to Browns Ferry look at the area and the beautiful homes. I would like to see my children and grand children to be able to have good jobs in this area and not have to leave home to work. Most all nuke plants are build by Betchel construction. Many of the steam and coal burners are also build by Betchel.
Well this looks lovely in the setting it is in but what about reality! We do not have these rolling hills. I can see it now, sitting on your front porch sipping your tea and looking at this lovely building, what a life in the country!!!!!!!! Oh but maybe you had to sell your property before it became under imminent domain to get anything out of it.
I’m not afraid of it, don’t get me wrong and hey maybe we will get our tag office back and some other government offices here that have been taken away, and the comment that we get the crap stuff, I agree 100%.
But we do have some great teachers in the schools even though they have tried to mess that up.
But you have to understand about the way things work in this area. First they build a high school to house two schools and it is not even big enough for one and no extras!, They close the govenment offices, then they close a good school and move kids to a school that is much older and have to move in portables and how much did that cost, wasn’ this to save money HELLO!!!! Until enough ban togetheer and say enough is enough this kind of stuff will continue.
Just wish they had of wanted our property on sigler Rd. as far as no one killed at 29 and 97.Thomas Digmon was killed several years ago there.
sounds good
David for safer energy
All the land is not purchased for this plant. Until that happens they either have to find somewhere else to build it, or wait a long time.
Nuff Said.
While nuclear power generation is clean, the spent fuel assemblies are leathal for 250 millenia and can not be used or further processed due to non proliferation treaties, 99% of the energy potential still remains. If ran for 15 years it will produce 10 fuel assemblies that need to be kept submerged in a spent fuel pool to keep them cool, below melting point, before they can be transported to a safe long term storage facility, govt run, tax payer funded and does not exist yet as yucca mountin was shut down. As in other nuclear power plants these pools are filling up with nowhere to put the fuel assemblies. So does Southern Company have a disposal plan?? Or is the long term plan to generate the max amount of cash flow then hand the used up parts back to the taxpayer??
Clean+Safe+Jobs (good, high paying, skilled jobs)
What Joe said.
That picture almost looks like it was made with Google Sketchup.
It is about time. We need the jobs in this area. It will bring a lot of jobs, not only for the plant, but also the businesses that will be booming in the Century/Flomaton area.
@ Resident – Yes we have a lot of people that are trained in this kind of work. We have welders, pipe fitters, riggers, iron workers, equipment operators, and general laborers. You don’t have to be a Nuclear Physicist to work inside these plants. There are plenty of skilled workers in the area that could use a great paying job.
@ Jane – Well, if you done a little research you might would find that for every Nuclear Plant they always have a very large area that is for Protected Wildlife.
@ Charlie W. – What?
This is the best thing to happen to these small towns. We need the jobs, we need clean energy.
As a former navy nuclear electrician from Walnut Hill, I say, build it and I will come. I will pack up my crap and move from NY back to NW Florida in a heartbeat if I can get an operator or SRO position. There is nothing as far as gainful employment in that area to speak of. Hence, I moved. To all the doubting Thomas’s, do your research before spouting and ill/ non informed opinion. The person that stated that coal is worse is absolutely right. Many of those plants have actual car washes installed in the premise because the acid rain is so bad. NIMBY people: you want jobs, but not the responsibility that goes with it? Thems the cookies. Either take one or someone else will take what you could’ve had. No one should get anything for free. You probably sympathize with the horse dog and cat from the old story where the chickens plant the flour, harvest it, and make thier own bread, but give NONE to those who didn’t help.
In short, quit your whining. If, for some reason it doesn’t happen and you are the cause, I hope no one takes pity on you.
The problem still is WHERE to put the used rods? Out in people’s backyards? where everyone can get cancer of one sort or another.. alternate power is fine as long as its clean both in it usage and waste.
I grew up in Walnut Hill for my first 20 years. Now I live in Georgia within 30 minutes of Plant vogle. I left Walnut Hill because there were no opportunities for college graduates. High school grads with no college education start at $18/hour (general maintenance). College grads start at $75k+. 3,000 people making $50,000/salary in McDavid, not to mention all of the supplying companies that would open nearby. Possibly 4,000 – 5,000 great paying jobs and people think this is a bad thing???? Nuclear is safe and the future. Unfortunately, it takes people on the outside to make these kind of decisions because the locals are scared of change and don’t have a clue. Worried about property value?? There will be homes built in the area 3-4 times the value of most homes in McDavid. The only property value that you will need to be concerned with is your own. Will you have to move because they will no longer allow your house to be on blocks or you may have to move all of your junk cars out of the front yard. Your college educated kids may actually want to come back to the area. Locals, please think about all of the opportunities this will create, rather than complain that the metropolis of McDavid can not handle the change. Bring on the nuclear plant! It can not be built soon enough!
Of all the options for energy none are perfect, but at least it isn’t the worst, like Duke Energy is doing in NC: a coal fired plant. All the talk of ‘clean coal’ is BS. The mercury and heavy metals is either pumped into the air or dumped on the ground to leach into the ground water.
The US has come up with one basic design to simplify the construction and cut cost and having it inland aids in protecting it from natural disasters, such as the event in Japan.
Unfortunately, the push for the alternative energies such as solar panels isn’t going to happen like in Germany, Japan and other countries because right now those are typically individual systems here in the US and the energy companies are not going to promote anything that cuts into their bottom line.
Well the spent full can now be turned into “glass” bricks at the vit plant in Washington State, which has some of the largest nuclear waste in the country. I’m not sure if the plant is done but I believe it is. Look at the areas that have a nuclear plant, their economy is not as bad as the rest of the country. Escambia county in the poorest county in Florida and needs this worst then anybody. So move if you want but your lose is someone else gain. I just might change my major to nuclear studies and make a killing!!!!
Would be the best thing to happen to the area in a long, long time. It would create an economy. If you listen to the nay sayers on here there is no wonder the area is economically depressed. Safer and cleaner than the existing Crist steam plant and no carcigens going into Escambia river. Chernobyl has nothing in common with US plants.
For Jane: A little to late for that—the property is bought. NorthEscambia, Tri-City and the PNJ have been covering the story for a long time. The chance of a 130 ft. tsunami in Escambia river is hard to believe. A large number of countries have used nuclear power for years with no problems. Life holds many dangers– turning into the Thumb at 29 and 97 is one. So far no one has been killed at the intersection in the wrecks there–but it’s only a matter of time before it happens. Maybe some of the operations people would like to live in this area and buy one of the many homes that have been on the market for two or three years or longer.
Brace yourself rate payers, here it comes!!
Gulf power and the southern co. now have the right to steal, and they will.
How long has the US Navy operated nuclear plants without any incidents? Over 60 years now. How much nuclear material has a US nuclear plant ever released? ZERO How many long term high paying jobs will this plant bring to our area? More than we have now! How many manufacturing plants will locate nearby to take advantage of reliable cheap energy? More than we have now!
Bottom line a nuke plant will bring much needed dollars into our local economy and shut down dirty coal plants.
I am all for this but lets build it DOWNTOWN maybe where the old sewage plant was. Wake up northend every thing nobody wants is put in the northend. WHATS NEXT?
Even the severe “greenies” who made them stop licensing new nuclear plants have now rethought the proposition and are 100% behind clean nuclear energy. Maybe we should turn off the sun, that huge nuclear reactor in the sky and heaven forbid that people should find out that the earth’s core is still molten because of nuclear reaction from the fissionable material in there.
As far as the eyesore in “our” backyard; has anyone seriously looked at the backyards and in many cases the frontyards in McDavid? As the old saying goes, build it and they will come; there will be plenty of buyers for the land that any who want to move will leave behind. I think that Pronuke has it absolutely correct.
Wow, progress is being made and Century might just get a WalMart too! Florida already has several operational nuclear power plants that have many more people living closer to those than all of the folks who live in North Escambia. Where’s Governor Scott and his not so famous words”Lets get to work!”
they’ve already purchased this land, thats why some in that area had their homes moved, i think the Commanders moved their home, so Jane looks like you may be moving to another state, this has been in the works for over a year now, the design looks like the one they used in a movie,something like toranodo can’t remember the name of the movie,night of the twisters anyway I say bring it on
It seems we have a few mixed opinions here. I think research is necessary. However, you still have to deal with spent fuel from the reactor. And where does that go? I suggest we send it to Iran, since they are so gung ho on nuclear weapons to wipe us out! Let them figure out what to do with it!
Looks like a good idea. Why has it taken 30 years to start looking at this source of energy again? We snoozed, we loozed.
Have you ever done any type of research into nuclear power plants? Nuclear power is FAR safer than coal because the nuclear industry has something to prove. You can’t so much as turn the heat up in an office at a nuclear plant without first referring to this procedure, then calling this person who gets authorization from this person, who sends this person to adjust the thermostat on the wall right next to you.
Yeah, Fukushima… all anyone sees from that disaster is the words “nuclear power.” It’s like they magically forget it was triggered by one of the top 5 “strongest recorded earthquakes” followed by a 130ft tsunami and that is something very important to mention!
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory calculated in 1982 that the average coal power plant releases 5.2 tons of uranium (containing 74 pounds of fissile U-235, used in both power plants and bombs) and 12.8 tons of thorium. Total amount of radioactive material released from nuclear plants: 0. The only emission from nuclear is water vapor from the cooling towers!
When people think of nuclear power, the first things they think of are “Fukushima (caused by a natural disaster), Chernobyl (caused by improper training), and 3-mile Island (a scare more than anything).” That is only 3 events spanning over 30 years! I can name 2 catastrophic releases of coal-ash within the last 3 years alone; and that’s not even counting the illnesses involved in handling both coal and it’s by-products!
The only problem we have with nuclear power is figuring out what to do with the spent fuel. As for anyone scared to live close to that nuke, I hope you’re selling cheap because I’m in the market for some prime real-estate for pennies right next to my future place of work!
IT’S ABOUT TIME THE GOVERNMENT DOES SOMETHING THAT WILL BENEFIT THE PEOPLE. THINK ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WILL GET CONSTRUCTION JOBS. AND THOSE HIRED TO WORK FULL TIME FOR A GREAT PAYCHECK. THINK ABOUT ALL THE BUSINESSES THAT WILL SUPPLY PARTS AND SERVICES TO THE PLANT DURING CONSTRUCTION AND AFTER START UP. THIS IS GREAT. WISH THEY COULD START BUILDING IT TODAY.
We do not want a nuclear reactor in this area! It is the only place left with any natural habitat left for the animals and plants that grow naturally here! We don’t need our house prices to drop and I will relocate to another state if this is built here! Block that plan! Don’t sell the land to Gulf Power!
we need more jobs
I’m outta here!! Didn’t anyone learn anything from the Japan disaster or the Chernobyl disaster? People in the power, find another way!
send your 3,000 jobs elsewhere, nobody in this neck of the woods would be trained in that kind of work in the first place, not to mention I think pretty much everyone in McDavid is AGAINST building an eye sore like that in our backyards, literally.
So when we breaking ground? I got a shovel! Lets go!
DO NOT WANT. DOES THAT MATTER???