New Nuclear Plant
Deployment
Gary Fader
Director, New Plant
Deployment
Institute of Nuclear Power
Operations
INPO - Our Roots
• March 28, 1979
• Three Mile Island –
a catalyst for industry
improvement
• INPO’s unique role
– Self-regulation
through peer review
President’s Commission on the
Accident at Three Mile Island
• Set and police standards of excellence
• Systematic gathering and analysis of
operating experience
• Accredited training
• Operator training and plant simulators
’s Mission
To promote
the highest levels
of safety and reliability
- to promote
excellence in the operation of
nuclear electric
generating plants
Our Workforce 2008
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325 Permanent
65 On Loan
10 On Reverse Loan
Budget ~ $90 million
Institute of
Nuclear Power
Operations
National Academy
for Nuclear Training
World Association
of Nuclear
Operators
Cornerstone Programs
Evaluations
Training &
Accreditation
Analysis &
Information
Exchange
Assistance
Other Activities
New Plant Development
• Worldwide benchmarking
International Program
• Information exchange
• Technical support
Supplier Participant Program
• Vendor advice
• Industry issues
(continued)
Members and Participants
Members
27 U.S. Utility Members who operate nuclear power
plants and 38 Utility Associate Member co-owners
International Participants (14)
Brazil
Japan
Belgium
Spain
Slovak Republic
Canada
South Korea
Romania
Taiwan
Slovenia
France
Mexico
South Africa
United Kingdom
Supplier Participants (17)
AREVA
Bechtel
Black & Veatch
Day & Zimmermann
General Electric
Hitachi
Honeywell
Louisiana Energy Services
Mitsubishi
Nuclear Fuel Services
PBMR
Sargent & Lundy
Scientech
The Shaw Group
Toshiba
Washington Group
Westinghouse
WANO Organization
Moscow
Atlanta
London
Paris
Coordinating Center
Tokyo
Regional Centers
Why Nuclear, Why Now?
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Energy needs
Energy independence
Environmental considerations
Safety & efficiency
Licensing confidence
Federal financial incentives
Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Nuclear Fuel
• Uranium primarily mined in:
– Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan,
Russia, Niger, Namibia, others
• Conversion to UF6
– US, Canada, France, UK, Russia,
others
• Enrichment
– France, Germany, Netherlands, UK,
US, Russia, others
What Happens to Used Nuclear Fuel
in the US?
• NRC requires contract with DOE for spent
fuel removal
• Currently, ~ 75,000 metric tons is stored at
over 100 nuclear power plants in pools or
casks.
• DOE plans to store/bury used fuel at Yucca
Mountain in Nevada - $13.5 B spent
• Cost of storage
– All nuclear electricity is taxed at 0.1¢/kWhr for a disposal fund, which will pay for
storage (~$500 million/year, >$22 B not
spent)
International
• Countries that reprocess spent fuel:
– France, UK, Russia, Japan
• 1% each Uranium and Plutonium
(MOX) recovered
• 1/5 original volume for disposal
• Remaining waste vitrified, stored
Current Situation in U.S.
• Funding reduced for Yucca Mt.
• What’s needed:
– Interim centralized storage
– Technology & business case for
reprocessing
– Licensing of permanent disposal site
• Bipartisan commission proposed to
reassess program
Environmental: Nu Clear
“Nuclear power produces 70% of US
carbon-free electricity” (Steven Chu at
Senate confirmation hearing)
Significant Events
Significant events meet one or more of the following criteria:
•Degradation of important safety equipment
•A major transient or unexpected plant response
•Degradation of fuel integrity, primary coolant pressure
boundary, or important associated structures
•A reactor trip with complications
•An unplanned release of radioactivity exceeding the
technical specifications or regulations
•Operation outside the technical specification limits
•Other events considered significant
Unit Capability Factor
Percent
Unplanned Capability Loss
10 CFR 52
Combined Licenses, Early Site Permits,
and Standard Design Certifications
Reactor Construction
Verification of Inspection,
Tests, Analyses, and
Acceptance Criteria
Combined License
Review and Hearing
Reactor Operation
Early Site Permit*
Standard Design
Certification*
Timelines
• Design certification
– 2-4 years to prepare
– 30-48+ months for NRC review
– 12 months for rulemaking
• Early Site Permit
– 12-18 months to prepare
– 21 month NRC review
– 12 months for hearing
• Combined license
– 12-24 months to prepare
– 42 month NRC review, assuming DC & ESP are
referenced
– 12 months for hearings
Energy Policy Act Incentives
• Standby Support Coverage for delays beyond
owner’s control
– $500 million for first two plants,
– $250 million for next four after a 180 day period
• Production Tax Credits
– $18/MWh for 6,000 MW caped at $125 million for a
1,000 MW plant
• Loan Guarantees
– Low emission generation up to 80% of total project cost
– 80/20 Debt-equity structure, with debt underwritten by
Federal government
Current Statistics
• Early site permits:
– 3 issued, 1 under review
• Design Certifications
– 2 issued
– 4 under review (AP-1000 amendment)
• COL applications:
– 17 submitted (26 units)
– 23 total expected (34units)
More Statistics
• Long-lead equipment orders:
– 9 utilities ordered large forgings
– 6 steel containment shells AP-1000
– 24 Rx coolant pumps AP-1000
• EPC Contracts:
– 4 in place
– 1 firm commitment to construct
• Financial incentives:
– Loan guarantees: 15 applications ($93B vs.
$18.5B allocated)
– 5 eligible per DOE
More Statistics
• Spent fuel disposal
– 19 contracts with DOE
– Fuel removal starts 20 years from 1st
refueling
– Removal complete 10 years after
shutdown
– $5M/yr penalty
More Statistics - Global
• NPPs actively under construction:
– China (10), India (6), Russia (4), Japan
(2), France (1), South Korea (8),
Taiwan (2), U.S. (1)
• 106 on order/planned in 24 countries
• 200 under consideration in 37
countries
Flamanville 3 - France
Flamanville 3 – Reactor Containment
Shin-Kori 1 & 2– South Korea
Advanced Plant Designs
• Currently under consideration:
– GE Advanced BWR (Certified May 97)
– Westinghouse AP-1000 PWR (Certified Jan
06)
– GE Economic Simplified BWR (Applic. Aug
05)
– AREVA Evolutionary PWR (Applic. Fall 07)
– Mitsubishi US Advanced PWR (Applic. Mar
2008)
• Others:
– Westinghouse (CE) System 80+ (Certified
May 97)
– Pebble Bed Modular Reactor
– Westinghouse AP-600 (Certified Dec 99)
General Design Features
• GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactor
(vessel internal recirculation pumps, 3
trains active safety systems, 1350 MWe),
4 units operating & 1 under construction
in Japan, 2 units under construction in
Taiwan
• Westinghouse AP-1000 (conventional
primary & secondary PWR systems,
passive safety systems, 1100 MWe), 4
units under construction in China
General Design Features
• GE Economic Simplified BWR
(natural circulation main coolant
system, passive safety systems,
1500 MWe)
• AREVA Evolutionary PWR
(conventional primary & secondary
systems, 4 trains active safety
systems, 1600 MWe), under
construction in Finland, France
China (2)
General Design Features
• Mitsubishi US Advanced PWR
(conventional primary & secondary
systems, 4 trains active safety
systems, advanced accumulator
design,1700 MWe), similar plant in
licensing in Japan
Control Rooms
• All plants use digital instrumentation &
controls for control and protection
• Some emergency safeguards actions
backed up by hard-wired controls
• All control rooms use flat-panel screens
for operator interface, with large screen
displays
• Most plants have automated startup &
shutdown
Current U.S. Control Room
Lungmen Simulator
Tomari 3 Simulator
Westinghouse Simulator
INPO Activities
Provide Info & Experience
– Operating experience to influence
design
– Past US construction experience
– International benchmarking for new
plant deployment
– Construction experience exchange
process
INPO Activities
Training and Accreditation
– Training guidelines
– Process for Initial Accreditation of
Training in the Nuclear Power Industry
Current INPO Activities
• Assistance
– Visits to suppliers
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Design control / quality program
Engineering human performance
Corrective action
Use of operating experience
– Equipment reliability process
– Configuration management process
– Industry meetings to share construction
lessons learned
Current INPO Activities Cont’d
• Conduct on-site visits to Watts Bar 2
– Review, Assistance
• Revise plant review guidelines
• Conduct construction site visits
(later)
– Quality program implementation
– Operational programs development
and implementation
– Operational readiness
Key Construction Lessons
• COL holder organization is in place and
integrated with the engineering,
procurement, & construction contractor
• COL holder oversight (COL holder’s
managers continually assess contractor
work)
• QA organizations in place ( procedures,
qualified staff), and workers understand
the need for quality construction
Key Construction Lessons
• Adequate construction staffing (project
managers, QA/QC inspectors, welders,
electricians)
• Maintaining standardization
• Design essentially complete before
construction and construction in
compliance with design
Questions?