Electric Co-op Today

MOUNTAIN OF DOUBT

Dale Klein

The administration’s handling of the nuclear waste issue has been “unfortunate” from a policy perspective, a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asserted. Speaking at an agency conference, Commissioner Dale Klein contended that termination of the effort to license a waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., has “clouded the path forward in a number of significant ways.” While the president has the right to set policy, Klein said, the stated rationale for changing course “does not seem to rest on factual findings,” damaging the government’s credibility on the issue.

SUPERCONDUCT IT!

The use of superconducting direct current cable to transmit electricity between regions could produce significant efficiency gains, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. The technology “has the capability to reduce transmission losses at full load by 50 percent or more compared to alternating current or high-voltage DC systems,” EPRI said. If cost-performance improvements in superconducting wires continue, it added, such a line could become an option within a decade. Builders could use commercially available technology and construction methods like those used in natural gas pipeline construction, EPRI said.

POWER PROJECTIONS

U.S. electricity consumption will rise by 2 percent this year, the Energy Information Administration forecast. The agency said residential sector electricity sales would grow by 3.5 percent this year, since summer temperatures are expected to return to normal levels after 2009’s relatively cool summer. An assumed 5.5 percent increase in manufacturing output during 2010 translates to an expected growth in industrial sector electricity sales of about 1 percent. This year’s residential electricity prices will be little changed from 2009’s 11.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, EIA said.

NEXT-GEN NUKE

The Department of Energy has awarded $40 million for conceptual design and planning work on the Next Generation Nuclear Plant. The award will be split between Westinghouse Electric and General Atomics. Their work will help the administration determine whether to proceed with efforts for plant construction and demonstration; a successful project would demonstrate high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology capable of producing electricity as well as process heat for industrial applications. Final cost-shared awards are contingent on negotiation of acceptable terms and conditions.

—Based on news and wire reports

Tags: News Roundup