April 2015
Transcription
April 2015
April 2015 April 2015 Newsletter Global Technical Training Services, Inc. 807 Bypass 123 – Suite 31 Seneca, South Carolina 29678 Special Interest Articles: Jackie Pate, Administration Home Office (Seneca) New Job Opportunities 864.882.3111 jackie.pate@gttsi.com Sid Crouch, Vice President, Technical Operations Hartsville Office 843.339.9874 sid.crouch@gttsi.com Pat McHale, Technical Consulting Manager Charlotte-Area Office 704.502.8705 pat.mchale@gttsi.com Kaye Browder, Technical Staffing Manager Greenville-Area Office 864.631.9325 kaye.browder@gttsi.com Chrissy Mulay, Technical Staffing Specialist New York State–Area 864.506.4647 chrissy.mulay@gttsi.com Individual Highlights: Vogtle and Its New Generation Construction Project Good for Georgia pg#2 Trimble, Consultant Washington State–Area gerry.trimble@gttsi.com Job Opportunities: Task Director (GE Mark VI) – 1yr Engineering Instructor ESP Instructor Standardization of Nuclear Design at the Forefront for SMR’s pg#3 Site Project Lead (GE Mark VI) – 1yr SRO Instructor (PWR) System Engineering Analyst 1yr Procedure Writers EP Scenario Developer Lower Electric Prices Triggered by Spring Thaw pg#4 Database Analyst – 1yr Design Engineer QA Auditor & Assessor – 1yr Electrical Planner (Field Coordinator) – 1yr Construction Monitoring Program Lead Construction Coordinator Electrical Discipline Engineer (GE Mark VI) – 1yr Ventyx Instructors Chemistry Instructor Engineering Supervisor (GE Mark VI) – 1yr Estimator – Major Projects Document Control Specialist Civil / Mechanical Engineer (GE Mark VI) – 1yr NRC Exam Writer SAFER Maintenance Supervisor – 8 months Operations ILT Instructor Performance Coordinators ASME Engineer Specialist (98% travel) – 9 months Maintenance, Electrical, and I&C Instructors Germany’s Partial Eclipse Could Teach U.S. Grid Operators a Lot! pg#4 PG&E Reports Diablo Canyon Can Withstand a Fukushima Event pg#5 Did You Know? pg#6 Renaissance Watch pg#7 Gerry GTTSi Employee – Barbara Williams pg#8 Contact Kaye Browder @ 864-631-9325 or kaye.browder@gttsi.com if you are interested and qualified for one of these positions. Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. Page 2 of 8 April 2015 Vogtle and Its New Generation Project Good for Georgia budget. The handwringing over Vogtle Units 3&4 – mostly fueled by antinuclear activists hoping to derail the project – looks similar to the experience four decades ago during the construction of the first two reactors. Vogtle Units 1&2 are the lowestcost source of baseload electrical generation out of all 70 Southern Company plants – including natural gas- and coal-fired facilities. Even after three decades, Vogtle is still one of the cleanest, safest and most reliable big-megawatt facilities in the nation. There’s no reason to doubt that Vogtle 3&4 will similarly benefit Georgia, and these Westinghouse AP1000 reactors will provide a carbon-free energy source representing 1/3 of Georgia’s strategy to comply with the EPA’s proposed clean-air regulations.” With the economic uncertainty our nation is facing, Augusta, GA area stands out. Residents in this area have one of the nation’s largest construction projects going on in their own back yard; Vogtle Units 3&4. This new generation nuclear construction project near Waynesboro, GA, has created more than 4,200 construction jobs. And once these two units are completed, it will double the plant’s permanent work force to 1,800. More importantly, the $14 billion project will nearly double the plant’s output and enable its investors, namely Georgia Power, to continue delivering reliable, affordable, and zero carbon emission electricity to the Peach State for decades to come. However, there have been some setbacks, resulting in schedule delays and budget overruns; after all no one has built a nuclear unit in the US for over 30 years. The project has slipped 18 months behind schedule and nearly $2 billion over Longtime residents surely remember their excitement in the mid1970s when work began for Vogtle Units 1&2 – then a $700 million project – along the banks of the Savannah River in rural Burke County. However, during construction came Three Mile Island in 1979 – the accident that hurt no one but scared everyone and dramatically halted construction. When construction resumed in the early 1980s, project leaders were met with an endless stream of Nuclear Regulatory Commissionmandated change orders, akin to a homebuilder constructing a house to a local building code that changed daily. Other utility companies canceled nuclear projects in the works, but Southern Company was at the point of no return. By the time the units went online in 1987 and 1989, the facility’s price tag had grown to $8.8 billion – nearly $17 billion in today’s currency. Outsiders initially declared the world’s most modern nuclear power plant was a financial albatross. But when the switch was flipped, more than 2,400 megawatts of electricity began pulsing through the Peach State’s fastgrowing power grid. And with the exception of a scheduled, four-week maintenance and refueling break every 18 months, it hasn’t stopped since. Today, Vogtle Units 1&2 are the lowest-cost source of baseload electrical generation out of all 70 Southern Company plants – including natural gasand coal-fired facilities. Even after three decades, Vogtle is still one of the cleanest, safest and most reliable big-megawatt facilities in the nation. Vogtle is a big part of why the word ―brownout‖ has never been part of the Georgia vernacular, and why Georgia Power’s residential rates – which are regulated by the state Public Service Commission – historically have been below the national average. Units 1&2 have paid for themselves and – with an NRC operating license in effect until 2047 and 2049 – they will benefit Georgia and Southern Company for decades to come. There’s no reason to doubt that Vogtle 3&4 will similarly benefit Georgia, and these Westinghouse AP1000 reactors will provide a carbon-free energy source representing 1/3 of Georgia’s strategy to comply with the EPA’s proposed clean-air regulations. Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. Standardization of Nuclear Design at the Forefront for SMR’s build on the successful of previous designs and the redundant safety systems developed over the last 60 years. The standardization issue is being seriously studied by the CORDEL Group (Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing Working Group). The CORDEL Group was established by the World Nuclear Association in 2007, and has been working on a strategy to harmonize international nuclear efforts by stimulating dialogue between the nuclear industry (reactor vendors, operators and utilities) and nuclear regulators (national and international organizations). The United States will soon have four new large AP1000 reactors online that embody the strategy of standardization in nuclear plant design; two in Georgia (Vogtle 3&4) and two in South Carolina (V.C. Summer 2&3). This Westinghouse AP1000 design was approved by the NRC is a new generation design, sometimes referred to as Generation III; all AP1000’s built will be of that same design. categories: Generation III and III+ new versions of the traditional lightwater reactor; the new small modular reactors (SMRs) of either light water, molten salt, or liquid metal; Generation IV hightemperature reactors and especially the fast neutron reactors. All have redundant and passive safety systems – no meltdowns – and are easy to protect from terrorists and weapons-proliferating countries, say the DOE (Department of Energy). This standardization concept is incorporated with the small modular reactors (SMRs), as well. The SMR reactors have been around since the 1950s, in submarines, aircraft carriers, icebreakers and at universities. But creating a commercially-viable small reactor for public power has only recently gained traction as our nuclear fleet ages, coal declines, hydro becomes tapped out, and we start needing more baseload electricity. SMRs are less than a third the size of traditional nuclear plants, producing less than 300 megawatts (MW), and many are as small as 30 MW. The idea is to have a few standard modules that can be mixed and matched to best fit any situation because their small size is better suited to more situations than larger plants. Nuclear reactor technology and designs have come a long way since 1980. There are several designs vying to be one of the ―standard‖ ones, in all three Whether they’re variations on the traditional light-water reactor (NuScale), new molten salt designs (Terrestial Energy IMSR), aircooled, liquid metal, or advanced fast-reactors that burn everything from spent fuel from large reactors to Iraqi tank armor (TerraPower; General Atomics), these SMRs The CORDEL Group plans to roll out their new Strategic Plan at th their 5 Annual Small Modular Reactor Summit on April 14, 2015 in Charlotte,NC. CORDEL Group co-chair, Kristiina Söderholm, believes, ―The current way of licensing is a very slow and heavy process worldwide, and no certification or license can be utilized from one country to another. This makes it difficult and very expensive to license any nuclear power plant in multiple countries.‖ Currently, national variations in safety regulations present an obstacle to internationally standardized nuclear reactor designs. The achievement of harmonization of nuclear safety standards could overcome this obstacle, facilitating the emergence of a global market that offers a choice of a small number of reactor types that are recognized by regulators worldwide as safe and technologically mature. Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. Page 3 of 8 April 2015 Page 4 of 8 April 2015 Lower Electric Power Prices Triggered by Spring Thaw Less than two weeks after the Northeast was experiencing daily spot power prices in excess of $100/MWh and spot natural gas prices in double-figures, the daily energy price landscape has changed dramatically. “New York City had the highest spot power price in the nation at only $38.84/MWh and New England had the highest spot gas price at $3.59/mmBtu.” The National Weather Service (NWS) cited ―unseasonably warm temperatures‖ for much of the country in its midMarch forecast, and the figures posted by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that spot power prices are below $40/MWh in all the markets in the continental United States. Also spot gas prices are below $4/mmBtu New York City had the highest spot power price in the nation at only $38.84/MWh and New England had the highest spot gas price at $3.59/mmBtu. Officially spring begins with the vernal equinox on March 20, but many nuclear power reactors are already holding regularly-scheduled refueling and maintenance outages while power demand is low. Figures released midMarch by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) indicate that 13 of the nation’s 99 nuclear reactors are currently at zero generation. The majority are offline for scheduled refueling outages. In addition, the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) Fort Calhoun nuclear facility is expected to begin its refueling outage in April, according to news accounts from Nebraska. Germany’s Partial Eclipse Could Teach the U.S. Grid Operators a Lot! then a surge in solargenerated power that will have to be balanced out to avoid instability in the grid, Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems said. “The U.S. will not experience a solar eclipse until August 2017 but we could learn a lot from the partial eclipse Germany will experience in late March 2015.” We could learn a lot from the partial eclipse in late March 2015. Scientists at the Freiburgbased institute ran simulations showing that conventional power plants and hydroelectricity pumpstorage facilities should be able to cushion the impact of the eclipse. Experts say the Germany’s electricity grid, which relies increasingly on renewable energy, faces a crucial test on the morning of March 20, when the moon will pass in front of the sun and block up to 82 percent of its light across Germany. The simulations revealed that the strain on the grid would be greatest should it be a sunny day when the drop and subsequent rebound would be strongest. Grid operators have likened this effect to 12 large power plants being switched off and then 19 being switched on in a short space of time. This partial eclipse will cause a sudden drop and If the weather is overcast, the impact should be minimal, but if it is a sunny day before the partial eclipse it will be dramatic on the grid and its operators. Solar power from some 1.4 million installations contributed almost 6 percent to Germany's energy mix last year, but is set to rise steadily as Europe's biggest economy strives to meet 80 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2050. Germany currently gets almost 26 percent of its electricity from renewables, including solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectric plants. The upcoming eclipse will help grid operators plan for the next comparable event in 2026, when Germany expects to have shuttered all its nuclear power stations. Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. In accordance with Diablo Canyon’s “Long Term Seismic Program”, conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Service, constant study of the local geological features and global seismic events which could affect seismic safety at Diablo Canyon have been applied. Through this program the Shoreline Fault was discovered in 2008 and it was determined that it too would generate ground motion levels below what the plant was retrofitted to withstand in the 1970’s, prior to its operation. This was recently confirmed again as a result of the recently completed advanced seismic studies using state of the art two and three dimensional imaging. Here is the conclusion reached by the NRC, “there is not now nor has there ever been an immediate safety concern” with this issue at Diablo Canyon. In January, our article “Reflection on a Few Key Facts – U.S. Nuclear Electric Plants” discussed how nuclear plants were specifically designed for seismic concerns. Since the 2011 Fukushima Event the NRC ordered all U.S. nuclear plants to conduct studies based on the earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan that triggered a tsunami and knocked out power at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, causing three of the plant’s reactors to melt down. Nuclear facilities in the Western U.S. were required to file their reports with the commission in March 2015. PG&E, owner-operator of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, located near San Luis Obispo issued their report. In summary this was their finding; Diablo Canyon could withstand the strongest quake likely to hit in 10,000 years and also survive tsunamis generated by offshore quakes or landslides. This report comes just days after federal seismologists greatly increased the odds of a major earthquake — magnitude 8 or higher — striking California in the next 30 years. The U.S. Geological Survey now says the state stands a 7 percent chance of suffering such a quake in the next three decades, up from the previous estimate of 4.7 percent. Seismologists increased the odds after studying how quakes can move in a flash across multiple faults, increasing their destructive power. PG&E’s new assessment takes that idea into account as well, said Jearl Strickland, director of technical services at Diablo Canyon. PG&E once argued that the faults near Diablo Canyon were unlikely to rupture together. For the new study, however, the company considered scenarios in which quakes started on one fault and ―stepped over‖ to others. The closest, the Shoreline Fault, comes within 2,000 feet of the reactors. Another, the Hosgri, lies 3 miles offshore. ―Five years ago, you’d talk to seismologists, and they wouldn’t talk about stepover from one fault to another,‖ Strickland said. ―Today, they just assume that if faults are within 5 kilometers of each other, you’ll see step-over.‖ power plant owners to study how well their plants would survive the strongest ground shaking likely to occur in 10,000 years. PG&E’s calculations set that level of shaking at .8 times the force of gravity. The plant is designed to withstand ground motion of .75g. But Diablo’s buildings and equipment were built with enough of a safety margin that they can still survive the higher degree of shaking, said PG&E spokesman Blair Jones. ―What’s most important here is that nothing exceeds the margin of the plant,‖ he said. Diablo Canyon’s critics have long questioned PG&E’s assurances that the plant is safe. When construction began, in 1968, none of the four closest faults had even been discovered. The Hosgri was found in 1971, the Shoreline in 2008. One of the regulatory commission’s own inspectors at the plant argued in 2013 that Diablo should be shut down until PG&E proved that it could survive earthquakes on some of the more recently discovered faults, an idea the commission rejected. If you would like to learn more, please check out the January 2015 article “Reflection on a Few Key Facts – U.S. Nuclear Electric Plants” on page 2. The commission, Strickland said, asked Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. Page 5 of 8 April 2015 PG&E Reports - Diablo Canyon Can Withstand a Fukushima Event Page 6 of 8 April 2015 Did You Know? 91.9% That the 100 power reactors licensed to operate in the U.S. had an average capacity factor of 91.9% in 2014; edging past the 91.8% achieved in 2007. Best Ever! 798.4 terrawatthours “The U.S. nuclear industry “took swift and decisive action” after the Fukushima disaster and will have most of its safety-significant enhancements set for completion by the end of next year, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Stephen Burns at the Regulatory Information Conference. Additionally, the NRC will soon review reactor renewal applications that could extend the lives of existing reactors over 60 years, he said. “ That 798.4 terrawatt-hours of electricity was produced from the 100 power reactors licensed to operate in the U.S. in 2014. 3 That Kansas City Power & Light will stop burning coal at three of its coal-fired power plants. KCP&L will end the use of coal at the 96MW Lake Road 6, the 170MW Montrose 1, 164MW Montrose 2, 176MW Montrose 3, 48MW Sibley 1, and 51MW Sibley 2. Lake Road 6 has the ability to shift to natural gas and will switch by 2016. Montrose 1 is scheduled to close at the end of 2016. The Sibley units will shut down at the end of 2019 and Montrose 2 & 3 will close at the end of 2021. KCP&L said it was more cost effective to shut down the smaller units to comply with the recent EPA emission requirements instead of retrofitting them. 2016 That the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Terrestial Energy are working in collaboration to advance development of Terrestial Energy’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor (ISMR) concept to the engineering blueprint state by late 2016. An early developer of this technology, ORNL built the first Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) and also developed the Denatured Molten Salt Reactor design, which is the basis of Terrestial Energy’s IMSR. 20MW That Dominion Power filed an application with Virginia to build the state’s first large-scale solar project; 20MW solar array on 125 acres near the Remington Power Station in Fauquier County. 30 tons/day That under an agreement with the National Energy Technology Laboratory, Linde, LLC began pilot-scale testing of a carbon capture technology from flue gas in Wilsonville, AL; a 1MW pilot project expected to capture 30 tons of carbon-dioxide per day. 1/3 That Solar accounted for 1/3 of the nation’s new generating capacity in 2014, beating out both wind energy and coal for the second year in a row. Only natural gas constituted a greater share of new generating capacity. 6,201 MW $66 Billion 20 gigawatts CCR Rule (Coal Ash Rule) That newly installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity for 2014 reached a record 6, 201 MW, growing 30% over 2013’s totals. An additional 767MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) came online, as well. That the solar investment tax credit has fueled the growth in solar power here in the U.S. Since 2006, more than 150,000 jobs have been created and $66 billion invested. That the U.S. now has 20 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity – enough to power 4 million U.S. homes – as long as the sun is shining. That the EPA issued its final ruling for the regulation of coal combustion residuals (CCR’s); commonly referred to as the ―Coal Ash Rule‖. The ruling has given power producers the option to handle their coal ash using either wet, dry, or hybridized wet-dry systems. Though the new regulations are more moderate than some feared, they will still prove costly for the industry. Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. U.S. Nuclear Renaissance Watch Update Construction is underway at 3 sites; Bellefonte technically listed as under construction will not resume construction activity until after startup of Watts Bar 2. We currently have 8 sites with “active” license applications, although Calvert Cliffs 3 will never occur due to foreign ownership; 3 sites are planning license application; and 2 sites received an ESP (Early Site Permit). State Plant Utility Reactor Type Alabama Bellefonte 3&4 * ^ ## TVA AP-1000 Alabama Bellefonte 1 TVA B&W Florida * Levy 1&2 ## & ^ Progress Energy AP-1000 Florida * Turkey Point 6&7 ## ^ FP&L AP-1000 Georgia Vogtle 3&4 NRC COL Southern Company AP-1000 Idaho Payette AP Unistar / AEHI TBD Idaho Idaho National Lab DOE NGNP Louisiana River Bend 3 # Entergy ESBWR Maryland * Calvert Cliffs 3 ## # EDF Areva US-EPR Michigan * Fermi 3 ## DTE Energy TBD Mississippi Grand Gulf 3 # $ NuStart / Entergy ESBWR Missouri Callaway 2 # AP Unistar / Ameren UE Areva US-EPR New Jersey Salem $ PSEG TBD North Carolina Harris 2&3 ^ # Progress Energy AP-1000 Pennsylvania * Bell Bend ^ Unistar / PP&L Areva US-EPR South Carolina * Lee 1&2 ^ Duke Energy AP-1000 South Carolina Summer 2&3 NRC COL SCANA / Santee Cooper AP-1000 Tennessee Clinch River AP TVA mPower Tennessee Watts Bar 2 TVA Westinghouse Texas Comanche Peak 3&4 ^ # Luminant MHI US-APWR Texas * South Texas 3&4 ## & $ NRG Energy Toshiba ABWR Utah Blue Castle Project $ Blue Castle Holdings TBD * North Anna 3 ## $ ^ Dominion MHI US-APWR Virginia # NRC reviews suspended at applicant’s request. @ Other vendor designs being considered # Concern over ownership by foreign entity ^ Delay expected; no scheduled target dates ## Recent Contentions for Licensing Review #? Contention forth coming or expected & Signed EPC Contract Pink italics = Notice of Violation. * License Application Active Blue italics i= application is forthcoming. $ Received Early Site Permit Red italics = delay announced by Applicant COL Construction Operation License Expected $ Project activity decreased by Utility NRC COL Issued by NRC AP – License Application Planned Under Construction License Application Active Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them. Page 7 of 8 April 2015 GTTSi Employee – Barbara Williams Barbara Williams joined the GTTSi team in March 2012, as a Chemistry Instructor at the Harris Nuclear Plant. HOME Office In January 2013, Barbara transitioned to her current assignment at Harris, as an Integration Instructor. In this role Barbara, reviews the new fleet procedures for training impacts and needs, updates training materials and conducts training. Field Support / Recruiting Jackie Pate Phone: 864.882.3111 Fax: 864.882.1026 jackie.pate@gttsi.com GTTSi P. O. Box 1679 Seneca, SC 29679 Hartsville Office Consulting / Field Support / Recruiting Sid Crouch Phone: 843.339.9874 Fax: 843.339.9528 sid.crouch@gttsi.com GTTSi P. O. Box 307 Hartsville, SC 29550 Charlotte-Area Office Consulting / Field Support / Recruiting Pat McHale Phone: 704.502.8705 Fax: 704.875.6090 pat.mchale@gttsi.com GTTSi P. O. Box 2632 Huntersville, NC 28070 Greenville-Area Office Staffing / Recruiting Kaye Browder Phone: 864.631.9325 Fax: 864.862.8730 Prior to GTTSi, Barbara worked at Vermont Yankee for 23 years and held a variety of positions there. In her last position at Vermont Yankee Barbara was the Technical Training Superintendent, where her duties included Entergy Fleet Engineering Training Peer Group Lead, Supervisor of the Engineering, Chemistry, Radiation Protection, and General Employee Training Programs. In addition, Barbara was also a Chemistry Instructor, the Environmental Program Lead, and a Chemistry Technician. Barbara started her nuclear career working at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York, where she worked as a chemist, during decommissioning. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science. Barbara remains located in Hampstead, NC with her husband Michael and their two daughters. Check out our newly revised website at www.gttsi.com kaye.browder@gttsi.com GTTSi P. O. Box 864 Fountain Inn, SC 29644 GTTSi P.O. Box 1679 Seneca, South Carolina 29679 New York Office Staffing / Recruiting Chrissy Mulay Phone: 864.506.4647 Fax: 716.604.1948. chrissy.mulay@gttsi.com GTTSi P. O. Box 16522 Rochester, NY 14616 COMPANY NAME STREET ADDRESS CITY, STATE, ZIP We’re on the Web! See us at: www.gttsi.com SERVICES FOR NUCLEAR AND ENERGY Disclaimer: The views expressed in any article or advertisement appearing on this website or newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GTTSi and GTTSi accepts no responsibility for them.