Archive for the ‘Comanche Peak’ Category

Oct. 28, 2010

By Bob Cox
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Opponents of a plan to expand the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant told a panel of administrative judges Thursday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should take more time to address their objections to a study on environmental issues surrounding the proposed expansion of the facility.

The three-judge panel headed by Ann Marshall Young heard arguments from attorneys for groups opposing Dallas-based Luminant’s plan to add two new reactors at the Comanche Peak plant near Glen Rose, southwest of Fort Worth.

NRC spokeswoman Lara Uselding said the panel will review the legal and technical merits of the objection raised to the draft environmental impact report prepared by the agency’s staff.

The preliminary ruling contained in the draft report found that there were no environmental issues that would preclude the NRC from issuing a license to Luminant to build and eventually operate the two new reactors.

Uselding said it could be two months or more before the judges rule on the validity of the objections raised by opponents of the project and whether to hold a full hearing on the issues.

Opponents of the Comanche Peak project argued that the NRC staff failed to address issues such as alternatives to building additional power plants and whether nuclear power is economically feasible.

Karen Hadden, executive director of the Austin-based Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition, said it wasn’t clear that the objections would get a thorough hearing from the NRC.

"They seem more interested in creating hoops to jump over than getting real information" in the environmental impact report, Hadden said. "This kind of research upfront is what they’re supposed to do to protect the public."

Bob Cox, 817-390-7723

October 21, 2010

Media Release

Oral Argument Oct. 28th In Granbury, Texas

Download this press release in pdf format for printing

Contacts: Karen Hadden, SEED Coalition, 512-797-8481
David Power, Public Citizen, Energy Expert 830-660-7557
Robert V. Eye, Attorney, 785-234-4040

Granbury, Texas Opponents of two proposed Comanche nuclear reactors will present their case at an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) panel on Oct. 28th. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Hood County Justice Center, 1200 West Pearl St. in Granbury.

Attorney Bob Eye will represent SEED Coalition, Public Citizen and the Ft. Worth based True Cost of Nukes organization. Among the concerns that will be raised in the Combined License (COL) proceeding is the failure of Luminant to analyze cleaner, cheaper and safer energy alternatives in their license application, a glaring omission considering that Luminant and Shell are exploring compressed air energy storage. "Today Texas has excess energy capacity and leads the nation in wind generation. Solar costs are plummeting. Energy storage and cheap gas can be used to back up renewable solar and wind power. The proposed reactors are a hazard to our health, safety and our pocketbooks," said energy expert David Power, who submitted a report regarding DEIS contentions.

Six new contentions based on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) were filed in September. They include concerns that the DEIS analysis of the need for power is flawed, that the carbon emissions analysis is distorted, that global warming impacts are understated, that reactor cooling ability could be impacted by higher water temperatures, and that wind and solar were not adequately considered as alternatives to nuclear power.

"Radioactive waste, safety and security issues, economics and the vast consumption of water are all reasons to avoid more nuclear reactors," said Karen Hadden, Executive Director of SEED Coalition. "The water level at Lake Granbury would drop which is of great concern to many local citizens."

"Nuclear power is the most expensive way to generate electricity. The proposed Comanche Peak reactors could reach $22 billion or more, roughly equal to the budget shortfall for the entire state of Texas. This is before cost overruns from delays and construction problems and the added costs of radioactive waste disposal and decommissioning. Nuclear reactors don’t make sense financially," said Karen Hadden, Director of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition.

"Constellation Energy just withdrew their license application for a Maryland nuclear reactor due to high costs. Ruminant’s parent company, Energy Future Holdings, has been struggling financially, and shouldn’t even consider taking on extensive additional debt, which is sure to result in skyrocketing electric bills and could result in the collapse of the company," said Hadden.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) 2009 State of the Market report says "Estimated net revenues for nuclear and coal resources were also insufficient to support new entry in 2009."

The Associated Press recently reported, "Even companies that are finalists for federal loan guarantees, NRG Energy and Constellation Energy, announced recently that they have nearly stopped spending on their projects… Analysts say low natural gas prices are making the project uneconomic. NRG chief executive David Crane said he will not pursue the company’s two-reactor project in South Texas if gas prices stay low, even if his project is offered a loan guarantee."

The ASLB is the independent body within the NRC that presides over proceedings involving the licensing of civilian nuclear facilities, such as nuclear power plants.
The Oct. 28th oral hearing is open for public observation, but participation will be limited to the parties admitted to the proceeding – NRC staff, the public interest groups, and Luminant, the applicant.

September 23, 2010

by Mark Engebretson
Lake Country Sun

More than 100 people attended the public meeting held by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tuesday to hear a presentation on the draft environmental impact study regarding the proposed construction of two additional towers at Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant.

With the concerns across the country and in Congress regarding nuclear energy and the potential hazards, that was not the focus of comments at the meeting by elected officials and the public. The concern was water, water that would be needed to cool the towers.

Mike Willingham, the NRC environmental project manager, said the two towers would require 103,000 acre feet of water annually. Of that, 61,600 acre feet would be lost due to evaporation with the balance returned to Lake Granbury, the source.

Ellen Smith, with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said the Brazos River Authority has reported that lake levels at both Lake Granbury and Possum Kingdom Lake would be modified.

"The EIS does indicate the average lake level at Possum Kingdom would be lower," she said.

The study notes that the lake levels at both Granbury and PK would be affected.

"Possum Kingdom Lake would be full about 34 percent of the time under current conditions and 26 percent of the time with CPNPP Units 3 and 4 operating," reads the study. "Operation of CPNPP Units 3 and 4 would reduce the average water levels by 0.6 feet in Lake Granbury and by 1.5 feet in Possum Kingdom Lake. The water level in Lake Granbury is estimated to fall 2 feet or more below full pool about 10 percent of the time under current conditions and about 25 percent of the time with CPNPP Units 3 and 4 operating. Possum Kingdom Lake water level is estimated to be 5 feet or more below full pool about 10 percent of the time under current conditions and about 25 percent of the time with CPNPP Units 3 and 4 operating."

While the Glen Rose meeting was the only public forum, NRC will still accept public comment by letter, e-mail or fax through Wednesday, Oct. 27.

On the Web, visit www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/form.html. The document title, a required entry, is Environmental Impact Statement for Combined Licenses (COLs) for Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4.

Mail letters to Chief, Rulemaking and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Service, Mailstop TWB-05-B01M, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001.
The fax number is 301-492-3446.

October, 2010
Lake Country Sun

Events at Glen Rose will have a significant impact at Possum Kingdom Lake.

With the proposed addition of two towers at the Comanche Nuclear Power Plant in Glen Rose, the Lake Granbury Waterfront Owners Association is fighting hard to maintain water levels.

The draft environmental impact statement shows significant amounts of water will evaporate from the cooling towers every year – in excess of 60,000 acre feet. That same report notes that PK Lake and Lake Granbury water levels will drop. And Lake Granbury property owners are seriously concerned about their lake level falling. For example, those owners refer to the “drought of 2009” when Granbury lake levels fell significantly while Possum Kingdom Lake water levels never fell more than just over 5 feet on a couple of occasions. That was without the additional two towers.

The WOA folks want assurances that their lake will be stable, even going so far as to solicit support for legislative action to force the Brazos River Authority to release more water from PK to do so. The organization is working very hard, through elected officials, to have Lake Granbury designated as a “recreational lake” with a stable lake level.

In addition, WOA members and Granbury city leaders want the generators at PK back on line, citing as a reason the additional release of water from PK. Granbury Mayor Ricky Pratt even suggested that Luminant, the Comanche Peak operator, or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission assume ownership and operation of the generators at Morris Sheppard Dam.

The stability of the water level at Lake Granbury would mean the water would have to come from PK, the generators operating would mean the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stays. Both these situations would have a significant impact on not only PK leaseholders, land owners and businesses, but also Palo Pinto County businesses. With insufficient water levels, vacationers and weekend visitors could well decide to travel elsewhere.

The bottom line – PK water levels will fall if the towers are built. How much will depend a lot on what assurances property owners at Lake Granbury can get from the Legislature or BRA.

There are a number of pressures on PK already – the proposed Cedar Ridge Reservoir on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, the property sale and a possible reservoir on the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos.

But there is common ground, The folks at Lake Granbury have as much heartburn with the Brazos River Authority as people at PK. Their experiences are as frustrating, if not more so. They are not opposed to the additional towers at Comanche Peak, they are opposed to using Lake Granbury as the water source without assurances the lake level will be stabilized.

They are worried about their lake, people at PK are worried about theirs. While some of the goals are directly opposite, others are in tandem. The point being, people at PK should become aware and involved in what WOA is working toward. With the property sale nearly done, it is time to look to other issues that will have a lasting and dramatic effect on the future of Possum Kingdom Lake. There is room for compromise, there are areas where joint efforts can pay off, bit only if everyone pays attention.

September 21, 2010

Jack Z. Smith
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Sept. 21–Anyone wanting to weigh in on the potential environmental impact of expanding the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant will have an opportunity in public meetings this afternoon and tonight in Glen Rose.

The meetings, held by staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Glen Rose Expo Center, 202 Bo Gibbs Blvd.

In addition, NRC staffers will be available for informal discussions with the public during “open house” sessions from noon to 1 p.m. and from 6 to 7 p.m. at the center, immediately preceding the three-hour meetings.

The NRC staff is seeking comments on its preliminary finding that there are no environmental grounds to preclude issuing combined construction and operating licenses to electric power generator Luminant for the addition of two reactors at Comanche Peak, four miles north of Glen Rose and 45 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

The NRC’s preliminary finding is contained in a draft environmental impact statement filed with the Environmental Protection Agency.

An opponent of the expansion, the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition, is expected to address the preliminary finding.

Luminant plans to more than double Comanche Peak’s generating capacity by adding two 1,700-megawatt reactors for an estimated $15 billion to $20 billion.

A three-member panel of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has scheduled an Oct. 28 hearing for oral arguments on the contentions of the SEED Coalition and other opponents that renewable energy, such as wind power with backup natural gas-fired generation, is a more attractive option than expanding Comanche Peak. That hearing is set for 9 a.m. at the Hood County Justice Center, 1200 W. Pearl St. in Granbury.

Plant opponents argue that an expanded Comanche Peak would be a huge water consumer, create more radioactive waste and be a potentially vulnerable target for terrorists.

Luminant has countered that an expanded plant would recycle water, be secure, could handle additional nuclear waste and would have a major economic impact by providing jobs and tax revenue for local governments.

Jack Z. Smith, 817-390-7724