ML080590283
| ML080590283 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | South Texas  |
| Issue date: | 03/06/2008 |
| From: | Sheppard J South Texas |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research |
| Shared Package | |
| ML080570419 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML080590283 (17) | |
Text
Life Beyond 60 STP Nuclear Operating Company Joe Sheppard President & CEO
2 Introduction
- Appreciate this opportunity
- Subject of this Conference, Life Beyond 60
- I am approaching 60
- Dont think I am ready to be decommissioned
- In most cases, probably shouldnt be decommissioning nuclear power plants either
3 Exciting Times In Nuclear
- Everybody is talking about new plants
- 30+ announcements
- Handful of applications already submitted
- STP among that first wave COLA - September, 2007 Two ABWRs
4 Exciting Times In Nuclear (Contd)
Cant build new ones fast enough Need current plants to make any meaningful impact on Carbon Emissions Need to take care of the 104 plants we already have
5
- Existing plants are a critical prerequisite for new plants:
Their performance builds confidence in the technology and our ability to safely operate the technology Source of operating experience and operating resources Provide valuable lessons on life cycle management Exciting Times In Nuclear (Contd)
6 So Why Cant We Operate Beyond 60 Years?
- No reason why not
- Plenty of examples of complex machines having very long lifetimes
- Hydro electric plants75-100 years
- Capital ships Battleships - USS Missouri - 6 different decades Frigates - USS Constitution in commission since 1797
- Aircraft - B-52-being flown by grandsons of original pilots
- Certainly have structures that have lasted centuries and millennium
7 So Why Cant We Operate Beyond 60 Years?
(Contd)
- Current experience provides confidence in extending life
- 6 Million Dollar Man - we can rebuild him, make him better than ever
- Learned how to replace nearly every major component in the reactor plant
- Only one not currently done - the Reactor Vessel
- Personally participated in replacement of:
Eleven Steam Generators Eight LP Turbines Soon - two Reactor Vessel Heads
- Can be done
8 Does Operation Beyond 60 Years Make Business Sense Old model - 40 year fixed life, depreciated to meet rigid regulatory models Assumed 40 year components with the only consumable being fuel Doesnt fit today -
new paradigm
9
- Current License Extension Program with the NRC has been a tremendous success
- Predictable & Sustainable
- Well managed by the NRC
- Most importantly - Deals effectively with technical issues associated with Life Extension
- Need to build on this model Does Operation Beyond 60 Years Make Business Sense (Contd)
10 Does Operation Beyond 60 Years Make Business Sense (Contd)
Environmental aspects are compelling
- Clean, safe, reliable power
- Significant contribution to restricting &
controlling greenhouse gasses
11
- Economics are excellent
- Many of the plants are essentially paid for
- Low cost option for generating electricity
- Economics are very favorable in regulated and deregulated markets
- Capital investments are modest compared to the payback Does Operation Beyond 60 Years Make Business Sense (Contd)
12 Does Operation Beyond 60 Years Make Business Sense (Contd)
Industry executives are very positive on life extension Vast majority - likely More than half - very likely
13 So, Do We Have All The Answers?
- No, but we are learning more each day
- Growing confidence in ability to manage age degradation mechanisms
- Programs like Material Reliability have produced great tools such as the Materials Degradation Matrix
- Utilities are making significant investments to assure long life
14
- These efforts are not enough
- Need significantly more R&D (Research &
Development) to identify methods to upgrade our Life Cycle Management techniques - Significant Public / Private Partnership
- Strategic Plan for Light Water Reactor R&D developed by industry & Idaho National Laboratory in late 2007 - will be discussed more later today So, Do We Have All The Answers? (Contd)
15
- Need to do the R&D to assure the life extension of the current fleet and the new ALWRs that are coming Build the technical case for Life Beyond 60 Identify the knowledge gaps Develop the Plans of Action to close these gaps
- Hopefully, this workshop will start the dialog to build those plans So, Do We Have All The Answers? (Contd)
16 Summary
- If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself
- Need to assume we are going to live that long
- Start building the plans to make it a reality
- At STP, our Vision is to improve lives Nuclear Power does improve lives No CO2 emissions Safe & reliable Efficient National, state and local economics depend on electricity -
brings significant benefits
- Our duty to assure these benefits continue to be available and are not curtailed by an artificial mandated lifetime for our power plants
17 Thank you for your time!