ML18192A788
| ML18192A788 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 12/19/1975 |
| From: | English T Arizona Clean Energy Coalition (ACEC-PHX) |
| To: | Clark H Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel |
| References | |
| Download: ML18192A788 (6) | |
Text
'Liugh !'l;
!.'hairman Ni!C Hearing 3oard PO Box l:?7A i(cnnedyville YQ 23.645
Dear hr Cla e:
PQqI<<Sl t!UMO'R RROIL 59Ilk, fbi ~
.~~~ 59~
6'-
I
- bOCKt'ff0 December l9, 1975 JAN 9 1978 >
.)
j~'the ot Ihe Ssc~o~
Dcc4ll<<y L Sny~
pg I wish to in o."m you tha ~
.he Arizona Cle n Energy Coalition is withd awing as the intervenor '...he construction permit hearinps for the Palo Verde nuclear Gene at" ng S.ation.
'fo a e doing so for two basic 'reasons:
The irst is simply a lac!c of funds.
',fe do not feel that our chances in the hearings justify our raising sevoral thousand dollars for witnesses and other expenses.
The second reason is far mo e.impor.ant, however.
3:t would
'e worth the e
ort to raise
+he money if we felt we had a chance at a fair hoaring, but we 'can't fight both the applicants and t!:e Nl7C staff, at the same time.
Virtually eve=r cl im bv the a'oplicant abou. the cost and need fo Palo Verde is contrary
+o present local and. na.iona3.
trends and con.ra v to na'.iona3.
>>.ojections, yet apparently all were accepted by staf without any question during
.he en.ire he ring process.
The national projec.ions
.or.he cos. of building nuclear power plant have escalated about 1/3 pcr year -"or the last six years.
(See Attaqhed)
Staff nas accepted the applican.s'stim te of 7~~ pe year.
Present in.crest rates for long. term bonds are 10.5!~~ and higher.
Staff has accepted 6.;'.
At the applicants'rojec
.ed construction cos.s
".iiis amounts to an addi.ional Sl.7 billion in interest on a 2'5-ye,.r bond.
Uranium has tripled in price.in the last 2 years and is expec
.od to double again wi.hin a decade.
(i~uc3.ear.'.xchango Co p.)
Westinghouse, the supplier unde con.ract,
<<;ould have to accept almost a l/2 bil'ion dollar loss by.l990 for A::PP to get'uel at the 822/3.b they p ojec..
Though it is more ai ficult to prove, the p ojected need.
fo" the plant seems to be just as 'r from cali.y as the projected cost.
'or '
least a dec de oefore the Arab oil boycott, the real cost of electric'ty (in curren dollars) dropped apid1y in 'bo.h the applicants'ervice a eas and in tho nation as a whole.
At the same time the economy was booming'and moot people were
~ completely unaware of the impending enorgy shortages.
Since the Arab oil bo'ycot
, these trends have, ra.her emphatically, been reversed and a
e expected to remain that way for the foroeeable fu ure.
Based on.hose facts, one would expect the projec.ions of need listed in the bRC rinal ""nvironmental Statement to be dif erent rom those of the Draft ES since the D"3 used projections based on p=e-ooyco.t data.
They are.
~hey're higher.
Xn fact, the projected growth rate in electrical consump.ion fo>> 1976 over 197) is higher t.';.an any g owth ate any of the applicants has ever experienced in thei eniire history.
This pr'ojection -ollows the fi st drops 'n electrical consumption any of he applic nts heo, eve e:cpe ierced in thei enti o history.
I asked.
ore o. the members of the legal. s.a f to check ad find ou+ i the tecgnical staff had ever cues..'onod
.he applicants on this.
He check~and said that wo
(!vRC staf
) "haven'.
done too much.cork'n that column."
"Tha
. column" is the basic justi.ic"= ion for even considering building a power plant in the firs. place.
Lik'e other interveno s around
.he country, we reouested funds from the NRC to help us present
-,he po'nt of view o people who stand to,lose i='hose plants are 'ouilt.
Por all pract'c 1
purposes. we,.like all the othe s, wore e used.
The prospect that.(i
.he ilHC rules favorably on the basic issue) the 3oard might (after the hearings are over). grant us (aftor.he hearings are over) an ind 'terminate fraction o our expenses,.is simp'y not good enough.
Public interest groups like ourselves, that opera.e on volunteer time from volunteer
- people, can't su.'vive on maybes.
A part time bo, rd cannot be expected
.'o bear the ull load of protectinp'he public.
-=" the intervonors can't and the staf
won't that on1y leaves the applicants who stand tq ma'ze several billion dollars net profit rom these plants.
Until some very basic changes. are
- made, the public will not be protected.
Sincerely yours, Tres -ng ish Arizona Clean Zne gy Coalition
DOCKEf, gUVi3Eg RRQD. 8 llI@, jjg.55-$ $
ESTII~iATi'D COSTS FOR 1mCLPAR PO'i6'R (Source:
USA 0;rV<S!i-'1545, Pover Plant Capital Cools, Oc
. 1975) 700 600 500 400 fg O
$00 200 100
~C~irm 8
~SNlq 4AH g )gag ~
6s 70 v='a
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY CONi~fISS ION Xn the Hatter of
)
)
ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE CO~i/PANY ET AL.
)
)
(Palo Verde Nuclear Generating
)
Station, Unit Nos.
1, 2,'and 3))
)
)
Docket No.(s) 50-528 50-529 50-530 CERTIF ICATE OF SERVXCF.
I hereby certify that I have this day served the foregoing document(s) upon each person designated on the official service'ist compiled by the Office of the Secretary of the Commission in this proceeding in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.712 of 10 CFR Part 2-Rules of Practice, of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Rules and
.Regulations.
Dated at Mashington, D.C. this
/
day of'97 6
.'ffic oi the Secretary of the
- Com, ssion
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGUI&TORY COMMISSION In the Hatter of
)
)
ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY,
)
)
)
(Palo Verde Nuclear Generating
)
- Station, Unit Nos.
1, 2, and 3))
)
)
Docket No.(s) 50<<.528 50-529 50-530 SERVICE LIST Hugh K. Clark, Esq.,
Chairman P.
O. Box 127A Kennedyville, Maryland 21645 Dr. Kenneth A. McCollom Associate Dean College of Engineering Oklahoma St'ate University Still+pter., Oklahoma 74074 Dr. Ouentin J.
Stober Research Associate Professor Fisheries Research Institute University of Washington
- Seattle, Washington 98195 Joseph F. Scinto, Esq.
Counsel for NRC Staff U. S..Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.
C.
20555 Arthur C. Gehr, Esq..
Steven If. Wheeler, Esq.
'Snell
& Wilmer 3100 Valley Center
'Phoenix, Arizona 85073 Mr..Tres English "129 South Irving Tucson, Ariz'ona 85711 Carmine F.
Cardamone, Jr.
1415 North Third Avenue Tucson, Arizona 85705 Honorable Andrew W. Bettwy Assistant Attorney General 159 State Capitol 1700 West Washington
- Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phoenix Public Library Science and Industry Section
'2 East HcDowell Road Phoenix, Arizona 85004