ML20008D221
| ML20008D221 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Bellefonte  |
| Issue date: | 12/06/2019 |
| From: | Cannara A - No Known Affiliation |
| To: | NRC/SECY |
| SECY/RAS | |
| References | |
| NRC-2019-0228 | |
| Download: ML20008D221 (3) | |
Text
PUBLIC SUBMISSION As of: 12/10/19 8:31 AM Received: December 06, 2019 Status: Pending_Post Tracking No. 1k3-9dpi-jhw2 Comments Due: December 23, 2019 Submission Type: Web Docket: NRC-2019-0228 Bellefonte Nuclear Plant; Consideration of Approval of Transfer of Construction Permits and Conforming Amendment Comment On: NRC-2019-0228-0001 Bellefonte Nuclear Plant; Consideration of Approval of Transfer of Construction Permits and Conforming Amendment Document: NRC-2019-0228-DRAFT-0001 Comment on FR Doc # 2019-25248 Submitter Information Name: Dr. Alexander Cannara Address:
2043 Sterling Ave.
Menlo Park, CA, 94025 Email: cannara@sbcglobal.net Organization: self General Comment My comments here are made as a scientist/engineer and environmentalist. Bringing Bellefonte to operation is important to reducing US emissions and increasing our deployment of reliable, clean power, much as President Kennedy foresaw our need in 1962 (http://tinyurl.com/6xgpkfa), even before worldwide climate/ocean threats became clear.
The reliability and safety of regulated nuclear power are unmatched by any other sources of energy, and its environmental impacts are less than any other power source. DoE has made clear in its 2015 "Quadrennial Review" in Table 10.4 (https://tinyurl.com/y8xecbz2) where a terawatt of Capacity can be built with conventional nuclear power stations using a) <1/10 the raw materials needed for a TW of wind capacity, or b)
<1/16 the materials for like capacity via solar. The implications for environmental impacts, including pollution, are clear, as recently explained by The World Bank. And, once built, the Capacity Factor for nuclear power is 2 to 4 times that of any wind/solar installations. It thus provides true utility-grade power.
Part of the superiority of nuclear power for utility-grade energy is due to its automatic inclusion of energy storage (in fissile fuel) and its independence of extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes and deep freezes (e.g., https://tinyurl.com/qnvkh4t ). The social benefit of an operating Bellefonte is clear. The Page 1 of 2 12/10/2019 https://www.fdms.gov/fdms/getcontent?objectId=09000064841ec3d9&format=xml&showorig=false
economic benefit to Alabama and the region is also clear, since similar US plants generate ~1000 full-time, 6-figure jobs and deliver about $1 billion to the regional economy each year. Nuclear job quality and variety also benefit regional education through demands for technical training and university graduates. A graphic summarizing documented benefits from a similar operating nuclear plant (Diablo Canyon) is uploaded.
The Bellefonte site may also offer an opportunity to demonstrate prototypes of newer nuclear technology, given its professional staff and proximity to a national electric interconnect. Such technologies as SMR, MSR (Molten-Salt Reactor, http://tinyurl.com/nu5o7k5), etc. are now under design certification by NRC and other agencies outside the US. NRC thus has an opportunity to stimulate valuable research and development centered on Bellefonte that follows on from ORNL's 1960s-70s reactor research then stimulated by President Kennedy's concern for America's energy future and economic and national security.
In our time of great need for reliable, environmentally clean electric power, an operating Bellefonte will be invaluable.
Dr. Alexander Cannara Menlo Park, Calif.
650-400-3071 cannara@sbcglobal.net http://tinyurl.com/y65belox Attachments DiabloFacts Page 2 of 2 12/10/2019 https://www.fdms.gov/fdms/getcontent?objectId=09000064841ec3d9&format=xml&showorig=false
10% of CA Power 30% of CA Clean
< $0.04/kWHr 90% Uptime
$1 Billion to County Desalination Salary Avg. $147,000 Flexible Storage CAISO: Planned Maintenance at Diablo Canyon Unit 2 Delayed to Meet State Energy Needs During Heat Wave 9 Sep. 2015, CAISO: Requests Both Units Operate at Full Power. http://tinyurl.com/zha8dba Diablo Canyon (DCISC.ORG, CGNP.ORG)