duke-energy-to-shut-crystal-river-reactor-in-florida

[Throckmorton]

Crystal River NPS to shut down permanently:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-05/duke-energy-to-shut-crystal-river-reactor-in-florida.html

[think]

1. I was somewhat elated until I saw that 4 coal plants are operating in it's place

and the alternative plan is to possibly build a natural gas powered plant instead.

The Sunshine State should be all about solar not coal or natural gas IMO. But it's good the reactor won't be fired up again. Glass half full.....

[FBaggins]

2. Not so much "in it's place"

Just on the same site... but those coal plants go back 30-45 years.

Perhaps one will stay open longer than it otherwise would, but the real interim replacement will likely be a combination of gas, new renewables, and lower demand growth due to economic weakness. The longer term growth will likely see new nuclear units - but that's more than a decade down the road.

[think]

3. Thank you for the background. Didn't know the history

[HooptieWagon]

5. The coal plants pre-existed the Nuke plant.

The nuke plant was a clusterfuck. Progress Energy operated it before merging with Duke Energy. PE tried a do-it-yourself replacement of the steam generator, despite having no experience. Furthermore, they went against the advice of companies and engineers who had experience in that process, and simply cut a large hole through the walls of the containment building, including tension bars that held it together. This resulted in large cracks in the walls. Prior, the Fl legislature had passed a bill allowing power companies to bill customers in advance (cost + 10%) for large maintainence and construction projects. So PE (now Duke) has been screwing around with all kinds of studies and plans for repairing the plant or constructing a replacement...in the mean time making a 10% profit on all the money they spent. So the more they spend, the more they make. Everybody is pretty unhappy, except for the power company and their puppets in Tallahassee.

Side note. About 30 years ago a fellow engineering student friend of mine got a summer intern job at the plant. One day he was given a gieger counter and truck, and told to drive around the perimeter of the facility taking radiation measurements. He came back with some disturbingly high data, which caused immediate concern. After some running around with hair on fire, someone pointed out to the staff the nuke plant had been shut down for maintainence a few weeks prior, and the radiation was coming from the coal being burned and the resultant smoke out the stacks.

[marions ghost]

4. I hope that goes so well

they decide to decommission all those they operate.

Now that WOULD be a beautiful day.