Final module placed for Vogtle Unit 3
The final module, a massive water tank, for Georgia Power's Vogtle Unit 3 has been placed atop the containment vessel and shield-building roof at the company's Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia. The installation represents the final module placement for Unit 3, marking another significant milestone for the project.
The large module is a major part of the AP1000 reactor's advanced passive safety system. Standing 35 feet tall and weighing more than 720,000 pounds, the tank will hold approximately 750,000 gallons of water, ready to flow down in the unlikely event of an emergency to help cool the reactor. The water can also be directed into the used fuel pool, while the tank itself can be refilled from water stored elsewhere on-site.
For more information, visit www.georgiapower.com or call (404) 506-7676.
Alliant Energy's West Riverside Energy Center now in service
Alliant Energy's newly constructed West Riverside Energy Center is now in service. The 730-megawatt, highly efficient, combined-cycle natural gas generating station is located near Beloit, Wisconsin. Co-owners include Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative, Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative and Rock Energy Cooperative.
During construction, more than 1,000 jobs were created and millions of dollars were spent to support Wisconsin businesses. As a 24/7 resource leveraging combined-cycle technology, the generating station can quickly adjust its power output to balance the intermittent nature of Alliant's renewable resources.
Alliant Energy started construction on the generating station in 2017 after receiving approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The completed $660 million facility can produce enough power for more than 550,000 homes.
For more information, visit www.alliantenergy.com or call (800) 255-4268.
DOE launches $230M Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program
Within the Office of Nuclear Energy, the DOE recently launched the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), designed to help domestic private industry demonstrate advanced nuclear reactors in the U.S.
For the 2020 fiscal year budget, Congress appropriated $230 million to start the new demonstration program for advanced reactors. Through cost-shared partnerships with industry, ARDP will provide $160 million for initial funding to build two reactors that can be operational within the next five to seven years.
In addition to the two reactors, ARDP will leverage the National Reactor Innovation Center to efficiently test and assess advanced reactor technologies by engaging the national laboratory system to move these reactors from blueprints to reality.
For more information, visit www.energy.gov or call (202) 586-5000.
ERCOT expects record summer power use
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region expects to experience record electric use in the three-month summer season ending in September, according to its final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) and an updated Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) report.
ERCOT adjusted its peak load forecast to 75,200 megawatts (MW) to account for economic impacts related to COVID-19. The new forecast is 1,496-MW less than what was reported in the preliminary summer SARA and increases the summer 2020 reserve margin from 10.6 percent to 12.6 percent. However, the new forecast is still higher than ERCOT's all-time peak demand record of 74,820 MW, set Aug. 12, 2019.
Since the December 2019 CDR, resources totaling 2,273 MW have been approved by ERCOT for commercial operations, with summer peak capacity contributions of 790 MW. New planned resources eligible for inclusion in the report since the last CDR total 6,540 MW. Based on preliminary data provided by generation project developers, planned capacity additions for summer 2021 total 17,993 MW.
For more information, visit www.ercot.com or call (512) 275-7432.
DFC proposes new policy to expand nuclear investment abroad
WASHINGTON -- U.S. International Development Finance Corp. (DFC) has proposed a change to its environmental and social policy that would enable the support of nuclear power projects.
Modernizing DFC's policy to offer financing for nuclear projects supports the agency's development mandate, bolsters U.S. foreign policy and recognizes advances in technology that could make nuclear energy particularly impactful in emerging markets.
"This new policy will help American innovators continue to lead by developing and exporting emissions-free advanced nuclear technology around the world," said Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Energy Institute.
For more information, visit www.dfc.gov or www.globalenergyinstitute.org.
