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U.S. Utilities 'Stealth' Nuclear Revival

The news media love headlines, especiallyPotentially, this would be tantamount the
those which mention that no nuclear reactorconstruction of 5 new 1,000 MWe reactors -
has come online in more than a decade. Howsince the uprate process began, or the same
would journalists (and environmentalists)number of nuclear reactors in Switzerland or
react if they discovered U.S. nuclearSlovakia.
utilities have added the 'nuclear power'
equivalent to four large reactors? A fifth orAbout 105 power uprates were completed
more  could  be  on  the  way.between 1977 and 2006. Most uprates increased
capacity by less than two percent, but more
According to the Energy Informationthan 30 reactors increased capacity by 5 to
Administration (EIA) website, "With projected15 percent through the uprate process. Exelon
increases in electricity demand, constructionCorp (NYSE: EXC) increased capacity at the
of new nuclear power plants or theClinton  reactor  by  20  percent  in  2002.
re-activation of shutdown reactors is drawing
public and media attention. Both of theseThere are three types of power uprates. The
options, however, would take place in theStretch Power Uprate (SPU) requires no
future-if at all. A third option that ishardware changes, but can increase thermal
already taking place has generated lesspower by 7 percent through analysis of the
publicity: uprating existing units toplant's existing safety margins. Improving
generate more power. Although the uprates arethe feed water flow measurements generally
usually less than 10 percent, they are quitenets a thermal power uprate of about 1.5
significant. If all of the proposals arepercent. This is called a 'Measurement
implemented, nuclear capacity would increaseUncertainty Recapture' (MUR) power uprate.
by more than the construction of any newThe NRC approved the first MUR uprate in
reactor  design  now  under  consideration."1999. More than 30 MUR uprates have been
approved, adding an additional 500 MWe
Surprise, there is a nuclear renaissance. Newcapacity.
nuclear capacity has been growing in the
United States for the last quarter century.The most significant in adding power to a
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatorynuclear plant is the Extended Power Uprate
(NRC) website, "Utilities have been using(EPU). Since 1998, the NRC has approved 13
power uprates since the 1970s as a way toEPU uprates, adding more than 1500 MWe to the
increase the power output of their nuclearU.S. nuclear capacity - the equivalent of 1.5
plants. As of July 2004, the NRC hasnuclear reactors. This would be same power
completed 101 such reviews resulting in agenerated by two small natural gas combined
gain of approximately 12,548 MWt (megawattscycle plants, a small hydroelectric facility
thermal) or 4,183 MWe (megawatts electric) ator a 150 MWe wind farm. EPU uprates require
existing plants. Collectively, an equivalentmajor modifications which often include the
of about four nuclear power plant units hasreplacement or modification of the
been gained through implementation of powerturbine-generator, reactor pressure vessel
uprates  at  existing  plants."internals, controls and instrumentation.
Generally, the EPU process has involved
To put this into perspective, if onereplacing old turbines with more efficient
separated the power 'uprates.' of more thannew ones, but it can also involve other
5100 MWe, from total U.S. nuclear capacitychanges. Some industry experts believe the
and counted this capacity as 'its ownEPU uprate and other efficiencies could add
country,' the uprates alone would become theup to 20 percent more capacity to a nuclear
world's 14th largest nuclear electricityreactor.
producer! As of January 2007, the U.S.
uprates, past and proposed, would generateUprates are neither a new development nor
more electricity than nuclear reactors inlimited to the United States. In May 2006,
Brazil, Mexico and Argentina combined; nearlyNucleonics Week reported KHNP had applied to
as much nuclear-generated as India and Southupgrade four reactors in South Korea. In the
Africa combined; more nuclear-generatedlate 1990s, one Swiss reactor was uprated by
electricity than Finland, Switzerland,12 percent and a Finnish reactor was uprated
Slovakia,  or  the  Czech  Republic.by 15 percent. Spain has been aggressive in
its uprate programs. The country has added 11
The power uprates have created a 'stealth'percent to its nuclear capacity by uprating
nuclear renaissance in the United States.its reactors by as much as 13 percent. One
Flying under the radar screen, the increasedreactor's capacity was upgraded by 5 percent
nuclear capacity is somethingfor $50 million. Another reactor is operating
environmentalists have paid attention to, butat  112  percent  of  its  original capacity.
not made serious effort to roadblock. Tiny
capacity increases, adding up over a periodBecause licensing has been an uphill fight in
of years, don't make headlines. But, as youmany developed nations, many nuclear
can see, it adds to additional U3O8,utilities have circumvented the process
conversion, enrichment and conversionthrough uprates. In many cases, this extends
consumption.the plant life and avoids the decommissioning
process. Prime candidates for additional
With all the hoopla of new nuclear reactorsuprates include Exelon (EXC), Entergy (ETR)
proposed for construction in China, India,and  FPL  (FPL),  among  others.
Russia and elsewhere, 'new' capacity
requiring more uranium has been a continuousWhat impact on U.S. electricity generation
effort, right here in the United States. Sometakes place by adding more than 5,000 MWe
of the up-and-coming uprates, in percentagecapacity through power uprates? Quietly and
terms,  are  quite  substantial.under the radar screen the uprate process
saves the United States the annual equivalent
These are the power uprates currently beingof 68 million barrels of oil, 17 million
reviewed by the NRC. Six of the reactors planshort tons of coal or 329 billion cubic feet
to have completed their uprate procedureof natural gas, while generating nearly 40
within the next twelve months. Another threebillion KWh of electricity - all of the
remain in the 'to be determined' category.electricity needs for nearly four million
The nine uprates with 1002 MWe capacitypeople. And that is just through the power
represent slightly more than the averageuprate  process.
capacity of the 103 nuclear reactors
currently operating in the United States -Hypothetically, U.S. utilities could add the
averaging  955  MWe.equivalent of 20 new nuclear reactors by 2020
through the uprate by upgrading the maximum
Further, the NRC reports licensees plan topower level of the nation's existing 103
submit 18 power uprate applications over thereactors. Under this scenario uranium mining
next five years. At a 2005 World Nuclearproduction would have to increase another
Symposium, one utility spokesman forecast20-30 million pounds to accommodate the
another 2600 MWe would be generated by 2010increased  power  expansion.
as a result of power uprates. This additional
growth could represent slightly less than theCOPYRIGHT© 2007 by StockInterview, Inc.
combined nuclear reactor capacities ofALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Hungary, Pakistan and the Netherlands.



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