Nuclear Power Industry Invests to Extend Plant Lives, Increase Output

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Nuclear power continues to rise as a part of the energy mix as plant owners commit capital expenditures to increase output as improve safety, reliability and extend the operational life of power plants.

In 2012, U.S nuclear generation totaled 584,292 megawatts (MW), increasing to 589,564 in 2013 and growing to 596,174 MW through September 2014. As a fuel source, nuclear power now makes up makes 19% of total power generation in the U.S, 15.2% in Canada and 4% in Mexico.

Industrial Info is tracking 35 nuclear plant capital projects in North America, with a total investment value of more than $14 billion. There are 15 capital projects worth $7.3 billion that are scheduled to start construction between January 2015 and December 2016. The top market regions include Ontario, Canada, with three projects valued at $5.93 billion; the Midwest, with two projects valued at $630 million dollars; and the Great Lakes, with three projects valued at $359 million.

In Ontario, the capital investments are for the Ontario Power Generation Inc.'s (Toronto, Ontario) Darlington nuclear power plant life extension projects, as well as Bruce Power Limited Partnership's (Tiverton, Ontario) Bruce A nuclear plant life extension project.

North American nuclear plants continue to run safely and additional capital must be spent in order for them to comply with relicensing requirements as well as to upgrade and uprate the units to increase generation capacity during planned outages. All nuclear power plant owners seeking license renewals before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (Washington, D.C.) must undergo extensive environmental and safety reviews, establish a program to identify which structures and components to upgrade or replace, and also schedule hearings to ensure a fair resolution to contested issues.

The applications that are submitted to the NRC are extensive and detailed in order to allow the NRC staff to determine whether the effects of aging can be addressed so the plant will continue to be operated safely for the duration of the facility's extended life.

The NRC staff can take 30 months to review the relicense application in order to determine whether the plant can operate for the extended period, but the licensee may apply for a renewal up to 20 years before the expiration of the current license.

For related information, see December 10, 2014, article - Repurposing of DOE Loans Could Give Nuclear Power Industry a Needed Boost.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.