AIKEN - The U.S. Department of Energy has directed its Savannah River Site office to negotiate with utility companies about possible lease agreements involving the construction of a commercial nuclear power plant.
"That's a huge, huge, huge step," said Mal McKibben, the executive director of Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness, which is rallying to build a reactor at SRS.
The DOE's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs notified U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., about the directive on July 8, according to a copy of the notice obtained by The Augusta Chronicle.
It pre-empts a visit to SRS on Tuesday by a consortium of companies called NuStart Energy Development LLC. The group is testing regulatory guidelines to license and build a new plant, and SRS is one of six locations on its list.
It's been decades since a new nuclear power plant went through the licensing process.
Mr. Barrett said he was encouraged that the DOE's decision could help make that a reality at SRS.
"What better place than the Savannah River Site footprint?" he said.
Between local boosters who have long envisioned a public-private energy park at SRS and the NuStart group, there has been much talk about a commercial reactor at SRS.
The DOE directive lends credence to the idea.
The agency's notice states that it "issued guidance to its Savannah River Operations Office to begin discussions with nuclear utilities."
A DOE spokesman said the agency's letter gives "approval for the discussions to at least take place."
"President Bush has called for the expanded use of clean, safe nuclear power, and several entities have been looking at the SRS as a possible location," spokesman Mike Waldrin said.
NuStart plans to visit all six potential sites before narrowing its list to two by October. It will spend part of Tuesday meeting with local economic leaders and another touring SRS with site officials.
State authorities and the Economic Development Partnership of Aiken and Edgefield counties are preparing an incentives package for the NuStart consortium, Mr. McKibben said.
The package will also include key details NuStart would need to know about locating a plant at SRS, such as its geography and wind patterns.
SRS is the only site NuStart is considering that does not have an existing generating facility and the transmission lines needed to connect to an electricity grid.
Although power companies tend to favor sites that are already connected, SRS sizes up well against the competition because of its 300-square-mile reservation, security force and scientific expertise in the nuclear field.
The nuclear installation isn't the only location in the area being targeted for a commercial power plant.
Plant Vogtle in Burke County has been singled out by Southern Nuclear Operating Co.
Southern Nuclear manages three nuclear reactors for Southern Co., the parent of Georgia Power and also a member of the NuStart consortium.
A reactor's impact on health and the environment are the key components in the licensing process, said Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's southeast region.
It is possible reactors could be built at both places, though construction isn't likely to start for years.
"How far apart Plant Vogtle is from Savannah Rive Site, that's probably not a consideration," Mr. Hannah said.
Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 113, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.
The race to power
Savannah River Site is being eyed for a commercial nuclear reactor. It's been years since a new reactor was built in the U.S., but the idea is gaining popularity. Three companies already have submitted early site permitting applications to build new reactors:
- Exelon Generation Co. LLC
- Clinton Power Station, Illinois
- System Energy Resources Inc.
- Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Mississippi
- Dominion Nuclear North Anna LLC
- North Anna ESP site, Virginia
Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission