Post-Gazette: Minireactor in Works at Westinghouse; Lawmakers Push Bill Backing Project

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Reps. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, and Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, joined Westinghouse executives in the company's Cranberry headquarters for the announcement. It's part of the politicians' first move in making Western Pennsylvania a major player in whatever energy legislation moves through Congress later this year.

The lawmakers see an opportunity for companies in Pittsburgh -- the "energy capital of the world," according to Mr. Murphy.

The Nuclear Power 2021 Act calls for the construction of two small nuclear reactors by 2021, both of which will be funded partially by the Department of Energy. While the legislation presents itself as a possible solution to record-high gasoline prices, the proposal will inevitably be met by anxious constituents still reeling from the recent nuclear meltdown in Japan.

Westinghouse has been working on small nuclear reactors.

The company designed a Small Modular Reactor that shrinks nuclear operations to one capsule that stands about 90 feet tall and doesn't need to be located near a large body of water for its cooling needs.

The 7-month-old project is still in the "nursery" stages of research and development, said Westinghouse CEO Aris Candris, but the company envisions the plants to be something like a new windmill: just part of the scenery.

"You can put it anywhere," said Mr. Altmire.

They can sit within miles of the industrial plant, military base or neighborhood they power. The Small Modular Reactor couldn't power all of Pittsburgh, but it's "more than enough for Cranberry," said Kate Jackson, chief technology officer at Westinghouse.

The location flexibility of the plants is one selling point for the congressmen's reluctant colleagues, still well aware of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan that crippled the country's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, causing the world's biggest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl accident in 1986.

The disaster inspired politicians worldwide to call for regulatory reviews or all-out moratoriums on nuclear facility construction. No Westinghouse projects have been delayed as a result of post-Fukushima revisions, said Mr. Candris. Construction on four Westinghouse plants in China is under way.

However, just hours after Friday's news conference, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a statement calling on Westinghouse to answer to technical issues the agency has found in the design of the company's flagship AP1000 reactor.

The commission takes issue with the reactor's shield building design and some pressure expected within the containment. The NRC will withhold final approval of the design until Westinghouse addresses the concerns.

Westinghouse issued a statement in response, saying: "Westinghouse will continue to work with the NRC as part of the normal licensing process to address the few remaining confirmatory items, none of which are safety significant and several of which are self-identified by Westinghouse."

Construction on two AP1000s in Georgia and two in South Carolina is under way, and the NRC expects Westinghouse to "submit additional material early next month." Westinghouse had planned on the domestic plants generating electricity by 2016.

Mr. Altmire introduced the same bill last year to no avail. The renewed focus on record-high gasoline prices has created a more palatable climate for energy legislation, and a complete energy package should start coming together before the end of the year, he said.

"You can't pretend Japan didn't happen," he said, but the safety mechanism developed for Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor will be used in the Small Modular Reactor. Mr. Altmire cited the reactors' "passive cooling system," which can douse overheated reactors with water stored inside the chamber.

The bill also calls for a public-private partnership that eases companies through the licensing and regulatory process.

Erich Schwartzel: eschwartzel@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1455.

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