Nuclear Power Plant Construction License Application Making Progress in Maryland

It has been darned hot on the East Coast, and the electric companies have been asking their customers to conserve power whenever possible, especially in the heat of the day. Each day this week one of the topics of conversation in my carpool has been the oppressive heat and poor air quality.

The power conservation warnings and the “Code Red” air quality alerts made me think about last week’s announcement by Unistar Nuclear, a partnership between Constellation Energy, Areva, Bechtel, and EDF, that they had successfully filed their combined Construction and Operating License (COL) application for a third unit at Calvert Cliffs.

The plant is not exactly in my backyard, but it is only about an hour’s drive south of my home. Though watching and waiting for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue a new nuclear plant license to allow the beginning of construction can be a bit like watching grass grow, the decision to “docket” the application indicates that real progress continues.

If you want to read an article that provides an indication of how the idea of the plant plays to local politicians I recommend a visit to a Washington Post article titled Coalition Formed to Advocate For New Power Plants, Lines.

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The Chesapeake Bay area is a world class treasure, but among its many environmental challenges is that it receives a large dose of noxious pollutants from the large coal fired power plants on its shores and tributaries. Those plants provide a major portion of the electricity supplies in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. The area is densely populated and continues to grow. Even if residents begin to use less energy per person, the increased population will require increased electrical power source.

If that power is supplied by coal, the air quality will continue to deteriorate. Without massive subsidies, solar electricity is a non starter according to Solar power and ‘green mortgages’ If it is supplied by wind turbines, it will disappear on the days when we need it the most. As a long-time Bay sailor, I agree with those who call it “The Dead Sea” during the summer months. If you have never experienced a series of days on the East Coast with a stationary “Bermuda High” off the coast, consider yourself lucky to have avoided the muggy, hazy, desperate-for-a-breeze weather that is only made bearable by air-conditioning or a swimming pool.

Of course, there is always the option of long transmission lines that would allow the Mid-Atlantic region to import electricity from coal burned somewhere else or the possibility of increasing the flow of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from distant lands to the Cove Point, Maryland LNG terminal.

As a ratepayer in Maryland who plans to remain in the state for a long time, neither of those solutions is quite as appealing to me as a well-operated, 1600 MWe, emission-free, new nuclear power plant located just a few miles away in a place that is already the hub of a number of expandable transmission corridors.

Photo credit: NukeWorker.com with permission

Disclosure: A small portion of my modest portfolio is in Constellation Energy since it is one of the companies that is actively pursuing new nuclear power plant construction and operation.

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