Dr. Conca reports that this year, the TVA took some significant actions that will move the country forward on what many think is the best energy mix for the future, nuclear and solar. TVA is also ramping down coal and expanding other sources like cheap natural gas, and making more progress on energy efficiency and demand response that make energy sources go a lot farther, just as nuclear reactor efficiencies have been uprated 40% over the past 25 years or more. TVA submitted the first-ever early site permit application to the U.S. NRC for small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) at the 1,200-acre Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, TN. TVA also achieved initial criticality in its new Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear reactor when the unit achieved its first sustained nuclear fission reaction. Watts Bar 2 is the first new nuclear power plant in the U.S. to become operational in this century and will produce well over 700 billion kWhs of extremely low-carbon electricity over its life, at an actual cost of only 6 cents per kWhr. TVA plans to integrate all of their various power sources over the next 15 years ... 1. retire half of their coal fleet, mostly in the next few years, including coal-fired units at Allen, Colbert, Johnsonville, Paradise, Widows Creek and perhaps Shawnee, totaling over 4,000 MW. 2. add up to 3,800 MW of solar 3. bring Watts Bar 2 Nuclear up to full power (it was synchronized to the grid on June 3rd), pursue additional power uprates at all three Browns Ferry nuclear reactors and bring on Small Modular Reactors, totaling more than 2,500 MW of new nuclear 4. bring up an additional 50 MW of hydroelectric capacity 5. add about 500 MW of demand response 6. achieve as much as 2,800 MW in energy efficiency 7. add up to 1,750 MW of wind, depending on pricing, performance, and integration costs 8. add up to 5,500 MW of natural gas (Combustion Turbine and Combined Cycle) to replace coal and to help buffer new wind.
Re-Directed URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/06/07/tva-way-ahead-of-the-pack-with-nuclear-and-solar/#617724af58c6
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