An Ignoble Experiment

2. Southern California Edison facing $4.4B bill to decommission SONGS

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is celebrating 30 years of commercial operation and counting at its Helms Pumped Storage Project (PSP). The hydroelectric facility was considered an "engineering marvel" when it was built in 1984, according to PG&E, and continues to play a vital role today -- as well in California's clean energy future.

Credit: energy.ca.gov

Operators can take Helms from an idle state to full generation in eight minutes. The ability to ramp up and down that quickly plays a key role in integrating intermittent renewable resources such as wind and solar onto the grid.

"Helms and our Diablo Canyon Power Plant give us the unique capability to fully integrate a significant amount of clean energy into the power supply while still ensuring that we can meet the energy demands of our customers," said John Conway, PG&E senior vice president for Energy Supply. "When it began delivering power 30 years ago, Helms played a key role for California and our customers. That role has only grown as our electric grid has evolved."

Helms features two reservoirs and three hydro pump generators. The generators can produce a total of 1,212 MW of electricity -- enough to power the cities of Fresno and Oakland.

Nearly four miles of tunnels connect the powerhouse and two reservoirs. In times of high electric demand, water flows downhill from a higher elevation (8,200 feet) through the powerhouse. When there is excess generation online, the pumps can be reversed, pushing the water uphill from the lower elevation (6,500 feet) to recharge the upper reservoir.

For more:
- see this report



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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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3. Power mag recognizes outstanding power plant achievements

Southern California Edison (SCE) has requested that the the San Onofre Community Engagement Panel review the formal decommissioning plan, environmental evaluation and updated cost estimate to decommission the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).

San Onofre. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/downtowngal

After receiving feedback from the panel, which must be filed by June 2015, SCE plans to expeditiously submit the PSDAR and supporting documents to the commission.

The draft plan -- known as a Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) -- outlines the timetable for major decommissioning work expected to begin in early 2016 and says that adequate funds to pay for the work exist.

The work is estimated to cost $4.4 billion to safely complete the 20-year decommissioning of San Onofre. In addition, the Environmental Impact Evaluation, which supports the PSDAR, concludes the environmental impacts of San Onofre decommissioning do not exceed those already identified in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's generic environmental impact statement. The estimate includes the cost to decommission San Onofre Units 2 and 3, manage and store the used nuclear fuel until it is accepted by the U.S. Department of Energy, and restore the site for future use -- subject to an easement agreement with the U.S. Navy, who owns the land.

The decommissioning trust funds established by San Onofre's owners currently contain about $4.1 billion. Based on the updated cost estimate, anticipated cost escalation and future trust fund earnings, San Onofre decommissioning is now fully funded and no further customer contributions are required. Any unused funds will be returned to customers at the end of decommissioning.

SCE announced in June of 2013 that it would retire San Onofre Units 2 and 3, at which time it begin preparations to decommission the facility.

For more:
- see the PSDAR

Read more about: Southern California Edison
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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4. BGE contribution to MD economy in the billions

Power magazine has announced the winners of its 2014 Plant of the Year Award, Marmaduke Award, and Water Award.

KOMIPO's combined cycle power plant. Credit: Power magazine

The highest honor, the 2014 Plant of the Year Award, went to Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, located in the Mojave Desert, which is the world's largest solar thermal generation facility to come online so far. The project was recognized, in part, for the difficulty experienced in getting the project funded and built, and the creative solutions and partnerships put in place to meet environmental, regulatory, and construction challenges.

Korea Midland Power's (KOMIPO) Incheon combined cycle power plant (CCPP) #3 won the Marmaduke Award -- named after Marmaduke Surfaceblow, the fictional marine engineer and plant troubleshooter -- for excellence in power plant problem-solving. The South Korean CCPP is one of the largest to be relocated, and because both the original and new sites were operating plants, logistics and timing played a key role and were much more important than if the company was moving a decommissioned unit.

The magazine's first annual Water Award goes to Westar Energy's Jeffrey Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant, for the unconventional solutions deployed by the conventional fossil plant. By mimicking natural processes, this large Midwestern plant is able to effectively treat flue gas desulfurization wastewater while protecting the environment and minimizing costs.

For more:
- see this article

Read more about: Ivanpah
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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5. Cape Wind finds construction contractor

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore Foundation (EAGB) has calculated the economic contributions of Baltimore Gas and Electric's (BGE) operations to the region in 2013 at $3.81 billion, resulting from the company's direct effect and the effect of companies that provide services to BGE. BGE's activities contribute more than 2 percent of the entire economic output of the BGE service area in central Maryland, according to the study.

BGE commissioned EAGB to conduct the study, which used independently verifiable information provided by BGE and analyzed operations (including daily transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas to customers) and energy management (including the administration and results of programs designed to efficiently manage or reduce customer energy consumption).

In addition to its operations, BGE acts as a broker of energy management programs through a partnership between the company, its customers, and EmPOWER Maryland. The energy management programs administered by BGE -- such as the voluntary PeakRewards program -- saved customers $79 million in 2013 and supported $209.11 million in output.

According to the study, $.90 of output was generated for every dollar of direct BGE output as a result of BGE's energy management activities.

In addition to direct economic activities, such as BGE's more than $1 billion in procurement, the study accounted for indirect and induced economic activities and benefits -- such as income received and the spending of BGE employees, as well as employees and vendors from other companies, who receive wages as a result of BGE's spending on goods and services.

For more:
- see the study

Read more about: Baltimore Gas and Electric
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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