September 15, 2006

Global Monitor (September 2006)

Demand records fall nationwide

It's been warm around POWER's editorial office in Arizona these past few weeks. When the thermometer doesn't see the south side of 100F, even at night, it's officially "hot."

We weren't alone in our misery. All seven regional independent grid operator regions were scorched and set new peak-demand records during the mid-July heat wave. No system disturbances due to the extreme heat were reported, although some operators called for conservation measures to maintain their reserve margins. So said the ISO-RTO Council (IRC), which represents the seven U.S. independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission organizations (RTOs). ISOs and RTOs serve two-thirds of the U.S. population.

The peak-demand records, all set within a three-day period, were as much as 9.9% higher than those set in 2005. Regional grid operators reported a new aggregate peak record for electricity usage of 483,233 MW; last year, their peak demand was 475,717 MW.

Looking at the numbers by ISO/RTO:

• California ISO delivered 46,561 MW on July 17, surpassing the previous record of 45,431 MW set on July 20, 2005.
• ERCOT peaked at 62,396 MW on July 17, exceeding the previous record of 60,274 MW set on August 23, 2005.
• ISO New England established a new record for demand of 28,021 MW on July 18, surpassing the 26,885 MW consumed on July 27, 2005.
• Midwest ISO reached a new demand peak of 132,658 MW on July 17, topping the previous record of 131,434 MW set on August 3, 2005.
• New York ISO served a record peak load of 33,939 MW on July 17 without enacting emergency procedures. That broke the record of 32,075 MW set on July 26, 2005.
• PJM Interconnection experienced peak demand of 139,746 MW on July 17, surpassing the record 133,763 MW of July 26, 2005.
• Southwest Power Pool's 2006 demand peak of 42,947 MW occurred on July 19. The previous record was 38,852 MW, set on the same date last year.

GE's ABWR to be STP's edge

The American nuclear power renaissance took another step forward this summer with several notable project proposals, the addition of another plant to Entergy's nuclear stable, and the setting of two new deadlines for Yucca Mountain.

Deep in the heart of Texas, GE Energy's nuclear business and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Co. (STPNOC) announced that they have agreed to study the deployment and begin licensing activities for two GE advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs) that would be located at South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (Figure 1).

  1. More of a good thing. South Texas Nuclear Project is looking to add two GE advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs) to its 2,600-MW site in Bay City. Courtesy: South Texas Project

Other utilities considering building new nukes (such as Tennessee Valley Authority) have looked closely at the ABWR but selected either GE's enhanced simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR)—submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for final design approval one year ago—Areva's European pressurized water reactor (EPR), or Westinghouse Electric's AP1000 design for fear they might be left with orphan units. Such fear now may be unfounded.

The two proposed reactors would be built adjacent to the two-unit, 2,600-MW plant that STPNOC operates in Bay City, Texas, about 90 miles southwest of Houston. The plant is owned by Austin Energy (16%), CPS Energy (40%), and NRG Texas LLC (44% ownership).

On July 27, representatives of STPNOC, NRG, and GE met with the NRC to discuss their intention to prepare a combined construction and operating license (COL) application for the two-unit ABWR project. With that step, NRG joined a growing number of gencos that have notified the NRC of their potential interest in building new, advanced reactors.

The NRC issued a final design certification for the GE ABWR in 1997, allowing it to be used in U.S. projects. The ABWR is a "Generation III" design that is more advanced and said to be safer than existing reactors in operation. For example, the ABWR design incorporates digital controls and locates two additional recirculation pumps inside the reactor containment vessel (Figure 2).

  2. Certified design. The ABWR design uses modern digital controls and places the recirculation pumps inside the containment vessel. Source: Tokyo Electric Power Co.

GE's ABWR is the only proven Generation III reactor operating in the world today. Four units are currently running in Japan; the first started up in 1995 (Figure 3). Two more ABWRs are nearing completion in Taiwan, and construction has begun on a seventh unit in Japan. Additional ABWRs are in the planning stages. The four Japanese units' "baseline" construction and operational data allow utilities considering ABWR technology to be more certain about project costs and payback periods.

 

3. Generation III design. The 8,200-MW Kashiwazaki Kariwa facility in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, is powered by five 1,100-MW boiling water reactors (BWRs) and two 1,350-MW advanced BWRs. Courtesy: Tokyo Electric Power Co.