Nuclear power company contends new Scriba plant won't need controversial new power lines
– Edited by April Murelio –
According to a report in The Post-Standard, one of the arguments for building a controversial power line across Upstate New York — that it's necessary for a fourth nuclear plant to be built near Oswego — was derailed Tuesday by the head of the company that wants to build the plant.
"We don't need any new transmission lines," George Vanderheyden, president and chief executive officer of UniStar Nuclear Energy said. Unistar wants to build the proposed Nine Mile Point 3 plant in Scriba.
Accorduing to Vanderheyden the new plant will feature a much shorter cooling tower, would use less water than the 540-foot cooling tower that services Nine Mile Point 2.
"Our design uses nuclear fuel 2 percent more efficiently. Through its projected 60-year life, that could save the plant billions of dollars. Double containment for the reactor, with two thick layers of concrete walls separated by a chamber filled with filtered air. Added safety measures will add about $1 billion to the cost of the plant."
Still, New York Regional Interconnect wants to build a 190-mile, high-voltage power line from Marcy to Orange County. The $2.1 billion power cable would run through much of Oneida County, the southeastern corner of Madison County and five other counties. The NYRI new line plan has drawn opposition from citizens organizations as well as governments along its path.
UniStar is moving forward on plans to build four new nuclear power plants in the United States. Unistar is half-owned by Constellation Energy, the owner of Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 nuclear plants, and French nuclear utility EDF.
Nine Mile Point 3 would be the second of the four UniStar builds. The first would be in Calvert Cliffs, Md., about 40 miles from Washington, D.C. Plants would be built later in Missouri and Pennsylvania.
"None of the plants would require new transmission lines," Vanderheyden said, "but what will be needed are upgrades to transmission equipment in Scriba."
The new plant would be identical to one under construction in Flamanville, France and produce 1,600 megawatts of power (nearly as much as Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 combined).