Wolf Creek seeks OK to run until 2045
Staff and Wire reports
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
If the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. has its way, the Wolf Creek Generating Station will continue in operation almost halfway through this century.
The company has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year extension of its operating license.
According to information from Wolf Creek, the NRC granted the energy plant’s initial license in 1985. That license, for the Wolf Creek Generating Station, will expire at midnight on March 11, 2025. The requested extension would allow the plant to keep generating electricity until 2045.
“It’s an exciting time at Wolf Creek,” said Terry Garrett, vice president of engineering. “We are seeking an extension to our license at the same time that we are enjoying our most successful operating run to date.”
The plant, which began a scheduled outage for maintenance and inspections this month, had operated without incident during the 18 months since its previous routine outage. A news release stated that employees have worked more than 5.5 million hours without a lost-time accident.
“Wolf Creek has maintained the highest level of confidence with the NRC through the reactor-oversight process, always operating in the licensee response band, which requires the minimum level of NRC oversight,” the news release said.
The Kansas Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, which represents consumer interests in matters relating to the state’s utlities, supports the application. CURB says an extension would help maintain lower electricity rates for consumers in southern Kansas. Wolf Creek provides most of the electricity used by customers in Wichita and other areas served by Westar Energy’s southern division, formerly known as KGE.
Rejecting the extension would almost certainly increase power costs, because the $3 billion cost of building the plant would have to be paid off in 40 years, rather than 60, said Niki Christopher, a lawyer for CURB.
State officials reduced electric rates several years ago in anticipation of Wolf Creek’s service life being extended, Christopher said.
The rising cost of fossil fuels also makes nuclear power more economical compared with the coal-fired power used in most of Westar’s northern division, she said.
“Wolf Creek was expensive in the short run, but in the long run, I think it’s going to turn out to be pretty good,” Christopher said. “Every minute we are getting out of that plant is money in the bank.”
Wolf Creek spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said the utility is asking for the extension 19 years ahead of its expiration date as part of an alliance of six similar plants around the country that are also seeking renewals, she said.
The plants can share some of the exhaustive technical work that is part of the renewal process if they apply at the same time, she said.
The application process is expected to take 20 to 22 months, said Hageman and Scott Burnell of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which licenses reactors across the country.
NRC inspections show that Wolf Creek is operating well in all performance areas, and the NRC Web site lists no significant violations since 1997.
The renewal process requires the agency to evaluate Wolf Creek’s plans and procedures to ensure that they will not compromise safety 20 to 40 years from now, Burnell said. The application for license extension has been a long-term project of a company team that began its work in July 2004.
The application process includes NRC audits and written requests for additional information. The agency also will hold public-comment meetings.
dgm (anonymous) says...
Nuclear power is so much more friendly to the environment... It's good to see Wolf Creek doing such a good job, and I wish them many years of continued service!
October 18, 2006 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )