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2/2/15, "New England generation fuel mix changes likely as Vermont Yankee nuclear plant retires," eia.gov/todayinenergy
"On December 29, 2014, Entergy shut down its Vermont Yankee nuclear
facility after 42 years in service. Vermont Yankee had a capacity of 604
megawatts (MW), generating nearly five million megawatthours (MWh) of
electricity per year since 2010. As the fifth-largest source of
generation in New England, Vermont Yankee accounted for 4% of New
England's total electric generation and more than 70% of generation in
Vermont. Grid operators in New England have multiple options to replace
or offset the loss of generation from Vermont Yankee's closure, and
they will most likely use several of them in combination.
One option is to operate some of the existing generators in New
England at higher rates. The four nuclear units now active in New
England—Millstone units 2 and 3 in Connecticut, Pilgrim Nuclear Power
Station in Massachusetts, and Seabrook in New Hampshire, with combined
summer nameplate capacity of 4,026 MW—already operated at an average
capacity factor of just over 90% in 2014 (based on data through
October). Since renewable sources generate power only on a variable
basis, any additional generation will likely have to come largely from
natural gas-, coal-, or petroleum-fueled units.
New England could also import more electricity along its existing
transmission connections to neighboring electricity grids in Canada and
New York,. The Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE)
consistently imports several thousand megawatts of electricity each hour
from those regions. These imports met 14% of New England's demand in
2013, according to ISO-NE.
Transmission capacity into New England could also be expanded. The
Northern Maine Independent System Administrator (NMISA) traditionally
has had more generating capacity than needed and is isolated from the
rest of New England, with ties only to Canada. NMISA is currently
considering ways to access the New England electrical grid directly,
which would add generating capacity for the New England market.
Hydro-Quebec is also in the approval process with its Northern Pass
transmission project. If constructed, Northern Pass would have the
potential to flow up to 1,200 megawatts of electricity into New England.
Electricity demand could also be lowered through increased energy
efficiency and demand response programs to make up for the generation
lost as a result of the retirement of generating units. ISO-NE currently
counts 2,100 MW of demand resources (including load management,
distributed generation, and energy efficiency programs) and expects this
number to increase in the coming years. All New England states
participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,
which auctions carbon dioxide emissions and uses auction proceeds to
fund energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other utility programs.
Entergy submitted its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report and the Site-Specific Decommissioning Cost Estimate
to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late December. The
decommissioning process can take decades to dismantle, discontinue, and
restore the site. Entergy estimates
total decommissioning costs of more than $1.2 billion, including $817
million for license termination, $368 million for spent-fuel management,
and $57 million for site restoration."
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