President-elect of the American Nuclear Society says nuclear power plants a boon

The construction of new nuclear power plants in the United States presents some problems the nation’s entrepreneurs could solve.

William Burchill, president-elect of the American Nuclear Society, said in Lynchburg last week that the huge need for a nuclear infrastructure presents an opportunity.

He said the first eight new nuclear plants alone will require 700,000 electrical components, 200,000 feet of pipe, and 20,000 high-quality valves.

Also, some plant designs depend on humongous steel tanks only manufactured in Japan.

For now, at least.

“They will come, for these first units, from overseas,” Burchill said. “This is an opportunity for an entrepreneur here in the United States to get into this business and open up some shops.”

The need to establish infrastructure to provide these components is one of the challenges the nuclear industry must meet if it is to become the major player it wants to be in the United States.

Burchill outlined those challenges and presented his hope for solutions in a speech to the Virginia section of the American Nuclear Society on Thursday in Lynchburg.

Other challenges include maintaining public and political support and finding ways to handle nuclear waste.

A retired professor, Burchill also said the caliber of students heading for the nuclear field bodes well for the industry.

The resurgence of nuclear power plant construction is necessary, Burchill said, because the world needs more power.

“It’s not unusual to find estimates that say by mid-century, world demand for electricity could grow by a factor of two,” Burchill said.

While there are 35 nuclear plants being built outside the U.S., and China is pondering 200 more, the process is going slower in the U.S.

The Energy Information Administration’s outlook for 2030 estimates only 17 new nuclear power plants by that time.

Burchill said that’s not enough. “It’ll be true if we forecast that and stick to our forecast, but I think we could build more.”

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently has more than 30 applications for power plants on its table.

Going forward, the industry must keep public and political support high, Burchill said.

He said the nation holds to an untrue perception that nuclear energy is unpopular.

“While the majority, 65 percent, are in favor of it, they think their neighbors are opposed,” he said.

Burchill said performance at existing nuclear facilities has improved. The number of equipment-forced outages has been cut in half over the past 10 years. Radiation exposure to plant employees has dropped as well.

Burchill said continuing to improve the track record is important for building support.

The question of what to do with nuclear waste poses another challenge.

Burchill said recycling nuclear fuel is the best option, but the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility in Nevada needs to be licensed and opened.

Burchill said nuclear education programs need financial support from the Department of Energy to educate the next generation of nuclear engineers.

“These students who come out of high school with an interest in science and mathematics don’t just come with a slide rule,” he said. “They have inquiring questions to ask about environmental impact and ethical impact and so forth.”