The U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute works at real high level of safety and security, which are being improved with the help of lessons learnt from the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan. Nuclear energy provides around 20 percent of America’s power requirements and supports the country’s energy security and other needs.
Fertel, the President and CEO of NEI said that the American plants are very well prepared to use the natural resources of the country; he further added that we’ll be a lot better than this if we use the lessons which are being learnt from the Japanese accident. He said that, this accident is a great reminder that nuclear power is the only industry which is bound by a remarkable technology and the commitment to safety and international commitment.
He was speaking before 550 leaders of the industry at the annual meeting of NEI. Fertel said that American Nuclear Energy Institute has took immediate action just after Japan’s disaster to check about the security of each power plant in America in such events like fires, explosions, loss of power to the plant and flooding.
He said that, they are still learning from the incident in Japan, but along with this moving towards their goal to deliver safe and reliable electricity to meet the growing demand in the country.
In America all Nuclear plants are working with utmost reliability, they have produces around 810 billion KWH of energy in 2010. These plants are operating at an industry average capacity factor of around 90 to 91 percent.
Fertel told the industry leaders that Nuclear Energy Institute and Nuclear Regulatory Commission both have faced the task to focus on the security many times; he told that they are working on resolving all safety related issues along with sharpening every plants performance.
From 1990 onwards Nuclear Energy Institute in America is regularly increasing the efficiency and generation of electricity, with restarting Browns Ferry 1 in 2005, a big success has been achieved, and this is almost equivalent about adding 29 electric grids.
Fertel highlighted that U.S. nuclear power industry’s growth is due to skilled and dedicated task force and a realistic controller like Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC is doing reviews of plant safety due to the Japanese accident and will give its reports in 30 to 90 days.
The Nuclear Energy Institute is also doing same reviews, which has made instant protective improvements. Examples of matters identified in the industry’s analysis, are:
- improving and expanding storage and position of apparatus;
- enhanced harmonization with primary responders and retailer; and
- Illuminating workers’ duties and improving instruction chances.
He also said that all improvements will be applied to all the reactors in the US, regardless of any condition, and in all the newly built plants also.
He said that the NRC is exploring the safety issues for the all power plants, regardless of any thing; The NRC continuously reviewing process is really effective.
Around 66 out of 104 reactors in America have their licenses renewed for next 20 years and about 18 applications of license renewal are under the review of NRC.
The production of modern nuclear energy will continue to grow, but not as it was seen earlier it will go on a slow pace due to the prices of natural gas and recession. NEI is expecting to start about 8 reactors in between 2016 to 2020. As the demand is expected grow around 28 percent by 2035.
According to Fertel electricity is so much available in developed nation that we almost forget sometimes that up to which level we depend on it.
