|
Grading the upgrade
The Vermont Public Service Department has spoken out on behalf of Shortly after Entergy
Nuclear purchased Vermont Yankee company officials announced their intention to
seek permission to boost output at the plant by 20 percent. To do so would
require an investment of perhaps $60 million in upgrading the aging plant. Sixty
million is not a firm figure; earlier this year the company said that would be
the cost of the project, but this week the company would not be pinned down to a
number. In return, the company could
expect an additional profit of $20 million, according to William Sherman, the
state’s nuclear engineer. He told the Public Service Board the state of It is the job of the Public
Service Board to issue or deny a certificate of public good for the Yankee
project, and public good must go beyond a fatter bottom line for Entergy.
Entergy’s investment in the project entails some risk on Entergy’s part.
There has been a history of some success and some problems in other projects for
boosting power output at nuclear plants, and Entergy is shouldering the cost of
the project. But The agreement for
Entergy’s purchase of Vermont Yankee contains provisions protecting It would be in order for the
Public Service Board to require similar protection from problems that might
arise from the “uprate” of Vermont Yankee. It is easy to assume that the
project will come off smoothly, but protection should be built in in case it
does not. Apart from protection
against rate shock, rate relief as a consequence of increased profitability
would also be in order. The state must also ensure
that the plant is suited for an upgrade. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will
have to conduct its review of the proposal, but the PSB cannot rely on the NRC
alone. The PSB must watch out for coziness between Entergy and the NRC. Safety
remains the paramount concern for everyone, and the PSB should ensure the most
rigorous review possible precedes any action on Entergy’s proposal to boost
output at Vermont Yankee. |