Idea of nuclear
plant excites Cumberland County, N.C., officials
Sep 27, 2005 - The Fayetteville Observer, N.C.
Author(s): John Fuquay
Sep. 27--FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Soaring some about 50 stories into the
sky, the cooling tower of a nuclear power plant would dramatically alter
the Cumberland County landscape.
And the potential $1 billion investment with 1,000 or more jobs would
have an equally uplifting effect on the county's economy.
But competition, questions about a water supply and a Progress Energy
spokesman indicate that Cumberland County has a long way to go before
landing a nuclear power plant.
Since Progress Energy announced said last month it was exploring the
possibility of building a new nuclear energy plant, officials from
Fayetteville have said they plan to convince persuade the Raleigh-based
utility to consider Cumberland County.
"I'm very excited about this," state Sen. Larry Shaw said. "We have
not come close to anything like this. This is the kind of thing everyone
ought to get behind. These are the kinds of jobs we need. This is the
kind of economic development we need."
Shaw, a Cumberland County Democrat, said jobs lost from Black &
Decker and possible downsizing at Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. and other
manufacturers have left a void.
"We've had a rough time getting industry to our part of the world,"
he said. "The jobs are going everywhere except Cumberland County."
He said he and Fayetteville Mayor Marshall Pitts Jr., are planning a
meeting with Progress Energy officials to promote the area. A date has
not been set, he said. Pitts was unavailable for comment.
"At this point, there's some very wishful thinking going on," said
Progress Energy spokesman Rick Kimble, who added that he was unaware of
plans to talk to Fayetteville officials. "That does not mean that we
would not be open to anyone who has a reasonable site ... but it's a
very large footprint, and it requires a large amount of water."
Kimble said the climate for building a nuclear power plant is better
now than it has been in years. Interest rates are low, technology is
improved and a new federal energy bill reduces costs to meet certain
regulatory requirements.
Company's plans Progress Energy has notified the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission that it is seeking a site so it may apply for a construction
and operating license. An application could be filed in 2008, with
construction beginning in 2010. The notification does not mean the
company will submit an application.
Shaw said the county could dam the Cape Fear River and offer Progress
Energy a reservoir for a cooling tower. He said the General Assembly
appropriated $100 million to the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund
to pay for projects such as buying land for a reservoir.
"I think it's time the General Assembly supported us like we've
supported everybody else over the years," Shaw said. "We're state
taxpayers, too."
But not everyone is ready to dam the river.
"It's a dumb idea," said Denny Shaffer, a former president of the
national Sierra Club who lives in Fayetteville and remains active in
environmental issues. "You have to have a hole to fill up, and we don't
have one. This land here is too flat."
Kimble said a nuclear power plant requires 30 million to 60million
gallons of water a day to cool water heated in the plant's reactors. The
city of Fayetteville, which takes drinking water from the Cape Fear
River, takes an average of 25million gallons daily and has never
consumed more than 43.3million gallons in a day.
Many nuclear plants operate on rivers, Kimble said, noting, "it takes
a fairly large river that runs even during droughts."
Shaffer said he fought for federal laws in the 1970s that helped
prevent the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania from being worse.
Water aside, he said he doubts nuclear power will ever come to
Cumberland County.
"The likelihood of it happening, simply from a permitting standpoint
and financing standpoint is, in my opinion, negligible," he said.
In addition, some have a perception of nuclear plants as being
dangerous.
"They don't make good neighbors," Shaffer said.
Kimble counters that nuclear power is the cleanest and most efficient
of any source.
He said a more likely expansion could occur happen in Wake County
where Progress Energy has land and operates a single-unit nuclear plant
called Shearon-Harris.
Kimble said the 10,700-acre site, where a 525-foot cooling tower sits
on Harris Lake, is a possible site for expansion, but there could be
others. The decision could be driven by demand. Progress Energy serves
customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. It has two
nuclear plants in North Carolina and one in each of the other states.
Kenneth M. Atkins, executive director of Wake County Economic
Development, said he was unaware of Progress Energy's expansion plans,
but if the company does expand, he hopes it's at Shearon- Harris.
"Clearly a nuclear power plant adds significantly to the tax base of
where it's located," Atkins said. "They pay a lot of taxes. Any
government would like to have that."
With no tax breaks, a $1 billion plant in Cumberland County would pay
$10.3 million annually in county property taxes.
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