Expansion of Point Beach nuclear plant questioned

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Groups say state has enough electricity

Wisconsin doesn't need expanded power output from the Point Beach nuclear plant because the state has more than enough electricity to meet its needs, two advocacy groups said in a filing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

NextEra Energy Resources Inc. has proposed expanding the total power output from the two-reactor plant by 17%. The plant supplies electricity to Milwaukee utility We Energies.

In a filing with the NRC, the Wisconsin Citizens' Utility Board and Clean Wisconsin raise questions about the plan, saying the NRC is relying on outdated information about the plant and its importance to the reliability of Wisconsin's power grid.

The NRC said the plant's output is needed to meet demand for power that's growing by 2% a year, citing a 2008 Wisconsin report. But the recession cut demand for electricity, and the state said the growth rate in demand has slowed to 1% a year, the groups say.

The groups also say the issue is "outdated and inaccurate" in contending that the project, known as an uprate, is needed in light of a weak transmission grid that has led Wisconsin to import power from Illinois.

But that is no longer the case, following billions of dollars of investment by American Transmission Co. in the eastern Wisconsin power grid and construction of new power plants, the consumer and environmental group said.

"The proposed . . . [updgrade] would actually result in needing to build more transmission in Wisconsin to enable (Point Beach) to export the uprate power out of state," the groups say.

American Transmission Co. has proposed a $173 million upgrade of the transmission line network in the Manitowoc County area to enable the full output of the nuclear plant to reach the rest of the power grid.

In light of the state's excess power supply, the PSC last year opened an inquiry into whether power plants should be mothballed or idled. Utilities say demand for power is expected to ramp back up as the economy improves.

Xcel Energy and co-sponsors release Phase One of Transmission Study for transporting wind energy across Upper Midwest

From an news release issued by Excel Energy:

MINNEAPOLIS – Phase One of a comprehensive study released today by a coalition of energy leaders, identifies future transmission needs in the Upper Midwest to support renewable energy development and to transport that energy to population and electricity load centers. Xcel Energy is co-sponsoring the study with Electric Transmission America – a joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, American Transmission Company, Exelon Corp., NorthWestern Energy and MidAmerican Energy Company.

The Strategic Midwest Area Transmission Study (SMARTransmission) sponsors retained Quanta Technology LLC to evaluate extra-high voltage transmission alternatives for new transmission development in the Upper Midwest. In phase one, Quanta evaluated eight transmission alternatives designed to support the integration of significant new wind generation within the study area, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The plans would accommodate the integration of up to 56.8 gigawatts of wind generation. This translates into enough energy to power over 15 million households. If it is determined that less wind energy is needed, transmission recommendations would be adjusted accordingly.

The study’s Phase One results recommend three alternatives for further study based on a rigorous reliability assessment and stakeholder input. One of the alternatives is primarily 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission, another includes 765 kilovolt combined with limited use of high-voltage direct current transmission lines, while the third constitutes a combination of both 345-kilovolt and 765-kilovolt transmission lines. The three alternatives will be evaluated further during the second phase of the study, scheduled for completion during the third quarter of 2010. The Phase One report can be downloaded at www.smartstudy.biz.