Future of Nebraska's nuclear power
For 50 years, Cooper Nuclear Station has provided energy to over 300,000 Nebraska homes. Dan Buman, special assistant to the CNS vice president, said the station will run for at least another 30 years.”We are preparing a submittal to the that we will be making second quarter of next year,” Buman said. “To the NRC to have approval to be able to extend that operating life out to 2054.”Despite generating 835 megawatts of energy, Nebraska Public Power District said Cooper might not be enough.”All of the utilities in the state of Nebraska have been experiencing some record generation growth,” Buman said. “We need not only all of Cooper, but we’re actually adding at this particular point, we’re adding some conventional generation.”The hunt has begun for a new nuclear power site. A siting study narrowed the pool down to 16 locations across the state: Beatrice, Hallam, Sutherland, Hastings, Brownville, Valentine, Kearney, Fremont, Grand Island, Lexington, Plattsmouth, Wauneta, Holdrege, Rushville and Norfolk. Nebraska City is also on that list, an area that has lived in the shadow of CNS since 1975. “My wife’s from the area, we’ve always known about and had relatives that worked at Cooper Nuclear Station,” Nebraska City Mayor Bryan Bequette said.”I think there is a level of comfort in our community already just because of that proximity,” Lisa Walker, executive director of Nebraska City Area Economic Development Center, said.Walker said the residents are excited about the possibility. NPPD held public town halls in every city over the last several months where people could ask questions and express any concerns.”We have the space and we have, I think, the desire. We have citizens who are interested in more job opportunities, high-paying job opportunities,” Walker said.That excitement is exactly one of the things NPPD is looking for.”I actually asked the question, ‘What were the key variables moving forward?’” Bequette said. “Welcoming community, a community that looks like they would have open arms to be there.”Now, Nebraska City is not a confirmed site, but they will move on to the next phase of the study. Throughout this process, Buman and the NPPD will run several tests and experiments to evaluate the structural integrity, grid quality and accessibility to the power grid among other criteria.”What is the ground soil? The proximity to any sort of historical landmarks or things of that nature. Water usage is another big issue,” Buman said.While this is an ongoing study, there are no official plans for a new nuclear site.”We have not, you know, taken anything to the board,” Buman said. “We’re just trying to look at what we can do to be prepared in advance.”Buman said if plans are made, a new station wouldn’t come online until 2028 at the earliest. More information about the siting study and nuclear in Nebraska can be found at nextgennuclearne.com.
For 50 years, Cooper Nuclear Station has provided energy to over 300,000 Nebraska homes. Dan Buman, special assistant to the CNS vice president, said the station will run for at least another 30 years.
“We are preparing a submittal to the [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] that we will be making second quarter of next year,” Buman said. “To the NRC to have approval to be able to extend that operating life out to 2054.”
Despite generating 835 megawatts of energy, Nebraska Public Power District said Cooper might not be enough.
“All of the utilities in the state of Nebraska have been experiencing some record generation growth,” Buman said. “We need not only all of Cooper, but we’re actually adding at this particular point, we’re adding some conventional generation.”
The hunt has begun for a new nuclear power site. A siting study narrowed the pool down to 16 locations across the state: Beatrice, Hallam, Sutherland, Hastings, Brownville, Valentine, Kearney, Fremont, Grand Island, Lexington, Plattsmouth, Wauneta, Holdrege, Rushville and Norfolk. Nebraska City is also on that list, an area that has lived in the shadow of CNS since 1975.
“My wife’s from the area, we’ve always known about and had relatives that worked at Cooper Nuclear Station,” Nebraska City Mayor Bryan Bequette said.
“I think there is a level of comfort in our community already just because of that proximity,” Lisa Walker, executive director of Nebraska City Area Economic Development Center, said.
Walker said the residents are excited about the possibility. NPPD held public town halls in every city over the last several months where people could ask questions and express any concerns.
“We have the space and we have, I think, the desire. We have citizens who are interested in more job opportunities, high-paying job opportunities,” Walker said.
That excitement is exactly one of the things NPPD is looking for.
“I actually asked the question, ‘What were the key variables moving forward?’” Bequette said. “Welcoming community, a community that looks like they would have open arms to be there.”
Now, Nebraska City is not a confirmed site, but they will move on to the next phase of the study. Throughout this process, Buman and the NPPD will run several tests and experiments to evaluate the structural integrity, grid quality and accessibility to the power grid among other criteria.
“What is the ground soil? The proximity to any sort of historical landmarks or things of that nature. Water usage is another big issue,” Buman said.
While this is an ongoing study, there are no official plans for a new nuclear site.
“We have not, you know, taken anything to the board,” Buman said. “We’re just trying to look at what we can do to be prepared in advance.”
Buman said if plans are made, a new station wouldn’t come online until 2028 at the earliest. More information about the siting study and nuclear in Nebraska can be found at nextgennuclearne.com.