Retrofitting existing coal power plants with plasma gasification results in modernized clean energy facilities extending their life and eliminate the need to construct expensive new facilities. Westinghouse Plasma Corporation technology converts coal into syngas which can be burned in the existing boilers in a cleaner combustion process allowing old facilities to meet increasingly stringent regulatory and environmental standards.

“Coal has increased its leading position as the predominant Gasifier feedstock, now accounting for 55% of syngas capacity generated from all feedstocks, compared to 49% in 2004” – US Department of Energy, Gasification World Database 2007

Allows old facilities to meet current environmental standards through a 95% reduction in SO2 and Mercury, a 60% reduction in NOx
Allows biomass and other carbon neutral fuels to be mixed with coal to reduce CO2 emissions
Enhances power generation at on Brownfield sites in areas of high power demand
Makes it unnecessary to abandon older power plants, the people who operate them, the vendors who sell goods and services to them, and the communities who benefit from them
Is a more time and cost efficient solution than building new facilities

I hate to hear anyone say that there is no such thing as 'clean coal', 'safe nuclear energy', or the dozens of other things that get stated. Plasma gasification of coal is viable and can also be supplemented with trash and other waste products. This is an industry promo, but with every industry, you will find those who find fault, and those who are cheerleaders. My attitude is that we set the standards, and let the industry find the best means to comply.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Power to pay $6.4B for new nuclear reactors

By KRISTI E. SWARTZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/07/08

Georgia Power will pay approximately $6.4 billion for its share of two proposed 1,100-megawatt nuclear reactors at the utility's Vogtle plant south of Augusta, the company said Wednesday.

The amount represents 45.7 percent of Georgia Power's ownership of Vogtle. The plant's other co-owners — Oglethorpe Power, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities — will also pay for their part of the project. The other co-owners' investment and the total price for the proposed reactors has not been disclosed yet.

The price comes with a number of caveats, according to Georgia Power's news release. They leave flexibility in the event of budget overruns and adjustments for change orders and finance bonuses.

If approved, the plants promise customers higher power bills when they come online in 2018 . Customers will pay an additional $12 a month on a typical 1,000 kilowatt-hour bill, the company said.

That amount is expected to decline over time, the company said.

"Demand for electricity continues to grow in the Southeast and Georgia," Mike Garrett, Georgia Power's president and chief executive officer said in the release. "While nuclear power plants cost more to build, they now have lower fuel and operating costs than fossil fuel plants."

Westinghouse would build the reactors. Its AP1000 design is new and has not been used before. Utility officials tout its simpler design and enhanced safety features.

Nuclear power is making a comeback in the United States as the nation tries to lessen its dependence on natural gas and foreign oil as well as cut back on carbon emissions and other pollutants. Based on the state's expected growth, Georgia Power says it needs to add more than 7,000 megawatts of capacity and that nuclear energy is essential to achieving that goal.

While several utilities have hinted at building nuclear reactors, few have actually committed to doing so.

Part of the issue is cost for utilities and consumers. The first generation of nuclear plants throughout the country was expensive to build. Construction cost overruns, combined with the Three Mile Island disaster, stunted the industry's growth in the United States.

What Georgia Power, as well as other utilities, will try to sell to consumers is that nuclear plants are actually cheaper in the long run. There are two main messages: The fuel is not as prone to wild price swings like natural gas. Secondly, it also does not produce carbon emissions and will not be subject to a future carbon tax, which will plague coal-fired and natural gas plants.

Utilities also have the public-relations challenge of convincing people that nuclear reactors are safe. Westinghouse's AP1000 reactors have three ways, instead of two, to pump water into the reactor to shut it down if a malfunction should occur. The model is also much simpler than previous ones because it has fewer moving parts, he said. Such designs are supposed to be safer, more efficient and easier to maintain.

Vogtle is already home to two reactors that began operating in the late 1980s. Besides Vogtle, Georgia Power operates the Hatch nuclear plant in southeastern Georgia near Baxley.

Georgia Power is owned by Atlanta-based Southern Co., which has the Farley nuclear plant in Alabama, too.

The additional units at Vogtle would require state and federal approval before they could be built.

Georgia Power's agreement with Westinghouse is the first of a three-step process. The second step involves an independent evaluator at the PSC to evaluate Georgia Power's project against bids from independent power producers, who may submit bids for plants powered by nuclear reactors, coal or natural gas to meet Georgia's future demand.

Find this article at:
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/busi...age_tab_newstab

Nuke Waste? Hum.
...I think it's a minor problem to solve. Funding is the biggest issue, IMHO.

BTW, Energy Solutions is IN my backyard, and I don't particularly care for it there...