Hurry, Get it while it's cold....

'cus once it gets HOT you are gonna need to run for your life.

I wonder why it is so hard to ask and want an answer to the question, "What are the plans for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel?" This needs to be solved BEFORE we start building new nuclear reactors of ANY SIZE. Don't believe that size doesn't matter.

Small reactors mark valuable opportunity

By DAVE GRIGGS

Saturday, August 4, 2012

"Missouri and, more important Central Missouri might be on the leading edge of a transformational economic development opportunity as a result of the Ameren Missouri/Westinghouse partnership to build modular nuclear reactors at the Callaway site in Reform.

Just in case you are unaware of this amazing opportunity, here's the scoop. There is growing worldwide interest and competition in developing small "modular" reactors that can be prefabricated and assembled on site to generate the electric power of the future.

If you give this concept a bit of thought, you'll quickly see the potential is amazing. These plants will be shipped to a site via truck, barge or rail and capable of producing electricity far faster than the conventional process of constructing a nuclear reactor. Westinghouse is a world leader in nuclear power production and has developed cutting-edge technologies in this field.

Ameren's Callaway site is the most geologically stable reactor site in the United States. The site is centrally located in the country and has ample acreage available for the construction of these units, and all things point to a great joint venture between Ameren, Westinghouse, the state of Missouri, the University of Missouri, Boone County, Regional Economic Development Inc. and others. Last week, Gov. Jay Nixon appointed a task force that will be led by Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill to coordinate the public side of efforts to support this opportunity.

The federal government has asked for companies to submit to the Department of Energy for funding to take this concept to reality. Ameren and Westinghouse have applied for this funding. Make no mistake about the fact that the competition will be fierce, but if Ameren and Westinghouse are successful in this venture, the economic impact is almost beyond comprehension.

There is a moderate expectation of a global market of more than $25 billion per year for these small modular reactors. Being first to market with this proven technology will allow the development of hundreds of production jobs that Missouri and Central Missouri will compete for.

Just imagine the economic impact of an industry with that market potential centered in Central Missouri.

I've commented numerous times on the loss of manufacturing jobs in our community over the past decade. This stark reality really hit home a few weeks ago while traveling across Highway 60 and then up Highway 63 to Columbia.

Town after town along the way has a deserted manufacturing building. You can easily see the empty parking lots where folks in those communities used to work. What if those empty buildings were being used to produce the component parts for these modular reactors? My point here is there is significant statewide impact should we be successful in this effort.

This opportunity appears even greater when you consider our aging coal-fired power plants. The vast majority of our electric power is produced in these plants. The ever-increasing environmental restrictions being placed on these aging plants put many at risk of shutdown simply because the costs of upgrade are simply unrealistic if those plants could be upgraded to meet new standards.

We have become totally dependent on being able to flip the switch and turn on our whatever. Think of what happened this week in India and imagine not having reliable electricity on a regular basis. Reality is, without a clean, reasonably available replacement for these coal-fired plants, we could be in that exact situation.

I'll keep you informed as this project progresses as there has never been such a significant project with worldwide impact in our history."

Dave Griggs owns and operates Dave Griggs Flooring America and is chairman of the board of directors for REDI.

This article was published in Saturday Business on page 4 of the Saturday, August 4, 2012 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. Click here to Subscribe.