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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Environmental review for the conversion of Bellefonte Nuclear Plant to fossil fuel

Conference ·
OSTI ID:20050964
The Tennessee Valley Authority recently issued for public review a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the conversion of the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant to fossil fuel. The DEIS was structured to support three tiers of decision making. Tier 1 is to decide between the No-Action Alternative, which is to leave Bellefonte as a partially completed nuclear plant into the indefinite future, and the Proposed Action Alternative, which is to proceed with converting Bellefonte to fossil fuel. Tier 2 is to select one of five conversion options. In the DEIS, TVA indicated no preference among the five competing fossil conversion options. The five conversion pathways would fully repower the plant consistent with fossil fuel availability, would use commercially ready systems and technologies and be designed to fully utilize the capacity of transmission lines serving Bellefonte. Conversion options addressed were pulverized coal (PC), natural gas combined cycle (NGCC), integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), IGCC with joint production of electricity and chemicals, and an option, which combines elements of NGCC and IGCC with coproduction. Tier 3 involves decisions about eight sub-option choices, basically types of processes, equipment, and modes of operation, which is part of two or more conversion options. An example of a sub-option choice would be the type of gasifier that would be used in conversion options involving coal or petroleum coke gasification. Other sub-option choices addressed in the DEIS were natural gas pipeline corridors; fuels, feedstocks, and by-products transportation modes; types of combustion turbines; solid fuels; types of boilers for conventional coal-fired options; chemical production mixes; and modes of onsite solid fuel conveyance. The impact of constructing and operating each proposed fossil conversion option at Bellefonte were evaluated for 18 environmental resource and economic categories.
Research Organization:
Tennessee Valley Authority (US)
OSTI ID:
20050964
Report Number(s):
CONF-971214--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English