The Politics of Nuclear Power: A History of the Shoreham Nuclear Power PlantSeveral individuals noted the potentially important civilian uses of atomic energy shortly after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. That year J. Robert Oppenheimer told a national radio audience that "in the near future" it would be possible to generate profitable electric power from "controlled nuclear chain reaction units" (reactors). It was suggested that, after fIfteen to twenty-five years of development, mature nuclear technology could provide virtually inexhaustible, cheap energy given the abundance of nuclear fuel. Admiral Lewis Strauss, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, stated that atomic power would generate electricity "too cheap to meter" (A statement that, according to Brookhaven National Laboratories' physicist Herbert Kouts, immediately "caused consternation among his technical advisors" [Kouts, 1983: 3)). For a brief period it was thought that airplanes would fly using atomic power, and homes would install small nuclear reactors for heat and hot water. 1950s and early 1960s a small number of prototype nuclear In the reactors came on line in the United States. The first power plant protoype reactor began operation in Shippingport, Pennsylvania in 1957. It was followed by the Dresden 1 unit near Chicago in 1959, the Yankee plant in Rowe, Massachusetts (1960), and the Indian Point (New York) and Big Rock Point (Michigan) plants in 1%2. These five plants had a combined 800 megawatts (800 MW), or less than one generating capacity ofless than percent of the total American electricity generating capacity in 1962. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 9 |
Discoveries Uncertainties and Limits on Safety Strategies | 9 |
Shifting Electricity Demand and Financing Problems | 9 |
Financing Problems | 9 |
Managerial Factors | 9 |
Political Attitudes | 16 |
Differences In Scientific and Broader Public Attitudes | 17 |
The Decline in Public Support for Nuclear Power | 20 |
The Likelihood of Major Radiation Release | 110 |
Panels Conclusions Regarding LILCOs Ability to Manage the Plant Safely | 112 |
Panels Conclusions Regarding Construction Quality | 113 |
The Issue of Shorehams Economic Value | 116 |
The Issue of State Intervention In Emergency Planning | 117 |
Impact of the factFinding Panel | 120 |
LILCOS Tax Maneuver and Cohalans Switch | 123 |
The Federal Test Of Emergency Planning | 126 |
Summary and Outline of the Book | 21 |
SHOREHAMS BEGINNINGS | 25 |
Developmental Problems Liabilities From Nuclear Accidents | 27 |
Economic Problems | 28 |
The Surge in Orders | 29 |
The Decision To Build Shoreham | 33 |
Basic Design of the Plant | 34 |
Key Early Decisions | 35 |
LILCOs Selection of a Reactor and Containment System | 36 |
The Decision to Use Stone and Webster as Construction Manager and ArchitectEngineer | 37 |
The Decision to Increase Shorehams Generating Capacity | 41 |
Summary | 44 |
Appendix to Chapter 2 | 45 |
THE EARLY POLITICS OF SHOREHAM | 47 |
The Purpose of AECNRC Hearings | 49 |
The Licensing Process | 50 |
Shorehams Hearings | 53 |
Appendix to Chapter 3 | 59 |
SHOREMANS CONSTRUCTION | 62 |
Oversight by LILCOs Board of Directors and Others | 63 |
LILCOs Management of the Regulatory System | 66 |
New Piping Standards | 67 |
Pipe Break Outside Containment | 68 |
The Pressure Suppression Issue | 69 |
The Size of the Reactor Building | 70 |
LILCOs Relations With the NRC | 71 |
The Failure of Engineering to Support Construction | 72 |
The Decision to Suspend Engineering | 73 |
The Dispersion of the Stone and Webster Site Team | 75 |
Two Examples Metal Embedments | 76 |
FieldGenerated Engineering Changes | 77 |
LILCOs Relationship with Stone and Webster | 78 |
Labor Productivity | 80 |
The Failure of the Diesel Generators | 82 |
Disallowance of Costs | 83 |
Appendix to Chapter 4 | 86 |
THE EMERGENCY PLANNING CONTROVERSY | 95 |
The Countys Split with LILCO | 99 |
The Countys Withdrawal from Planning | 102 |
The Marburger Panel | 106 |
The Issue of Plant Safety | 109 |
The Federal Response to State and Local Opposition | 129 |
Appendix to Chapter 5 | 136 |
TAKEOVER SETTLEMENT OR SHOREHAM? | 142 |
The Establishment of the Long Island Power Authority | 143 |
Takeover Or Negotiated Settlement? | 147 |
Negotiations | 149 |
The Settlement | 154 |
Projected Costs of the Settlement and Alternatives | 156 |
Appendix to Chapter 6 | 163 |
THE POLITICS OF SETTLING SHOREHAM | 167 |
LILCOs Progress in Licensing Shoreham | 169 |
Legislative Action on the Settlement | 172 |
The Initial Verdict and Attempts to Settle the Suit | 176 |
Judge Welnstelns Dismissal of the RICO Case | 179 |
The Revised Shoreham Settlement | 183 |
The Federal Governments Opposition to the Settlement | 187 |
The Administrations Opposition to the Settlement | 188 |
The Congressional Reaction to the Settlement | 189 |
The Economic Evaluation of the Settlement | 191 |
Planning Horizon and Financing Planning Horizon | 192 |
Reliability | 194 |
Maintenance Oil and Other Costs | 196 |
Operating and Maintenance Cost | 197 |
Cost of Settlements Conservation Programs | 198 |
Book Life of Investments and Decommissioning | 199 |
The Revised Comparison of the Settlement and Shoreham | 200 |
The Denouement at Shoreham | 202 |
Conclusion | 205 |
Appendix to Chapter 7 | 208 |
CONCLUSION | 214 |
LILCO Managed Its Way Into Much of the Crisis | 215 |
Electricity Demand Softened As Shoreham Neared Completion | 217 |
The Movement to Eliminate LILCO | 220 |
LILCOs Organizational Performance Improved In the Mid1980s | 221 |
State and Local Opposition | 224 |
Policy Personal Stakes and Decision Momentum | 225 |
REFERENCES | 228 |
CHRONOLOGY OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE SHOREHAM PROJECT | 234 |
255 | |
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The Politics of Nuclear Power: A History of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant D.P. McCaffrey No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
accident approved April argued Atomic Energy Commission Atomic Safety Licensing Catacosinos Chairman commercial operation construction manager County's December decision decommissioning Department of Public diesel economic electric rates emergency planning emergency response plan engineering environmental evacuation Fact Finding Panel favor February FEMA Governor Cuomo Island Lighting Company Island Power Authority issues January June kilowatt LILCO LILCO increases LILCO's Board LIPA Lloyd Harbor Long Island Lighting Long Island Power Mario Cuomo million negotiations Newsday November nuclear plants nuclear power plants nuclear projects Nuclear Regulatory Commission October operate Shoreham operating license percent piping political problems Public Service Commission Public Service Staff radiation rate increases ratepayers reactor risk September settlement Shoreham operating Shoreham plant Shoreham project Shoreham's construction Shoreham's costs Stone and Webster Suffolk County Suffolk County Legislature Tese Three Mile Island U.S. Senate Committee utilities Vincent Tese votes Weinstein York Power Authority York State Public