Nuclear Power Plants in the Southeastern United States May Need to Shut Down

Of the nation's 104 nuclear reactors, 24 are in areas currently experiencing the most severe drought levels, according to a recent Associated Press analysis. 102 of the nuclear reactors are built on lakes and rivers and rely upon submerged intake pipes to draw the billions of gallons of water they require for cooling and condensing steam after the water has turned the plants' turbines. Without substantial rainfall throughout the southeast over the next few months, the water level may drop below the intake pipes altogether. Another possible scenario: the shallow water could become too hot use as coolant.

Jim Warren, executive director of North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network says, "Water is the nuclear industry's Achilles' heel. You need a lot of water to operate nuclear plants." He added: "This is becoming a crisis."

In a report by Mitch Weiss with Associated Press he indicated, "Nuclear plants are subject to restrictions on the temperature of the discharged coolant, because hot water can kill fish or plants or otherwise disrupt the environment. Those restrictions, coupled with the drought, led to the one-day shutdown Aug. 16 of a TVA reactor at Browns Ferry in Alabama."

Nuclear reactors across the Southeast United States could be forced to dramatically reduce their output or temporarily shut down later this year because drought conditions have continued to dry up the rivers and lakes that supply the nuclear plants with the millions of gallons of cooling water they need to operate.

While shutting down the nuclear plants will probably not result in blackouts for the customers in the service areas powered by nuclear energy, they could be paying eye-popping higher electric bills. Without the ability to generate the lower cost nuclear power, utility companies may be forced to buy replacement power from other energy companies that is very expensive.

Daniele Seitz, an energy analyst with New York-based Dahlman Rose & Co. says, "Currently, nuclear power costs between $5 to $7 to produce a megawatt hour. It would cost 10 times that amount that if you had to buy replacement power - especially during the summer."

Water is also used to cool the reactor core and to create the steam that powers the electricity-generating turbines at nuclear power plants. This is not the water that is threatened by the drought. Rather this water circulates as closed systems with water constantly being reused.

The billions of gallons of water that passes through the southeast's nuclear reactors to cool used steam would be choked off by the drought. Water pulled from lakes and rivers pass through pipes, that act as condensers by turning the steam back into water. The outside water doesn't come in direct contact with any nuclear material or the steam.

There are about 3 million customers between the four commercial utilities with reactors in the drought-affected areas who get their power from nuclear energy. Additionally, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) sells electricity to almost 9 million people in seven states through a network of distributors. The TVA generates 30% of its power at nuclear plants.