English (United States)
Columbus, Neb. – A unanimous vote today by the Nebraska Public Power District’s Board of Directors to increase the amount of power produced at its Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) could reinforce the utility’s already 40 percent, non-carbon emitting generation portfolio.
NPPD will seek to increase the plant’s output by 146 megawatts from its current 800-megawatt nameplate, through an extended power uprate (EPU). The increase in generation will require no additional facilities or employees. The project requires some equipment upgrades that complement investments NPPD has already made in replacing major components over the last several years.
“The 146 extra megawatts will help NPPD meet the additional load requirements we expect to have as early as 2018,” NPPD President and CEO Pat Pope explained. “Other benefits of an EPU include increasing the amount of electricity we can produce from a non-carbon producing resource, when potential greenhouse gas regulations are on the horizon. In addition, off-system sales from the facility into the regional energy market could be a significant benefit to Nebraska customers when such revenues are returned and put toward NPPD’s operational expenses.”
One of the key pieces of equipment to be replaced will be the plant’s high-pressure turbine, ordered last May due to the long, lead time in manufacturing.
“Regardless of a decision to move forward or not with an extended power uprate, the turbine would still have to be replaced,” stated Pope, noting that the turbine is one of the oldest in the country’s nuclear fleet. Since 2005, NPPD has replaced other major components including two low-pressure turbines, a generator rotor and stator, eight feedwater heaters, and main power transformers, all of which enhance the benefits of an uprate.
“The board’s approval is not a guarantee the project is a given, but it is a very good generation opportunity for NPPD to pursue,” Pope explained, noting that a thorough analysis must be conducted along with obtaining regulatory approvals. NPPD will seek Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval for a license amendment and approval from the Nebraska Power Review Board.
An EPU involves conducting a thorough analysis to ensure the plant can safely generate more power, evaluating the Missouri River’s temperature limits as they relate to the plant’s thermal operations, studying the transmission requirements, installing the high-pressure turbine, and making the appropriate modifications and upgrades to plant equipment. The uprate is achieved by increasing coolant flow to the reactor, increasing fuel enrichment, generating more heat in the reactor core, and increasing steam flow to the turbine/generator.
The project requires an estimated capital investment of $243 million dollars, $60 million of which is already committed to modifications necessary to meet relicensing requirements NPPD agreed to in 2010 when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) renewed NPPD’s operating license, extending it to 2034.
Much of the new equipment will be installed during three, successive refueling and maintenance outages scheduled for 2014, 2016, and 2018. The new high pressure turbine is expected to be installed during the 2016 outage. Cooper had a small uprate approved by the NRC in 2008 of 1.6 percent, resulting in an increase of about 12 megawatts.
At Friday’s monthly meeting, the Board approved the resolution to implement an extended power uprate and also took two additional actions. The Board approved two contracts with GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC, to provide the engineering services to perform analyses and evaluation of the nuclear steam supply system in order to make the application to NRC, at a cost of $30,547,411, and an additional $14,195,000 for the purchase of power range neutron monitoring system, a system upgrade related to the EPU project.
NPPD will continue to evaluate and then implement as necessary other generation, energy efficiency and demand side management options in accordance with the Integrated Resource Plan process.
When are rates set?
NPPD rates are reviewed annually, and any proposed rate changes are normally approved during NPPD’s December Board of Directors Meeting.
Will my bill be higher this month because of the cold weather and rolling outages?
Most NPPD customers can expect to see a higher monthly electricity bill this month due to the recent cold weather event which caused customers to have higher usage. A higher bill would not be the result of a rate increase however because the rates did not change.
Does my NPPD rate change throughout the year?
When proposing a rate change, NPPD typically sets and approves rates during the December Board of Directors Meeting. The rates that are approved go into effect February 1 of the next year.
The only other time NPPD’s rates change during the year is when the higher summer rates automatically go into effect for the months of June through September. Aside from this, any increase or decrease in your bill is likely tied to increased energy usage during severe cold or hot weather.
NPPD retail rates have remained steady with no overall increase in eight years.
How will February’s cold temperatures and rolling outages impact my rates in future years?
The financial impact of the most recent historic polar vortex events as it relates to rates are unclear at the present time. Many factors, including future weather impacts, load growth, and the cost to generate and deliver electricity will impact NPPD’s financial position and rates.
How will cold temperatures and rolling outages impact my monthly bill?
Simply put, if you use more electricity than “normal” you will have a higher bill. Rates have not changed. Think of it as a consistently priced fuel, that never fluctuates in price per gallon. If you need to fill up more often, it will require a larger amount of product, and as a result you have higher costs.
Does it take more energy and cost more to lower my thermostat now, only to raise it later to regain warmth?
This is a myth that many have heard for years. Contrary to belief, your system will operate for longer periods to recover and heat pump systems may switch to supplemental or auxiliary heat, but overall energy use is reduced if the setback occurs over at least a few hours.
NPPD operators at our control center handle increases and decreases in load and train for these situations. The operators refer to this as the Cold Load Effect. When customers are returned to service from a long outage, there can be a sharp increase in electricity usage that must be accounted for. As motors begin to start when the load is energized and more equipment powers on than was previously when the customer was interrupted. This means, when there are several customers experiencing an outage at the same time, operators need to consider the load when the circuit is restored can be higher than when it was interrupted. The longer a circuit is interrupted, the more pronounced the Cold Load Effect will be.
In the case of this most recent event, homes were using heat so consistently during the day and the interruptions were short enough that there was no significant change in electricity usage when one circuit was brought back online and another was turned off. During the rolling blackouts, when one group of customers was experiencing an outage, a new set of customers would betaken offline before the first group was returned to service. This helped ensure that there were no spikes in electricity usage that would have a negative impact on the generation and load balance.
Who can I contact for assistance with payment arrangements for my NPPD bill, or information on assistance agencies?
Payment arrangements can be arranged by contacting NPPD at 1-877-ASK-NPPD.
Those in need should also contact NPPD at the above listed number for more information and a listing of energy assistance from local agencies.
What is a rolling blackout outage?
Rolling blackouts, also known as rotating outages, are controlled, temporary interruptions of the electrical service directed by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). These outages can occur when electricity generating resources cannot meet the electricity demand in the region. NPPD and others must reduce demand in an amount directed by SPP and act upon this within minutes.
When is a rolling blackout necessary?
Rolling blackouts are necessary as a last resort to maintain the reliability of the electrical grid system. SPP directs rotating outages when electricity generating resources cannot meet the electrical demand in the region. They rotate or roll to different systems and areas so we can all absorb a short outage at different times versus a long outage for one specific area.
The recent situation was extraordinary and an unprecedented chain of events, including historic low temperatures across the entire SPP footprint, lack of wind generation, reduced amounts of natural gas because of frozen wells and sky rocking natural gas prices. A situation never seen before in this region since SPP was founded.
Why was there little notice before power was shut off to some customers?
Just like many of our retail and wholesale customers, NPPD received the emergency notices from SPP with little warning, requiring us to load shed with just a few minutes to act.
NPPD did our best in this emergent situation to communicate not only to our large industrial and residential retail customers, but also with as many wholesale customers as we could. This was done with a press release, via emails, regularly scheduled wholesale customer meetings throughout the event, and using social media. Unfortunately, with the short timeframe not all customers were able to be reached before some outages began.
We continue to evaluate and review the events of this situation and will look for ways to learn and improve our process, should it ever be needed again.
Is there an easy way to track my energy usage?
Tracking your energy usage can easily be done by downloading NPPD’s mobile application, “NPPD On The Go!”. Download by searching “NPPD” in the Google Play or Apple App store. Then click “Register” and have your account number, service address zip code, and phone number ready. Finally complete the account information.
What are the benefits of using “NPPD On The Go!”?
Who and what is Southwest Power Pool (SPP)?
NPPD is a member of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a non-profit regional transmission organization in the central part of the United States. SPP is mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure customers in the region receive reliable power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitively priced electricity. SPP and its members coordinate the flow of electricity across more than 65,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning 14 states.
Why is it important to have a diverse energy mix?
NPPD believes a diverse generation mix serves our customers best. We use wind -- when it is available. We use coal -- which is reliable and helps keep electric rates low. We use water -- one of the oldest forms of renewable energy. We use nuclear -- which offers emission-free, around-the-clock power. We use natural gas -- to complement the portfolio.
NPPD’s diverse energy generation mix helps keep our electricity reliable and keep rates as low as possible.
Public power, as it always does, answered the call to help protect the bulk electric system which serves the central portion of the country and is part of the larger Eastern Interconnect. The system requires real-time balancing of generation and load. In doing so, we also protected our customers from more detrimental, long-term blackouts.
All of NPPD’s plants were available to SPP during this emergency event. They performed as beautifully during the emergency as our NPPD teammates who worked around the clock to manage the safety, health and financial risk for our customers.
