Review of the Effects of the Clean Water Act on Cooling-System Selection by the Steam-Electric Industry

摘要

A review of surveys of the steam-electric industry in general and the nuclear industry in particular has shown a significant trend away from open-cycle cooling and toward closed-cycle cooling that is at least in part a consequence of the Clean Water Act and subsequent EPA guidelines and standards. Among older plants, which are not significantly affected by the Clean Water Act, nearly 85% use some form of open-cycle cooling. However, among plants that are under construction or planned, only 10 to 15% plan to use open-cycle cooling. Most of this trend is apparently due to anticipation of restrictions on open-cycle cooling rather than to direct action by the EPA prohibiting open-cycle cooling at specific sites, because requests for permission to operate open-cycle cooling systems have been denied for less than 1% of all existing and new capacity. A review was made of the potential environmental effects, water consumption rates, capital and generating costs, and energy usage associated with open-cycle and closed-cycle cooling systems. No evidence was found that clearly supports a general preference for any type of cooling system over another. However, on a case-by-cae basis, site-specific conditions may indicate a preferred cooling technology. It is concluded that the opportunity for the use of all available cooling options should be retained and that an effort should be made to assure the steam-electric industry that the options are indeed available. (ERA citation 08:023427)