July 15, 2010 12:00 am
By Chris Woodka
Pueblo chieftain
Don Banner has a plan to build a 3,000-megawatt nuclear power plant southeast of Pueblo.
That part's easy. Now, all he needs is government approval, community support and someone to build the $5.5 billion plant.
“The world needs energy,” Banner, a local attorney, said in outlining his plan Wednesday. “The United States is behind the eight ball when it comes to nuclear energy.”
Banner has formed a corporation called Puebloans for Energizing Our Community LLC to develop a plan that would solicit bids to build a nuclear power plant. The plan includes a way to divide a portion of the anticipated profits among community groups.
It's a long-term campaign of the type Banner has been involved with in the past. He led a campaign to build a new YMCA.
“It took 12 years to do that, and this could be done in 11,” he joked.
Banner has contracts to buy 25,000 acres of land southeast of Pueblo for Colorado Energy Park, which eventually could support nuclear, solar and wind energy projects.
It's the nuclear portion that holds the potential not only to fill a gap in national energy production, but to help the community as well, Banner said.
“Wind and solar energy will never be the primary sources of electricity,” Banner said. “From what I've been told, the most that would be tolerated on the grid is 27 percent.”
Banner is convinced nuclear energy is the safest form of primary power generation, both in terms of industrial accidents and secondary health impacts. It also would reduce the amount of carbon emissions compared with coal, gas or oil energy production.
His main consultant - Don Gillispie, president of Alternative Energy Holding of Eagle, Idaho - has 45 years of experience in construction, operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants.
The United States has fallen behind other countries in nuclear power production as a percentage of total energy supply because of fears caused by dramatic events at Three Mile Island in 1979 and Chernobyl in 1986, Banner said.
Still, the United States remains the largest producer of nuclear generation of electricity, with 104 nuclear reactors accounting for 20 percent of the nation's total despite 30 years without any new plants being constructed, according to the World Nuclear Association website.
Other countries have more plants on the drawing board and research is looking at reusing the spent nuclear fuel that sits at many sites. Spent nuclear fuel already is being reprocessed in other countries, he said.
“Which country has the highest safety standards? The United States,” Banner said. “I would rather see the new technology developed in the United States.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is now looking at 14 applications for potential nuclear plants. In the next 20 years, industry estimates call for 25-30 plants in the United States.
Banner thinks Pueblo County should get ahead of that trend.
His plan calls for dividing up a portion of the profits from the plant among select community groups. The money would come from a tenth of one cent charge per kilowatt hour.
Specifically, Banner estimates $1 million annually for 12 purposes: Clean energy (wind or solar) grants, law enforcement, fire districts, parks and recreation, public health, school districts, colleges, economic development, senior citizens, cultural activities and youth organizations.
“This is the first proposal that would shave some of the profits and give them back to the community,” Banner said, pointing to conditions he would impose on bidders.
A portion would also go to PEOC LLC, about $3 million a year.
Banner's not looking at cashing in any time soon, however, since revenues would not begin until the plant is built, probably not for 11 years even if all goes smoothly.
While the cost of building a nuclear plant is significantly higher than for fossil fuels, nuclear energy is cheaper to produce than electricity from coal or gas.
“These plants have a 40- to 60-year life,” Banner said. “The cost is significant, but the return to investors is justifiable.”
Nuclear plants also use less water than fossil fuels, and it's estimated that the proposed 3,000 megawatt plant envisioned in Pueblo County would use about 1,250 acre-feet. The land Banner intends to purchase is under the Welton Ditch, which he said has adequate rights.
The NRC requires three sources of water, however. There are two wells on the property and there are numerous other options nearby to provide water.
A nuclear power plant would provide roughly $31 million in property tax revenue and 400-700 jobs, which probably would pay 36 percent higher than the average job in Pueblo.
“Everything in a nuclear power plant has to be self-contained. It has its own fire department, water treatment and sewage treatment,” Banner said.
During construction, there would be an additional 2,500 construction jobs during a 4-5 year period.
There still are hurdles in gaining local approval, but Banner is optimistic the project can be built, with enough support from the community.
He's also passionate in his arguments:
The new generation of plants are safe, with 4-foot thick containment domes made of concrete. Accidents are few. Environmentally, there is less impact than from fossil fuels. New technology will make reprocessing possible, and is not being pursued in this country because of outmoded laws, Banner said.
“How can we, as a community, get this done?” Banner asked. “The world is going nuclear.”
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