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The controversial Indian Point nuclear plant near New York will close in 2021, a casualty of low energy prices and relentless criticism by environmentalists, the power company announced Monday.
Under an agreement with New York State, Entergy plans to shut down one of the two operating units at Indian Point by April 30, 2020, and the second unit will close a year after that.
Entergy attributed the decision to close the decades-old plant to shifting energy economics. Among the changes, power prices fell as much as 45 percent due to natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation in New York and Pennsylvania, part of the American shale boom.
"Key considerations in our decision to shut down Indian Point ahead of schedule include sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that have reduced revenues, as well as increased operating costs," said Bill Mohl, president of Entergy wholesale commodities.
Entergy said it would look for other opportunities for the 1,000 workers employed at Indian Point.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and environmentalists applauded the news since the plant, located within 30 miles of New York, has long been a concern due to safety problems and worries that an accident at the aging facility could affect some 20 million people.
Lower energy prices cited by the article have not been reflected in customer electricity bills. Indian Point supplies 30% of New York's power, so if the post-Indian point power supply drops by the same amount the high prices New Yorkers currently pay per kwh will climb even higher.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11 2017, @05:07PM
OK, can anyone fill in the details? How does it take 1000 workers to run Indian Point 1 & 2? I get that it's a 3-shift operation, so what is the breakdown -- 100 in management (keeping normal business hours) and 300 on each shift? What the hell do they all do? Are there tug-o-war crews pulling damping rods in and out of the core to regulate the output?
Sorry, I didn't allow for the 50 people that it must take to keep the grass trimmed...(sarcasm).
This size of staffing sounds like so much pork that I can hardly believe it.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 11 2017, @05:24PM
If one of those control rods break it'll be a whole lot of crispy bacon.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday January 11 2017, @05:35PM
They probably included post 9-11 security. About a year after 9-11 I was working doing deliveries with a guy. He was the driver and turned up the access road to the plant instead of going further down the road to the marina. Anyway, we were greeted by four solders who promptly signaled us to turn around before we even got near the gate. The other three had hands on the trigger, ready to raise their rifles. I'm sure there are lots more security detail pulling patrols and such. Wouldn't be surprised if they also have boats patrolling as well since its on the Hudson.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11 2017, @06:28PM
four solders
My memories of nuke plant security is that is contracted out (to the lowest bidder).
The stuff that comes to my mind is
That was in 2007, so, well after 9/11.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday January 12 2017, @03:42PM
It was around a year or two after 9-11.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday January 11 2017, @05:44PM
A nuclear plant is one hugely big and complex machine. It does take a lot of people to constantly monitor its state and do preventative maintenance. The older, the more maintenance.
Every incident in a plant has to be reported, and every incident that makes it to the public impacts the stock price. Not even counting what does happen if you screw up maintenance and you have to shut down a GW for a month...
Once you have a few hundred people doing monitoring, maintenance and security, it takes another hundred just to support them...
Pork? Probably a bit, but not as much as you imply, since it's not prestigious pork.
(Score: 4, Informative) by VLM on Wednesday January 11 2017, @06:37PM
I used to invest a lot in energy so as a side hobby I learned a lot about the industry of which nuke is a portion etc.
First of all at a nuke even the lower to mid level management work 24x7. The Army thinks it takes on average 5 people to staff a seat 24x365 but more realistically for civilians its more like 6+ bodies per seat. Vacation, hire/train, sick days, it all adds up man. So your 1000 people is like 125 staffed chairs 24x365 plus some 1st shift debris (the lady in HR who handles paychecks doesn't work 3rd shift on christmas day)
The control room has operations personnel and I don't think you can run a reactor per all regulations on less than maybe 15 people. There's three stations at this plant AFAIK two reactors and simulator/training/BS backup room in case someone calls in sick or whatever. They do a hell of a lot of training and simulation at a nuke plant. Some of the 15 are lower and mid-level management. Its actually very much like running a naval ship. Anyway 45 positions in control. There will be a team of plant techs steamfitters and nuke rated welders hands on guys in case a valve jams or needs replacing or a temp sensor needs swapping or whatever. Probably 5 per station or 15 total. The electric team is usually separate and again 5 per station or 15 total. Sometimes they split teams between the switchroom and the turbine hall. Its been a long time since I read up on this... Anyway to keep the plant running takes maybe 75 bodies 24x7. The other 50 or so are security and misc. Now only maybe 1/4 of security is posted guard at the doors and gate and checking ID, theres a big reaction force, folks rotating thru continuous training, interior patrols. There are also folks you'll never see standing guard in places no one knows, like sweeping the perimeter and stationed at certain spots. There are multiple perimeters ranging from they'll yell at you to they'll shoot you on sight. Standing guard takes a lot of people! There are also just extra people. There will be minimum qty two stationary diesel mechanics for the backup gennies. There will probably be some kind of machine tool shop guy on duty if an electrician needs to, I donno, sharpen a screwdriver to prevent a meltdown. The security team has dispatchers and coordinators and management on duty 24x7. Probably a plain old mechanic on duty 24x7 just to maintain security guard vehicles. I don't know if nuke rated industrial maint electricians will lower themselves to changing a light fixture in the executive bathroom so maybe a non-production maintenance team. Group that big gonna need a cafeteria of sorts, custodial services... Pretty soon you got your 1000 people. The general impression I get from sources I've read is there's more guards that desk operators or hands on technicians but there are fewer guards than operators and technicians put together. Also the general impression I get is generic cube people like HR or IT are mostly stationed elsewhere at a non-secure facility, its unusual to see stereotypical cubie dwellers at a plant. If you're taking a HR diversity training class its offsite or online.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11 2017, @07:14PM
That comment deserves some additional paragraph breaks.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]