By Mike Gunning - For months, Davie residents have been divided on the issue of whether or not to support a proposed plan by Duke Power to apply for a permit to build a nuclear electric generating plant in southern Davie along the Yadkin River.

The argument became moot when Duke announced its plans to team up with energy provider Southern Company and develop an application for a combined construction and operating license for two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors in Cherokee County, S.C.

The proposed reactors, near the city of Gaffney, will be the first built in the nation in decades. It sits on a partially developed spot of land that was once used by Hollywood director James Cameron for the filming of the movie “The Abyss.”

NASA once considered purchasing the site to be used as a weightless training center for astronauts.

Each reactor, if approved, would be capable of producing approximately 1,117 megawatts, enough to satisfy the daily power demands of 500,000 customers, or a city the size of Charlotte.

The Davie site, which is located off NC 801 in the southeastern part of the county, is still being considered as a future site for a nuclear power plant.
According to Rita Sipe, a spokesperson for Duke Power, the company is considering the preparation of early site permit applications for locations in Oconee County, S.C., and Davie. Early site permits (ESP) enable companies to complete environmental and site suitability reviews, and obtain approval from the NRC for potential nuclear plant sites in advance of requesting a license to build and operate a plant. 

“Having the ESP in place greatly cuts the lead time from originating an application to actually building a plant,” Brew Barron, chief nuclear officer for Duke Power, said. “This gives us additional flexibility in being able to react to changing customer needs in a more timely fashion.”

Completed environmental and site suitability study results are generally good for 20 years, Barron said.

Barron said that choice to concentrate efforts in Cherokee was made because the site was partly developed for a nuclear reactor from a prior project that was scrapped over 20 years ago. However, data has been continuously updated from the location, negating the requirement for a new ESP.

"We identified multiple sites in our service territory as good locations for a possible new station," said Brew Barron, Duke Power chief nuclear officer. "But it really came down to the Cherokee location being partially constructed in that same site in a project we undertook in the 80s. That project was abandoned in 1983 because of changes in load projections for our customers across the Carolinas."

The Cherokee site has been graded, and already has existing roads and a partly built reactor tower. All necessary facility and infrastructure upgrades will be implemented during construction, Barron Said.

Barron said the Construction and Operating License application will take at least one or two years to complete. An answer from the NRC is not expected until late 2007 or early 2008.

Submitting the COL application does not commit Duke Power to build new nuclear units in Cherokee, Barron said. Duke Power will decide whether to proceed with plant construction at a later date.

Ruth Shaw, president and chief executive officer of Duke Power, said the partnership between the two energy suppliers was a good fit for both companies.

"The joint investment with Southern Company on the baseload generation project offers benefits to the region, as well as to both companies," Shaw said. "Southern company is a well respected nuclear operator and we are pleased to have the opportunity to share the nuclear expertise of both our companies on this project."

Duke Power will be the managing partner, and holds 55 percent ownership in the venture. As part of the agreement, Southern will receive 45 percent of the power generated by reactor one, while Duke will retain control of the rest of reactor one's output, and all of the output from reactor two.

Davie County Manager Terry Bralley said he was not surprised by the news that Duke had chosen Cherokee over Davie County, but the news was a bit disappointing.

"Having a nuclear power plant her would bring a lot of good jobs with on of the most reputable companies doing business today," Bralley said. "From an economic standpoint, it would greatly improved our tax base, and do much to create a stable economy. As a matter of fact, I don't think there's another project out there that would have had more of an impact on our local economy."