Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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that would greatly benefit the Commonwealth, as well £is U.S. industry
and trade.
The need is urgent. An ideal window of opportunity for providing
power equipment to the Commonwealth is now open and may not
come again for quite some time. Overall power consumption is
down some 30 percent due to the shutdown of many military facilities
in the region and reduced industrial output. This is a prime
opportunity to move the Commonwealth away from the substandard
technology that they now rely upon for their energy to cleaner,
safer, and more cost effective forms of power, I urge you to not let
this opportunity slip away.
Looking at the technologies available, they range from potential
long-term remedies, such as safe nuclear power, to short-term
faster fixes, such as fossil fuel plants and advance combined-cycle
applications fueled by natural g£is. In the area of nuclear energy,
new advanced technologies are being developed that will
provide
environmentally compatible, more economical nuclear power with
greater levels of safety. At GE, for instance, we are working on two
advanced light-water reactor designs sharing a common technology
base. These new technologies incorporate the best proven features
from 35 years of boiling water reactor designs and employ newly
developed controls and instrumentation, fuel and turbine technology,
and advanced simplified accident mitigation techniques for
maximum safety.
However, G.E. does not regard western-type nuclear power plants
as a near-term solution to the former Soviet Union's power needs;
rather, at most, one of several potential solutions. Fortunately,
other globally accepted sources of power generation are available
to meet the region's needs. For example, G.E. offers the latest
steam turbine technology using ultra super-critical steam conditions
with operating temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit
as well as having the largest installed base in the world.
While steam turbine technology offers many advantages, the best
solution for the Commonwealth in the short term is the advanced
combined-cycle application. Current combined-cycle plants are an
extremely efficient energy option, operating at thermal efficiencies
approaching 55 percent, and we believe 60 percent is obtainable
within this decade. Overall advanced combined-cycle technology
would be able to address the energy needs of the Commonwealth in
a very quick and economical manner. We strongly recommend this
course of action in the near future as the best way to take advantage
of the window of opportunity I spoke of earlier.
Looking at what we view as the bottom line in the Chernobyl situation,
the need is great and the time is now to move toward assisting
the Commonwealth with their clearly precarious energy situation.
What we and other industries require from this body is assistance
with helping to handle the political implications of such
an endeavor, and we certainly defer to your expertise in this area.
Ours is a technology mandate, and we have no doubt we can deliver
in that area. The political mandate falls to you.
We would welcome the opportunity to join forces with the U.S.
Government in helping provide the Commonwealth of Independent
States with safe, reliable, and cost effective energy options now and
into the future.