Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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production is solid fuels, either brown coal or lignite, while 36 percent of its electricity
comes from nuclear energy." **
Bulgaria has already closed its two oldest nuclear power reactors temporarily, but
has argued that it needs the power from the remaining four.^° Because of Bulgaria's
unique dependence, its reactors could be phased out a little more slowly than in
other nations. Its two oldest, currently operating reactors, both model 230's, contribute
an effective generating capacity of 659 MW, (the two closed reactors normally
contribute 604 MW) while its two new reactors, still three to four years from peak
production, have a total capacity of 1906 MW.^*
Like the other nations of Eastern Europe, Bulgaria uses more energy than other
OECD nations per unit of output, according to World Bank statistics: Bulgaria is
five times more energy intensive than the former nation of East Germany, and
more than twice as intensive as the OECD average. ^^ Data from the AID study
shows that emergency energy assistance to Bulgaria in the past has saved considerable
amounts of energy. Ck)nsidering improvements to only three types of facilities
(iron/steel mills, poultry slaughterhouses, milk factory), the investments in approximately
10 plants ^^ resulted in an estimated net savings of $184,761 ^^ per year; for
each investment, the simple payback period was just three and a half months. A
total of 2580 TOE, or .116 PJ was saved over just a few facilities. ^^
Further, the costs of choosing nuclear power over a strategy empheisizing energyefficiency
increase substantially in the case of Bulgaria, because its Kozloduy station
is in exceptionally poor operational and structural condition.^® The poor management
practices prevalent at that nuclear installation dictate a switch to increased
efficiency at other power facilities.
The current economic contraction in Bulgaria poses an unparalleled opportunity
to restructure patterns of energy production. Since 1988, electricity consumption has
fallen from 49.2 billion kWh (49,200 GWh) to 40 bUlion kWh (40,000 GWh). These
trends should continue until the middle of this decade.®'' As a result, in the encouragement
of renewed consumption, industry can focus on energy efficiency, which
can enable the economy to produce more, at less cost, without waiting for expensive
increases in energy output.
5. Particular Opportunities In CSFR
a. Conservation Potential
CSFR nuclear plants produced 2717 MW (23.8 TWh, or 85.68 PJ ^s) in 1991, or
29.4 percent of that nation's total electricity. ®® Unlike Bulgaria and Hungary, CSFR
produces 70 percent of its own energy. In addition, its economic restructuring has
proceeded very rapidly: although prices are still centrally determined by the two republics,
the prices charged to industry reflect international prices. ^°° 'This increase
in prices will be particularly effective, because industry consumes 50 percent of all
energy. *°i Since industry will be especially cash-starved over the next few years,
management will wish to scale back consumption dramatically in order to cut
costs. ^°^
A study by SEVEn,^°3 the Energy Efficiency Center in Prague concludes that 701
PJ i°* (more than eight times the amount required to replace nuclear power) may
be saved every year with retrofitting in particular industries. The retrofitting of furnaces
alone is projected to save 259 PJ/year, while efficiency improvements in secondary
energy sources contribute an additional 350 PJ/year. Decentralizing the
electricity production system will help minimize waste. The use of small cogeneration
plants (according to the SEVEn study, current technology makes possible units
of approximately 100 kW).'°^ In addition, larger-scale cogeneration technologies,
which involve the backfitting of plants to support combined heat and power production,
require little start-up time and can use indigenous production facilities.'"^ As
a final improvement in the electricity generation industry, old plants in Slovakia
could be upgraded. Particularly, improving the efficiency of three fossil fuel powerplants
from 30 percent to the western level of 42 percent would save approximately
800 MW, and would allow the closure of 2 reactors in Bohunice.*"''
The state has already begun to consider some of these options. CSFR has begun to
study efficiency alternatives, while the utilities in both the Czech and Slovak republics
have begun to study least-cost approaches to planning in electricity generation
and distribution. These approaches emphasize energy efficiency as a more economical
approach to power generation. i°* The total savings in the industrial sector is
estimated to be one-third of total energy consumption.'"® This exceeds the level of
savings necessary to shut down every nuclear plant.
These estimates include only the industrial sector; the residential sector provides
new opportunities for energy efficiency. Although industrial energy prices approach
those of Western Europe, prices in the residential areas are two to three times