By Trish G. Graber
tgraber@sjnewsco.com
TRENTON New Jersey environmentalists detailed a plan
Monday to replace the state's nuclear power facilities
by 2020, combining a more efficient use of energy with
cleaner energy alternatives such as wind farms at the Jersey
Shore.
The strategy to replace power generated by the state's
nuclear plants PSEG Nuclear in Salem County and Oyster
Creek in Ocean County without turning to coal comes as
federal officials decide whether to grant Oyster Creek a
20-year license extension for operation, which would make it
the oldest running nuclear plant in the world.
"New Jersey can't afford the nuclear option when
it has the chance to have an incredible future through clean
energy technology that not only grows the economy but also
makes New Jersey a healthier, safer place to live,"
said Jeff Tittel, executive director of the Sierra
Club's New Jersey chapter.
The 49-page report authored by Environment New Jersey
details a plan to reduce energy consumption at peak times
and construct a wind farm at the Jersey Shore to make up for
the 2,900 mega-watts of energy that would be lost in the
event the plants' licenses are not renewed.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should rule on Oyster
Creek's license by May. The ruling could come as late
as January 2008 if the plant challenges federal
recommendations for renewal, according to Diane Screnci, NRC
spokeswoman for the northeastern region.
The environmental groups released the report, however,
assuming that the plants would shut down upon their license
renewal dates 2009 for Oyster Creek, with 2016 and 2020 for
Salem 1 and 2 plants, respectively.
Suzanne Leta Liou, Global Warming and Clean Energy Advocate
for Environment New Jersey who co-authored the report, said
the state should revise its Energy Master Plan to develop a
cleaner air strategy.
The current proposal, she said, not only includes 20-year
license extensions for the state's nuclear power plants
but also increases of in-state conventional power plant
generation and energy imports from out of state.
Ray Sotter, spokesman for PJM Interconnection, a regional
transmission organization which markets electricity in 13
states including New Jersey, said the company does not take
a stance on energy sources. However, he noted that an
effective replacement plan would have to account for the
2-percent increase in energy consumption each year.
But a replacement by 2020, he noted, would require that a
plan begins to take shape now.
At PSEG Nuclear, spokesman Skip Sindoni said nuclear power
is the largest, cheapest source of energy in New Jersey,
accounting for 50 percent of power production in the state.
"It's clear to us that nuclear power must remain
part of the energy production," he said.
