Selection of Potential Sites in Argentina for the Deployment of new Nuclear Power Plants Common User Consideration (CUC) by Developing Countries for Future Nuclear Energy Systems Region 1 (Americas and Africa) September 22-25, 2008 - IAEA By Miguel Schlamp Projects Coordination Manager Nuclear Energy Area Gerency Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica Argentina Silvia Halpert Technological and Experimental Development CAREM Project halpert@cnea.gov.ar 1
Requirements Levels to study Macro localization for Nuclear Power Plants siting in Argentina Requirements Level I: Legal frame. Availability of cooling water. Seismic regional conditions. Requirements Level II: Integration to the interconnected system. Infrastructure. Availability of free surfaces. Requirements Level III: Study of soils. Climatic conditions. implies the definition of a specific site to make detailed studies Description of the zone population (within a radius of 100 km) Description of the economic activities of the zone (within a radius of 100 Km) 2
Requirements Level I: Legal frame The legislation of a determined region has to do with the way in which the people that live there perceive the nuclear technology 3
Requirements Level I: Legal frame In Argentina there is nuclear presence in all the provinces through installations of nuclear medicine or industrial applications of the nuclear energy. However, between 1990 and 1997, period in which the feasibility of a repository in the Argentine territory was under discussion, a series of regulations limiting the activity were developed. 4
Requirements Level I: Legal frame Provinces In Red: Installation of Nuclear Power Plants within all their territories expressly prohibited. Red points: Departments or districts of other provinces in which, by means of bylaws, the localization of Nuclear Power Plants it is not allowed 5
Requirements Level I : Availability of cooling water Secondary cooling alternatives: Water from Rivers Lakes or Storaged Water Sea Water Cooling Tower Coast Increases Water from river; characteristic taken into account: average annual flow its regime occurrence of dry bed Lakes or storaged water (with little water mass renovation); considerations: heat accumulation evaporation of the water surface minimization of the environmental impact. Sea water; considerations: use of materials with high resistance to salt corrosion in the circuits where this fluid circulates. 6
Availability of cooling water: Rivers evaluation Considering: variation of river temperature between water out-take and intake less than 1 C variation of secondary circuit temperature less than 10 C cooling fluid thermal difference has been limited to 10 C period of low hydro condition River flow should be at least 10 times the water flow to refrigerate the secondary circuit. 300 MW Minimum flow: 200 [m3/s] 700 MW Minimum flow: 550 [m3/s] 7
Availability of cooling water: Lakes evaluation Considering a necessary water surface of about 1 ha/mwthermal of installed capacity: Possible regions are: Center-west of Cordoba Province: Los Molinos dam (2,451 ha) Río Tercero dam (4,600 ha), (where Embalse NPP is placed since 1984) Northwest of Argentina Cabra Corral dam (11,360 ha), (in Salta) El Cadillal dam (1,360 ha), (in Tucumán) Cuyo Region El Nihuil dam (4,000 ha), (south of Mendoza) (A previous research determined that this place is apt for siting one or two 700 MW nuclear plants) 8
Availability of cooling water: Sea Water evaluation There is a vast sea shore of Argentine Sea, which goes from Punta Rasa, south extreme of the San Borombón Bay, to Tierra del Fuego, in the Atlantic Ocean. Bahía Blanca area is highlighted because of the depth of the coasts. (A siting study has already been made in this area) 9
Availability of cooling water: Possible locations Suitable Rivers Area Suitable Dams Area Suitable Sea Water Area 10
Requirements Level I : Seismic considerations The country is divided in 5 zones of seism risk: Zone 0: Very reduced Zone 1: Reduced Zone 2: Moderate Zone 3: High Zone 4: Very high 11
Seismic considerations: Local soil conditions Córdoba preliminary adopted limit for site selection: 0.15 g (corresponding to Embalse Nuclear Power Plant siting in the Province of Córdoba) The parameter adopted for the design of Embalse NPP was 0.25 g, and criteria against earthquakes have been taken into account. Argentina has a great zone of its territory classified as zones 0, 1 and 2, which are suitable for plants siting. For very reduced seismic risk zones (0) there is no need for special design for the installations. 12
Requirements Level II Requirements Level I: Legal frame. Availability of cooling water. Seismic regional conditions. Requirements Level II: Integration to the interconnected system. Infrastructure. Availability of free surfaces. Requirements Level III: Study of soils. Climatic conditions. Description of the zone population (within a radius of 100 km) Description of the economic activities of the zone (within a radius of 100 Km) 13
Requirements Level II : Integration to the interconnected system Installed Capacity - Power Plants Distribution Population Density Distribution 1000 km Circunference Radious from Federal District 14
Requirements Level II : Integration to the interconnected system High voltage distribution network (500kV): Radial configuration Average transport capacity of each 500kV line is 1,100 to 1,200 MW. Installed Capacity: 23,000 MW (WSE- 2004) Restrictions in the capacity of electric transmission: 3,000 MW unavailable in the places where consumption is high thermal unavailability of 3,000 MW (23%) available: 17,000 MW demand peak: 14,900 MW Main lines are saturated 15
Requirements Level II : Integration to the interconnected system Power demand peaks by Electric Region for the years 2004 and 2012 (considering 5% annual growth for WEM) growing energetic consumption potential for the industrial development main increments expected 16
Requirements Level II : Integration to the interconnected system NOA Adequate Regions for Future 300 MWe NPP s CENTRO CUYO GBA + BA Atlantic Coast 17
Requirements Level II : Integration to the interconnected system Adequate Region for Future 700 MWe NPP s 18
Requirements Level II : Integration to the interconnected system Capacity of the reactors capable to be installed by electric regions 19
Requirements Level II : Infrastructure The preselected zones form Level I Requirements have been verified to have suitable general infrastructure characteristics: Communications: mobile and fixed lines, Internet. Lodging and sanitary equipment, educational, commercial, cultural, religious, sports and recreational facilities. Services: labor force, raw material provision and industrial support. 20
Infrastructure: Accessibility Roadss Accessibility characteristics and different means of transportation where also verified: Roads Railways Fluvial and maritime ports Roads: Argentina is traversed by numerous roads that join main cities, the principal deep water ports (maritime y fluvial) and the productive centers. The route transport is guaranteed. 81 % of Argentine roads are paved. There are debris roads, representing 15% and consolidated dust roads 4 % 21
Infrastructure: Accessibility Railways Railrways network joins principal ports from the industrial corridor to the central, central west and northern zone of the country. Freight railway covers 34,059 km of network. 22
Infrastructure: Accessibility Fluvial and maritime ports Fluvial and maritime ports Fluvial ports from BAS- LITORAL over Paraná river, and maritime ports facing the argentine sea facilitate big component transportation Conclusion The country shows a wide route network, allowing satisfactory traffic of goods, raw material and equipment. 23
Requirements Level II : Availability of Free Surfaces For the emplacement of a Nuclear Power Plant it is necessary to have, A wide surface of free land, topographically convenient and relatively isolated, required exclusion zone because of legal and safety matters, but with an easy access. It would be desirable to have: the possibility of installing more than one plant in the same place area for a neighborhood for the operators inner roads, etc. The estimated surface for a 700 MW NPP is 4 km2, and 3 km2 for a 300 MW NPP 24
Requirements Level II : Availability of Free Surfaces It has been considered to carry out the studies on the availability of free surface in the nearby zones to the consumption centers with a growing demand (GBA + BAS - LIT). Regarding the other pre-selected zones (Cuyo, NOA, Centro and Atlantic Coast), with less population density, there is a bigger availability of free surfaces for the emplacement. 25
Requirements Level III Requirements Level I: Legal frame. Availability of cooling water. Seismic regional conditions. Requirements Level II: Integration to the interconnected system. Infrastructure. Availability of free surfaces. Requirements Level III: Study of soils. Climatic conditions. Description of the zone population (within a radius of 100 km) Description of the economic activities of the zone (within a radius of 100 Km) 26
Requirements Level III : Soil studies Due to the N-S dimensions of the country and its climatic diversity, all the twelve orders of soils according to the Soil Taxonomy are represent in the territory. The red zone, belonging to outcropping rocks is considered not able for Nuclear Power plants foundations. Then, it is discarded from consideration the mountainous zone that goes from parallel 38 to the northern border. Any other zone is convenient for the siting of nuclear stations by the soil kind point of view. The particular characteristic of each soil order will influence the precise location of the power station. 27
Requirements Level III : Climatic conditions Argentina latitude extension (21 S to 55 S Tierra del Fuego) origins a great variety of climatic contrasts There are important differences in the temperature, rain and wind regime. There are four very well defined climatic seasons: Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, each of them with 3 months of duration (in opposite with northern hemisphere) The main types of climate are four: warm, mild, arid and cold. The territory extension and the relief irregularities determine the existence of climatic sub-types in each of the before mentioned climates 28
Requirements Level III : Climatic conditions Temperatures also decrease from East to West (due to Los Andes mountains and the temperate influence of the Atlantic Ocean Temperatures generally decrease from North to South (difference of latitude) At north the climate is tropical At south it is cold, similar to the of Europe 29
Requirements Level III : Climatic conditions Wind regime is characterized by two anticyclonic centers, located near the 30 S parallel, one in the Pacific Sea and the other in the Atlantic Sea There are local winds such as: Zonda, Sudestada and Pampero Tornados are vertical funnel-shape mass of air that reaches a revolving movement of up to 150 km/h. They are originated between October and March in the basin of La Plata River. 30
Requirements Level III : Climatic conditions There are strong snows in the Andine sector, and also freezing (but only in coincidence with the approach of cold winds from the South Pacific or in areas of high mountains and patagonic plateau) Hailstones may occur in the whole territory, mainly between September and December. 31
Requirements Level III : Climatic conditions Conclusion Both NPP in operation and the one under construction are located in the region of mild climate. From the analysis of the information of the kind of climate, temperature, wind and rainfall, it can be concluded that the Provinces of Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Buenos Aires and the north of La Pampa, have the best climate characteristics. 32
Requirements Level III : Climatic conditions Conclusions The regions of NOA, Cuyo, Comahue and western part of the NEA can also be apt regions, since their climate variables do not present any extreme registers. Because of climatic reasons the zone of cold climate is excluded. This zone is located at the west of Patagonia region, close to Los Andes chain and the austral extreme of the country. 33
Requirements Level III : Distribution of population Argentina (2005): 38,600,000 inhab. Whole Country Area: 3,761,274 km 2 Density: 10.2 pers./km 2 Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area: 14,532,529 inhab. Density: 2,516 pers/km 2 Federal District: 2,917,749 inhab. Density: 14,377.4 pers/km 2 34
Requirements Level III : Distribution of population Even though it can be observed a high density of population in the regions of LITORAL, CENTRO and North of BAS, this is not an impediment for the localization of nuclear plants. The 3 NPP are located in CENTRO region and North of BAS. Once the date of construction of a NPP is defined a detailed analysis of the population with 5 x 5 km grids in the specific place should be done to evaluate the exclusion zone. 35
Electricity Output & Installed Capacity 36
INPRO Scenarios A: Moderate Nuclear Generation Expansion. Today capability share (4%) is maintained. 1600 to 2000 MWe additional capability to 2025 B: Optimistic Nuclear Generation Expansion. Today capability share (4%) is increased to 15%. 6000 to 8000 MWe additional capability to 2025 NPP: 700 MWe Litoral Gran Buenos Aires Area: One in 2012 Another in 2015 NPP: 300 MWe Córdoba, San Juan, Salta, Tucumán Provinces and the Atlantic Coast of Buenos Aires Province: Two in 2015 37
Selection of Potential Sites in Argentina for the Deployment of new Nuclear Power Plants Thank you for your attention! By Miguel Schlamp Projects Coordination Manager Nuclear Energy Area Gerency Silvia Halpert Technological and Experimental Development CAREM Project halpert@cnea.gov.ar Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica Argentina 38