Advancing Nuclear Technology – Finis Southworth.mpg
2011 Special Summit on New Nuclear Energy Roundtable:
Advancing Nuclear Technology
• John Parmentola, General Atomics
• Finis Southworth, NGNP Alliance
• Robert Prince, Hyperion Power Generation
• Eric Loewen, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
About the Summit:
The Special Summit features perspectives from government, industry and the non-governmental community as well as roundtable discussions on the state of the global “Nuclear Renaissance” — including lessons from the recent earthquake and tsunami-related events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan; insight from the financial community on new nuclear investment; status reports on new nuclear “first movers”; and assessments of the U.S. licensing paradigm. The Special Summit will also focus on new nuclear infrastructure readiness including nuclear technology advancement; supply chain and workforce readiness; and development of a sustainable fuel cycle. The Special Summit is moderated by Llewellyn King, the Executive Producer and Host of White House Chronicle on PBS — a news and public affairs program airing nationwide and on XM Satellite Radio. He is also a nationally syndicated columnist. The Summit is organized under the auspices of the United States Nuclear Infrastructure Council, the leading national think tank advocate for new nuclear energy.
Panelists:
Finis Southworth
Chief Technology Officer
AREVA, North America
Dr. Finis H. Southworth is the Chief Technology Officer, AREVA NP Inc. located in Lynchburg, VA. Before joining AREVA he served as the U. S. Product Manager for the Very High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor for the U.S. Department of Energy. Earlier he was the manager of systems planning for the Florida Power and Light Company.
Excerpted Quotes:
“We would regard generation III reactors as advanced, frankly, given that there is none operating yet.”
“I would hesitate to call a reactor that has never run not advanced. It was designed to be advanced and we hope this more robust generation III reactors get going.”
“Whatever the concept, let’s take the next generation nuclear plant, from the time you start seriously working with the NRC and defining the design you want to license, it is going to take about twelve years to get a license. And that is the way it is with the current licensing regime.”
“…the NRC certification is pretty much a gold standard and so I think in most countries they would prefer to have that. Two, I think that we are going to see post Fukushima people are going to say, are there differences in standards around the world? And if so, should we not adopt the best of those and not the least of those? So I don’t think there will be much of a difference moving forward.”
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