Laguna Verde nuclear power plant
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Laguna Verde is a Mexican nuclear power plant, located in the municipality of Alto Lucero, Veracruz. The plant, Mexico's only such facility, was built against the wishes of most of the local population. The plant consists of two General Electric Boiling Water Reactors (BWR-5) which produce 682.5 MWe each, accounting for approximately 4.2% [1] of the country's electricity generating capacity.
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[edit] History
Construction on Unit 1 began in October 1976, and it was connected to the Mexican power grid in 1989.[2] Unit 2's construction began in 1977 and it was connected to the grid in 1994. The plant is owned and operated by CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad), the national electric company owned by the Mexican federal government.
Since the plant went into operation there have been constant protests regarding its environmental impact and allegations of inadequate safety measures. The CFE has repeatedly denied there is any danger to the region. Laguna Verde has also received criticism from international organizations including Greenpeace[3].
In 1999, an environmental management is implemented, based in the standard ISO 14001.
In 2003, the plant obtains certification under the standard ISO 9001:2000.
In March 2005, the press reported that the federal government had ordered the dismantling of this power plant. However, on the CFE's official Laguna Verde web page not only is there no mention of the plant's deactivation, but the last paragraph claims (as of September 19, 2005) that the plant is among the safest in the world, meeting all international standards for nuclear energy safety.
However, in 2006, this rumor got vanished, the plans are for the expansion, not dismantling, of the plant.
[edit] Expansion
Plans for a second nuclear power plant have been recently discussed [4]. It would be a 1500 MW plant. High prices in the natural gas market (which have made Mexico, a natural gas producer, an importer of such product), have created some interest in the building of another nuclear plant, but economic reasons and prevailing political feuds have put any study on hold.
Plans for boosting the capacity of the plant using the current reactors [5] are in an advanced stage; this would imply a power increase of about 20% [6].
[edit] External links
- CFE Laguna Verde website
- Comenzó CFE el proceso para desmantelar Laguna Verde (La Jornada, 13 March 2005)
- Repotenciación de la planta de energía nuclear en Laguna Verde (Mexican Presidency Official Website, 22 May 2006)
