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Wednesday, August 30, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Wolf Creek breaks record in electricity
By Bryan Swan Kansan staff writer
The Wolf Creek nuclear reactor, four miles northeast of Burlington, has produced more kilowatt hours of electricity during the first six months of 1889 than any other commercial reactor in the United States.
"From Jan. 1 to June 30 the plant produced 4,000,928,814 kilowatt hours of electrical power," said Ron Smith, information administrator at Wolf Creek. "This was first out of 110 commercial plants in the United States and ninth out of 352 plants in the free world."
He said Wolf Creek operated at an average capacity of 96.1 percent during the first half of this year and electricity was available 97.2 percent of that time. Smith said there were only a few days during that period that the plant was not in operation.
Wolf Creek, which has been in commercial operation since Sept. 3, 1985, has an electrical capacity of 1,150,000 kilowatts.
"Over the history of Wolf Creek, the plant has done well," he said. "We set records during our first and second year of commercial operation for most kilowatt hours produced for the entire year."
The records, set in 1986 and 1987, have since been broken.
Wolf Creek Generation Station is owned by Kansas Gas and Electric Company (47 percent),Kansas City Power & Light Company (47 percent) and Kansas Electric Power Cooperative. Inc. (6 percent).
Joe Kramer, spokesman for KCP&
L, said that despite Wolf Creek's record performance, electricity rates would not change for its consumers.
"The rates are set by the Kansas Corporation Commission and the Missouri Public Service Commission," Kramer said. "It's not a floating thing. Right now, we need all the power we can get from Wolf Creek because of demand."
But Lyle Koerper, manager of corporate communications at Kansas Gas and Electric, said that its customers would see benefits from Wolf Creek's increased production in the form of credit on monthly bills.
"The cost of fuel on a per million BTU (British thermal unit) basis is only $0.36 for nuclear fuel but, it is $1.46 for coal and $2.06 for gas." Koeper said. "The more nuclear fuel used results in a cost savings for customers which is passed back directly through the fuel adjustment clause. There is a credit on their bill which reflects a monthly savings."
KCP&l does not have a fuel adjustment clause. Kramer said.
Koerper said that last year's fuel cost savings was $32 million and that for the first six months of this year savings had already reached $26 million. He said this was one of the benefits for customers from Wolf Creek's record.
Smith said, "It was expected that we would do this well. Wolf Creek is a large power plant and should do well. It is well built, well designed and run by well trained, knowledgeable people. It is our aim to make Wolf Creek the top producer in the world."
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Shuttle set for launch of satellite
To power it through its long journey, Galileo will carry two 122-pound nuclear generators.
Anti-muricide groups have protested that the nuclear material could pose a hazard if it were released during an attack, but no protesters were at the roll out.
Nagel said the Galileo probe would be put in the payload bay today.
The circuitous 2.4 million-mile route was chosen so Gallium can use the gravitational pull of Vnus and Jupiter to pull slingshot fashion toward Jupiter.
"If people really understood what we're doing here, the significance of it, the risks we are taking, and the precautions we are putting into place, there really should be no concern." Narrel said.
Five astronauts will deploy Galileo about six hours after launch, starting it on a journey during which it is to fly by Venus, pass Earth twice and make the first close approach to an asteroid.
The roll out allows time to ready Atlantis for liftoff Oct. 12, said Conrad Nagel, who directs shuttle preparation. Oct. 12 is the start of a 43-day period in which Jupiter will be in position to receive a probe from Earth in 1996.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space shuttle Atlantis was rolled to the launch pad yesterday for a mission that will send the plutonium-loaded Galileo spacecraft on a six-year flight to Venus and Jupiter.
Galileo is to parachute a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere and then spend about two years orbiting the planet, photographing it and studying.
The Associated Press
The Galileo mission will mark a continuation of the nation's renewal of planetary exploration following a 12-year hiatus. The drought ended in May when another Atlantis crew released the Magellan spacecraft, which is to orbit Venus in 1990.
Sorgio ikowicz, San Jose, Costa Rica, freshman, look over a selection of posters in the Kansas Union. The posters are on sale this week in the lobby.
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