Indian Point Hosts NYU Students--
Entergy Outreach Efforts Welcomed

May 8, 2008, Buchanan, NY—Entergy plant officials at the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant welcomed graduate students from New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies Masters in Global Affairs Program to a day long tour of the 2,000 megawatt facility on the Hudson River. The students of Professor Gadomski, (far left) are enrolled in "Energy Policy" and "Energy and The Environment" courses he teaches at NYU's Center for Global Affairs.

In keeping with the school's philosophy of teaching students to become global citizens capable of identifying and implementing solutions to pressing global challenges, the trip to Indian Point power plant presented the students a chance to immerse themselves in the real world. After spending a semester examining policy and the specific causes and possible solutions to global warming and climate change, Entergy's hospitality provided the students with a unique opportunity to see solutions at work.

"Entergy's outreach is special," says Entergy site host, Pat Falciano, a 34 year veteran of the industry. "It is not often that you get a chance to visit the inside of a nuclear power plant."

Part of Professor Gadomski's objective in coming to Indian Point was to demonstrate to his students the challenges the power generation industry faces in delivering electrical power in an environmentally sustainable way. Given America's appetite for power, nuclear along with energy conservation and renewable technologies have important roles to play in a carbon-constrained environment.

"I emphasize understanding technology in my courses and I make them as quantitative as possible. If you understand the numbers your rhetoric can be much more persuasive," adds Gadomski who is especially proud of some of his students that have spotted errors in major media outlet reports. "Giving students a solid grasp of the capabilities and limitations of technology is especially important for 'Policy' students. It will make them much better prepared to identify problems and propose solutions as future analysts."

This philosophy was not lost on many of the NYU students visiting the Entergy facility. Sara Raassi, a first year student from California, related that the experience truly changed her perception of nuclear power as a potential source of energy in the United States and abroad.

"I was truly impressed with the amount of attention and guidance that was provided by our host, and his colleagues at Indian Point. The subsequent tour was equally fascinating; our visit to the spent fuel storage tank was, in particular, very enlightening. Although the facility was highly durable, and the prospects for reprocessing nuclear fuel seem achievable, I share our escort's frustration in the political challenges, which have stalled further progress at Yucca Mountain."

36 years of fuel
A visit to the spent nuclear fuel holding tank for Indian Point #3 reactor (shown at right) was a highlight of the trip for most of the student guests. Indian Point #3 has been in operation for 36 years and holds all the fuel used since inception of the plant's operation. Seeing first hand the on-site storage pool changed NYU student Alex Paulenoff's opinion of nuclear power. 

"While I understand on-site storage remains a "temporary" solution, the amount of waste generated relative to the amount of carbon generated in coal and natural gas-fired facilities appeared insignificant once I was placed in a room with it," Paulenoff said. "I was always on the fence regarding nuclear power, but the tour certainly tipped the scales in its favor.  It was a privilege to see the plant first-hand.  I hope more students and the general public get to see Indian Point and other nuclear power facilities in the future in order to lift the veil on nuclear energy and to demonstrate how essential it is for any future energy portfolio."

After a semester in class, Energy Policy student Omeed Behmaran-Mosavat agreed as well that it was quite informative to see the spent fuel pond and to develop a sense of the small amount of physical space 36 years of spent fuel occupies and how its stored. "As a result of the trip, l am confident I can now speak with much more authority about nuclear issues."

NYU student Sheila Bhashyam (below) exits the radiation detectors--as clean as a whistle
--after a visit to the spent fuel storage pool at Entergy's Indian Point #3 nuclear reactor,

A focus on safety and security
Marianne Noelle Nemeck, a student with a private sector concentration in the Masters Program of Global Affairs, now plans to take more energy electives. At Indian Point, she was immediately struck by security at the facility. "The overwhelming amount of security and safety far exceeded what I expected. It's difficult to imagine how people working there get their jobs done given the emphasis on security and safety measures," she said. The politicians' shortsightedness (with regard to relicensing of the facility), the limited amount of waste, and the town's acceptance and actual approval of the plant were other aspects of the trip that surprised her. Given the costs and environmental issues of other power generation options, she questioned why there wasn't more of a social movement to support nuclear.

The security and safety procedures, ranging from metal detection to radiation devices, are a testament to Entergy’s mission in providing base load energy that is both efficient, and highly safe, for the employees, the surrounding population, and marine life in the Hudson River added Raassi.

In terms of supporting the local economy, she was also surprised that Indian Point generates so much revenue, provides electricity to about 10% of New York State, and also employs so many individuals. "Following our visit, I would highly support Indian Point’s efforts to become re-licensed in 2013. At the same time, I believe that it is important for Indian Point to initiate more community engagement and boost its public relations capacity, in order to change the public perception and fear towards nuclear power," she added.

Warren Wiczewski poses in front of an access door to the
Indian Point #3 reactor vessel enroute to the spent fuel tank.

Getting the big picture
For graduating student Warren Wiczewski, a Canadian student from Vancouver, BC who hopes to find a future position in the natural gas industry after finishing his energy concentration studies at the Masters of Global Afairs program, the site visit to Entergy’s Indian Point nuclear power plant is a trip anyone concerned with energy security, nuclear safety, or carbon-free energy should take.

"In recent years no in-depth discussion of our energy future can take place without the mention of nuclear power, and in my view no informed opinion about this energy source can be expressed without an intimate encounter with a facility such as Indian Point," he says. "The ability to see the containment buildings, the fuel storage facility, and the tremendous efforts at ensuring a safe and trouble-free operation of the facility serves to not only reassure the casual observer of the viability of nuclear power, but also to educate skeptics of the merits of including nuclear in any efforts to mitigate global warming and air pollution. The time we had spent at the plant was educational and entertaining, though at times the sheer amount of information we were expected to get through was overwhelming."

For Christine Feibeg, a second year student from Chile, a country that is facing an energy crisis since 2004 but doesn’t have a nuclear energy policy, the trip to Indian Point was especially interesting. "On the one hand, because we don’t have any nuclear plants in Chile it would have been impossible for me to visit one in my own country. Having the possibility to see the plant working gave me a better perspective of what the industry is about. It is difficult to get a sense of the environment, the security, and the people that work there in books or the news."

Chris Gadomski, a member of the United States Energy Association and the American Nuclear Society, lives in a solar-powered house in Borrego Springs, CA and writes frequently on renewable energy and energy policy. At New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Masters in Global Affairs Program, he teaches courses on "Energy and the Environment", "The Economics and Finance of Energy" and "Energy Policy." Required readings for his courses include books that advocate for, as well as against, nuclear power and renewable energy for power generation. See: http://www.smidirect.net/nyu.

Reprintable with permission citing www.smidirect.net as source.