Page 155 - Beyond Decommissioning

136 Beyond Decommissioning

besides a landscape marked by ruins can have a special fascination to some people
(Fig. 6.1).

6.1 Power plant sites and large industrial complexes,
including land areas and infrastructure

Many power plants have been left unused for years or decades after they have been
decommissioned, which can contribute to the deterioration of a neighborhood’s char-
acter and harm the local economy. Instead, other sites have become attractive, integral
parts of the surrounding neighborhood by generating new jobs, tax revenues, and busi-
ness opportunities. Success stories are typically associated with properties that have
an underlying value. This may be due to the existing infrastructure, transportation
access, or other handy services. The success of a project is not necessarily based
on a specific building or land use, as power plants have been adapted for a range
of new public or private uses. However, the power plant territory should be assessed
to decide on the best fit for reuse. In some cases, the adaptive reuse of a given plant has
cascaded into further economic development to the surrounding areas or has been
implemented within broader redevelopment plans (e.g., for a whole city or a region).
For obsolete power plants, adaptive reuse typically implies the removal of power-
generating components and systems, taking care of any existing contamination; and
leaving some structures or buildings for a new function that may or may not be related
to power generation. Environmental considerations typically include asbestos, metal-
based paints and coatings, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): nuclear power
plants have the additional complication of radioactivity.
There can be many advantages from reusing a decommissioned commercial NPP,
including cost savings, tourism or revenue sources, better public awareness and the
preservation of history.
The cost of decommissioning a modern NPP is huge. Structures that were designed
as lasting, sturdy barriers against high pressures and temperatures, and fluid contam-
inants are difficult to dismantle. The reuse of some of these structures offsets part—
hardly all—of the dismantling cost. In turn these savings would allow the operating
organizations to commit funds for a number of uses or to save consumers’ money dur-
ing plant’s service life.
Reusing decommissioned sites can establish new jobs for industrial and residential
purposes, and provide the local community with financial support (otherwise lost after
plant’s final shutdown). Providing employment possibilities can allow previous plant
workers to remain in the community they had chosen when taking a job at an operating
plant. Amenities, such as tours at cooling towers or control rooms, can attract visitors
and sustain local businesses. Industrial heritage tourism is a growing area nuclear sites
could join in.
The redevelopment and preservation of nuclear sites help to provide useful informa-
tion to the public. Actually it is the lack of knowledge and transparency that causes ner-
vousness about nuclear energy. The opening of a site for public access can rid it of
irrational fear and unmotivated stigma, and enhance a sense of involvement and