Several years ago, much was heard about a nuclear renaissance in America. After a nearly 30-year hiatus, the prospects of growing demand for electric power, likely caps on greenhouse gas emissions, and sizable federal loan guarantees led the nation's utilities to express interest in building 28 new reactors. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm has waned considerably, a victim of the economic downturn, falling prices for competing energy sources such as natural gas, and the failure of Congress to pass cap-and-trade legislation. What's more, anti-nuclear organizations like the Nuclear Information and Resource Service continue to broadcast the misinformation that nuclear plants are inherently dangerous and make no economic sense.
Here in Texas, Exelon — the largest nuclear operator in the U.S. - recently put on hold plans to build a new nuclear unit in Victoria County. The company is moving ahead, however, with a request for an early site permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that will become part of the combined construction and operating license application when the project is revived. For now, natural gas prices are so low that Exelon and others are reluctant to commit to new plants, even with federal loan guarantees. But as the economic recovery picks up steam, and gas prices rebound to the $7 to $8 range, nuclear plants will once again become cost-competitive.
Texas, as the nation's fastest-growing large state, will need new energy sources in the years ahead, including nuclear power. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas estimates additional electricity demand in the state to be as much as 48,000 megawatts a decade from now. While some argue that the state's future power demand can be satisfied largely through a combination of conservation, efficiency and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, this is simply untrue. More at:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7299837.html
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