nuclear-news

North Carolina legislature opposing ratepayer money for new nuclear plant

Duke’s Fading Nuclear Dream The Progressive Pulse May 5, 2011 by Lisa Finaldi On April 15^th I questioned if Duke’s dreamto build new nuclear power plants and charge ratepayers in advance of a reactor’s operation wasn’t fading. Events of this week indicate the company’s plans may be dimming. Funny it took Duke CEO Jim Rogers this long to realize it.

Between the events at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan, the announcement by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) Public Staff’s executive director, Robert Gruber, that he would not support a rate increase for reactor construction and the intense budget debate in the state legislature, you’d think Rogers would have realized sooner that he wasn’t going to get his way.

Rogers wants the legislature to shorten the process for rate hikes for nukes at the NCUC.  This means less opportunity for NC residents to have a say in the cost of our electricity. And given the record of nuclear plants going way over budget, you have to wonder how much ratepayers would have to shell out to help build Duke’s Lee Nuclear Station in Gaffney, SC.

This week it became clear that for now the legislature will not give Jim Rogers what he wants.

Duke’s Fading Nuclear Dream « The Progressive Pulse

May 6, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA