nuclear-news

Plan for Mid American to finance its nuclear plans and must then construct them

Lawmaker says deal struck on nuclear power bill CBS News, 6 Mar 12,   DES MOINES, Iowa — A legislator said Tuesday that he had struck a deal on a plan that would give MidAmerican Energy new incentives to build a nuclear power plant in Iowa.

Sen. Matt McCoy, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said his panel will approve the compromise Thursday. The compromise would require that MidAmerican, Iowa’s largest utility, have financing in place before beginning construction of a nuclear power plant. Once
state regulators approve a new plant, the utility would have to carry out construction.

Some legislators had worried earlier versions of the measure would allow the utility to raise rates to pay for the plant, without being committed to actually building the facility. They said consumers could end up with higher rates, and no new power plant to show for it.

Lawmakers reached the agreement even as opponents held a Statehouse news conference, where they argued that nuclear plants are inherently dangerous….. Francis Thicke, a farmer and environmental activist from Fairfield, said the compromise backed by McCoy only dealt with the potential financial risks of the proposed nuclear plant. “My concern is the whole environmental issue and they are not addressing the environment,” Thicke said. ….
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57391792/lawmaker-says-deal-struck-on-nuclear-power-bill/

March 7, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA