nuclear-news

Nuclear power’s dangers are the cause of its excessive costs

The Cost of Nuclear Power Joseph Mangano, Executive Director Radiation and Public Health Project
Ocean City, N.J August 28, 2013   “…..Wall Street ended loans for new reactors in the late 1970s because of high costs. After a decade in which a nuclear revival has been promoted, only two new plants are under construction, and they are slowed by costly delays. After 15 years of no shutdowns, four American reactors have closed this year, with more shutdowns predicted. Executives claim that nuclear power cannot compete in the marketplace with sources like natural gas and wind.

The underlying reason for high nuclear costs is that reactors are dangerous, requiring many highly trained staff members, a complexity of expensive parts, compliance with extensive regulations, and anti terrorist measures to minimize public exposure to hazardous radioactivity.

The 1954 promise by the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss, that nuclear power would be “too cheap to meter” remains unfulfilled.

August 30, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general