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Nuclear industry desperately lobbying for government funding

Faced with this situation, the NEI is on a public relations campaign to convince policy makers that nuclear power should be supported and expanded not because it is cheaper – because it is not – but because it provides for energy diversity, reliability and does not produce greenhouse gases.

As for reducing greenhouse emissions, lawmakers are more likely to support solar and wind power. The NEI’s arguments suggest a level of desperation.

NUCLEAR-INDUSTRY-FIGHTS-ON

Nuclear power rides an economic roller coaster   The Day, By Paul Choinie   09/29/2013 It now appears more likely the nuclear industry is entering a period of steady decline,   rather than preparing for a rebirth. Adding to the pricing pressure is lower demand for electricity in the United States, caused by a combination of the sluggish economy and improved conservation. Less demand equals lower prices.

It has not been a good year for the nuclear industry. Four reactors have shut down. Vermont Yankee will become a fifth next year. This will leave the nation with fewer than 100 nuclear plants for the first time in decades. The industry acknowledges that at least two of the closings, Vermont Yankee and Kewaunee in Wisconsin, directly relate to price competition.

“And they are the greatest concern, particularly because both plants were – and are – solid performers,” said Richard Myers, vice president for policy development at the Nuclear Energy Institute, when speaking to the World Nuclear Association annual gathering in London earlier this month.re

………Faced with this situation, the NEI is on a public relations campaign to convince policy makers that nuclear power should be supported and expanded not because it is cheaper – because it is not – but because it provides for energy diversity, reliability and does not produce greenhouse gases.

In a region of the country desperate to reduce energy prices and compete for industry, arguments for diversity seem unlikely to carry much weight with policy makers. As for reducing greenhouse emissions, lawmakers are more likely to support solar and wind power. The NEI’s arguments suggest a level of desperation.

After talking with reporters earlier this month, delivering mostly bad news, Myers, of the Nuclear Energy Institute, concluded, “though the short-term picture is challenging, the long-term prospects for nuclear energy in America remain strong.”

Whistling past the graveyard came to mind.  http://www.theday.com/article/20130929/OP04/309299960

September 30, 2013 - Posted by | politics, USA

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