nuclear-news

Public opinion turning against nuclear power – important handicap to the nuclear industry

Nuclear power is losing popularity in the US. Here’s why. Vox, by Brad Plumer on March 21, 2016, T @bradplumer brad@vox.com  “…….. Why public opinion on nuclear matters

So does this public opposition matter much? It matters quite a bit for many of the existing reactors around the country, which are currently facing brutal competition from cheap natural gas and wind power. In places like Vermont where nuclear power faces fierce local opposition, regulators have moved to shut down existing plants rather than pay for needed upgrades. (That’s typically bad news for climate change, since these reactors often get partly replaced by natural gas, which emits far more CO2.)

And, of course, if the United States is ever to build a new generation of nuclear reactors in order to help tackle global warming, then public opinion will prove even more important……..

Today, just five new reactors are under construction: two in Georgia, two in South Carolina, and one in Tennessee. These next-generation reactors are all being built at existing plant sites, which helps minimize public opposition. But these projects have also been plagued by delays and cost overruns: The two reactors at the Vogtle Plant in Georgia, for instance, are now estimated to cost $16 billion, some $3 billion over budget and three years behind schedule…….http://www.vox.com/2016/3/21/11277574/nuclear-power-public-opinion

March 23, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general