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The coming wave of shutdowns of old nuclear reactors in America

nukes-sad-One-Third Of US Nuclear Reactors Are Near Mandatory Retirement The Daily Caller,  ANDREW FOLLETT, 29 Mar 16     A 39-year-old nuclear plant in Ohio, which was only designed to operate for 40 years, was shut down Sunday for life-extending maintenance.

But the Ohio plant closing is only the beginning of the coming wave of nuclear retirements about to hit the country. Approximately one-third of America’s nuclear reactors are approaching the end of their operating licenses, meaning they are about to hit their mandatory retirement age.
Work crews will replace one-third of the Ohio reactor’s fuel rod assemblies and half of the motors which pump the reactors’ coolant to extend the plant’s life, according to a Monday article in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted in December to allow the Ohio reactor to keep operating for 20 more years past its original retirement date.

The Ohio reactor isn’t unique either. The average age for American nuclear reactors is 35, nearly obsolete by modern design standards and near the end of 40-year operating licenses. Sixteen American nuclear reactors are more than 42 years old, according to government data compiled and mapped last week by The Daily Caller News Foundation…….

 

March 30, 2016 - Posted by | business and costs, USA

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