nuclear-news

Wind power restricted in Ohio, while nuclear plants could get subsidy

Nuclear bailout plan should fix wind-farm restrictions   https://www.crainscleveland.com/letters-editor/letter-editor-nuclear-bailout-plan-should-fix-wind-farm-restrictions  Paul Dvorak, Strongsville, 7 Apr 19,  The March 25 article “Bailout chances may be good for FES plants” discussed how a bailout might fix the crumbling Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants. One proposal, the article tells, would add $5 per month to the bill of Ohio ratepayers for an unspecified period, or about $300 million per year.

By itself, this is not a good solution to the problem because, aside from being crony capitalism, it just rewards the mismanagement of plant owner FirstEnergy Solutions. Still, it just might get a green light from the Ohio Legislature because FirstEnergy has greased the skids for its passage with generous donations to the re-election of key legislative members. Verify that for yourself at www.votesmart.org.

The Union of Concerned Scientists also voiced objections to the bailout on five grounds: 1) Safety — Davis-Besse, says UCS, has one of the worst safety records in the United States. 2) Transparency — Demonstrate a need for economic support. 3) Flexibility — Financial support should be temporary and adjustable. 4) Strengthened renewable-energy and efficiency standards — FirstEnergy has worked for the opposite. 5) A commitment to impacted communities.

Meanwhile, the wind industry in Ohio struggles to grow because of a late-night change in the laws, possibly due to similar FirstEnergy donations. The change lengthened the setback distance, which is the distance from a wind turbine to a property line. It is now so great that few rural locations qualify for a turbine. The wind industry, unlike the electric utility, is not looking for a handout but rather a fair chance to compete.

Any proposed nuclear bailout should include a fix to the wind turbine setback law. The bailout should also have a limit of, say, five years, to the $5 per month increase, along with a renewable-energy goal of 15% to 30% or more to the Ohio energy mix. (Oklahoma gets about 33% of its electricity from wind power. Why not Ohio?)

FirstEnergy and a few Ohio legislators are currently working overtime to make the state look unfriendly to investors because a bailout will push electric rates higher. Worse yet, the state looks like it is run by people looking backward while companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, General Motors and others are looking for renewable energy to power and expand their businesses. Loud and clear, Ohio’s message seems to be: “Go somewhere else.”

Wind power has the lowest production cost of any generation method, can lower electric bills and make Ohio look like a modern state looking to a bright future. We ignore this reality to our economic peril.

April 8, 2019 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA