White House to support new nuclear power plants in the U.S.

CNBC, MAY 29 2024

The White House on Wednesday plans to announce new measures to support the development of new U.S. nuclear power plants, a large potential source of carbon-free electricity the government says is needed to combat climate change.

The suite of actions, which weren’t previously reported, are aimed at helping the nuclear power industry combat rising security costs and competition from cheaper plants powered by natural gas, wind and solar……………………………………..

Critics worry about the buildup of radioactive waste stored at plants around the country and warn of the potential risks to human health and nature, especially with any accidents or malfunctions. Biden signed a law earlier this month banning the use of enriched uranium from Russia, the world’s top supplier.

At a White House event on Wednesday focused on nuclear energy deployment, the Biden administration will announce a new group that will seek to identify ways to mitigate cost and schedule overruns in plant construction.

It also said the Army will soon solicit feedback on deploying advanced reactors to provide energy for certain facilities in the United States. Small modular reactors and microreactors can provide energy that is more resilient to physical and cyber attacks, natural disasters and other challenges, the White House said.

The Department of Energy also released a paper outlining the expected increased safety of advanced reactors. And a new tool will help developers figure out how to cut capital costs for new nuclear reactors.

The youngest U.S. nuclear power reactors, at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, were years behind schedule and billions over budget when they entered commercial operation in 2023 and 2024. No new U.S. nuclear plants are currently being built……………………………….. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/29/white-house-to-support-new-nuclear-power-plants-in-the-us.html

May 31, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA

1 Comment »

I am going to write to the White House to tell them that continued support for expanding nuclear power is wrong. Nuclear power is too dangerous, too expensive and TOTALLY UNNECESSARY FOR OUR ENERGY NEEDS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Has everybody developed amnesia and forgotten about Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima? There is no long term solution for nuclear waste that must be stored out of the environment for over 450,000 years. The wastes can be used to make nuclear weapons and all nuclear sites are terrorist target sites. It takes over 10 years to build a nuclear plant. Already wind and solar energy have surpassed the capacity of new nuclear sites and electricity production. We have the technology and the natural resources to do without nuclear or continued fossil fuel for our energy needs now. SO STOP! If you think we will all “starve and freeze in the dark,” or “wreck our economy in the transition to renewable energy,” you are wrong. Go to https://thesolutionsproject.org/ or https://rmi.org/ for the plans and research on renewable energy and how to transition to a sustainable, safer, renewable energy economy NOW! NO NUKES!

Comment by paulrodenlearning | May 31, 2024 | Reply