Nuclear Power Gets New Push in U.S., Winning Converts [and stirring up critics]

By Ivan Penn — July 5, 2022 — New York Times

Driven by the difficulty of meeting clean energy goals and by surging electricity demands, a growing number of political leaders are taking a fresh look at nuclear power — both extending the life of existing reactors and building new ones.

Creative Commons photo. See: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diablo_Canyon_Nuclear_Power_Plant.jpg

Even past skeptics, largely Democrats, have come around to the idea — notably in California, where the state’s sole remaining nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, is scheduled to close in 2025. The search for clean energy has given nuclear power a spark that has drawn bipartisan support that added billions in funding for existing and new projects.

But critics of the nuclear industry argue that a veneer of clean energy has not changed the concerns about the technology, including aging facilities in need of potentially costly improvements, the challenge of nuclear waste disposal and steep cost overruns for new projects that are years late — if they reach completion.

“The industry knows it does not have a good story to tell,” said Edwin Lyman, a physicist and the director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It’s still plagued by the same issues.”

President Biden wants to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the power industry by 2035, and he said a Supreme Court ruling last week limiting federal regulatory authority would not halt such efforts. But the supply chain issues that have hurt wind and solar power development have presented the latest hurdle to reaching that goal.

As a stopgap, the Biden administration has established a $6 billion fund to help troubled nuclear plant operators keep their reactors running and make them more economically competitive against cheaper resources like solar and wind power. The application deadline is Tuesday, though it might be extended and the requirements amended to broaden eligibility.

Read more…

Editor’s note:
The safety risks concerning the Diablo Canyon plant have not gone away. Here are some responses to the “keep Diablo going” campaign:

How safe Is Diablo Canyon in a forest-fire-caused loss of external electricity?

The Diablo Canyon Power Plant won’t stop power outages

Media Briefing on Diablo Canyon (1-hour YouTube Video June 15, 2022)