Dominion Announces Plans To Close Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station In 2013 217
An anonymous reader writes "Due to low electricity prices in the Midwest, and an inability to find a buyer for the power station, Dominion will be shutting down and decomissioning Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station. One of two operating nuclear power stations in Wisconsin, Kewaunee's license from the NRC was not due to expire until the end of 2033."
Well... (Score:4, Interesting)
... the times of low electricity prices will then be over soon.
Re:Nuclear Waste Storage facility (Score:3, Interesting)
In my state, Maine, we had one of the first "large" nuclear reactors fully decommissioned. I think it took around a decade, and one of the last things they did was ship the reactor vessel to some southern state (by rail or barge) for processing/disposal. Then the containment building was demolished. The only thing left is a several acre concrete pad they constructed on which they placed "dry-cask" storage containers full of spent fuel. This fuel must remain on site, at a cost of around $1,000,000 per year, until the federal government finally has a solution for storage/disposal.
How was it paid for? (Score:4, Interesting)
How was the plant paid for? I know that in my area that the power companies have managed to get the regulation authorities to increase the price of electricity long before the plant is ever built, letting the customers pay for the construction. And without giving the customers stock in the company, even though they are effectively forced to become investors. And this is done with the claims that the electricity is needed and it will keep rates low.
Now they want to shut down the plant? Because building it did help keep rates low? If it was financed completely with private money then they might just get away with that. But if it was financed with rate payer money. then there ought to be a hell of a lawsuit over this move that will drive down supply and drive up rates.
Re:Well... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The real reason nuclear power is not taking off (Score:2, Interesting)
If you really want to cure yourself of this annoying little urban myth invented by PR folks you can try the exercise of looking up how radioactive the most radioactive coal found on earth is and then calculate how many hundreds of thousands of tons of coal you would need to get the famous "banana dose" of radiation.
Coal kills people, lots of people (close to 100 per week globally from mining accidents alone), but it does it in real ways having nothing to do with radiation. This radioactive coal thing is a PR myth produced in the 1970s in an attempt to belittle nuclear waste and allow corners to be cut in storage without upsetting the US voting public. It didn't work but we're left with the myth.
North America's Largest Nuke Plant Expands (Score:5, Interesting)
Meanwhile the Bruce nuclear plant [canadianenergyissues.com] near Tiverton, Ontario will soon have an eighth operating reactor unit, and a total operating capacity of 6,300 megawatts and will be North America's largest nuclear plant.