Uncompetitive IL nukes to recieve $600 million annual subsidy under PJM plan

"Burning money" image by Gene Case, Avenging AngelsAs reported by Scott DiSavino in Reuters, a new "capacity factor" subsidy, at ratepayer expense, is being offered by the Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland (PJM) grid operator to Exelon Nuclear, to help prop up several uncompetitive atomic reactors in Illinois.

"Capacity factor" refers to nuclear power's 24/7 "baseload" avaiability, but ignores the fact that nuclear power plants can experience years-long safety-related shutdowns.

The article concludes that "extra revenues from the capacity auction could keep the money losing reactors operating for a few more years until possible new carbon standards are available," as Exelon lobbies "federal, state and regional policy makers [to] find ways to compensate generators for the environmental and reliability benefits that non-carbon emitting nuclear plants provide."

Of course, nuclear power is not zero carbon. And, as David Kraft, Director of NEIS, has pointed out, other sources of electricity have inherent upsides, deserving of societal support. Wind power and solar photo-voltaics, for example, as well as energy efficiency, release even less greenhouse gases than nuclear power, and also do not generate forever deadly radioactive waste. More.

Deepwater Wind welcome, but U.S. still missing offshore opportunity

Beyond Nuclear released a press statement today welcoming the advent of Rhode Island's Deepwater Wind Block Island Wind Farm but pointing out the missed opportunities for major offshore wind production off the U.S. coastline.

TAKOMA PARK, MD, July 29, 2015 -- While the installation of the first wind turbine off the Rhode Island shore was celebrated this week, the U.S. still generates not one watt of electricity from offshore wind.  This missed opportunity, given a welcome but late start by the Deepwater Wind Block Island Wind Farm, means that the U.S. has so far failed to capitalize on the enormous energy potential from the country’s 2,069 miles of coastline. 

The U.S. could, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, meet U.S. energy demand four times over with offshore wind power alone.  And, as Beyond Nuclear discovered, when contesting the license extension of New Hampshire’s coastal Seabrook Nuclear Generating Station, offshore wind generated solely in the Gulf of Maine could power all of New England’s electricity needs.

“When we contested the Seabrook license extension we found that plant owner, NextEra, had summarily dismissed the future potential of renewable wind energy in little more than 350 words,” said Paul Gunter, Director of Reactor Oversight at Beyond Nuclear.  NextEra applied for in 2010, and subsequently received, a 20-year license extension for Seabrook, 20 years before the current license expired.  But as Beyond Nuclear showed, projecting the potential for renewable energy to replace the need for Seabrook 20-40 years from now was entirely ignored in the proceeding.  Read the full press release.

"Prefab Nuclear Plants Prove Just as Expensive"

"Burning money" graphic by Gene Case, Avenging AngelsRebecca Smith has reported in the Wall Street Journal that the "[m]odular method has run into costly delays and concerns about who will bear the brunt of the expense."

The Vogtle 3 & 4, GA, and Summer 2 & 3, SC Westinghouse-Toshiba AP1000 construction sites are featured. At the former, federal taxpayers would be left holding the bag for $8.3 billion in nuclear loan guarantees, if the project defaults. At the latter, ratepayers have been gouged, repeatedly, for many years, to finance the troubled construction.

These cost overruns and schedule delays were to be expected, however, based on the previous history of nuclear power in the U.S. and overseas.

More.

Cora Henry: "70 Years After Bomb, Hiroshima Activists Defy Nuclear Energy Industry"

Kosei Mito, showing Elisabeth Fernandes, of Osaka, and her niece his research on nuclear power. They are on the banks of the Motoyasu River, in front of the Atom Dome. Mr. Mito's guide badge, with an anti-nuclear weapons symbol, reads “IN-UTERO SURVIVOR.” Photo taken March 12, 2015 by Cora Henry in Hiroshima, Japan.Cora Henry, a journalism student at Indiana University, has published an article entitled "70 Years After Bomb, Hiroshima Activists Defy Nuclear Energy Industry."

Henry's article explores the history of the evolving position of Hiroshima's Hibakusha, literally “radiation-affected people,” towards nuclear power. She interviewed survivors of the bombing at the iconic remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industry Promotion Building, known as the Atomic-Bomb Dome.

In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, an anti-nuclear power consensus has emerged in both major Hibakusha organizations, with some members now very active in the ongoing campaign to resist atomic reactor restarts across Japan.

Update on August 5, 2015 by admin

Lauren McCauley has published an article along similar lines at CommonDreams. In "As Anniversary Nears, Atomic Bomb Survivors Speak Out Against Nuclear Power," McCauley interviews Japanese Hibakusha from Fukushima City to Brazil who are outspoken opponents to nuclear power, and the impending restart of atomic reactors -- namely, at Sendai nuclear power plant -- in Japan under the Prime Minister Abe administration.

One correction to the article: there have been very limited atomic reactor restarts in Japan, even after the beginning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe. For example, two reactors at Ohi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture operated for a number of months in 2012. However, for the most part, almost all of the 48 operable atomic reactors in Japan have remained shut down since 3/11/11. Six reactors were rendered inoperable by the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe: the operating Units 1, 2, and 3 melted down; Unit 4, although not operating that day, nonetheless exploded; Units 5 and 6, not operating that day, have nonetheless been retired, due to the hazardous radioactive contamination of the entire area. Japanese nuclear utilities have also announced the permanent shutdown of numerous additional reactors in the past four years, although a number remain operable.

Calvert Cliffs 3 EPR in MD officially cancelled!

As reported by World Nuclear News, Unistar (wholly owned by Electricité de France) has requested, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agreed, to withdraw the COLA (combined Construction and Operating License Application) for the Calvert Cliffs 3 proposed new atomic reactor. This officially cancels what was the flagship EPR in North America.

Areva of France's "Evolutionary Power Reactor" was targeted at seven sites in the U.S., and was also under consideration in Ontario. But the Calvert Cliffs 3 project was suspended in October 2010 when its American partner, Constellation Energy of Baltimore, balked at the Obama administration's 11% credit subsidy fee on its offered $7.5 billion federal nuclear loan guarantee to finance the project. That would have meant $880 million of Constellation's own skin in the game, so the company abandoned the project, and got out of the new reactor biz. Since, all other EPR proposals in the U.S. have been suspended or outright cancelled, and Ontario Power Generation also decided against EPRs.