Reuters has reported that Exelon, in an effort to shore up its credit rating and shareholder dividends, has cancelled $2.3 billion in atomic reactor power uprates and other projects.Since 1977, NRC has rubberstamped nearly 150 power uprates at U.S. reactors, increasing their output by 6,823.4 Megawatts-thermal. That's around 2,275 Megawatts-electric worth (2/3rds of the heat generated by splitting atoms is lost -- discharged to surface waters and/or the atmosphere -- as "waste heat"). This, despite the inherent increase in safety risks. Power uprates at an IL reactor led to so much vibration that a giant steam dryer crashed to the floor. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed. A 20% power uprate at Vermont Yankee led to a cooling tower collapse, as well as an explosion and fire, when long-dormant metallic slag was picked up by the increased steam flow pressure and slammed into a transformer (photo left).