The Nuclear Retreat

We coined the term, "Nuclear Retreat" here at Beyond Nuclear to counter the nuclear industry's preposterous "nuclear renaissance" propaganda campaign. You've probably seen "Nuclear Retreat" picked up elsewhere and no wonder - the alleged nuclear revival so far looks more like a lot of running away. On this page we will keep tabs on every latest nuclear retreat as more and more proposed new nuclear programs are canceled.

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Entries from May 1, 2017 - May 31, 2017

Wednesday
May312017

Exelon threatens Three Mile Island closure without a state bailout as more health impacts emerge from 1979 meltdown

Exelon Generation Corporation has issued an ultimatum to the State of Pennsylvania that the Chicago-based nuclear giant will permanently close the remaining Three Mile Island atomic power plant in September 2019 if the State does not bailout the uneconomical generator. Three Mile Island Unit 2 was destroyed in an accident and partial meltdown on March 28, 1979. Three Mile Island Unit 1 has failed to auction its expensive power on the electric grid for three years straight denying Exelon power sales now out to 2021. Denied guaranteed customers on the electricity market, Exelon faces increasing economic pressure to permanently close the power reactor. Exelon is lobbying the state to legislate subsidies from ratepayers for the continued operation of TMI Unit 1.

At the same time, despite industry claims that no one has ever died from the TMI accident, health data linking impacts to increased cancers continues to come forward. Penn State College of Medicine released the latest study where researchers looked at tumors that turned into thyroid cancer and “observed a shift in cases to cancer mutations consistent with radiation exposure from those consistent with random causes.”

The late Dr. Steven Wing of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted the first epidemiological study to observe a statistically significant increase (2 to10 times) of lung cancer and leukemia in populations downwind of the TMI accident when compared to those residents that were upwind. 

An online poll cleverly divides up  opposition to ratepayers subsidizing TMI between "No, it will raise my rates" and " "Let the market decide."  We suggest vote "No, it will raise my rates."

Thursday
May042017

UAE won't start up new reactors for now

Four nuclear power plants being built in the United Arab Emirates by South Korea firm KEPCO are on hold. The delay is due to the fact that the local operating company is "not ready to run the reactors," according to Reuters. The first of the four reactors was due to be completed this month. More

Thursday
May042017

Westinghouse fallout: now UK Toshiba nuclear project on hold

A plan to build a nuclear power station in Cumbria has been put on hold while the company behind it carries out a strategic review, reports the BBC.

NuGen, which is overseeing the planned Moorside plant, was initially co-owned by French firm Engie and Toshiba. Three AP 1000 reactors were planned for the site.

Last month the Japanese technology giant announced it was taking 100% control and that has led to NuGen announcing the pause.

The £10m scheme, near Sellafield, has been dogged by uncertainty as it was rumoured Toshiba would withdraw from all nuclear operations outside Japan due to multibillion-dollar losses. More