This story was originally published byGrist.
Few issues are as divisive among American environmentalists as nuclear energy.
Each reactor has the capacity topower half a million homes and businesses annuallywithout emitting greenhouse gases.
Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia.Photo: Pallava Bagla / Corbis (Getty Images)
Despite this, they are hardly viewed as an unambiguous success.
I would hate to throw away all the gains that weve learned from doing it.
Other energy officials, however, say those delays and overruns are the reason theyd be foolish not to.
While that was bad news for Georgians, it could mean a smoother path ahead for future reactors.
Despite this optimism, however, no U.S. utility is currently building a new nuclear reactor.
For one thing, the 13,000 workers who assembled Vogtle may not all be available for a new gig.
Itll be a totally new group of people doing it, he said in an interview.
It would have been better to start five years ago, Kozeracki acknowledged.
But the second best time is right now.
None of them are clamoring to shoulder the risk of taking the first step.
Everybodys hoping that someone else would solve the cost problem, Parsons said.
The way they make money is by investing capital, primarily in generation capacity or transmission upgrades.
They have an inherent incentive to spend money; they make more money the more they spend.
Kozeracki characterized the utilities plans as shortsighted.
Norris urged caution in accepting the largest estimates of forecasted electricity demand.
This article originally appeared inGristathttps://grist.org/energy/plant-vogtle-georgia-nuclear/.
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For now, the facility will use AI to comply with regulations.
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