US nuclear power remains on hold
- Scientific Research Society, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)
The Tennessee Valley Authority`s decision to end its nuclear program signaled the end of an era for the nuclear industry in the United States. Despite significant improvements in operational efficiency, nuclear power plants have not proven to be cost-efficient, says John F. Ahearne, executive director of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. A decade ago, Ahearne suspected that recovery of the nuclear power industry would depend on increasing demand for energy, a solution to the waste management problem, an unblemished safety record, and competent management. But for utility executives and public officials, the question whether to go nuclear comes down to the question of cost. Despite concerns about greenhouse gasses produced from traditional fossil-fuel plants, even the Environmental Protection Agency recommends sources of energy other than nuclear, says Ahearne. And even if the perennial problem of waste disposal were to be resolved tomorrow, Ahearne says, it is unlikely that utility executives would be scrambling to order new plants. {open_quotes}For now and into the forseeable future, electricity demand in the United States can be met by conservation, load management, and non-nuclear sources of energy, Ahearne predicts.
- OSTI ID:
- 255281
- Journal Information:
- Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, Vol. 11, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Spr 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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