Seth Borenstein, reporting for Knight Ridder Newspapers and the Akron Beacon Journal, indicates that the nation's moribund nuclear power industry is "showing signs of awakening soon." Three utilities will seek licenses this year to build new nuclear plants and it is speculated by government officials and industry leaders that the first will be finished "around 2010." Mr. Borenstein also states:
"The biggest sign of a looming resurgence: The Senate voted 50-48 Tuesday in favor of $15 billion in federal loan guarantees for companies to build six or seven new next-generation nuclear power plants. The terms were part of broader energy legislation; the House of Representatives has voted for similar but lesser aid."
The article also mentions the Bush administration's successful efforts in getting the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada approved as an eventual nuclear waste repository and their intentions to fund the construction of one nuclear plant in Idaho for the sole purpose of producing hydrogen as part of a long-term project to switch to hydrogen as a fuel for cars.
In support, Chairman Nils Diaz of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission stated:
"The nuclear power industry in the United States is undergoing a renaissance . . . . We need to be ready if we are requested to expand our regulatory licenses to new areas, like new reactors."
You can read the whole Akron Beacon Journal article which additionally identifies some possible locations of new nuclear power plants.
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