Proposed Baltimore Nuclear Raising Budget Concerns

By Michael Kanellos

The nuclear debate is heating up in Maryland.

UniStar Energy, a joint venture between France's EDF (EDFEF.PK) and a local utility, is seeking approval for a 1.6-gigawatt power plant in the state, according to VentureBeat, as well as a portion of the $18.5 billion in funds for advanced nuclear research. Alhough UniStar has obtained key approval from some federal and state agencies, opponents say it will give a company owned by a foreign government too much say in rates (even though EDF is already involved in a few other joint ventures in the U.S. like Enxco and has a strong safety record).

More importantly, the opponents charge that the construction costs will run be more than double the $7 billion estimate. Cost overruns are epidemic in nuclear. At a recent conference, Amory Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute charged that nuclear, when the overruns are added, actually cost more than wind.

Some companies and national labs are trying to circumvent some of these problems with small, modular reactors, but final versions of those won't be ready for another few years.

Comments

[Ferdinand E...:]

Author, don't you realize that Amory Lovins - from the Rocky ______ Mountain Institute - doesn't know what he is talking about when economics comes into the picture.

And yes, cost overruns ARE epidemic for nuclear, but so what.. The reason is that people like Lovins and various ignoramuses in important political and/or bureaucratic positions have filled the heads of politicians and voters with nonsense. Sweden is a perfect example here, because the moronic statement by Lovins about nuclear and wind that you cited was similar to the one made by a Swedish simpleton a few months ago.

Let me tell you how this should be handled. The government should lend 'Unistar' the 7 billion cost estimate, and if the cost goes over e.g. 10% of that they take over the project, and let the Corps of Engineers run it. Doesn't a nuclear facility make more sense than sending additional soldiers to Afghanistan?.

Oct 17 08:36 AM

[Steven Ward:]

Ferdinand, why are soldiers in combat synonymous with nuc power? We basically do not use oil for power generation in this country if you are equating nucs with oil consumption and sending soldiers and Marines into combat.

Oct 17 12:47 PM

[Tack:]

Hey, use any justification to kill nuclear, oil, coal and gas. It's the "pc" thing to do.

Didn't you know we're all going to have little personal, "green," power-generating windmills on our heads from beanies with propellers that the government will, no doubt, soon mandate that we all wear?

Oct 17 02:46 PM

[TinyTim:]

Glad to hear someone has actually moved on the nuke front and the nuclear debate is heating up again.

So far, the French seem to be the experts at operating and maintaining nukes. I doubt their designs are very current, which is too bad if that's what's being talked about in Baltimore. At 1.6GW, it probably is.
They really should use the money to try out one of the new designs, preferably from an American company to eliminate that issue.

What's with the budget concerns, nuclear is too cheap to meter?

Oct 17 07:03 PM

[reader:]

Baltimore? The plant that they are talking about building is no where near Baltimore. The plant just happens to be in the same state as Baltimore. The plant will be more like a two hour drive from Baltimore. The smoke screens that are being thrown up about EDF and Constallation Energy (CEG) are just that. There has been a pissing match going on here in the State of Maryland about this for years. In the mean time the citizens of the State continue to get it in the rear because idiot politicians continue to stand in the way of progress. We have the same stupidity going on about a LNG plant in consideration to be built. I've come to the point that I can no longer stand politicians and their petty ways when it comes to energy dependence in this country. They are all truly asses.

Oct 18 12:56 AM

[TinyTim:]

Reader-
From those of us in the big square states- we have counties bigger than Maryland.
I live two hours from the biggest nuke in the country.

Glad to hear the debate is actively restarted despite the politicians.

Oct 18 05:55 PM

[EVNow:]

Anything other than Gen 4 reactors don't make sense. The only reason older reactors are even being considered is that government massively subsidizes them by promising to take care of the muclear "waste".

Oct 18 10:36 PM