Tam Hunt

Nuclear Energy and the Next American President

Fred, I see reality has still failed to intrude on your enthusiasm for nuclear power! Since you are an economist, it may behoove you to actually review the economics of nuclear power. The bottomline is that nuclear power is way too expensive to be a going concern in the US. Unrebuttable evidence for this position: revised cost estimates for the new round of nuclear plants (WSJ reported in May that estimates have doubled and quadrupled, up to $12 billion for one project) and the fact that nuclear companies are crowding around the Congressional trough asking for many $billions more in loan guarantees, on top of the $18 billion they've already received. And let's not forget the production tax credit they already have and Price-Anderson insurance, which socializes risk and privatizes gain. .