Duke Energy shelves plans for new reactors at Shearon Harris

[bananas]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/02/2866287/duke-energy-shelves-plans-for.html

Duke Energy shelves plans for new reactors at Shearon Harris
Published: May 2, 2013
By John Murawski — [e-mail]

After years of delays and postponements, Duke Energy issued an obituary for a pair of long-planned reactors at the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in Wake County.

The Charlotte power company has canceled plans to add the new reactors to the site, where a single unit has been generating electricity for a quarter-century. Duke told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that sluggish growth forecasts show new nuclear units won’t be needed for at least 15 years.

The announcement Thursday spells the end of the vaunted nuclear renaissance in the Triangle, a fast-growing region that until the recession had signified the urgent need for nuclear energy.

“They kept teasing and talking about it for some time,” said Jim Warren, director of NC WARN, a Durham anti-nuclear group. “All these grand plans for building nuclear stations are going by the wayside.”

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Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/02/2866287/duke-energy-shelves-plans-for.html#storylink=cpy

[BlueStreak]

1. Everything is connected

Every time progressives force politicians to account for the nuclear waste, this increases the cost and risk of building nukes.

Every time a consumer buys an LED light of CFL light, this reduces the justification for another nuke plant.

Every time a windmill or another solar panel goes on the grid, this reduces the justification for more nukes.

Things are definitely in motion. For the first time in history, we are reducing our per capital "dirty" electricity use more than the growth in population.

[RobertEarl]

2. Yep

We are using less electricity these days. Then when you figure in the solar powered electricity that even Duke is having to buy from many rooftop solar collector owners, the big monstrous power plants are looking ever more like dinosaurs.

Had the dems pulled together and reelected Carter in 1980, we could have been having this discussion 20 years ago. Too little, too late? One more Fukushima, anyone?

[BlueStreak]

3. And in many parts of the country it is still not possible

to sell juice back to the power grid. Or if they do accept the power, they credit you only about half the rate they charge you for the juice that flows your way.

The power company is entitled to fair payment for use of the grid that they have to maintain, but we need uniform national standards here in order to really get alternate generation going.

[RobertEarl]

4. Nationalize the grid?

My solar project is directly costing the power company $4 a day.

That's $1,200 a year. Multiply that times a million $'s and the Dukes become servants, again. We may have to take them under our wings, eh?

[4dsc]

5. It would take 15 years to build this

not to mention the huge cost overruns associated with nuclear power plants. Good decision.